198 FORESTRY OF NORWAY. 
By Forrester it is mentioned that in some cases two 
years have been occupied in the transport to the sea of 
the timber cut in the upper mountains. From this some 
idea may be formed of the difficulties which have to be 
overcome, and which are overcome, by the indomitable 
industry of the people. 
I have stated what I saw and learned of timber floatage 
Torristal, or Otter-elv [ante. p. 4], and what I saw of 
the floatage of timber on the Glommen [ante. p. 10]. 
There, as elsewhere, logs are transported from the spot 
where they are felled to the banks of the nearest stream, 
and marked with the initials of the owner. On the melt- 
ing of the ice they are pushed into the current, and the 
contributions of many affluents find their way to the river, 
which may at the time be covered with the floating masses, 
which become more or less compactly interlaced, till some 
projecting rock in the bank or, the river bed arresting 
some, others are impeded and stopped in their course, and 
ultimately many thousands, it may be, are stopped, and 
piled up ina confused heap. It is perilous work to break 
up the piled mass, and set the logs afloat upon the stream 
again. In doing'so, ‘the men employed go about balancing 
themselves on detached logs in the middle of the stream, 
pushing on each log by means of a boat-hook, till at last 
the mass of logs hanging together begins to be disturbed 
and shake, and then comes the struggle for the men to 
regain the shore. The skill which the men display in dis- 
entangling the logs, the agility with which they run about 
and maintain their balance on the floating logs, as well as 
on those which are fixed, the intelligence which they apply 
to the separation and setting afloat again of all those 
interlaced logs, and, in fine, the courage with which they 
face all these perils, are all of them worthy of admiration,’ 
The statement is cited from the report by Dr Broch. 
The author of the work entitled Frost and Fire, to 
which I am indebted for the sketch of logs performing the 
