SNAKE KİLLED NEAR OUR TENT.

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At the inn at Sandviken there is a sort of travellers'

Our middags-mad consisted of a beefsteak each, at one mark six skillings the steak, and one bottle of Baiersk öl at twelve skillings; we gave the pige four skillings. Sandviken is a pleasant village, about nine miles from Christiania. We arranged for a carriole, from Sandviken to Christiania the next day, and, leaving, we reached our camp, at seven o'clock.

It

Esmeralda and Zachariah had not taken any dinner, but had waited our return. Mephistopheles had actually killed a snake in the stones near our tent. measured one foot eight inches long, having a brown back, and black belly. It was the only one we saw in Norway; it was no myth; Mephistopheles said there

were more.

Two tourists, when we returned, were looking at our tents, and talking to Esmeralda; they were going to take the steamer, at nine o'clock that night, from Sandviken, and were obliged to leave at once. They were very nice young fellows. As we sat in our tents, taking our tea, biscuits, and cheese, another party of tourists came, and bowed to us. When we had finished, a number of peasants congregated round our camp fire. They did not seem disposed to leave, although we were anxious to retire for the night. Mephistopheles at length approached the fire in a mysterious manner, and throwing into it some crumpled paper, walked away. They thought it explosive, for they quickly left.

Now the closing scenes of summer had come, we were told that the nights in Norway were cold, and frosty, from the 20th to the 23rd of August. No one will ever know our feelings as we paced, up and down,

K K

on this last evening of our camp wanderings. It was the last night of our tent life in Norway. Somehow even our donkeys seemed to take an enlarged sphere, in the region of our affections, as we viewed them, quietly grazing, in the picturesque ravine. A clinging affection seemed to return, now that we were about to bid adieu to our tents, equipage, to our gipsies, even to our donkeys; we were now to end our camp life, with our English gipsies, in this wild Norwegian forest.

We had for a time escaped from our books, which are as whetstones to the human understanding; yet, occasionally, they wear away the intellect, until it has nothing left to sharpen. Is it necessary to bestow so much time in classical study? There was a time when it entered largely into our necessities. Now there is a great change. Our intercourse with all parts of the world requires a knowledge of many modern languages. Life is short. One often doubts if competitive examinations are useful. Some individuals, all mind, and no energy, occasionally attain to positions, requiring more physical energy than mind, to the country's disadvantage, and their own misery. Camp life is the obverse of book study; whilst it fosters the physical energy, it develops, and strengthens, the nervous system, and gives a self-reliance, which cannot be comprehended by the Kairengro, of what is called civilized life.

It is our last morning; we are up at four o'clock. Our breakfast consisted of bread and cheese, and tea. Noah was presented with another pair of trowsers, to appear at Christiania. Taking our courier bag, and a few books, and clothes, we left; reluctantly, we must say. More than once, we turned, as we saw our tents

ADIEU, CAMP LIFE.

499

As we

above the ravine. More than once, as we turned, we saw our beautiful Puru Rawnee on the greensward near the river; we had reached the top of the ascent. left the ravine, once more, we saw the form of some one coming after us-it was Esmeralda. Our camp life in Norway has ended.

CHAPTER XLII.

"The King of the Gipsies, or El Capitan as he is called, is a fine musician, and we invited him to come up to the hotel one evening to play to us. Captain Antonio's company is not to be had for the asking. . . . . . It was a wretchedly poor instrument, and we began to wonder what sort of torments were about to be inflicted upon us, when on a sudden the tuning ceased, and the music seized hold of us like galvanism; for it was such music as one had never dreamed of before."

MATILDA BETHAM EDWARDS' Through Spain.*

CHRISTIANIA-GENEROUS OFFER-ADVICE WE DO NOT TAKE-THE PAPER

VIKEN

FISHERMEN CHRISTOPHERSON'S NORWAY FAREWELL DONKEYS' ACCOMMODATION-WANT OF FEELING-OUR STEWARD-THE GIPSIES' FRIENDS-THE SPANISH COURIER-THE LITERARY AMERICAN -THE GIPSIES' MAL DE MER-THE DONKEYS IN A SMOKE ROOM-THE LOST NECKLACE-ENGLAND'S SHORE-TO OUR READERS.

VERY lightly shall we touch upon the remaining portion of our journey. A carriole from the Skyds Station at Sandviken conveyed us to the Victoria Hotel at Christiania. We had dined there on our first landing; we went there on our return. Every attention, and comfort, is to be found at the Victoria.

Our friend the Chevalier gave our gipsies a beautiful camp ground for the tents, on a wooded knoll, near the Christiania Fjord.

They were to follow us to Christiania the next morning after we left them.

"Through Spain to the Sahara," by Matilda Betham Edwards (the authoress of "A Winter with the Swallows "), published 1868.

GENEROUS OFFER.

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About noon on the following day after our arrival, we strolled out of the city to meet them. Our gipsies had halted in the shade of some trees. A young officer had stepped down from his carriage, and was speaking to Esmeralda. The lady in the carriage had kindly offered them camping-ground on her property. It was kindly meant, but we had already arranged. The same evening, our gipsies were encamped near Christiania Fjord-the last camp of the English gipsies in Norway.

It seemed as if we had left the Bendigo, or the Goulborn gold-diggings, or some scenes of the boundless Bush forest of Australia, and had just come down to Melbourne. Australian readers will understand the feeling.

Our steamer would leave on Friday afternoon. It is the "Hero," under command of Captain Nicholson.

We call at H. Heitman's office, and showed our return ticket, and informed him that two of our donkeys would return with our party. H. Heitman made some objection about finding accommodation for the donkeys, and suggested leaving them behind. Either, said he, they must be on full deck, or go below. return passage had been paid as for horses, and they were entitled to proper accommodation. We said we had quite determined to take them with us.

The full amount for their

The time passed quickly from Monday until Friday the 26th August. It is not our intention to give any description of Christiania. Excellent descriptions of all worth seeing in this beautifully situated capital, have been given by many English writers, and in Murray's Guide Book. We like Christiania, for the home-like feeling we experienced, as we wandered through its streets, and conversed with its people. The city has nearly, if not quite,