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Jun 20, 2006
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Tjome,
Norway
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
After a most comfortable night's rest, we went down to the landing-stage, to go on board the boat. It was a smaller one than that by which we had performed the first part of our journey, but a swifter sailer. Besides, we were now reduced to number; there were only the two Krogers and myself as passengers, and the pilot, who had a very small boy to help him work the boat.
My notions of the Christiania Fjord where much altered by that day's experience; for instead of a simple passage of an hour or two, over a piece of water of which we could see both banks, as I had imagined, we were tossed about all day on the billows of a stormy sea, and for some hours out of the sight of land. We were endeavouring to get to Tonsberg, but the wind being unfavourable, were compelled to keep south of it. As we neared the Norwegian coast I was struck with the difference of its appearance from that of the shores of Sweden. For instead of the black, dread, desolation that reigned there, we now saw fir trees on every rock. Approaching the island in the fast-fading light of the evening, we steered in calmer water, up to the end of a creek or inlet. As single house stood there, under our wood of fir trees, and one or two ships were ay anchor near the shore. It was the Island of Kjomoe. We landed within a yard or two of the dwelling, and went up to it to ask for a lodging. Before the door were strewn freshly-cut fir branches to serve as a mat; and the place had a look of snugness and comfort that stimulated our hope of a reception. We were welcomed by a kind-looking man, somewhat past the prime of life, who assured us he would do the best he could to make us comfortable. On entering the parlour I could not help running up to the iron stove and clasping it round, being well nigh frozen with the cold. The host made some remark to Captain Kroger about my appearing to suffer much from it, and I heard the latter say in a low tone: "Han er Engelskmand, og Landmand!" (He is an Englishman, and a landsman!). Whereupon the host said to me in good clear English, "And so you come from England, sir? May I ask were you live there?"
"At Gloucester," I replied.
"Indeed! then perhaps you recollect me, for I was at your house two years ago! My name is J_______, captain of the _______. How are your father and mother?"
I need not say how much this took me by surprise. Here we were, driven out of our track by stress of weather, and compelled to land at a strange spot to beg shelter for the night; and yet in this very place, where I first touched Norwegian soil, I had the pleasure of meeting with an old friend.
"Now," said captain J___, "I am very glad to see you here, and I can give you some English cookery tonight - some beefsteaks."
And so he did. If any of my countrymen have ever had such "roughing it" as I had just passed through, they can imagine what a treat to beefsteaks were, after sour rye bread and rancid butter, at the very smell of which a dog would make up his mind for a fast. The two captains had a long confabulation over their pipes, monster blocks of meerschaum, with stems like half a walking-stick. I was asked a great many questions about the trade of Gloucester, improvements in the Docks, &c., &c., and so the evening wore swiftly away.
Some idea of the abruptness of the Norwegian shore may be inferred from that - that a vessel of about four hundred tons lay so close alongside the window of the room we sat in, that I could have thrown a nutshell on board of her. The wall of rock often runs down nearly perpendicular for thirty or forty fathoms, or even more, below the water's edge. Kjomoe is only some three or four English miles from one of the posting stations on the main road between Christiania and Christiansand, which here runs along the coast. Two moded of proceeding on our journey were therefore before us; the first being to go by boat to the nearest point on the mainland, at which to strike in upon the post road; and the second to make some fresh agreement with the Tonsberg pilot to take us further down the coast - say to Langesund, whence we could wait for the next steamer passing there, or go by land, as might seem most advisable. Captain Kroger preferred the latter, because he had already been shaken and jolted about by many days of land travel in Sweden, in the journey from the Gulf of Bothnia Stockholm, whence he came by the newly-opened railway to Gothenburg. His ship was frozen up in the Gulf; and he had brought the good deal of baggage with him, which rendered land transit more difficult. Independently of these considerations, I have no doubt he preferred the sea to the land, professionally; at all events, I decided to join him in the endeavour to reach Langesund by water; and at seven o'clock the following morning we took leave of captain J___, and turned our boat southwards. We had such a complete shelter for a mile or two, among the Fjords, that there was not wind enough to impel the boat, without the aid of an oar. No sooner were we fairly out in the open sea, than we found a very different state of things. It was blowing a gale, and after some hours this increased so as to risk ourgetting "capsized" - so we were compelled to return to land. We struck a point on the coast, about a couple of miles from Sandefjord, and not much further from the place we had left in the morning. Horses were immediately sent for from the station; and in about an hour we were enabled to start. The Captain and I rode in a gig, whilst Jens followed in a small wagon with the baggage. We passed over few fields into the main road, and soon entered Sandefjord. The scenery of the narrow bay before this little town was very beautiful, for although it was a windy afternoon the sun was shining over the sea. The deep green of the fir trees covering the slopes of the hills, down to the water's edge, and the blue expanse, with many ships riding at anchor, or in full sail, formed an exquisite picture, which I only found surpassed at Arendal, a day or two later on.
Every part of the Norwegian coast is indented with creeks that afford safe anchorage for ships; and perhaps no country in the world gives such facilities for a sea-faring life. The result is that the merchant navy of the kingdom is enormous as compared with its population - being, I think, the third-largest in the world: a very rapid increase was developed in it after the alteration of the British Navigation Laws, which enabled the Norwegians to compete with us as carriers on even terms. It seems most strange to an Englishman, to find a village of seventy houses (Grimstad) sending out one hundred and fifty first-class ships; whilst Arendal, a very small town according to our mode of estimating places, owns between three and four hundred vessels going beyond sea.
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As the ferry made its way up Sandefjord, I was abe to see the difference in coastline JB referred to. Actually, it is mainly because of the prevailing winds which on the Swedish shore sweep all vegetation away, but do not hit directly onto the Norwegian shore here.
I drove around the coast through Tonsberg to Tjomoe, thinking it was far smaller than it is; and although there is an area called "world's end" it didn't tally with his description although I did find a little creek some miles up the way at Budal.
