32 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 
of bark and water-worn, swept round and round, and anon 
raised a despairing arm to heaven for help, only to sink 
back into the toils again.’ 
Of such a scene the author of Frost and Fire gives the 
following graphic sketch. It is an account of what was 
seen by him at Vigelund, on the Torristal River, about ten 
miles above Christiansand. 
‘ At every moment some new arrival comes sailing down 
the rapids, pitches over the fall, and dives into a foaming 
ground pool, where hundreds of other logs are revolving 
and whirling about each other in creamy froth. The new 
comer first takes a header, and dives into some unknown 
depth, but presently he shoots up in the midst of the pool, 
rolls over and over, and shakes himself till he finds his 
level, and then he joins the dance. There is first a slow 
sober glissade eastward across the stream to a rocx which 
bears the mark of many a hard blow, There is a shuffle, 
a concussion, and a retreat, followed by a pirouette sunwise, 
and a sidelong sweep northwards up stream towards the 
fall. Then comes a vehement whirling over and over, or 
if a tree gets bis head under the fall, there is a somersault, 
like a performance in the Halling dance. That is followed 
by a rush sideways and westward, when there is a long fit 
of setting to partners under the lee ofa big rock; then 
comes a simultaneous rush southwards, towards the rapid 
which leads to the sea, and some logs escape and depart, 
but the rest appear to be seized with some freak, and away 
they all slide eastwards again across the stream to have 
another bout with the old battered pudding-stone rock 
below the sawmill; and so for hours and days logs whirl 
one way, in this case against the sun, below the fall, and 
they dash against the rounded walls of the pool. Such is 
the effect of these concussions that above the fall it has 
been found necessary to protect the rock against floating 
bodies so as to preserve the way of the stream. It 
threatened to alter its course and leave the mill dry, for 
the rock was wearing rapidly. Lower down, nearer the 
sea, is a long flat marsh, between high, rounded cliffs ; and 
