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diff --git a/old/62282-0.txt b/old/62282-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d0f3505..0000000 --- a/old/62282-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5152 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Across the Vatna Jökull; or Scenes in -Iceland, by William Lord Watts - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll -have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using -this ebook. - - - -Title: Across the Vatna Jökull; or Scenes in Iceland - Being a Description of Hitherto Unkown Regions - -Author: William Lord Watts - -Release Date: May 30, 2020 [EBook #62282] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SCENES IN ICELAND *** - - - - -Produced by MFR, John Campbell, Gísli Valgeirsson and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Footnote anchors are denoted by [number], and the two footnotes have - been placed at the end of the book. - - A superscript is denoted by ^x, for example Edw^d or C^o. - - Basic fractions are displayed as ½ and ¼; there are no other fractions - in this book. - - Icelandic names frequently have accented characters, and often have - the ‘eth’ character which displays as ð. - - All changes noted in the ERRATA in the frontmatter have been applied - to the etext. - - Some minor changes to the text are noted at the end of the book. - - - - - [Illustration: MOUNT PAUL. - - _Frontispiece._] - - - - - ACROSS THE VATNA JÖKULL; - - OR, - - Scenes in Iceland; - - BEING A DESCRIPTION OF HITHERTO UNKNOWN - REGIONS. - - BY - - WILLIAM LORD WATTS. - - London: - LONGMANS AND CO., PATERNOSTER ROW. - 1876. - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, - ST. JOHN’S SQUARE AND WHITEFRIARS STREET. - - - - - THIS WORK - - IS - - DEDICATED TO HIS ICELANDIC FRIENDS - - BY - - W. L. WATTS. - - - - - PREFACE. - - -Having traversed several parts of Iceland concerning which nothing -has hitherto been known, I have ventured to publish the few -following pages, giving an account of my journey across the Vatna -Jökull, and my visit to the volcanoes in the North of Iceland. - - W. L. W. - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS. - - - PAGE - No. 1. Mount Paul--_Frontispiece_. - - No. 2. The Öskjugjá 88 - - - Map of Iceland _To face page_ 1 - - Map of the Author’s Routes from - Núpstað to Reikjahlíð ” 45 - - - - -ERRATA. - - - Page 11, line 16, _for_ A.M., _read_ P.M. - ” 26, lines 1 and 5, _for_ zoolites, _read_ zeolites. - ” 27, line 2, _omit_ comma _after_ Paul. - ” 29, ” 26, _for_ 12 A.M., _read_ midday. - ” 30, ” 14, _for_ laid, _read_ lay. - ” 35, ” 12, _after_ Fahrenheit, _omit_ of frost. - ” 58, ” 18, _for_ laid, _read_ lay. - ” 100, ” 22, _for_ meat, _read_ feet. - - -[Illustration: - - _London, Longmans & C^o._ - _Edw^d. Weller, Litho. Red Lion Square._ - - ICELAND] - - - - - ACROSS THE VATNA JÖKULL. - - -Iceland again! Reykjavík again! Here I am upon the same errand as -in 1871 and 1874--foolhardiness and folly as it is denounced by -some at home. I fancy I can see some of my worthy countrymen at -ten o’clock in the morning, clad in dressing-gown and slippers, -breakfast half finished, and a copy of some journal that has -condescended to take notice of my little expedition in his hand. -Umph! he says, 5,000 square miles of uninhabited country, a howling -wilderness, nothing but volcanoes, ice, and snow--a man must be -a fool to want to go there; no one ever has crossed this cold, -desolate region, why, in the name of everything that is worth -pounds, shillings, and pence, should any one be mad enough to want -to do so now? It would be in vain to refer him to that element in -the Anglo-Saxon, which especially longs to associate itself with -the unknown; he scouts the idea of possible scientific results; -no pulse would quicken in his frame because he stood where no -mortal had planted his foot before. He sees it costs money, time, -and labour. He thinks of the hard cash going out that might -be advantageously invested (and rightly so, too, if he enjoys -the felicity of being a paterfamilias); he magnifies the risk a -thousandfold, and stamps the whole concern as “utter folly.” Well! -well! let our worthy friend stop at home; it is his element. Only -it would be as well if he did not go out of his way to anathematise -an expedition which costs him not a farthing, which occupies not -one moment of his time, and risks not a hair of his head. Everyone, -it is said, is mad upon some point or another. Our worthy friend’s -mania may be, that he thinks he is specially called upon to spend -his energies in breeding a superior race of poultry; mine may be -to wander amongst unknown or unfrequented corners of the earth; -but so long as I leave his chicken-house unmolested, I think he -should leave off sneering at my wild peregrinations. But a truce to -critical stay-at-homes, for we are again upon our travels. - -We have endured the unstable liveliness of the old steam-ship -“Diana,” and have reached the little capital of Iceland again, to -find most of our friends alive and well, and Paul Paulsen (whom the -readers of “Snioland” will recognise as my head man upon the Vatna -Jökull last year), who greets us with the cheering intelligence -that our horses have been all provided, that our complement of men -has been already hired, and that as soon as I have paid a few -complimentary visits to my friends in Reykjavík, he is ready to -raise the shout of, “Forward to the snows of Vatna Jökull!” - -Twelve hours are sufficient to effect my friendly purposes, and the -evening after that upon which we landed a small boat full of boxes, -saddles, and the necessary equipments for our long journey was -lying alongside one of the little wooden landing-stages in front -of the town. It was 8 P.M. before we made our appearance, escorted -by a numerous party of Icelandic friends. As many as could do so, -without inconvenience to the rowers, squeezed themselves into the -little boat, and we departed amid the cheers of our friends and, -I believe, the good wishes of all the inhabitants. Clear of the -shore, we hoisted our sail and glided along at no inconsiderable -pace towards the little farm of Laugarnes, at the east end of the -bay, where our horses were awaiting us, while we enlivened our -brief voyage by a Norse song or two, accompanied by an intermittent -fantasia by friend Oddr Gíslasson upon the French horn. We found -our horses in as fair a condition as was possible for the time of -year; but it saves an immense deal of trouble and some money if one -knows of any person to be relied on, who can be entrusted with a -commission to purchase horses previous to one’s arrival, for we -thus avoid not merely the harassing delay incidental to procuring -these important necessaries for Icelandic travel, but the payment -of a long price for the sorry animals which generally fall to the -lot of the tourist, who must purchase a stud as soon as he has -landed in the island. My horses had been procured from the south -of Iceland; they cost from fifty to ninety dollars each, and were, -upon the whole, I think, the finest set of horses I had ever seen -in the country. - -As I intended to travel as fast as I could to the seat of our -summer’s work, I had a change of horses for riding and for the -pack-boxes. This is absolutely necessary where anything like hard -riding is contemplated, but it is by no means essential where -time is not an object. After some delay incidental to reducing -the baggage to a portable shape and proportion, which is always -a matter of some difficulty at the commencement of either an -equestrian or pedestrian journey, we took leave of the remainder -of our friends, and accompanied by Paul and another Icelander, -we pursued our way eastward, over the roughest path imaginable, -towards Eyrarbakki, amid the gathering gloom of what turned out -to be a wet and miserable day. It is always necessary to take an -extra man to help during the first day’s journey, for the horses -are always more unruly and obstinate the first day or two. This -is especially the case where the route is a rough one, like that -towards Eyrarbakki. The first part of our course lay over a series -of ancient lava streams, upon which the scant herbage was being -cropped by a few miserable sheep which had escaped the hand of the -shearer; their dirty, ragged coats had been partly torn from their -backs by the crags among which they had scrambled, giving them a -deplorable appearance quite in keeping with the forbidding aspect -of the country and the miserable day. About midday we reached -the wretched little farm of Lœkjarbotn. It boasted nothing but -squalor, stock-fish, and dirty children. I do not know why it is, -but most of the farms in the immediate neighbourhood of Reykjavík -are of the poorest and most wretched description. It is true their -pastures in most cases are poorer than those of other parts of -the country, but there is a great difference in the people also. -No one can help noticing a settled look of contented despair in -their countenance, scarcely to be wondered at considering their -surroundings, which, in this particular instance, seemed as much -like hopeless wretchedness as anything I had ever seen. Ah, well! -our horses are rested, we have waded through the slush pools and -the mire which front that heterogeneous mound of lava blocks, turf, -and timber, which we can scarcely conceive anyone, by any stretch -of sentimental imagination, calling _home_. Our horses struggled -down the steep mound of slippery mud which by no means assists -travellers either to arrive at or depart from Lœkjarbotn. Leaving -this little patch of stagnant misery behind us, we come upon the -desolate lava, the dank mists from the adjacent mountains wrapping -themselves around us, a driving rain beating into our faces, and a -nipping wind exaggerating our discomfort, and assisting the rain to -find out the weak places in our mackintosh armour. - -We next ascended the hills of Hengilsfjall. This volcano (Hengill) -and its neighbours have given vent to numerous pre-historic -eruptions, from which vast streams of lava have issued in various -directions, not only having poured from the craters of the -mountains themselves, but having welled up at various places -in huge mamelonic forms. Near the summit of the mountains is a -boiling spring, the medicinal properties of which are thought very -highly of by the well-known Dr. Hjaltalín, of Reykjavík. In fine -weather this part of the country must be very interesting, and -even Lœkjarbotn itself might not have looked so extra melancholy. -In journeying through these centres of volcanic activity we cannot -but be struck with the general lowness of the volcanoes in Iceland. -This is doubtless owing to the number of vents which exist in -close proximity to one another, so that the volcanic force, -having piled up a certain amount of superincumbent matter, finds -readier exit by bursting through the superficial overlying rocks -in adjacent localities, which offered less resistance than the -accumulated volcanic products which they themselves had previously -erupted, or by availing themselves of some pre-existing point of -disturbance which afforded them a readier escape. The evening found -us at the small farm of Hraun, which impressed me more favourably -than Lœkjarbotn, although it was kept by a poor widow whose means -were excessively limited. - -Not having burdened myself with more provisions than I required -for the Vatna Jökull alone, we were here again dependent upon the -resources of the country, and although this is the worst time -of year to travel without provisions in Iceland, still we fared -not amiss, obtaining a sufficiency of rye cake, milk, and smoked -mutton, which, without being very palatable, answered all the -purpose of affording us a meal. Although we had employed a lad to -watch our horses during the night, some of them were found astray -in the morning. When travelling in this country, especially in -the earlier part of the journey, it is by far the best to hire -some one to watch the horses, rather than to hobble them while -grazing, for, in the first place, even when hobbled, horses will -stray a long way, and, very often, the only effect of hobbling is -to prevent their picking out the best of the pasture, and one finds -in the morning they have decamped just the same as if they had been -turned out loose. - -Having again got under weigh, we were soon upon the sandy shores -of the Ölfusá. This river is formed by the confluent waters of the -Hvítá and the Sog, which unite, some twenty English miles from the -point where they flow into the sea, forming a very large body of -water. Here several seals were basking in the sun, and lying like -pieces of rock within a hundred yards of our track, but upon our -nearer approach they scrambled into the water with considerable -agility. Eyrarbakki really means sandy bank; it is situated upon -the east side of the Ölfusá, at the point where that river empties -itself into the sea. Upon both sides of the Ölfusá, and on the west -side in particular, are great stretches of black sand, while upon -the west side these are grown over with wild oats, and the more one -looks on the vast accumulation on the west of the river, the more -one is struck with its magnitude. Its cause, however, is apparent. - -At this point, huge lava streams, flowing down from the volcanoes -upon the west side of the river, have obstructed the mud and sand -brought down by the waters of that stream; where an immense -bed of sand was formed, which diverted the course of the river, -causing it to empty itself further to the east, leaving these huge -accumulations of sand high and dry on the western side. - -Having crossed the stream by means of a ferry, we found that the -irons of all our pack-boxes required alteration, and we could not -halt at a better place than Eyrarbakki to have them attended to. -These irons, which attach the pack-box to the pack-saddle, are -the nightmare of Icelandic travel; and travellers cannot be too -particular in having them of the most careful construction, also of -the best material possible; again, if anything be amiss with them, -they should be always attended to at the earliest opportunity, or -a breakdown is sure to occur in some inconvenient or outlandish -place; and, but for the Icelanders’ remarkable faculty for -improvising ways and means, such occasions would