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92 THROUGH NORWAY WITII A KNAPSACK.
and by attentively comparing the horizon over the
invisible land with that over the sea, it will be seen
to be much more luminous, and to resemble the film
of air upon the blackened plate.
I have seen it most strikingly in the Greek
Archipelago, and along the Mediterranean coast of Africa.
The Greek islands were fantastically distorted; and at
Algiers the effect was very curious; the palm-trees upon
the coast seemed like balloons or parachutes flying over
the sea. But, as I have said before, it may be seen
on almost every coast on any afternoon of a hot
summer’s day; and I have been surprised to find how
many people—even sailors—have seen it for the first
time only when I have pointed it out to them.
The moving rocks and islands above described, were
seen at about 8 p.m., near the Satten Fiord, lat. 67°,
and I have a very strong suspicion, almost amounting
to a conviction, that this optical illusion has given rise
to the marvellous stories of the Kraken, or great
sea-serpent, which the Norsk mariners so often see, and
Pontoppidan describes. The following extracts afford
strong confirmation of this opinion. Pontoppidan tells
us that " the Kraken is the largest creature in the
world ; its back, or upper part, which seems to be in
appearance about an English mile and a half in
circumference (some say more, but I choose the least for
the greater certainty), looks at first like a number of
small islands surrounded with something that floats and
fluctuates like sea-iceeds. It is said that if the creature’s
arms (tentac.ula) were to lay hold of the largest man-
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