809 
a Scene in Bergen Stift, in Norway . 
At a little distance behind the dwelling-house of Vettie, in 
the back ground of the dale, there rises up a large mountain 
precipice, over which, where a new Giel begins, there rushes the 
highest waterfall I had yet seen, called Markefoss. High falls 
indeed are here so common, that they at least excite less attention, 
especially where the mass of water is not very considerable ; but 
what seemed to me exceedingly singular in this one, was, that 
the fall is so perfectly perpendicular, that not one drop of its 
water touches the whole side of the mountain. From the gap 
through which it issues, the mountain bends inward like the side 
of an arch, in such a manner, that if the place were accessible, 
one might make a passage between the mountain and the fall. 
As the mass of water here meets with no resistance, it makes no 
alarming noise ; I only heard its distant sound in the bottom of 
the Giel, which it was impossible for me to see, as all view and 
all approach is barred by high sharp-pointed rocks, and a chao- 
tic assemblage of large blocks of granite. Over this precipice 
lie the pasture-grounds of Vettie, where are some of the finest 
sketches of wood to be found perhaps in the whole province. 
Here grow the finest trees for masts, of uncommon height and 
thickness, unused and incapable of being used, because they 
cannot be got down through the Foss, without being splintered 
into a thousand pieces. It is difficult to get even common house 
timber this way, for perhaps not one out of ten pieces remain 
of sufficient length. In former times, this wood was the pro- 
perty of the Copper-work Company of Aardal, which had its 
best supply of charcoal from it. It was the more valuable to 
them, that its situation excluded it from every other use. I saw 
a man going up the precipice which leads to this wood. At the 
distance at which I stood, he seemed like an insect creeping up 
a wall. By frequent turnings from one hand to another it is 
rendered possible to go up a path, from which, however, nothing 
is more easy than to break a neck. But born and brought up 
as the people are here amidst such dangers, they disregard or 
are not sensible of them. The boy, the youth, grows up amidst 
venturous feats, and courage is his life’s constant guide. Of the 
mountain^ summits here, I mention only Fleskeuaastiud, because 
it is considered as the highest next to the summits of the Young 
Harlots. 