cause a serious -delay in a day’s march. Eyrarbakki is one of the principal trading -stations in the south of Iceland. It is situated upon a dreary -sandbank, the view from which is most monotonous and depressing, -while the wailing roar of the formidable breakers, which here -extend a long distance out to sea, is melancholy in the extreme. - -All along this portion of the shore, ancient lava streams have run -out into the sea; but upon the land they are indiscernible, owing -to the alluvium with which they are covered. The whole of the south -coast, from Eyrarbakki to Papós, is rendered inaccessible to ships -by shoals, sand-banks, and sunken rocks, and there is not an inlet -during all that distance of some 200 miles which a ship could enter. - -Having ridden within a few miles of the River Thjórsá, although -it was the middle of the night, we stopped at a farm to purchase -another horse, and, having roused the inmates from their beds, -we completed our purchase, took “schnapps,” and rode away to the -Thjórsá. It was past 1 A.M., and the ferryman had gone to bed on -the opposite side of the river; it was raining, sleeting, and -blowing hard; again and again we shouted, but the storm and the -roaring of the water proved too much even for our united lungs, -which were none of the weakest. Fortunately, Paul remembered there -was a farmer who owned a boat a mile or so further up the side -of the river we were on, he therefore roused him while I looked -after the horses. This was scarcely an easy task, for, in spite of -the driving storm, they strayed away to graze in every direction. -Bye-and-bye the farmer and his wife made their appearance. They -seemed quite happy at being disturbed from their warm beds in the -middle of a cold, stormy night, to earn a dollar-and-a-half by -paddling about in the icy cold water of the Thjórsá and ferrying -over their nocturnal visitors with their goods and chattels. In -fact, our worthy Charon seemed to look upon it as a piece of good -fortune. _At this time of the year, it is light all night._ - -The weather cleared about 8 A.M. and we had a good view of Mount -Hekla as we forded the West Rángá. We stopped between the rivers -East and West Rángá, where we had to pay for one of the horses we -were riding, for Paul had only brought it with him to Reykjavík -on sale or return. Here we took coffee, and next proceeded to -Breiða-bólstaðr, where, as usual, we were received with great -kindness and hospitality. After taking two hours’ sleep, we pushed -on to Holt, which we reached about 1 P.M. The day was half spent -before we were again on our way; so we rode briskly to Skógarfoss, -one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, where -there is a very good farm, and the people are extremely thrifty. I -suppose they had never been able to procure any of the legendary -gold beneath the falls of Skógarfoss, but they evidently manage to -screw a tolerable amount out of travellers who come to admire its -beauties. - -On, on; past the ice cliffs of Eyjafjalla Jökull to Heiði, where we -were so kindly entertained last year. It was 10 P.M. when eight -horses, which showed as though they wanted to graze, and two men, -who looked as if they wanted to go to bed, drew up in front of this -hospitable dwelling. - -The farm is a poor one, though the good folks make the best of -it. Their lives, like that of all the poorer Icelanders, must be -one continuous struggle against poverty, inclement weather, and -a fruitless soil. Yet they have a few sheep and cows upon the -hillside; plenty of fish in the lake; and withal are contented. But -their contentment is evidently of a very different kind to that -which we noticed at Lœkjarbotn; it manifestly results from a hope -that their circumstances may be improved by domestic thrift, and -good fortune with their flocks. Hopeful contentment differs from -the contentment of despair in this respect, the one is cheerful -and open to improvement, the other is sullen and so sunken in the -slough of despondency as to have given up all hope of a change for -the better, and thus to be incapable of availing itself of any -propitious opportunity, if such should occur. One day’s rest at -Heiði, and we mount again, directing our course eastward; riding -swiftly over the arid waste of Myrdals Sandr, we reached the banks -of the river Kuða-fljót. We find that this river, which we forded -with considerable difficulty last year, could now only be crossed -in boats. This shows how the unstable beds of Icelandic rivers -shift and change about, transforming shallows into deep water, and -creating sand-banks amid the deepest river channels. - -We purchased of our ferryman some birds (skümur) which were -considered very good to eat. We stopped for the night at the farm -of Króki. The farmer, who had been previously hired to form one -of my expedition across the Vatna Jökull, regaled us with swan’s -flesh, which much resembled tough beef; and, although eating it -was rather hard work, it was certainly nutritious and palatable. -The farmer, Olgi by name, had taken up shooting as his special -hobby, and, in spite of his inefficient tools, a very profitable -use he appeared to make of it, if we might judge from the numerous -swan-skins which were drying outside his house, and the amount -of swan’s flesh that was being salted. The swans of Iceland are -valuable on account of their down; the outer feathers are seldom -of any good, for they are never pure white; the value of a swan -skin is about one rix dollar, Danish. After a ramble amongst the -lava which had flowed from the Skaptar Jökull during the remarkable -eruption of 1783, we resumed our journey; the day was very hot--as -much so as any July day in England. Passing the beautiful waterfall -of Seljalandsfoss, which appeared in the bright sunlight like -curtains of silvery foam upon the face of the dark basaltic cliffs, -which here are about 200 feet in height, we arrived at the farm of -Hörgsdalr. Here dwelt another of our “Jökull men” (as Paul called -those he had hired for my expedition) named Eyólfur; he was one of -the toughest, blithest-hearted, and most good-natured fellows I had -ever come across. - -The bóndi (as the Icelandic farmer is called) was a relation of the -farmer at Núpstað, whose farm, where I had received such kindly -welcome in 1871 and 1874, was only half-a-day’s journey eastward. - -I found the farmer of Hörgsdalr, like his relative, extremely -hospitable; taking a great interest in my expedition, and willing -to give every assistance in his power. - -The next day we ascended the Kaldbakkr, a mountain 2279 feet in -height, in order to get a good look at the south side of the -Vatna Jökull, which was directly to the north of it. Kaldbakkr is -situated a few miles to the north of Hörgsdalr. - -Accompanied by the farmer, we rode to the last patch of grass that -was nearest the mountain, and, after a smart scramble, reached -the summit. The Jökull looked decidedly whiter than I had ever -seen it, but there was the same expanse of snow losing itself in -the northern distance; pure, silent, dazzling, beautiful, and -spotless, save where a few black peaks and uncouth masses of dark -rock protruded through the frozen covering. These were scattered -at long intervals across the unsullied snow-slopes, and clustered -together in the south-west, where lies that portion of the Vatna -known as the Skaptar Jökull. Harmless and guileless they looked -in the morning sunshine; but they had vomited the lava which had -desolated the plain below, and had given vent to the fiery force -which from time to time had shaken Iceland to its very foundations! -One peak to the north-west especially attracted my attention, on -account of its height and its perfectly conical form, and my guide -informed me that it had erupted on several occasions, and that the -last outburst occurred about thirty years ago. - -It was with no small satisfaction I arrived at the now familiar -homestead of Núpstað, and received the usual glad welcome from -the bóndi Ayólver, who had been expecting us. I again took up -my quarters in the disused little church, which makes such a -good storehouse for my friend Ayólver, and such an excellent -resting-place for chance travellers like myself. It seemed -quite home-like as I tumbled into the little bed which had been -improvised upon the boxes in the corner, and I experienced the -comfortable feeling of being in my old place again as I ate my -breakfast off and posted up my diary upon the antiquated communion -table. Do not be shocked, good reader! all sanctity had long ago -departed from this useful piece of furniture, and if we were to -peep into the inside, we should find neither sacred utensils nor -vestments; but simply the serviceable homespun garments of the -bóndi’s wife. - -The farm and the rocks behind it were but little altered since I -first saw them four years ago. One year in Núpstað is much like -its predecessor, and things go on, year after year, in just the -same routine, except where the inevitable changes of life and -death intervene. The people had altered the most, for of course -they had grown older, and one or two faces were missing! Well, I -have grown older, too--it is no good to stand dreaming. There is a -bullock to be bought, butchered, and salted, preparatory to making -it into “kœfar,” as the Icelanders call the kind of pemmican I -make for my Jökull expeditions. Skin-bags and mocassins have to be -procured; butter, bread, and stock-fish have to be sought after; in -fact, the greater part of three weeks’ provisions for six men must -be collected from the neighbouring farms. We made the necessary -arrangements, and settled that these various articles are to be -ready for us in a week’s time; we then deputed Paul’s father to -attend to the levying of our requisitions, and the payment for -them. The ox was next slain, dissected, and salted, and we were -again ready to start on our travels. - -Some little difficulty was experienced in getting all into train, -owing to the hurry all the farmers of this locality were in to get -this year’s wool to the store at Papós, which is situated four -days’ journey to the east; for tidings had been received that the -ice of a portion of the Vatna Jökull, known as the Breiðamerkr -had advanced to such an extent as to threaten the cutting off of -all communication along the sea-shore, since the advance still -continued. In consequence of this alarm every farmer was busy -preparing the wool for market; steaming cauldrons were cleansing -it from its grease, bands of sturdy Icelandic maidens were rinsing -it in the clear water of the mountain streams--which are almost -sure to be found in close proximity to the farms in this part of -the country--patches of white wool were drying upon the ground, -while the male part of the community were measuring it in quaint -wooden baskets, packing it into sacks, and forming bundles of -equal weight to balance on each side of the pack-horses. It would -be a very serious thing, indeed, if the road to Papós were to be -intercepted, as it would compel the dwellers in this district to -journey to Eyrarbakki before they could exchange their produce for -the necessaries they require. Leaving Núpstað behind us, we set -out for the advancing glacier, and turned our faces towards the -snowy slopes of Örœfa. - -The Súla river, or Núpsvatn, had to be crossed. It was deeper than -I had before seen it, though its volume of water scarcely seemed -to have increased. Its bed was changed to one of pebbles and -quicksand. In 1871 it was of pebbles only, in 1874 it was black -sand, in 1875 it is again pebbles and sand. - -We crossed the river and fast sped on our way over the desert of -Skeiðarár Sandr. This sand occupies an area of 300 square miles. -It has been formed by the joint efforts of volcanoes upon the -Vatna and Mount Örœfa, which have strewn this tract with sand and -ashes, and whose ejectamenta have been brought down by the shifting -waters of numerous glacial streams which traverse the Skeiðarár -Sandr in many directions. It would seem that the portion of the -Vatna which here bounds the Skeiðarár Sandr upon the north has -acted in a similar manner to the Breiðamerkr Jökull; for numerous -_moraines_ occur upon these sands, some of which are at a great -distance from the utmost limit of the Jökull at the present time. -Indeed, there has been an obvious advance at this point since 1871 -of the fringe of the glacier which almost surrounds the Vatna -Jökull. The existence of scratched rocks in _moraines_ in Iceland -below the limit of the glaciers does not of necessity prove that -such glaciers have bodily advanced, as during extensive eruptions -of glacial mountains huge masses of ice frequently slip forward to -considerable distances, scratching the harder and furrowing the -softer rocks in their progress, which, upon their melting, leave -large piles of glacial _débris_, in no way distinguishable from a -_moraine_ stranded upon the lower elevations. - -It was blowing hard from the east with heavy rain, but upon the -west side of the mountain before us (Örœfa) the sun was shining in -the most tantalising manner, so that as we urged our horses along -the heavy sands we were fain to fancy ourselves exploring those -dazzling glaciers and snowy slopes which seemed to fascinate the -sunshine and detain it from reaching us. - -We were soon under the lee of the mountains before us. Sheltered -from the wind and the storm, we could stop to admire the grand -sweep from the Örœfa to the commencement of the Skeiðará Jökull. -Looking back at Núpstað, we saw it enwrapped in gloom, the clouds -clustering round the Lómagnúpar,[1] a mountain which seems to -attract all the bad weather to Núpstað and the storm sat heavily -upon the western portion of the plain of Skeiðarár Sandr, which was -exposed to the fury of the east winds. - -Crossing the river Skeiðará, we reached the Saga-famed Svínafell. -Here we stayed to refresh ourselves with the national panacea -for the ills of Icelandic travel, namely, a cup of coffee of the -real Icelandic brew! The art of making good coffee is one of the -greatest accomplishments of the fair sex here, and it is a pity -it is not more generally attained by the lady population of other -countries. The occurrence of drinkable coffee in Iceland, a good -cup of it being always to be obtained at the poorest farm, is -the more remarkable, as the coffee sold by the