Knut Hamsun

“ A powerful strange thing was life, beyond understanding.
A long quarter of an hour went by. When the wind carried that way, Joachim could hear the bells from Kirkeoen, and the sound came solemnly, mysteriously. Then he heard voices down by the water; the boat with the rescue party had come round. His own boys were rowing, and they, he knew, would bring her swiftly enough. He held his breath and listened.
"There he is," cries Marcelius.
"Is he there?" calls Joachim from above.
A little after, he can feel the line he holds being loosened from the boat ”

“ The Atlantic roared at the foot of the cliff. And he sat down.
Two small lights showed from a sailing vessel some way out at sea; farther off, two lights again, from a steamer, heavy and black, making to the eastward. And Marcelius thought to himself: may be as well to get on board a ship one day, and away from all. Frederikke was lost beyond hope; and a sorry business to be here on the island when she was gone. Well, well. . . . God in Heaven help and comfort her all her days. . . . And as for damaging Simon's boat, the Lord forgive him for that evil thought ”

“ Among these island folk 'tis always reckoned a finer thing to be from the big island; even those from the mainland were not reckoned for much by folk from Kirkeoen, though they came from the biggest place of all. They are fisherfolk all, for miles round.
All the Atlantic washes the shores of Blaamandso, so far to sea it lies. And every face of it sheer cliff, unscalable on three sides; only the south, towards the sun at noon, is a track where God and man have made a passable way up over the rock ”

“ The party moved up over the island. The first thing to do was to get hold of a lamb, then the mother would be more easily taken. They toiled all through the morning before they managed to capture a full-grown sheep. One flock made in a fright down towards the boat, and maddened with fear, dashed into the sea; Marcelius waded out and caught them, one by one.
"Now you're all wet," said Frederikke.
The women sat down to the shearing, while the two brothers stood ready with three fresh beasts in leash. Marcelius was close by Frederikke. And the spring sun shone warm and full upon them all. ”

“ When they came up, Joachim and his men were there. All bared their heads when the two schoolmasters and their companion appeared.
"All ready?" asked Simon.
"All ready," answered Joachim. "As far as we can see."
Then suddenly Frederikke cries anxiously:
"Oh, Marcelius, be careful going down to-day. Can't someone else go down in the boat instead?"
All turned to listen.
"He's well enough used to the work," says Joachim, who was the lad's father.
"It's an ugly thing of a boat with a name on," says Frederikke. ”

“ The biggest hut on the island belongs to honest old Joachim, the boat-builder. There the Christmas dance was held, year after year; the place would hold four to six couples easily at a time. For the music, there was a fiddler, and beside him sat a man by name Didrik, whose office it was to make a sort of vocal harmony to the tune, and beat time heavily with both feet. The young men danced in their shirt-sleeves. ”

“ Honest Joachim and his two sons had been up before daybreak, getting the boat over to the tackles at the north side of the island; all the men of the place had come to help, lest the fine new boat should be roughly handled on the way. And there she hung now, a slender beauty, decked out ready for the start.
The old schoolmaster had persuaded his smart young colleague to put off the crossing to Kirkeoen until afternoon, and it was just time. ”

“ They carry the planks up those two hundred steps, build the boats there in among their huts, to wait till winter comes, and the northward cliffs are blue with the smooth-polished ice; then, with pulley and rope, they send the boats down over that glassy scarp and launch them so. I saw it done myself when I was a child; two men stood up on the cliff above, paying out the rope, while one sat in the boat, fending it off wherever it threatened to catch. 'Twas a work of courage and care, with now and then a quiet-voiced hail from above or below. ”

“ And you'd be better advised to think no more of me, Marcelius, nor put yourself in my way."
"Ay, I know the new schoolmaster man he's wanting you himself," answered Marcelius. "But it's all to be seen what'll come of your fine-lady ways."
And it was true enough, that the new schoolmaster was after Frederikke. He came from Kirkeoen, and had been to a seminary. His father was only a fisherman like the rest, but a rich man, better off than most. There was always a store of fish on his drying ground, and pork and butter in his larder. ”