318 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 



We left Tromsoe at midnight in the mail steamer 

 FinmarJcen. Mr. Lied accompanied us as far as 

 Trondhjem, whence he went by rail to Petrograd. The 

 southward voyage took four days, and most of the time 

 we passed through some of the most beautiful scenery 

 in Europe, but we were both too anxious to pay it all 

 the attention that it deserved. At each stopping-place 

 we rushed ashore to buy papers, but needless to say, as 

 these were all printed in Norwegian, their perusal did 

 not make us much wiser. The only item of news that 

 we could translate with any degree of certainty was a 

 frequent telegram to the effect that another English 

 ship had been blown up in the North Sea. There were 

 also wild rumours that Zeppelins were dropping bombs 

 upon London, and that India and Egypt had severally 

 declared their independence. At the first declaration 

 of war, the Norwegians feared that they would be 

 drawn into the conflict by Sweden, to whom they are 

 bound by treaty. Sweden, who is always fearful lest 

 Russia should cast a covetous eye on one of the 

 northern ports, was disposed to throw in her lot with 

 Germany. Now, however, the alarm was over, and the 

 Norwegians, like the thoroughly efficient and practical 

 race that they are, were preparing to act the part of the 

 little dog who, when the two hounds were quarrelling, 

 ran off with the bone. In other words, Norway hoped 

 to annex some of the European trade while the Powers 

 were all at loggerheads. 



We reached Bergen early in the morning of 7th 

 October, and secured berths on a boat which left at 

 midday for England. At first we believed that our 