merchants at the -various stores is never of the best quality; but is principally the -Java coffee. The grand secret of success in this special domestic -art is doubtless owing to the fact that the coffee is roasted at -home, exactly to the right turn, and deftly manipulated in some -particular way which early training and long practice can alone -effect. The last and by no means the least adjunct to this national -_bonne bouche_ is in most cases a good supply of cream. - -Being thus fortified, we were taken to see a birch-tree upon the -hill behind the farm. This tree might have been five-and-twenty -feet in height, and it was considered the largest tree in this -part of the island. There is, however, a considerable growth of -bushy trees, principally birch, in the valley called Núpstaða-skógr -down which the river Súla flows. It is by far the largest wood -in the south of Iceland. Núpstaða-skógr is likewise remarkable -for containing a breed of wild sheep, which belongs to our friend -Ayólver, who is the owner of the skógar, together with the valuable -farm of Núpstað. There is also another patch of wood at the -north-west base of Örœfa, which is of great use to Svínafell and -the adjacent farms. - -The hills behind Svínafell are basaltic; but as we proceeded -further eastward, we soon found ourselves surrounded by the more -recent products of the volcano Örœfa, which towered above us upon -our left hand. Seeing a party of horsemen approaching, we whipped -our little drove together, and met them upon the grass which was a -few hundred yards off. - -The party consisted of an Althing’s-man, who was going to Reykjavík -to attend the Althing, or Icelandic Parliament, with his servants, -and the priest from Sandfell, at whose house he had been staying, -and who was escorting him for a short distance. The priest turned -out to be a cousin of my man Paul, so after a brief colloquy, and -requesting the Althing’s-man to convey our greetings to friends at -Reykjavík, we rode on to Sandfell. - -Our road lay past several beds of white pumice which had all been -ejected from Örœfa. A smart gallop over cinders and fragments of -lava brought us to the church and parsonage. Sandfell is situated -at the south base of Örœfa. Behind it rise barren hills of compact -agglomerate, composed of volcanic ash and fragments of lava, but -our friend the priest is compensated for his dreary surroundings -by having one of the prettiest Icelandic women I have seen for -his wife. She seemed quite piqued because I could not own to -thinking Sandfell a very pretty place. Going hence, we crossed the -stream of lava and agglomerate, which I was informed resulted from -the eruption of Örœfa in 1862. This stream is a remarkable one, -inasmuch as the agglomerate has flowed down in a semi-molten state, -cotemporaneously with the lava, both being mixed together; the -agglomerate appears to preponderate, but this may be the result of -the lava being of higher specific gravity, which causes it to sink -to the bottom of the stream. - -We stopped for the night at Myrum,[2] on the south-west of the -Breiðamerkr Sandr. The bóndi, like all the people of this district, -was hastening to get to Papós with his wool. We supped and -breakfasted off some birds which our host called Svartfugl. They -were the nicest birds I had ever tasted in Iceland, the meat being -tender and plenty of it, and I thought so well of this dish that I -took one of the birds away with us for our lunch on the road. - -Here we hired a fresh horse, leaving Paul’s, which had contracted -a sore back, and started over the Breiðamerkr Sandr. The sands, -like the Skeiðarár Sandr are the result of the great efforts of -the Örœfa and Vatna Jökulls, more especially the part of the Vatna -known as the Breiðamerkr Jökull, which was the one whose movements -we had to examine. - -The road over these sands is long and dreary, especially in such -weather as had just overtaken us. We passed an extensive encampment -of farmers, who were on their way to Papós; but, despairing of -crossing the rivers which traverse the Breiðamerkr Sandr upon such -a day with heavily laden horses, they had decided on remaining -encamped upon the little patch of grass they had reached. About -one third of the way over the Sandr we arrived at the farm of -Kvísker, which is situated upon a little oasis of grass-land. We -found it a very acceptable halting-place, and although we were wet, -we were glad to sit down and take coffee and schnapps, and smoke -a pipe inside; the room had no windows, and it was filled with -planks and carpenter’s tools, for the house was being enlarged. We -could obtain but little food for our horses, and the greater part -of our day’s work had yet to be accomplished, so a quarter of an -hour saw us again to horse, and rapidly approaching the extreme -point of the advancing Jökull. This Jökull appeared unlike most of -the Icelandic glaciers I have seen. Instead of terminating in an -even slope, or steep rounded cliffs of ice, sometimes fissured, -but generally very regular, it terminated in an irregular wall of -cloven and contorted masses of the rifled and dislocated glaciers; -while the more elevated masses assumed the form of spires, towers -and grotesque architectural shapes. As we were intently looking at -them, some of them tottered and fell. It is indeed a serious matter -to contemplate the short distance now left between the Jökull and -the sea--at one point not more than 250 yards--in addition to this, -new rivers have been formed between the Jökull and the sea, which -have to be crossed, but which it would be impossible to do with a -strong south wind blowing. The Jökulsá is quite bad enough, but to -have several miles of road converted into quicksand by the diverted -waters of the Jökulsá, and to have new rivers in addition to the -advance of the Jökull, is enough to make the people of the district -fear for the road to Papós. One consolation may exist--that the -Jökull has advanced before, and, after a considerable time, -retreated. Still, as an old inhabitant of the neighbourhood -informed me, “It never has advanced as it does now,” and even upon -the other occasion, upon the whole, it gained ground. Alas! poor -Iceland--both fire and water appear allied against it; the latter -especially, in all its forms--boiling, cold, and frozen, and in the -form of rain, hail, snow, and vapour! We were obliged at one point -to travel along the sea-shore, where we espied the body of a large -fish with some dark objects moving about it. A nearer approach -showed it to be a small whale, which, from olfactory evidence, -had lain there for some time. The dark objects, startled at our -appearance, rose in a covey of--well, the same birds of which we -had enjoyed the flavour at Myrum. Svartfugl have never tasted quite -so nice to me since. At last the Breiðamerkr Sandr were passed; -fresh mountains rose before us, and the weather cleared. To our -right was a remarkable lagoon, Breiða-bólstaðalón; which is a -narrow fjord, twelve miles in length, enclosed upon the south by -a large sand-bank running parallel with the shore. This lagoon is -open to the sea at the north-east end, but is too shallow for ships -to enter. - -Evening found us at Kálfafellstaðr, a place pleasantly situated -beneath the outlying hills of the Vatna Jökull. These hills -are principally composed of amygdaloidal basalt, abounding in -zeolites; chalcedonies are especially plentiful, and I dare say it -might pay to look for the precious opal. This eastern corner of -Iceland appears to be particularly rich in zeolites; I noticed the -same when I was at Berufjörðr. - -We stayed for the night with another relative of Paul--he seemed -to have kindred nearly all over the island, and a very superior -race they appear to be. This relation was the widow of the former -priest of Kálfafellstaðr. Here we bought another horse, and hired -the widow’s son, a lad about seventeen; for we required a man and a -lad to drive our horses round to the north of the island while we -crossed the Vatna Jökull. The widow and her daughter accompanied -us a short distance upon our return journey, and, after two days’ -riding, we were again at Núpstað. - -Preparations for our journey across the Vatna now commenced in -earnest. The sleighs and the snow-shoes had been made according -to our instructions. All was there except the men and the butter; -enough of the latter, however, turned up in the morning to enable -us to make the pemmican, which I at once set myself to work to -superintend. - -A fire was lighted and a cauldron of water soon heated, and the -beef boiled; then came the work of cutting up an entire ox -into pieces the size of ordinary wine-corks. Paul senior, and I -commenced operations by first taking out the bones; and, by dint -of sharp knives, and a few hours’ hard work, we prepared about -seventy-eight pounds of meat. Twenty pounds of salt butter and -half-a-pound of salt were then melted in the cauldron, and the meat -carefully mixed with it. After a short time it was ready to be -packed in the skin bags in which it was to be carried. - -The bags were placed in troughs of water during the operation of -filling, to prevent leakage at the seams, and when they were filled -they were tied up and laid in a stream close by, where stones were -piled upon them to press down the meat. When they were sufficiently -pressed, and the contents had become cold (which took about twenty -hours), they were each placed in ordinary sacks for more easy -carriage; for greasy skin-bags full of meat are rather slippery -things to carry, and somewhat nasty things to handle. - -By June 25th all my preparations were made, and my men arrived; -Paul Paulsen and a cousin of his from Skaptarfellssysla; Helgi, -from the farm of Króki; Finnur, from Myrdalssysla; and Eyólfur, -from Hörgsdalr: these were to accompany me across the Vatna -Jökull. In addition were Bjarni, who was with me last year; the -farmer from Rauðberg, who carried the post between Prestbakki and -Berufjörðr--a deaf and dumb man, and a man named Vigfúss; these -four were to return when we reached the mountain which I last year -named “Mount Paul,” about a third of the way across the Jökull. I -had also arranged with Paul’s father and little Arni, whom I had -hired at Kálfafellstaðr, to take our horses from Núpstað round the -east side of the Vatna into the north of the island. - -Our equipment, which was to be drawn upon hand-sleighs, consisted -of a low tent, four feet high; a large sleeping-bag, which would -accommodate six of us--this was eight feet long, and five feet -wide--one side being made of a layer of cork and felt, covered -with mackintosh, and the other of a stout blanket also covered -with waterproof. This bag was open at both ends, so that three -could sleep with their heads one way and three with their heads the -other. Both these openings were covered by a hood, which proved a -great protection to our heads while sleeping, and prevented the -snow from getting into the bag. This gave us sleeping accommodation -for six persons, with a weight of only sixty pounds. This bed, -however, had its disadvantages; for instance, if any one was taken -with cramp, or dreamt of engaging in any particularly active -exercise, its limited dimensions became painfully apparent; -moreover, it is almost impossible to keep the inside of the bag -perfectly dry, owing to the exhalation from our bodies. I have -paid great attention to this matter, but have found that for a -prolonged sojourn amidst wet snow, where weight is a subject of -paramount importance, it is the best sleeping arrangement that can -be contrived. - -Our provisions consisted of 100 lbs. of pemmican in skin bags, -50 lbs. of butter, 100 lbs. of skonrok, or Danish ship-biscuits, -15 lbs. of dried fish, 15 lbs. of dried mutton, 15 lbs. of gravy -soup, 2 tins of “soupe Julienne,” in packets; 6 tins of chocolate -and milk, 2 lbs. of cocoa, and 4 lbs. of sugar; 2 gallons of proof -whiskey, 1 gallon of spirit for burning, 5 lbs. of tobacco, and -3 tins of Peek and Frean’s meat biscuits. I had a small Russian -furnace, which is an excellent lamp for heating water or melting -snow. These articles, with a good supply of warm clothing, -waterproofs, and mocassins (for it is impossible to wear leather -boots in the snow), and the necessary instruments and implements, -completed our outfit. - -All things were now ready, and the day had at length arrived when -we were to assail the Vatna again. We rose betimes, but it was -midday before we were fairly on our way. I took leave of the bóndi -Ayólver, who would not charge me anything for my own board and for -the keep of my own horses. He was too unwell to accompany us to -the Vatna, and seemed quite upset at saying good-bye, as he said -he felt sure it would be for the last time, whether we got across -the Jökull or not. I cheered him up, and said, I hoped some day or -another to come to Núpstað again; and so we started on horseback, -and, after crossing the river Diúpá, we commenced the ascent of -Kálfafellsfjall, which hill lay between us and the Vatna. - -The journey was a very trying one to the horses; it is so at the -best of times, but now the melting snow still lay thickly, and -in places had converted the unstable soil into quicksands. In -some parts it was necessary to cross ravines full of snow, which -had melted underneath, leaving the bottom of the ravine roofed. -The horses fought very shy of these snow-roofed valleys, and -when we came to any hole which had been formed by the subsidence -of a portion of the snow into the valley beneath, it was with -difficulty we could get them along, as the noise of the stream, -which invariably ran below, made them rather fractious. But the -snow having regelated into an indurated compact mass, was often -some yards in thickness, so I do not think there was any real -danger of sinking through it. These preliminary difficulties were -soon disposed of, and 6 P.M. found us at that point where the rocks -terminate and the eternal snows of the Vatna commence. - -A squall of sleet and wind now rolled down upon us. I immediately -directed two men to prepare some coffee, for we had brought wood -for that purpose, while some gave the horses a feed of hay, and -others unpacked the burdens they had carried so pluckily from -Núpstað. The coffee was soon ready, the storm cleared, and the -scene must have bordered on the picturesque, or perhaps the -“_unique_,” as we all clustered round the remnant of the fire, amid -the different packages that were to cross the Vatna, our horses -pawing the ground, impatient to return to their pastures. The -grand white Jökull lay before us, the black crags of the fjalls -behind us, and the roar of the Diúpá in our ears, while a beautiful -rainbow spanned the eastern sky--a harbinger, we trusted, of good -success. - -Here we took leave of Paul’s father and his cousin Arni, directing -them where to wait for us with the horses, in the north of the -island. The evening promised to be showery; but having a lively -reminiscence of the black sand of this locality, which at our last -year’s encampment upon this spot got into our ears, our eyes, and -our food, I determined to advance and camp, as soon as we needed -to do so, upon the deep snow, although my men had already begun -to put up a temporary abode with loose stones from the terminal -_moraine_ of the Jökull. - -At this point last year the Jökull was a crevassed glacier, -whose surface was covered with aiguilles and hummocks of black -sand and ice. But all traces of the glacier were buried beneath -a vast accumulation of snow! From the first we were able to use -our sleighs, and, turning due northward, we left the habitable -world behind us, being face to face with the hardest piece of -our summer work. As far as the eye could see was one lifeless, -pathless wilderness of snow, destitute alike of animal, insect, -or floral life. Our footsteps gave no sound, and our very voices -seemed strange in this drear solitude, the death-like stillness -of whose snowy wastes is broken only by the howling of the storm, -or the outburst of a volcano! It was evident that a much greater -snowfall had taken place during the past winter than in the -preceding one, and the newly-fallen snow took us up to our knees, -making our progress very difficult and slow. After about three -hours’ dragging, it began to snow, and a thick fog enveloped us, -so I decided to encamp. The plan I usually adopt for sleeping in -the snow--and I believe one of the warmest and best methods--is to -dig a square hole, three or four feet deep; over this I pitch my -tent, banking it well round the sides with snow. I then spread the -sleeping bag at the bottom of the hole, with the hoods doubled down -over the ends to prevent any snow getting into it. If a storm is -blowing, I cast up a bank of snow to windward, and take everything -that will be required for immediate use into the tent. The next -thing is to draw the sleighs up to the door of the tent; so that -if anything extra is required it can be procured without much -difficulty, and having stuck up all sticks and shovels firmly in -the snow, to prevent their getting covered up and lost, we turn -in, changing our wet or snowy clothes sitting upon the waterproof -exterior of the bag, and, putting on a dry change, we all get into -the bag, having previously fixed up waterproof coats upon the snowy -wall at each end, to lean against. If it is not freezing very hard, -we hang our snowy clothes upon a line at the top of our tent, -with our satchels, &c.; but if it is freezing hard we put them -underneath the bed. Snow is then melted, soup or chocolate is made, -and rations served, which, with a small allowance of grog, pipes, -and a song all round, finish our labours for the day or night, as -the case may be, and we go to sleep. - -This was the manner in which we now camped, six of us occupying the -sleeping-bag, much after the manner of sardines in a sardine box, -the remaining four, who were only to accompany us as far as Mount -Paul, made themselves as comfortable as they could with rugs and -mackintosh coats in the front part of the tent. I ordered every man -to fill his flask with snow and put it in his pocket, that each -might have a drink of water when he awoke, and in the course of an -hour nothing could be heard but the heavy, stentorian breathing of -nine out of ten of our party. Having posted up my diary, I slept -well for an hour, when I was awakened by a sudden commotion at the -other end of the tent. I called out to Paul for an explanation, -saying, “Holloa! what’s the matter at your end?” He replied in a -deep, solemn voice, “Now is the dumb beating his feet.” Although -our dumb friend’s feet were doubtless cold, I could not allow -that method of warming them in a tent only 10 by 6½ feet, and I -therefore directed that another man should chafe the dumb man’s -feet and cuddle them up in his arms. The morning brought us only -fog and storm, but after a few hours the latter abated. I served -out some warm soup, and we got under weigh. After an hour the fog -became so dense, the snow so soft and deep, and a determined sleet -had set in, that I was obliged reluctantly to call a halt. Between -nine and ten in the evening the weather cleared, the wind shifted -to the north-west and the sun came out, and we again advanced; but -the snow being up to our knees, I perceived I was tiring my men. -So after going on a few miles I again halted, as it had begun to -freeze, and the probability was that in about two hours the snow -would be firm enough to travel on. Casting up a bank of snow to -windward, we six turned into our bag upon the surface of the snow, -leaving the tent and all other wraps for our four extra men. - -It was bitterly cold, but the atmosphere was very clear. By 3 A.M. -I roused my men; the thermometer registered 20° Fahrenheit; a firm -crust had formed upon the snow which bore us bravely. It was a -glorious morning and a stiff north wind was blowing; the sleigh -travelled merrily along, and as the sun illumined the magnificent -snow slopes around us, everything seemed to promise fine weather -and success. The pure element we were breathing seemed to give us -fresh life and strength, and made us feel equal to the work before -us. After three hours one of the men (Vikfúss) gave out, said he -could go no further, and lay down upon the snow; but as there were -not nearly so many degrees of frost now, the man was warmly clad, -and I had a great idea he was shirking, I left him behind, much -against the will of his companions. Before we were half a mile -away I had the satisfaction of seeing him following, apparently -not very much the worse for wear. The ascent from the first had -been a very gradual slope of snow, which now became undulating and -somewhat steeper, especially upon the N.E., where steeps of snow -swept up to the mountain. I last year named Vatna Jökull “Housie,” -from the great resemblance which its summit, then free from snow, -bore, when viewed in one aspect, to the roof of a house. The -likeness was now much less striking, from its being all white. - -I can scarcely go on without remarking upon the excellence of -the postman from Rauðberg. He was always cheerful, willing and -obliging, and had twice the hardihood and strength of the other -men. I only regretted I could not take him right across the Vatna, -but his postal duties would not admit of so prolonged an absence. -We sighted Mount Paul at 9 A.M. Here we made a good breakfast, and -our disabled man having slunk up, he made better progress with his -meal than he did with his sleigh. - -Mount Paul is a cluster of one large and several smaller volcanic -eminences, rising to the height of 150 feet above the surrounding -snow. A semi-circular pit being thawed out by the radiation of the -sun’s rays from the south side of the mountain, we found here an -abundant supply of water. The mountain is composed of varieties -of obsidian, varying from the highly vitreous to the grey stony -variety; one portion of it consists of vitreous obsidian cementing -together multitudes of the concretionary forms commonly known as -spherulites. - -We slept for two or three hours; but the state of the snow was such -that it was impossible to get the sleighs through it. I sent back -my four extra men, for they had little or nothing to carry, and -we had left them a good supply of provisions at the commencement -of the Jökull. As the accommodation in the tent was but small for -them, and it seemed to promise bad weather, they preferred forcing -their way back through the soft snow to running the chance of being -weather-bound for three or four days. They had not been gone away -many hours when it began to rain, and as night drew on it became -more and more evident that there would be no frost. The wind had -shifted to the S.S.E., the thermometer stood at 33° Fahr., and as -the night advanced the snow became so soft and rotten that in some -places it took us up over our knees. - -The next day the wind was still S.S.E., and the fog and sleet -were as bad as ever; and as progress was impossible, I minutely -inspected the rocks of Mount Paul. They rise from a large crater -now filled with snow. To the south-east is a pit-crater partially -filled with snow. Mount Paul is composed almost entirely of -perlite and obsidian. This is the only place in Iceland in which -I have found obsidian “in situ.” The west side of the mountain -particularly attracted my attention, being composed of multitudes -of spherulites cemented together by obsidian. Thousands of these -small globular formations had been weathered out of the obsidian, -and in some places one might have collected a hat-full. - -Night brought no improvement in the weather; and a somewhat -remarkable scene presented itself of six men lying in a hole in -the snow, 4250 feet above the sea-level, in Iceland, all hoping -for a frost--but no frost came, and morning found us in the same -position. This was very aggravating for one who had spent much -money, time and labour, in order to complete a survey across the -Vatna Jökull; but the day was fine, and I could post up my diary, -plan for the future, learn Icelandic, eat, drink and smoke, upon -the volcanic _débris_ on the leeward side of Mount Paul, where the -thermometer at midday rose to 75 and 80 degrees in the sun, and it -was infinitely preferable to lying in the snow. Towards evening it -began to freeze, so we packed up our sleighs and retired to Mount -Paul, until the crust was strong enough to bear the weight of the -sleigh. By ten P.M. there were twelve degrees of frost, and the -wind blew freshly from the N.W. The crust now bore the sleigh, but -we sank through it up to our knees at every step. This was such -laborious work that after two hours we halted, hoping the crust -would soon become firmer; but we were doomed to disappointment, for -after a while the wind suddenly shifted to the S.E., and almost -simultaneously a fog appeared. However, we were soon upon our legs, -and although the surface of the snow became worse and worse, and we -sank deeper and deeper into it as we proceeded, we managed to do -five hours’ work by halting every quarter of an hour. - -About 3 P.M. I noticed a curious phenomenon. The sun was above the -horizon, and was occasionally discernible through the fog--for at -this time of the year at this altitude, about 4500 feet, the sun -can scarcely be said to set--appearing to move in a circle from the -meridian westward, and still keeping above the horizon to almost -due north, where it dips for about half-an-hour, appearing again -about N.N.E., and by six P.M. it bears due east, some forty degrees -above the horizon. A strong current of air was drifting the clouds -and fog at our level across the surface of the Jökull from the -S.E., while dark masses of cloud were perfectly discernible passing -at a very rapid rate across the face of the sun from a precisely -opposite direction. - -The storm now increased in violence, and we were soon so -surrounded by whirling clouds of snow that it was impossible to -distinguish from what quarter the wind was blowing. The compass had -for a long time been almost useless, in all probability owing to -the magnetic ore contained in the rocks which underlie the snows -of the Jökull. This rendered us entirely dependent upon the wind -and the sun for our direction. In clear weather, where the compass -is useless, I always steer by a circular piece of card marked off -into four right angles, so that by carefully taking the angular -bearings of all distinguishable objects, one is able to steer a -pretty straight course. - -[Illustration: - - _London, Longmans & C^o._ - _E. Weller, Litho._ - - Map of the - AUTHORS ROUTES - _from_ - Núpstað to Reikjahlíð] - -Being now unable to avail myself of either compass, sun, wind, or -card, nothing remained for us but another halt. For two days the -storm continued and it would have been impossible to get many yards -away from the tent without being lost. On the third day at noon -the storm abated, the wind shifted due east, and the sun broke -through the clouds. We all turned out, but it was useless to think -of struggling through the loose, deep snow. We took our bed out -to dry it, for it was wet with the exhalations from our bodies. -This, however, was rather against the wish of some of my men, -upon whom the inactivity of the last few days had begun to tell. -I observed two black peaks protruding through the snow, one -about five miles due north, and the other about eleven miles N.W. -I was surprised to find a considerable quantity of volcanic ash -upon the snow, of a fine, light, grey description. This appeared -the more remarkable, as I knew of no volcano that had been in -eruption south of the Vatna Jökull, and the storm had blown almost -entirely from the S.E. Moreover, I was aware there was no ash of -that kind anywhere upon the south. It appeared to me that this must -have been carried either from an erupting volcano, or from some -ash-strewn district to the north of the Jökull, by a current of air -travelling in a different direction to the S.S.E. wind which we -had experienced during the last few days, and bisecting the latter -current at a point south of our present position, had been unable -to resist its force, and had been carried by it to the place where -it was now lying. - -We here obtained an excellent view of the Vatna Jökull Housie, -which appeared to be higher than any other point on the Jökull, -our present height being 4500 feet--the summit of the Housie being -at least 1500 feet above us. Its form is a lop-sided cone, from -which I could trace, through my telescope, the course of huge lava -streams, now deeply buried in the snow, but still leaving unequal -ridges upon each side of the mountain, and in some instances -extending to a considerable distance