All at once a distant roar was heard outside. The monster paused. The
noise increased; shouts of men were mingled with the plaintive moan of a
bear. The brigand listened. The cries of pain continued. He hastily
seized his axe, and sprang, not toward Ordener, but toward one of the
crevices in the rock. Ordener, overwhelmed with surprise to find himself
thus unnoticed, hurried in his turn to one of these natural doors, and
saw in a neighboring glade a large white bear at bay, surrounded by
seven hunters, among whom he thought he recognized Kennybol, whose words
had made such an impression upon him the night before.
He turned back. The brigand had left the cave, and a fearful voice
outside shouted: “Friend! Friend! I am here! I am here!”
FOOTNOTES:
[1] M. Charles Nodier, in the “Quotidienne” for March 12, 1823.
[2] Koran.
[3] A small coin worth twelve and a half cents. The name is still in
use in Louisiana.
[4] Name of the Throndhjem morgue.
[5] The Norwegian peasants build nests for the eider duck, surprise
them while sitting on their young, and strip them of their down.
[6] The Odelsrecht was a singular law establishing a species of entail
among the Norwegian peasantry. Any man who was compelled to part with
his patrimony might prevent the purchaser from transferring it, by
declaring every tenth year that he intended to buy it back.
[7] The Persian god of evil.
[8] Bark bread, eaten by the poorer classes in Norway.
[9] Blood privilege, the right to have a hangman.
[10] It is granted.
[11] The waters of Lake Sparbo are greatly used for tempering steel.
[12] Frederic III. was the victim of Borch, or Borrich, a Danish
chemist, and more especially of Borri, a Milanese quack, who declared
himself to be the favorite of the Archangel Michael. This impostor,
after startling Strasburg and Amsterdam with his pretended miracles,
increased the sphere of his ambition and the boldness of his lies;
having deceived the people, he ventured to deceive kings. He began with
Queen Christina at Hamburg, and ended with King Frederic at Copenhagen.
[13] The dogfish are greatly dreaded by fishermen, because they
frighten other fish.
[14] The ancient aristocracy of Norway, before Griffenfeld established
a regular order of nobility, were entitled “hersa” (baron) or “jarl”
(count). The English word “earl” is derived from the latter.
[15] The patron saint of fishermen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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