3188 Quadrupeds. 



I saw this fully exemplified on one occasion, and as it was the only 

 opportunity I had for joining in a bear-hunt, though it proved unsuc- 

 cessful, I will describe the whole affair. It was in the famous valley 

 of Justedal, whither we had made an expedition of three days to see 

 the largest and finest glacier in Norway, and other grand scenery in 

 this wild and retired spot. Our party consisted of four persons, three 

 being English, and the fourth my inseparable companion and fellow- 

 hunter, the Norwegian officer, of whom I have had occasion to speak 

 before, mounted on clever Norwegian ponies which we had hired at 

 Lyster, and attended by four men, bearing our provision-boxes and 

 blankets ; the Captain and 1 armed with our guns and other hunting- 

 gear, and our companions w r ith their sketching-apparatus. We left the 

 beautiful Lyster Fjord on one of the most lovely evenings in July, and 

 at 8 p. M. commenced our march in single file up the mountain side. 

 I omit the particulars of our night journey, how the mountain ponies 

 scrambled up the steep rocks, and down the most frightful stairs of 

 stone, where one false step would have hurried them and their riders 

 to destruction ; or how we bivouaced several times, and lit a fire, 

 and cooked our coffee in the invaluable camp-kettle ; or how we ad- 

 mired the splendid scenery of these mountain-passes : suffice it that 

 at 7 a. m. of the following morning we rode into the court-yard of the 

 Preestegaard (or parsonage-house) of Justedal, the only house of any 

 size in the whole valley, and begged hospitality (or rather an asylum 

 as head-quarters) for a few days. This was at once most courteously 

 accorded ; although our party was certainly rather a formidable one to 

 demand food and lodging of a poor Preesten, whose income amounts 

 only to about <£30 a-year ; for we numbered in all seventeen living 

 beings, ourselves, and servants, and ponies (three of which had foals 

 runuing by their sides), and two hounds belonging to the Captain. 



In the evening of that day the Captain and I again ordered our 

 horses (for we preferred travelling by night), and winding up the val- 

 ley made an excursion to the great glacier, whither our companions 

 had gone with their sketch-books many hours before, nor did we re- 

 turn to the Preestegaard until the next morning at 8 A. m. On our 

 arrival there we found the whole village in great commotion, groups 

 of men and women, with consternation on their faces, standing in the 

 yard of the Preestegaard, and we soon learned that in the night a bear 

 had come down from the mountains, and had killed one of our host's 

 cows near the foot of the mountain, within half an English mile of his 

 bouse. The villagers had heard the; bellowings of the poor cow at 

 about 11 P. m. on the preceding evening, and had guessed the cause; 