upon the main body of the -Vatna Jökull. An extensive eruption of one of these snow-covered -volcanoes must be awful, when any vast volume of lava is suddenly -ejected upon such a tremendous accumulation of frozen material; -but minor eruptions and smaller streams of lava, I should think, -can make but little impression upon such an enormous quantity of -snow in the first instance. Probably (unless there has been any -great amount of sand or ashes previously ejected) they melt their -way through the snow to the rocky bed of the mountain, and forming -a sort of tube by the aid of the rapidly consolidated crust upon -their surface continue their course, much as a lava stream would -upon ordinary ground, or more especially, perhaps, at the bottom -of the sea, without occasioning any very remarkable phenomena, and -even the effect of the most extensive eruptions must of necessity -be but local. - -By 4 P.M. the wind shifted back to its old quarter, S.S.E., and, -despairing of frost, we again betook ourselves to the tent. -Towards midnight, for about the twentieth time, I went out with -Paul to look at the weather. We tried the sleighs, and found it -was as much as one man could do to pull a sleigh with nothing -on it, and a very small weight almost buried the sleigh in the -snow, and enabled it to resist our united efforts to get it -along. During our experiment we sunk very deep into the snow. -For the last three days I had put every one on half rations, and -as anything is better than inactivity with insufficient food, we -determined to abandon our sleighs and attempt to force our way -through the snow, carrying everything upon our backs. It was rather -foggy and sleeting, but the wind was blowing pretty steadily. We -communicated our determination to the rest of our party, and they -quietly accepted it without a murmur. We packed up everything, and -leaving our sleighs and a gathering storm behind us, we turned -our faces northward with a cheer which was more animated than -might have been expected under the circumstances. I must say our -position bore rather a forlorn aspect. Six men heavily laden, -wading through snow up to their knees at every step, no view but -an ever-advancing circle of gloom, the only variation being that -it was darker towards the south, from which quarter a strong wind -was blowing, with squalls of sleet and snow. About every quarter -of an hour we had to stop from sheer exhaustion, and after two or -three hours’ arduous toil two of my men became quite incapacitated -and too ill to proceed. This was evidently not a case of sham. I -therefore halted, and served out with all speed some warm grog; one -man was spitting blood, and another was suffering severe pains in -the stomach. I had previously advised every man to wear a cloth -bandage round his stomach, but none of them had cared to do so. I -suffered rather from pains in the bowels the previous year upon the -Vatna Jökull, but I was now wearing an abdominal bandage of tarred -cloth, and throughout our prolonged stay upon the snow suffered no -inconvenience whatever. The next day was finer, with sunshine and -increased cold, with snow at intervals, the thermometer being below -freezing point all day; one of the sick men had recovered, but the -other was still too ill to travel. Towards evening the wind blew -from the west, and it began to freeze hard. I therefore sent back -for the sleighs, which we had taken the precaution to stand upright -and fix firmly in the snow before we left them. - -By 9 P.M. it was freezing very sharply. I served out an allowance -of warm grog, and as the invalid was greatly recovered and said he -would rather die than go back, we again struck N.N.E., allowing -him to go free. We had packed everything on one of the sleighs, -four pulling and one pushing behind, and so firm a crust had now -formed upon the surface of the snow that this heavily laden sleigh -travelled as easily as an empty one would have done the evening -before. We now gradually ascended until at 1 A.M. we reached -a rolling plain, at the height of 5750 feet. It was perfectly -clear in the west, and I obtained a good view of Tungufell’s and -Arnarfell’s Jökulls, which from the angle they made with our line -of march, showed me we were two-thirds of the way across the Vatna -Jökull. It was still very thick in the south and east, and the -wind had shifted to the south-west. An ice-storm was almost the -immediate result, a driving mist encrusting everything with ice; -the undulations in the plateau became more and more marked, the -variation in altitude being sometimes as much as 100 feet or more. -A most obdurate mist continued to prevent our obtaining any further -view, which was very exasperating, as we might have passed within -a short distance of objects of interest without being conscious of -the fact. - -We made our first halt at 3 A.M., and took a light meal of Peek -and Frean’s meat biscuits and snow. When I say snow I do not mean -the pure white frosty snow which lies upon the surface, but the -coarse, granular, icy particles of which the crust we were walking -upon was composed. I have often been dependent upon snow for the -water supply, both in North-West America and upon mountains, and -I find the coarser the snow is, and the more it approaches the -character of ice, the better it quenches the thirst, and the less -likely it is to occasion pain in the stomach. When the fine white -snow only can be procured, as every tyro knows, it can be made -more palatable by compressing it into a snowball. In other words, -the less cold air is swallowed, entangled in the snow, the better; -for the very act of squeezing the snow causes it to part with -some portion of air, as is shown by the change of colour, as it -regelates towards the form of ice. Thus we preferred the coarse icy -granules, which formed the crust upon the older snow, to the pure -white tempting frost-snow which, owing to the extra amount of air -it contained, must have been of a considerably lower temperature -than the granulated snow beneath. We were now at the height of 5900 -feet, and the temperature was 15° of frost. The rim of the sun was -occasionally observable through the fog which surrounded us, giving -us a good line to steer by, and bright fog-bows escorted us to -windward; but these were simply bows, and had none of the cruciform -corona in the interior, which were so observable upon the Myrdal’s -Jökull last year. At 6 P.M. we reached a steep ascent, where our -compass twisted and turned about in the most eccentric fashion; -the heavens became black as night to windward, the wind had risen, -and was making the peculiar booming noise I have often remarked in -these regions before a storm, and driving a blinding, pitiless -drifting snow before it, which eddied about the sleigh and wrapped -itself around us, as if longing to enshroud and bury us in its -frozen toils. But we had an idea of burying ourselves in our own -fashion. “Oskôp mikill stormur kèmur bráðum” (A bad storm is coming -on presently), said Eyólfur, sitting down for a moment on the -sleigh, and clapping his feet together to knock off the snow which -was clinging to his legs, and we were all of the same opinion. We -were at the height of 6150 feet, so I ordered a hole to be dug, -and the tent to be pitched. The snow was very hard and firm, even -at the depth of four feet, and we cut out as clean a hole as if it -had been in salt, but the wind drifted so much loose snow into it, -that the men were obliged to hold up the tent to windward during -its completion. We had barely got ourselves snug and commenced -breakfast, when the storm burst upon us, seeming to threaten the -tearing up of the very snow in which we had taken refuge; and had -not former experience taught us to fortify our tent well all round -with banks of snow, I have no doubt it would have been the last we -should have seen of that article of furniture. Being satisfied that -all was snug, and that the worst which could happen to us was that -we might be buried a few feet in the snow, we went to sleep. When -we awoke at mid-day the storm had subsided and the fog had lifted, -showing three dark mountains to the north--doubtless Skjaldbreið, -Herðubreið, and Dyngjufjöll. - -We were speculating as to whether we should go on in spite of the -still threatening aspect of the weather, when the fog returned, -and the booming wind announced another storm to be close at hand. -Presently it broke upon us; never before had I heard the wind make -such an unearthly wail. It seemed as if every imaginable demon and -all the storm spirits of that wild region had assembled to howl and -make a united attack upon us. The light was fast becoming obscure, -and we were getting fairly snowed up, but that made us all the -warmer, all the more secure, and the shrieking of the storm was -deadened by the friendly covering. We partook of some chocolate, -smoked and sung, and finally slept again. At 8 P.M. the storm had -somewhat subsided, and I sent out a man to clear away some of the -snow from the roof of the tent to let a little light in. The snow -had drifted nearly over the tent, and it took some hard work before -we were dug sufficiently out to let in enough light to write by; -outside there were 10° of frost, but we were comfortably warm in -the tent. The air outside was so full of snow that we could not -see a couple of yards in advance. Another day showed us only a -continuation of storm and snow which utterly prevented progress. We -had now only about a week’s provision left, so I again put every -one on half rations. The men were obliged to take turns in clearing -away the snow, at intervals of every three hours, from the top -of the tent, and before very long the tent had the appearance of -lying at the bottom of a deep hole in the snow. We passed the time -as best we could, by sleeping, eating, smoking, writing, singing, -spinning yarns, and I occasionally amused the assembly by learning -strings of Icelandic words by Mr. Stokes’s method of mnemonics, -and repeating them in order, either backwards or forwards, which -puzzled the Icelanders not a little. - -Before I started for the Vatna in 1871, I remember saying I -should like to see one of its worst storms: I now had that -gratification. Storms are interesting natural phenomena, but when -prolonged indefinitely are, to say the least, tedious hindrances to -progress; and now, lying upon the top of the Vatna Jökull, with the -possibility of their lasting for a month, and provisions materially -diminishing, their dreary monotony became intolerably oppressive, -and after mature consultation we all came to the conclusion that -if the weather did not clear in two days’ time, we would leave all -impedimenta behind, except provisions, instruments and my diary, -and strike northward, storm or no storm--“_sauve qui peut_.” - -When we lay down and were fairly snowed over, the booming of the -storm sounded as if it came from the interior of the mountain, and -almost any familiar sound could be singled out from the hurly-burly -in an exaggerated degree, without any great stretch of imagination. -It stormed all night; the wind “Trolls” shrieked around us, the -thunder of the storm roared through the, to us, dark midnight -hours, surging upon the icy bosom of the Jökull, sweeping up its -snowy slopes, bearing with it avalanches of snow-drift which had -buried us several feet deep by morning. By 5 A.M. it lessened -somewhat, the furies of the Vatna appeared to have given up the -idea of overwhelming us, and the disheartened tempest sunk away -in melancholy sobs, but a determined drift and south-west wind -persevered in harassing us. - -It was clear that we must now start forward, for not only was there -a considerable amount of snow yet to be traversed, but a howling -wilderness of volcanic sand, lava, and mountain torrents had to -be crossed which lay between the north base of the Jökull and the -nearest habitation. We could not remain in our present position, -so deeply were we buried, and so difficult was it to get in and -out of the tent; moreover the fury of the storm had beaten the -snow hard, so there was no time to be lost. I served out a hearty -meal, and as packing up under such circumstances seemed to demand -some stimulant, I made some grog out of methylated spirit, for -all our whisky was gone. This served to quicken our circulation, -although it was far from being palatable, having, as my Icelanders -said, “slœmr dropi,” or a bad after-taste, and no wonder, as the -first taste was not suggestive of an agreeable sequel. We packed, -but with great difficulty, owing to everything being frozen quite -hard. Upon leaving, I drew over my mocassins a pair of fishing -stockings; they were as hard as sheet iron, and were a very great -inconvenience to me; but it was too cold to stop and take them off, -for it seemed as if we should freeze as we stood. These stockings -had been of great service in keeping me dry hitherto, and I hoped -they would protect me now. I felt a hard lump in the bottom of my -left stocking; if it was snow it meant a frozen foot. But there -was no help for it--we could not think of stopping to change -foot-gear in such a tempest. The wind had shifted to the west, -almost freezing the side exposed to it. We steered N.N.E.: it was -fortunate the wind was almost at our back, for we could hardly have -faced it. - -After three hours’ hard tugging we reached the height of 6,150 -feet, and straight away began to descend, and presently at so rapid -a rate that I had to send three men behind, in order to prevent -the sleigh from starting on its own account for the bottom of the -mountain. Suddenly the clouds cleared away before us, disclosing a -deep, snowy valley at our feet, and a tall black mountain, streaked -with snow, upon our left and west. Lower and lower we descended, -more and more precipitous, till it was evident that we could go -no farther upon our present course with the sleigh; so Paul and -I went forward to explore. The side of the valley terminated in -almost perpendicular walls of snow, which were now frozen perfectly -hard, and glazed over by the severity of the frost; the opposite -side was more broken, with dark crags here and there protruding, -while a copious lava stream appeared to flow northwards from the -termination of the snow, though I afterwards found that a fringe of -glaciers intervened. - -We next decided on striking due north, along