The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.2003, Síða 39

Vol. 58 #2
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
81
which in our eyes was truly solemn and
significant.
Edna Trent took a small spool from
the mug which contained 20 five hundred
dollar bills, which were wrapped in a small
blue spotted handkerchief and bound with
canvas ribbon, and inside the spool was a
note with this message in English;
“These 20 five hundred dollar bills
belong to Henry A. S. Trent or his heirs. In
the year 1869 the aforementioned Henry
A. S. Trent lived at 843 Oak Street in the
city of Brooklyn in the United States. This
money is a gift from his brother William
Trent by name, who was a merchant sailor
and died on the ship Galahad in Hudson
Bay in August 1869, and he asked me (my
name is Halfdan Arnorsson Berg) to see to
it that his brother would receive the
money. A short time later the ship Galahad
sank, and I came here in the fall, more dead
than alive from an incurable illness. I know
that I will die this winter and I am burying
this money in the ground for the reason
that I will explain in the letter. I am writing
my sister Kristin tomorrow. She is the wife
of Sigmundur Jon Sturluson in
Seydisfjordur on the east coast of Iceland”
H. A. B
In the mug was Halfdan’ s bankbook
which showed that in the spring of 1869 he
had $2600.00 in a bank in New York. But
now seventeen years have passed, and the
interest has increased considerably. In the
bank book was written in English that the
bearer who came to the treasurer at the
bank was the true heir of Half an Arnorsson
Berg, and he had signed
his name in full.
When we had con-
sidered the matter with
much care, and marveled
at how carefully Halfdan
had taken care of all this,
Edna then put the bills
and bank book back in
the mug and gave it to
Arnor. He replaced the
lock on it and handed it
to O’Brian and asked
him to keep the money in
a safe place and exchange
it for Canadian money.
O’Brian took the mug with a smile and put
it in his pocket saying that it was the great-
est honour that he had even been shown, to
trust him - a clown- with so much money.
After that we put the stone back into the
hole under the corner of the house, shov-
eled the mud back on top, so that no traces
remained and Mr. Iceland did most of the
work.
This was certainly a day of celebration
for us all. It was beautiful outside, and the
weather was mild even though it was
autumn, due to the so-called “Indian
Summer” that had recently spread its inde-
scribably wondrous enchanting warmth
over forest and plain, rivers and lakes.
Though Indian summer seldom lasts longer
than two weeks, it is, and always will, be
the most beautiful and loveliest time of the
year in the Red River Valley.
My cousin invited all these happy visi-
tors upstairs, and treated us to a virtual
feast—Icelandic style—gave us hot choco-
late and coffee, ponnukokur and kleinur
and all manner of sweets too numerous to
mention. Mr. Iceland delivered an excellent
speech in English, and said among other
things, that the earth always returned that
which had been hidden within it. Arnor
and Edna thanked everyone for their help
and friendliness. Everyone agreed no one
deserved more thanks than the late mer-
chant sailor and outstanding man, Halfdan
Arnorsson Berg. Nor was Madeleine
Vanda forgotten. Everyone admitted that it
was largely due to her that the treasure had
been found. It may be stated here, that just