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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TELLEMARK. 303
host one mark, which he returned to me, saying it
was " for meget," too much, and I had much difficulty
in inducing him to accept it.
The hill that I ascended with mine host is the first of
a series, and my route for several miles was an almost
continuous ascent—a welcome change after the previous
bogs. The highest point attained commands a fine
panorama of an immense extent of country, consisting
for the most part of rolling hills, with boggy and
pool-filled hollows and flats between. This seems to be the
prevailing character of the Tellemark country, and
may have considerable influence in producing some of
the peculiarities of the people. I have no doubt that
most of these boggy regions might easily be drained,
and thereby converted into fertile plains. The drainage
of a flat, boggy country nearly on the sea-level is a
very difficult problem; but an elevated plain may
frequently be well drained by cutting a single trench.
All that is required is to find the lowest part of the
boundary of the elevated marshy land which is situated
near to a descending valley, and then to cut a deep
channel, establishing a communication between the
marsh and the valley; this would drain most of the
land lying above the level of the bottom of the cutting.
I am satisfied that great regions hereabouts might be
thus reclaimed at a very small expense.
On descending, I came upon a repetition of bogs and
small lakes, which continued, with occasional
alternations of low ridges, until I reached the north-eastern
fork of the Mjös Vand. My map is very incorrect
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