the sloping sides of -the valley, to what we supposed to be Querkfjall, but afterwards -found to be Kistufell. Upon returning to the sleigh, while putting -back my field-glass, which I was obliged to do barehanded, for my -gloves were a mass of ice upon the outside, my fingers began to -freeze; but a little hard clapping, and by getting two of my men -to beat them with their hands, the circulation was restored. I now -ordered three of my men to put spiked iron clamps upon their feet, -for without this precaution I doubt not but we should have ended -our career, sleigh and all, by an abrupt descent into the valley -beneath, unless we had been stopped by some of the ugly crevasses -which yawned half-way down the snowy steep, upon the slippery and -precipitous sides of which we were descending. - -We proceeded, but with great difficulty; our trouble now being, not -that the sleigh was hard to get along, but that it would go too -fast; in fact, it seemed likely to run away with us altogether. -Behind us was a fierce wind, beneath us a precipice of some 800 or -1,000 feet; and the sloping snow-banks we were treading shelved off -at such an alarming angle that it rendered the work more dangerous -than pleasant. In this critical position I became painfully aware -that I had frozen my left big toe; for the increased exertions -and the lessening altitude were causing it to thaw. The pain was -horrible; but presently the slope became less abrupt, and we -stepped along at such a rate that 1,500 feet were negociated with -considerable speed. Hurrah! we were again in bright sunshine; but -the moment we stood still, the wind cut us to the bone. Before us -lay the long looked-for Norðurland. We arrived at the bottom of the -valley, and found it full of loose snow, which was knee-deep, for -the crust was here much too light to bear our weight, and at every -few feet we sunk into a miniature crevasse. After struggling on for -some few hours, however, we pitched our tent. - -Right thankful was I to get some warm soup and creep into the bag. -One of my men--and a real good fellow he was--named Sigurð, cuddled -my left foot in his arms, although my writhings kept him as well as -myself awake while the others slept. I have had many parts of my -body frozen, but I never suffered so much as from that toe. - -After a few hours we again started; and although the sleigh -travelled easily over the crust, we still broke through it, which -occasioned me so much pain at every step that I sat upon the sleigh -and was drawn along until we had descended so much that the crust -ceased altogether. The snow terminated in a half-melted slush, -lying upon a bottom of ice. Wading through the slush, which at -times took us up to the waist, we next reached Kistufell, where -the ice and snow terminated. Here we landed on a bed of volcanic -débris, which covered the ice to such a depth that one could in no -way, except by digging, distinguish it from the adjacent fjall. -The Vatna Jökull now lay behind us with its mysterious recesses -and volcanoes carefully guarded from intrusion by gloom and -storm. To the north of us rose a cluster of mountains from which -great quantities of steam were rising, and hovering above their -summits in a huge mushroom-shaped cloud; to our left and west lay -a wide-spreading lava-field, arms of which stretched amongst the -neighbouring mountains like the troubled waters of a cindery ocean. -Patches of black sand at intervals broke the continuity of this -tract of lava, and culminated in a desert still farther to the -north-east. Beyond, all the weird forms of fire-wrought mountains -formed a fitting back-ground; their rude outlines rendered still -more uncouth and grim by the fierce storms of ages. A huge tongue -of glaciers at this point swept down to a distance of some ten -miles beyond its most northern limit, as represented upon the map -published by Olsen in 1844, from a survey made by Gunnlaugsson, -in 1835. I here caught sight of Snæfell; and, upon taking its -bearings with the smoking mountains, which were evidently the -Dyngjufjöll, I found that instead of being at Querkfjall, which -was the point I had intended to strike, we were upon the east -side of Kistufell, about ten miles too much to the west. What -astonished us most was (granted that we were at the east side of -Kistufell) that we could see nothing of the Jökulsá-á-fjöllum, -which river, upon Olsen’s map, rises at the foot of Kistufell; -besides, upon his map the Jökull ends at Kistufell, while here a -huge glacier extended east and north-east as far as the eye could -reach, though exactly to our north and north-west it terminated -abruptly, and only an insignificant river flowed to the north. We -here abandoned our sleigh and snow-shoes which had served us so -well, and whatever we no longer required, and, making everything -into packs, continued our descent over huge piles of moraine, which -doubtless covered glacial ice, buttresses and points of which here -and there protruded. Having slidden down several steep slopes of -snow, which had collected in all the hollows, affording us ready -means of descent, we found ourselves at the height of 3,850 feet, -in the bed of what evidently had been a large river, though now -only an insignificant stream. - -To our east and right stretched the immense glaciers before -mentioned, completely overrunning the route taken by Gunnlaugsson -in 1835, and diverting the source of the Jökulsá, which rises -in several arms from the extremity of the glacial tongue before -mentioned. Upon our left and west lay the wide-spreading -lava-desert of the Ódáðahraun. - -Our way over the sandy bottom of the grand old watercourse was an -easy one to travel, for the sand had absorbed sufficient water -to make it firm and compact. Our attention was engaged for some -time in watching the fanciful shapes that crowned the dark wall -of ice upon our right, on the opposite side of the stream which -now lay between us and the glacier; and now and then we could not -help stopping to peer into some of the dark chasms which seemed -to penetrate into the heart of the icy monster, and to admire the -little cataracts of foam which spouted from clefts in the dark -green ice, or to wonder at some icy pinnacle or turret, that ever -and again tumbled from, perhaps, some few hundred feet above us -with a roar and a splash into the river, there to be slowly melted, -while the sound of its downfall echoed and re-echoed amongst the -cavernous openings in the glacier from which it had fallen! After -an hour or so we settled on a low sandy island in the middle of the -river, which must have formed formidable rapids when the immense -stream that had hollowed out this mighty watercourse had roared -over its bed; but it was shallow enough now, and by judiciously -picking our way it scarcely reached up to our knees as we waded -to the little island. I here noticed, as I had often done before, -an intermittent occurrence of waves in certain portions of the -stream. These, in large rivers, are rather terrible things, but -here they were on so small a scale as to make their examination -simply a safe indulgence of harmless curiosity. These waves occur -in all the sandy rivers, and they are occasioned by the sand and -detritus, which is brought down by the river in large quantities, -accumulating against some obstacle until such a time as it forms -rapids, which increase in proportion to the durability of this -suddenly-formed sandbank. In most cases it readily yields to -the action of the water, and is carried away; if, however, the -material which is thus piled up should be of a heavier character -than usual, it soon accumulates to such an extent as to resist the -action of the water altogether, and cause the current to alter its -course. This shows how the rivers of Iceland may be diverted and -changed from this cause alone, converting shallows into deep water, -and deep water into shallows, indeed altering the position and -character of the rivers altogether. - -As we lay down, the volcanoes in the Dyngjufjöll were smoking -away with increased violence. My frost-bitten toe would not allow -me to sleep much, so after a doze of two hours we started on our -way; we had but two days’ full rations left, and as Grímstaðir -was the nearest farm, a series of forced marches was necessary. -Before us to the N.E. was a cluster of hills, which stretched from -the southern extremity of the Dyngjufjöll in a S.E. direction -towards the Jökulsá, upon the east and west sides of which valleys -appeared to open northwards. Wishing, however, to get a good view -of the country before us, as neither of us had been here before, -and it was a matter of paramount importance that we should make -no mistake as to the direction, I decided to steer for the centre -of the hills, and to cross them. For a short distance we skirted -the tongue of the Jökull, past a line of moraine which shewed that -the glacier had ebbed as well as flowed, then bearing more to the -north, after a hard walk of three hours we reached the hills before -us. They were composed of the usual confusion of agglomerate, -sand and lava, which had issued from it--it was impossible to say -where; but they were evidently of a very ancient date, and many -of the harder rocks were glaciated, while the softer ones were -simply ruinous heaps. After an arduous scramble, we crossed these -hills and reached the little desert of black volcanic sand we had -seen from the northern edge of the Vatna Jökull. This sand plain -lay between the Dyngjufjöll and a chain of mountains upon the -opposite side of the Jökulsá-á-fjöllum. It was now raining somewhat -heavily, but there was no fog; the burdens of my men were heavy, -and I was carrying all I could manage with my bad foot. Under these -conditions we were obliged often to rest, which much hindered in -our progress. We sighted some low, black, misshapen volcanoes, -about half way across the plain, and near these we determined to -camp for the night. Two hours brought us to a field of lava which -had flowed from and surrounded those eccentric little volcanoes -which rose in four ghastly eminences in the centre of the plain, -in no part more than 100 feet high. Tired as I was, and greatly -inconvenienced by my foot, I could not refrain from examining them. -They were situated upon a crack from which the lava had welled up -in four mamelonic shapes, which in two instances showed irregular -breached craters, nearly filled with sand, which had been drifted -thither by the wind. The lava was basaltic, and of a remarkably -scoriaceous nature, though in the immediate neighbourhood of the -volcanoes no cinders were visible around them, so their eruptions -must have been attended with but little of explosive character. - -The worst feature of our night’s lodging was the absence of water, -so I ordered the waterproof coats to be spread out to catch rain -for our use in the morning. - -It was 1.30 A.M. before we all turned in for the night. Sand is -warm to camp upon, but it gets into everything, and when one is -wet it sticks to clothes, &c., in a most objectionable manner. By -six A.M. we were all awake, sufficient water had collected for -immediate use, and we were soon all under weigh over the lava, -which in most places flowed very evenly, and being of a more -compact character than that which was close to the volcanoes we -had just left, had allowed little pools of rain water to collect -upon the surface. We marched for four hours, and then struck -a large river upon our east. This was the Jökulsá-á-fjöllum. -After following its course for some time, we decided to “cache” -everything but the remainder of our provisions, our maps, and -my diary, for it was my intention to return with horses to the -Dyngjufjöll mountains which now lay to our N.W., when I could -recover them without much difficulty. Having carefully made our -“cache,” we planted a flag-pole upon an adjacent sandbank, and -having carefully taken its bearings, struck for the Vaðalda -hills, which were not very far distant. These hills run for some -nine miles parallel with the course of the Jökulsá; their base -being washed by the Svartá, or Black river, which rises in the -Dyngjufjöll, but is soon lost in the sand, re-appearing on the -Svartá at the commencement of the Vaðalda. Upon the opposite side -of this river we found a root of angelica (Icelandic, _hvönn_), the -stem and root of which we shared and ate with great relish; we also -saw two white sheep, but how they manage to eke out an existence -must have puzzled their sheeps’ heads not a little. Though, -proverbially, two heads are better than one, I doubt if the proverb -would hold good in their case, but there may be some grass in glens -which I have not seen in the Ódáðahraun, where enough herbage may -grow to feed Icelandic sheep, as they are not very dainty, and are -accustomed to short commons. - -The Vaðalda hills, although of no great height, command an -extensive view towards the Vatna Jökull, and upon reaching their -summit I glanced back over the plain. It was one broad wilderness -of black sand and lava, girt about with ridges of volcanic -mountains, whose numerous cones and chasms have vomited the immense -amount of ash, sand and lava with which the surrounding country -is covered. In the centre of the plain rose the little volcanoes -by which we had encamped the previous night, grimly and perkily -protruding, as if they aped their monster brethren around them. -Beyond all was the wide, white expanse of the Vatna Jökull, from -which a huge tongue of glacier extended more than half way across -the plain; from its extremity commenced the river we had been -following (the Jökulsá-á-fjöllum), which stretched through the -black bare plain sometimes in many arms, enclosing little islands -of black sand and pebbles in its sinuous embrace, then surging -along through a single deep channel it had worn for itself in the -sand, where the unstable banks, even while we gazed on them, were -crumbling and falling in, patch after patch of sand rendering still -more murky its already discoloured waters. - -From here I obtained the first good view of the Querkfjall, which -appeared to be a cluster of conical mountains, one huge crater -being on the northern side of the Vatna Jökull. This large crater, -though partially filled with snow, was smoking at three points, -but presented no other signs of activity. Having advanced about -a mile upon