The Finn girl, who was alone in the house, had been thinking, for the last two hours, that she had heard cries for help from time to time, and as they kept on she mounted the hill to see what it was.  There she saw Bernt up on the cliff, and the overturned Femboering bobbing up and down against it.  She immediately dashed down to the boat-place, got out the old rowing-boat, and rowed along the shore and round the island right out to him.

Bernt lay sick under her care the whole winter through, and didn’t go a fishing all that year.  Ever after this, too, it seemed to folks as if the lad were a little bit daft.

On the open sea he never would go again, for he had got the sea-scare.  He wedded the Finn girl, and moved over to Malang, where he got him a clearing in the forest, and he lives there now, and is doing well, they say.

* * * * *

[1] A district in northern Norway.

[2] A boat with three oars on each side.

[3] A long pole, with a hooked iron spike at the end of it, for spearing Kvejte or hallibut with.

[4] A large boat with five oars on each side, used for winter fishing in northern Norway.

[5] The chief port in those parts.

[6] Hin Karen = “the devil.” Karen is the Danish Karl.

[7] The Kloer, or clews, were rings in the corner of the sail to fasten it down by in a strong wind. Setja ei Klo = “take in the sail a clew.” Setja tvo, or tri Kloer = “take it in two or three clews,” i.e., diminish it still further as the wind grew stronger.

[8] A demon peculiar to the north Norwegian coast.  It rides the seas in a half-boat.  Compare Icelandic draugr.

[9] See note 3 above.

[10] Vaere med hu, Mor.  Hu is the Danish Hun.

* * * * *

JACK OF SJOEHOLM AND THE GAN-FINN

[Illustration:  THE GAN-FINN.]

JACK OF SJOEHOLM AND THE GAN[1]-FINN

In the days of our forefathers, when there was nothing but wretched boats up in Nordland, and folks must needs buy fair winds by the sackful from the Gan-Finn, it was not safe to tack about in the open sea in wintry weather.  In those days a fisherman never grew old.  It was mostly womenfolk and children, and the lame and halt, who were buried ashore.

Now there was once a boat’s crew from Thjoettoe in Helgeland, which had put to sea, and worked its way right up to the East Lofotens.

But that winter the fish would not bite.

They lay to and waited week after week, till the month was out, and there was nothing for it but to turn home again with their fishing gear and empty boats.

But Jack of Sjoeholm, who was with them, only laughed aloud, and said that, if there were no fish there, fish would certainly be found higher northwards.  Surely they hadn’t rowed out all this distance only to eat up all their victuals, said he.