He

to him, for he is at home upon the waters. thinks little of the dangers of the deep. A sudden gust-a capsize-a struggle-and all is over. But to those who stay behind the anxiety is fearful: what sleepless nights in stormy weather-what expectation -what hope worn threadbare-too often wound up by the news of death and sorrow!

On the coast of Brittany-a coast nigh as perilous as that we are now standing on are oft seen, after a stormy night, the wives and families of those who battle with the wave, standing with anxious gaze on the rock's extreme point to gain one look at the returning vessels; and again, when, after some months' absence, the fishing-barks arrive in harbour, among the joyous meetings of the sailors and their wives, among the hearty greetings of their fellow-villagers, you are sure to mark some woman -surrounded by her children, too young as yet to understand the cause-weeping bitterly, supported by some kind-hearted neighbours, willing in her sorrow to forget their own joy and comfort the afflicted. She has just learned how the father of her children, their sole support, has met with a watery grave, and she is now alone and desolate. And then, on the next succeeding Sabbath, how the altars blaze with lighted tapers and thank-offerings for mercies received and appreciated. You may smile, you may sneer, call it idolatry and Popish; but the thankoffering of a grateful heart, even through a mist of superstition and error, will ascend to the throne of grace, and the outpourings of the heart, though man may, He will not despise.

There is a marked change in the pronunciation of the villagers on this coast; the language still more

resembles our own. was asked of us (words abbreviated) by old Abellona's daughter, on our first entrance-and the old woman called her "Mary" instead of Maria, as the name is pronounced by the Danes-and a "slow". and Mary herself answered "Yus." Later the driver replies to a question, "Three "-not tre, a solid th"waggon come after os:" broad language like that of our own peasantry.

"Will'ee drink a glass milk?"

The sale was now over, and we prepared to depart. N.B. The crockery, nickel silver, &c., sold for higher prices than they had originally cost at the Sheffield warehouse where they had been purchased.

CHAPTER XLI

The Agger Canal - Food of the peasants - The girl who trod upon bread.

AGGER CANAL.

THE weather was too rough for us to return by boat; so the boer-carriages were to drive us to the ferry on this side of the Agger Canal. We passed by the "North Sea," which will soon disappear under the heavy breakers now beating against her sides, and then over a plain of driving sand-not above the horses' knees, however, otherwise it would have been insupportable -for the space of some miles. "I recollect," said one of the gentlemen who accompanied us, "when this sea of sand we now cross was one of the most fertile meadows in Jutland." The canal was at that time closed, and the whole coast shut out from the North Sea by a range of lofty klits; the post-road from Agger to Lemvig then ran by the shore's side.*

* It was in the month of February, 1825, that a violent storm, such as had been never known since the memory of man, broke on the western coast of Jutland. The North Sea, raging with a fury quite unprecedented, burst over the klits, laying them low, carrying sand and destruction over the adjoining country, and reopened the Agger Canal, which gave ingress to the Liimfiorde, closed upwards of two centuries. It was not, however, until the year 1834 that the first vessel passed through into the open sea. From that time it became more used, and, in the year 1856, 1710 vessels passed through it, in and outward bound, the channel at that time drawing eight feet of water. In consequence of the mild winters of '58 and '59 the passage is now reclosing, and at present is reduced to four feet of water.

The Agger peasants live chiefly on fish. Like all Normen, they are lovers of sausages (pøtse) and other "salaisons." A wedding-feast here consists of four courses of fish-very common fish, too, for they devour dog-fish and all sorts of nastiness. For meat they care not, neither for bread. Pity, they say, "to grind and bake good corn into loaves, which might be turned into brandy."

This indifference to bread is not in accordance with the religion of the Danes, for they say, "We must not even lay the Bible upon bread." And when in Zealand a peasant drops a piece of bread, he takes it up quickly, and, kissing it, begs pardon of "Our Lord" for having treated carelessly "His good gift." Many, too, are the stories related by the old as warning to the children "not to profane the blessed bread."

A young girl in service near Flinterup, in Zealand, one day received permission to visit her aged mother, and her mistress gave her five loaves to take as a present. So the girl dressed herself as fine as a peafowl, and, coming where the road was impassable on account of the mud, to avoid dirtying her shoes, laid down the loaves as stepping-stones, in order to pass over dry-footed. But as she placed her feet upon the bread, the loaves sank deeper and deeper, till she entirely disappeared in the bog and was seen no more. The girls of the village still sing a lay about "the bad girl who trod upon bread to keep her shoes clean.” *

» Hans Andersen has made this legend the subject of one of his charming tales. The same feeling as regards the "holiness of bread" appears to have existed in Bornholm; and it is related that a woman, A.D. 1592, who "took its name in vain," having declared to a beggarwoman that she had none to give her, was punished by finding the

We passed the Great Canal in a pilot-boat, and then drove across the smaller one, now entirely closed "to the public."

This caprice of the waters is not, however, of modern times, for we find by history that in the year 1050, Harald Haarderaade, escaping from Svend Estridsen, was compelled to transport his fleet across the sands into the North Sea, over the banks which still bear the name of Haraldseid. Some few years later Knud the Holy passed with his fleet, destined for the conquest of England, safe without impediment to the North Sea. The first closing of this passage is supposed to have been caused by the sinking of a vessel in time of war to prevent the entrance of the enemy into the Liimfiorde; the sand, taking this obstacle as a point d'appui, closed around it, and gradually caused the stoppage, which lasted for centuries. We continue our course, rather wearisome, through the pretty village of Agger by the Flade lake; pass by the new church-old one long since embedded in the sand. How slow the man drives!

whole of the batch then baking in the oven turned to stone. One of these loaves was preserved for a long time in the museum, and the Czar Peter was so much astonished at the fact that he carried off a crumb by way of curiosity.