Down the slope he comes at the top of his speed, his fists clenched, and determination in his face. Gathering himself together as he nears the "take-off," he bends slightly on his ski, and, with a frantic bound, flies forward into space. For an instant a breathless silence falls on the crowd, and then, as the _ski-loeber_ lands at the bottom, and struggles in vain to keep his feet, cheers mingled with laughter fill the air. Number 2 is no more successful than his predecessor; but Number 3 lands on both feet with much grace, continues his way on level ground, and, wheeling round, receives the well-merited applause of the onlookers. Others follow in quick succession, some making brilliant leaps, some having awkward spills; yet one and all racing down to the platform with almost abandoned recklessness. What with the delay caused by accidents, and the time taken in measuring the successful jumps, the contest occupies some hours. Then the judges declare the names of the prize-winners, together with the length of each man's leap; and, prodigious as it may seem, it is no unusual thing for the champion to accomplish 100 feet, measured on the slope from the "take-off" to the landing-point. Such are some of the winter sports of Norway. Can anyone wonder that the men who enter into them with so great a zest have earned for themselves the name of "Hardy Norsemen"? Can anyone wonder that Dr. Nansen, in his younger days the champion _ski-loeber_ at one of these great meetings, should have defeated all others in the race for the North Pole? NOTES [1] Pronounced Nor-gay. [2] Frontispiece.