the Vaðalda, we were soon upon the pumice which was -ejected last year from the Öskjugjá, or chasm of oval casket, -in the Dyngjufjöll mountains. It has fallen in a line of about -twenty-five miles in breadth from the centre of the Vaðalda to -the south of Herðubreið, in a band of continually extending ladià -eastward towards the sea shore, destroying in its course six farms -in the Jökuldalr, and injuring others in the immediate vicinity. -This shows that the prevalent winds during the eruption of Öskjugjá -must have been south-west. - -This pumice is of a remarkably vitreous nature and vesicular in -structure, often assuming very beautiful forms, such as sponge, -honeycomb, coral or grained wood. As far as the eye could see, -the whole country was buried under greyish cinders, often to the -depth of several feet; while in places it had been swept up into -huge banks of many feet in thickness by the wind, sometimes burying -whole lava fields, the more elevated crags of which protruded, as -if struggling to get free, and proclaim the existence of the lava -stream underneath. We descended into a valley in which everything, -like the surrounding country, was covered with the same white -greyish pumice, except where the darkly-flowing river wound -silently along, deep, black and foul, bearing upon its surface -floating islands of pumice. - -The pumice had evidently fallen upon the winter’s snow, for a thick -layer lay underneath, protected by the cinders from the influences -of the summer temperature. Ever and again this substratum gave -way, and we sank deeply into a mixture of snow and ashes. It was -trying work, but we were well warmed, and pushed on at a good pace. -We again climbed to the crest of the hills, and another valley -opened to our view, running S.S.E., and another river not marked -upon Olsen’s map helped to swell the waters of the Jökulsá, while -the river at our feet poured through a rocky chasm it had worn for -itself; further on was a jam of floating pumice which blocked up a -portion of the river, causing it in some places to look precisely -similar to the adjacent ground. Presently, a wide plain opened -before us, from which rose a lofty mountain, shaped like a huge -pork-pie, crusted over with ice and snow upon its flattened summit, -which rose gradually to a fantastic, ornamental apex in the centre. -This was Herðubreið, and it was at once recognised by Paul, who had -been in the north of Iceland before. Beyond Herðubreið the country -was of a darker hue, no doubt caused by the absence of the pumice, -which had not fallen upon the sand and lava desert of the Mývatns -Örœfí. We now halted to determine our exact position. We found we -were about forty-five miles from Grímstaðir, and upon the north -end of the Vaðalda, and as it would be necessary to hit the exact -spot where the boat was kept, Grímstaðir being upon the east side -of the river and we upon the west, we agreed to follow the course -of the Jökulsá. This river, in the map, appeared to flow pretty -nearly straight, but in reality does no such thing. As food was -getting short we took a light meal off our pipes, and reviewed our -supplies. We had a half-pound pot of chocolate and cream, about a -pound of hard tack, half a pound of butter, and three square inches -of “gravy soup”--rather short commons for six men, with forty-five -miles, at the very least computation, of the very roughest country -possible before them, and which, as we intended to follow the -course of the river the greater part of the way, would be sure to -develop into considerably more. - -There was a lovely yellow sunset as we descended the northern slope -of the Vaðalda; the sun was waning towards the north, and the -ashen covering of the surrounding mountains reflected an unearthly -light, which added a ghastly grandeur to the chaotic desolation -through which we were passing, while we ourselves, dirty, brown, -and wayworn, as we travelled almost noiselessly in our moccasins -over the ash-strewn ground, seemed fitting representatives of the -outlaws and evil spirits with which tradition had peopled this wild -region. A very suitable abode it seemed for all of evil omen, but -even such must have had a hard time of it if the country were in -their day such as it is now, which probably was not the case. - -By two A.M. we rested, purposing to take a couple of hours’ -sleep. I scooped out a place for myself in the cinders, and lying -down under the lee of a large stone, covered myself over with my -mackintosh coat. Unfortunately my men could not sleep as they were -so cold, so we soon resumed our journey. At five A.M. we were due -east of Herðubreið, where we took a slight meal, the most prominent -feature of which was water from the Jökulsá. We were travelling -over an old lava stream nearly covered with pumice, and the river -had assumed formidable proportions, having been joined by a third -arm upon the east side, which roared over the lava in its bed. The -sun was shining brightly, the clouds were beginning to melt away -from the summit of Herðubreið, leaving a cloudless sky; a slight -frost was glistening upon everything and stiffening our beards, the -pumice was getting thinner and thinner, and presently altogether -disappeared. Before us lay a broad waste of sand and lava, and -in the far distance loomed the mountains of Mývatn, which Paul -recognised as old friends, as some years of his life had been spent -in the Mývatn sveit. For the first few miles my foot troubled me a -good deal, but as soon as I got warm the pain ceased, and as the -day promised to be hot, we made the most of these early hours. - -Following the course of the river, we found ourselves upon a plain -of sand and pebbles, and as we advanced, a little scanty herbage -began to make its appearance, while occasional sheep tracks showed -that sheep in this quarter were, as usual, wont to stray from -richer and more plentiful pastures to those which afforded but -a poor and meagre supply. By 8.30 we reached the little river -Grafalandá, which here flows into the Jökulsá; and here there was -plenty of grass. The sun now shone warmly, and as we were not more -than twenty-seven miles from Grímstaðir in a straight line, we lay -down and slept for two hours. Upon rising we still followed the -river, which, as before remarked, is by no means a straight one. -Our road now lay through a considerable quantity of thick herbage, -principally galix and coarse grass. Some hills here interrupted -our progress, the base of which was washed by the river, and since -no way was possible between the river and the over-hanging cliffs, -for the river here took a great turn eastward, we decided to ascend -the hills. The summits of these, as is often the case in Iceland, -were formed of stones imbedded in sand and decomposed rock, after -the fashion of a loosely macadamized road. This is doubtless caused -by the heavy covering of the winter’s snow, which presses down the -stones, and then as it melts converts the material in which they -are embodied into slush, into which the fragments of rock, &c., -readily sink, so that when the water has drained off and the fine -weather comes, it is found transformed into a kind of cement, for -the decomposed fellspathic lavas especially set very firmly under -such circumstances. By three P.M. we reached a delightful little -mountain stream brawling over the rocks and lava, fertilizing the -parts of the mountain through which it ran, and calling into birth -green borders of galix and grass, forming a beautiful little -cascade directly in our path. Here we halted; the sun was intensely -hot, but it felt rather comfortable than otherwise. Here we found -an abundant growth of angelica, which we ate with the remainder of -our provisions. We then washed our socks and laid down to sleep, -lulled by the bubble of the stream and the sweet fresh smell of -the herbage around us, which our long absence from everything that -could produce so agreeable an aroma rendered all the more welcome. - -Evening came before we again started, and our road was through a -deep loose sand, which was very trying and heavy to our feet, for -beneath this was a layer of pure white ash of the consistency of -flour--probably decomposed pumice. When this was mixed with sand, -it seemed to be a good fertilizer, for wherever it occurred a patch -of wild oats was the invariable result. Before we again reached the -river, we found it cut directly through a cluster of low mountains, -striking a field of very dark and almost vitreous lava. By midnight -we sighted Grímstaðir to the S.E., upon the opposite side of the -river, although at some considerable distance, and the ferry was -beyond the farm, to the north of it. We followed closely down the -bank of the river that we might not miss it, for there was no track -to guide one across the Mývatns Örœfí, and it was a good three -hours before we found the boat, which was a leaky concern, but by -dint of bailing and rowing we eventually reached the opposite side. -Five A.M. saw us arrived at Grímstaðir, much to the surprise of the -occupants, who had not at all expected the intrusion of six men _on -foot_ at such an hour, and from such a quarter. - -The bóndi having been roused, the whole establishment turned -out to have a look at us. Grímstaðir was decidedly the best and -most extensive farm I had seen in the island, except, perhaps, -Breiðarbólstað in Rangarvallasýsla. The bóndi was a good type of -the genuine old-fashioned Icelander, and everything in the place -was cleanly and comfortable. He had passed all his life in the -north of the island, and had not ever journeyed to Reykjavík. - -There was a good-sized windmill in front of the farm, to grind the -rye and wheat sold by the store-keepers; and this was a very great -improvement upon the old stone handmill so generally used in other -parts of the country, especially in the south. Windmills seem to be -rather a characteristic of the north of Iceland. My first object -was to procure coffee and a good meal; this having been secured, -I proceeded to purchase four sheep, and give instructions for -their death and disposal. One was destined for immediate use, the -other three to be made into pemmican, their skins being dried for -carriage to England. - -What a glorious institution is a bed! What a happy thought it was -of the man who first conceived the idea of taking off his clothes -before turning into it! What luxury! a tub, hot water, soap, a -sponge, a towel, clean sheets, an eiderdown quilt, a little tallow -for my poor sore nose, and sleep! What sublimity of comfort! -Well, I slept as only a well-worn traveller could sleep, till I -was roused by the novel sound of a knock at the door of my room. -“What’s the matter? Who’s there?” My watch said twelve o’clock. - -It was the bóndi’s daughter, with coffee and a plate full of -delicate little pancakes, each carefully rolled up with a few -raisins inside, and nicely powdered over with white sugar. Forgive -the weakness, good reader, but that little tray! Can I ever forget -it or its contents, to say nothing of its comely bearer? Will I -have any more? Oh yes, by all means. My mid-day meal became an -interesting speculation, to say nothing of the comely bearer of it, -through whom I ordered sheep’s fry, and ere long was greeted with -its savoury smell. - -Paul had gone to Reikjahlíð to try and hire a man and some horses -to enable us to go to Öskjugjá (the volcano we had seen smoking), -for my own horses had not yet arrived, but I learnt that it was -almost impossible to obtain either horses or men, as all were -engaged in gathering in the hay harvest. - -In the afternoon two students arrived from the college at Reykjavík -to spend their vacation in the north, and a merry evening we had of -it with my men, who were in high spirits at having fairly reached -the Norðurland by a route which had never before been trodden by -the foot of man, since their island first rose above the waters of -the North Atlantic--a feat that would immortalise their names in -local Icelandic history! - -We had then travelled from Núpstað in the south of the island to -Grímstaðir in the north, a distance of about 270 miles, in sixteen -days, twelve of which had been passed amongst the regions of -perpetual snow. I must here remark that the pluck, perseverance, -and obedience of the Icelanders who accompanied me are deserving of -all praise; for without them I could never have crossed the Vatna -Jökull. The next day was Sunday, and at breakfast I was informed -that the bóndi would read a service in the baðstofa, an apartment -for general use. This room was filled with little truck bedsteads, -and somewhat reminded me of a hospital. All the household were -gathered about, neat and orderly, sitting on the bedsteads, and -the service consisted of singing, reading, and prayer. - -One cannot help noticing the softening and harmonising influences -of all forms of civilized religion when not clouded by fanaticism, -more especially among those whose lives are spent in close contact -with the ruder elements of the world. - -The beautiful clear sunny weather continued, enabling us on the -following day to obtain a good view of the distant hills of -the Mývatn, across the arid waste of the Mývatns Örœfí, where -occasional puffs of wind were raising small clouds of the light -volcanic sand, carrying them high into the air. Sometimes, too, -circular currents raised screw-shaped columns of sand, which now -and then increased to rather formidable dimensions, and even -crossed the Jökulsá, blinding the chance traveller, and scaring -any stray sheep that might be cropping the tufts of scant herbage -sprinkled at long intervals over the plain. - -The volcano in the Dyngjufjöll was smoking away with greater -ferocity than ever, and the dark columns which formed the centre of -the great mushroom of vapour which still hung over these remarkable -mountains showed that something heavier than steam was being -ejected. - -Paul returned in the evening with a man from Grœnavatn, named -Thorlákur, who was to accompany me to the Ódáðahraun and the -Dyngjufjöll, but my difficulty lay in not having sufficient horses, -as Paul had found it impossible either to buy or hire more than -two, and they belonged to Thorlákur; and as I could not afford to -wait for my own, I was compelled to modify my plan of operations. -Requiring a fresh supply of necessaries, I first despatched Paul -to the stores