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WILD NORWAY. 
CHAPTER XVI. 
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE SWEDISH DIVIDE. 
The scene of this autumn’s campaign lay in the 
nethermost backwoods, as wild as it was extensive. 
Our eastern boundary for upwards of fifty kilometres 
marched with Sweden, the frontier being indicated on 
the mountains by cairns, in the forests by an endless 
straight-cut ride. Deep coniferous forests filled the 
valleys and climbed the hillsides up to timber-line, 
where they gave place to a zone of open wood, and 
above that to bleak moor and barren fjeld. Lakelets 
and tarns studded the uplands, while huge sheets of 
water ( sjoen , or “seas” in Norsk) separated the main 
ranges. These seldom exceeded three thousand feet in 
elevation ; but a leading feature in the physical con¬ 
figuration of our domain was a great cordillera that 
protruded far through its centre. This was the Moerra- 
fjeldetn, the highest peak of which (Hartkjolens) reached 
four thousand five hundred and fifty feet. The whole 
territory belonged to the Crown, and carried a nominal 
right to kill eleven elks, though there were not that 
number of bulls on the ground. During hard winters 
the wolves from Hartkjolens play havoc with the deer. 
Our aim had been to penetrate truly virgin ground, 
