I placed my blanket under the boy's head and then looked at the injured limb. I was unable to do much in such an emergency, but I placed the bones as nearly in position as I could, and then using small willow stems for splints, wound around it strips of cloth. Then the only thing to be done was to get him to other help.

We tried to talk to each other, but that was useless. Though he was a big boy, I lifted him on to my back and carried him down towards the sheep. The lamb limped along by our side. The boy pointed the way which I was to take, and it was not long before we came in sight of a small house, built of stones and covered with a turf roof. I carried him in and placed him on a bed in a corner of the room.

His leg must have pained him cruelly, but he was very patient and considerate. I was somewhat faint from the exertion, and when he saw it he pointed to a cupboard-shaped piece of furniture in another corner of the room. I went to it, and on opening a door, found plenty of food. There was bread, cheese, meat, and some other articles quite strange to me, and a jar of milk: I brought some of the food to the low table by the bed and offered it to the boy. He motioned me back to the cupboard and I soon had knives and dishes. Some of the dishes were of metal, and some of light earthenware. The sick boy broke some bread and cut a large piece of meat, placing them where I was to eat. Then he poured out a bowl of milk for me and motioned me to partake. He began mincing a little himself, and I then fell to with a right good appetite. The bread was of rye and barley, and it tasted delicious - and the milk! It was nectar to my lips.

I could see that the boy was worrying about his sheep. The sun was getting around again to the north, which in any other part of the earth meant that night and darkness would be coming on. I went out and with very little trouble drove the sheep in close to the hut, where they soon lay down and became quiet. When my companion learned this, he thanked me with a clasp of his hand. I sat there by his couch, he holding my hand and I looking into his face, trying to understand his strange language. I brushed back the hair from his forehead. My touch could not have been more reverential had it been the fair face of a girl.

The boy was tired, and slept between the times of greatest pain; and I also must have dozed a little. I realized that I must find assistance. I managed to make him understand this, and also that if he could give me some kind of a note to his friends, it would greatly help me. I did not know whether he could write or not, but he soon convinced me of that. By his direction I found his writing material which consisted of some small pieces of thin, prepared skin, an instrument resembling a steel pen, and a bottle of black ink. On one of these sheets, he soon had something written, which to me was just as foreign as his speech.

He pointed out to me the direction which I should take, and with a cheery smile and wave of the hand I left him and proceeded rapidly on my way.

A well defined path led me farther down into the valley. I passed a number of huts, but they were unoccupied. When the grass land became level enough to mow, I saw that hay had been cut from it; and here and there also were newly-made fields of yellow stubble. I now also saw more sheep, besides cows and horses. The horses were of the small, hardy breed which I had seen in Norway.

But I found no more human beings until I had walked for about two hours. Then I was overtaken by two men riding in a four-wheeled wagon drawn by two horses. They were coming along at a lively rate, and did not see me until they were close up to me. Then they reined in their horses and looked wonderingly at me. I, however, did not stop to parley, but at once gave them my written message. They read it and understood. They looked closely at me again, speaking in some unknown tongue. I replied in English but none of us was the wiser. Then they turned around, after making me to understand that I was to keep on the road straight ahead. They were soon out of sight, and I plodded on with my precious grip, now my only piece of baggage.

In looking over what I have thus far written, I fear I have dwelt at too great a length on the details of my account. At this rate, I shall hardly reach the more important part, so I shall have to omit much that I have seen and heard, and try to tell the main points only; but I am prone to ramble, I see that; especially when my thoughts go back from whence I came, and to those whom I have left.... I sometimes wish that I also might have forgotten all that I had known and felt back there in the world; but again, that perhaps is the wish of a weakling, who shrinks from that which God has been pleased to place upon him.

That day I took my time, expecting that the wagon with my injured young friends would overtake me, but the hours went by and I saw nothing of him. The country became more level, the fields were larger, there were small trees, fences of stone, and houses. People, too, became more numerous, but I walked along the wagon road unobserved for a long time. I know now that I did not appear very different from the people in the land, not even in dress. I wore a beard, as did all the men, and my sailor cap looked quite like the male headdress in this land.

In the distance I could now see the larger houses of a good size town. There were chimneys from which issued the commonplace smoke, which, nevertheless means so much. I was tired, and, oddly enough, now that I think of it, my first thought was to find a good hotel.