at Vopnfjörðr, and then, with the rest of my men -and Thorlákur, set out for the Ódáðahraun on foot, one horse -carrying hay and the other provisions. Our first stage was to be -the Grafalandá, where there was plenty of grass, and our next some -point between the Dyngjufjöll mountains and the river Svartá, -within easy reach of the baggage I had left behind. From here I -determined to start with Thorlákur and Eyólfur, while the rest -returned to the Grafalandá with everything we did not absolutely -need, directing them in the meantime to fetch more provisions -from Grímstaðir, and a sufficient number of my own horses (which -doubtless by that time would have arrived) to carry us and our -belongings from the Grafalandá to Mývatn. - -In the evening two of the farm servants, who were refugees from -some of the devastated farms in the Jökuldalr, recounted their -experiences during the eruptions of last spring, which, however, by -no means damped the ardour of my men. - -The next day was spent in completing my preparations, and in the -evening, we bade adieu to Paul and our good friends at Grímstaðir, -after which we again turned our faces towards the mountains. - -My supplies now consisted of 50 lbs. of pemmican, 25 lbs. of bread, -10 lbs. of butter, two large dried trout from Mývatn, and about -half-a-gallon of corn brandy. - -Having crossed the ferry, my attention was arrested by a small -crater orgjà (chasm), as the natives called it, which had opened -in the plain about two miles to the west; it was an ancient vent, -named Hrossaberg, and many similar to it occur in the plain of -the Mývatns Örœfí. The fissures which had erupted in the spring -were of a like nature, and the heated lava from them we could just -perceive farther to the west, looking like a black bank, while from -it little clouds of steam were occasionally rising, and a thinnish, -darker vapour overshadowed it; and even at the distance we stood -from it pungent exhalations were perceptible. We continued on our -way towards Herðubreið in a southerly direction, over a desert of -sand and lava streams which had intersected and flowed over one -another, but my foot still greatly inconvenienced me, though I had -given it entire rest during my stay at Grímstaðir. At five A.M. we -stopped for half-an-hour to let the horses refresh themselves at -a patch of wild oats which here grew rather abundantly in patches, -generally in shape and size rather resembling ordinary haycocks, so -that in the distance they often made the plain appear as if it were -covered with hay in cocks all ready for carting. The peculiarity of -their form is doubtless due to the roots that protect the sand in -which they grow, while the sand on the surface of the surrounding -plain is being constantly swept away by the wind. - -We were now in a line west of the hills of Grímsfjall, which are -not marked upon Olsen’s map. We pursued our journey with the -morning sun, and it is surprising what an effect the sunlight -has upon one, to refresh, cheer, and revive one’s strength. I -have often remarked (and others have told me they have done the -same) that, when travelling all night, the sensation of weakness -and weariness is most felt between the hours of one and three -o’clock in the morning, but as soon as the sun appears there is a -consciousness of refreshment almost as though one had slept. - -We perceived a small quantity of steam, perhaps from a hot spring -or a fissure in the lava, about seven miles to our west, but I -could not spare time to inspect it. - -We next reached the Grafalandá, which is a small river taking its -rise north-west of Herðubreið, and flows north-east into the -Jökulsá. This water no doubt comes from patches of snow upon the -Dyngjufjöll, the Trölladýngjur mountains and Herðubreið, and as -is generally the case around these mountains, loses itself in the -sand and lava at their base to reappear as a stream when it can no -longer find a subterranean passage. The banks of this stream were -covered with dwarf birch and salix, but the larger wood was dead, -and this would seem to show that the woods were more extensive and -of a stronger growth in bygone years than at the present time. I -have observed this in other parts of Iceland. There was also here -an abundance of grass, making it an excellent halting place for -anyone desirous of exploring the adjacent mountains. It was in -this vicinity, tradition tells us, that the last of the Icelandic -outlaws found a shelter, and, as late as a hundred years ago, one -man, named Eyvindr, lived here for a considerable time, and a cave -in the north of Herðubreið hill memorialises his handy-work, in -the shape of a horse carved upon its roof or walls. He appears, -however, to have been by no means of terrible character, and was in -great favour with the country people. - -We next moved on to the river Lindá, about four miles in advance, -and three miles north-east of Herðubreið. Here there was good grass -for the horses, and angelica grew abundantly, and the stems and -roots of it were very acceptable and refreshing in a region so -void of vegetable life as this. I wonder the inhabitants do not -more cultivate it in their gardens, for I believe it would be quite -possible for them to acquire a national fondness for it as a staple -article of vegetable diet. - -A short trudge over the lava brought us level with Herðubreið, -and here we soon began to observe signs of the volcano in the -Dyngjufjöll in the shape of the peculiar vitreous pumice I have -before mentioned. - -Weary, weary work for sore feet this pumice-deluged country. Many -masses were four or five feet in circumference, but the majority -varied from the size of a man’s hand to that of a wine cork. In -many places it had drifted into huge beds, which was bad enough -for us to travel over, but it was still worse for the poor horses, -who seemed much fatigued with their journey. In ascending and -descending these large cinder heaps, great quantities would often -suddenly shift, leaving us deeper than our knees in dust and -pumice. We were steering west of the course we had taken from the -Vatna Jökull, and the pumice was thicker than we had yet found it; -while occasionally we met with round white masses of lava glazed -over upon the outside, but when broken they disclosed a highly -vesicular nature in their interior. This stony shower must have -been appalling, especially when accompanied by darkness, floods of -scalding water, and mephitic vapours. - -The dust occasioned by our progress was excessively trying to the -eyes, and even penetrated our clothes. In many places floods of -water had evidently flowed from the direction of the volcano. The -pumice was rapidly decomposing under the action of the atmosphere, -especially where it was wet, and a great deal of it appeared -to have been ejected in a wet state, and had since absorbed a -kind of wet earthy matter, which seemed materially to assist its -decomposition. These floods of water from volcanoes which are -neither glacial nor snow-capped mountains, can only be explained -in two ways, either by supposing the water to have accumulated as -a subterranean lake in the chimney of the volcano, or that it was -previously entangled in the very elements of the matter ejected. -We were now leaving the Vaðalda hills to the east, and we could -see by what a tortuous course we had travelled by keeping so close -to the river Jökulsá on our journey to Grímstaðir. At two A.M. we -rested and gave the horses some hay, for they were very tired, and -most of my men had scarcely recovered from their long march. After -an hour’s rest, we again moved on; the men were suffering much -from thirst, for Icelanders drink more water when on a walking -expedition than any people I ever met with, which I suppose is -because they are accustomed to consume a great quantity of milk -when at home. - -The pumice became finer and less deep as we advanced, and -remembering it had fallen in the winter, I dug through it to reach -the snow, which greatly relieved our thirst. We were now between -the Vaðalda and the Dyngjufjöll mountains, and from the top of a -lava field, almost buried beneath the pumice, we beheld the broad -sand plain we had crossed upon our journey from the Vatna. I here -noticed some rounded masses of lava, which were just the reverse -of the bombs I had seen before, being harder and more compact in -the centre than upon the exterior. The pumice now grew less and -less, and a gentle slope brought us to the sand plain; so, having -deposited our loads about one mile south-east of the Askja, and two -west of the southern extremity of the Vaðalda, I despatched two men -with the horses to seek the remainder of the belongings we had left -a week before upon the sand, about four miles away to the S.S.E. - -We then pitched by the side of three or four large shallow pools -of water, formed by several small streams which here run from the -Dyngjufjöll and lose themselves in the sand, re-appearing, as I -have before described, as the Svartá, a few miles to the S.S.E. - -The sand was very trying, for a westerly wind filled the air with -clouds of a most irritating dust. It was some time before the -men returned, when they informed me they had seen several sheep, -looking plump and well, and had found some grass near the source of -the Svartá, where they had given the horses a rest. Having taken -a good meal, I sent three of my men on their return journey, for -we had not sufficient hay to keep the horses any longer. I was -now left with only Thorlákur and Eyólfur, so we pitched our tent -in order that we might take a good sleep before setting out for -the Dyngjufjöll. The wind had died away upon the plain, the sand -no longer troubled us, the sun was shining warmly, so after our -long journey we were rewarded by a most refreshing sleep. Seven -P.M., however, saw us again on our legs. I had determined that the -volcanoes of Öskjugjá must be north-west of our present position, -and therefore decided to take a northern course along the E.S.E. -face of the mountains, and take the first _gill_ which should -anyway lead in a westerly direction. I also arranged for five days’ -provision to be taken with us, and the remainder to be _cached_ -upon the sand. Our whisky was now reduced to two small bottles -full, for I had been compelled to be rather liberal with it the -previous night. I therefore directed that a pint or more of water -should be placed in the keg, and this we left in the cache to await -our return. - -Having crossed a few small streams to the north, which flowed into -the pools by which we had encamped, the road became tolerably good, -being formed of very fine pumice, sand, and mud that had evidently -been cast up by the volcano in question. This, in all probability, -had been showered down towards the termination of the eruption, -when the pumice had been many times ejected and swallowed again by -the volcano, thus reducing it to very small pieces, lapilli and -mud,--while at the same time the eruption itself was waxing feeble. -Our good road terminated after about three hours’ walking, and then -we trod again upon a series of heaps of large and most execrable -pumice. All night we continued our difficult progress, but no -_gill_ presented itself, up which we might turn towards the object -of our search. - -My position may be imagined by the reader supposing himself toiling -over vast piles of rotten cinders, with 20 lbs. weight on his back, -in wet skin socks, with villanously sore feet. The circumstances -demanded a halt, for the sun was beginning to show itself in an arc -of misty, crimson light, which grew broader and broader and more -vivid with approaching day. To our left there arose crags to the -height of over 1000 feet above us, their sides being draped with -slopes of lava and shifting pumice. Around us were misshapen rocks -and conical eminences, carrying our thoughts back to eruptions -in bygone ages of the volcanic fires beneath. Here was a chasm, -yawning widely where it had not been filled up with pumice, -while many others cut deeply into the flanks of the surrounding -mountains. These were probably the result of the earthquakes -which had preceded the recent eruptions; while in the north of -the volcano we were now ascending they were very numerous, but I -did not observe any to the south of it. The wind was blowing from -the east, and hitherto the volcano had not troubled us with its -noisome smell; but as the heavy midnight clouds began to roll down -the mountain sides, a pungent sulphurous odour reminded us that -the dread power which had created the wilderness around was still -alive, though somewhat feeble, in the heart of the mountains which -seemed to scowl upon their nocturnal intruders. The snowy turban of -Herðubreið, however, was glowing in the sunlight, and the bright -face of the luminary broke through the eastern mists, showering -beautifully upon the cinder-strewn country around us the heavenly -gift of morning sunlight. “Já blessuð sólin,” exclaimed both my -companions. “Aye, the blessed sun!” and we all for some minutes -silently watched the approach of the tutelar spirit of Icelandic -travellers. Who can wonder at the uneducated or the uncivilized -worshipping the sun? Crude nature always regards what it cannot -understand with superstitious fear, and sometimes with love and -worship, and if we did not recognise in all a great Primeval Cause, -we might worthily deify the sun; but it was useless to lay dreaming -and it was too cold to lie still, and lying still would not get us -up the mountain, for up the mountain we were fain to go. We had -already gone too far to the north, and as there was no gill, we -must needs climb straight up, and steer for the thickest steam and -the foulest smell; in short, when our eyes failed, to follow our -noses. - -Toiling up the sides of the mountain, the mist thickened, while -dense clouds settled around us as though they would draw us -into the volcano; the smell grew sickening, and the pumice more -muddy. What was falling, rain or sand? Neither; it was a kind of -fatty loam, falling in coarse granules, the smells from which -were most offensive, and it was very fortunate we were almost to -windward of the volcano, or progress would have been impossible. -My aneroid here marked 3500 feet, and as higher and higher we -climbed the mist cleared a little, until we stood upon the top; -while beneath us lay a pandemonium of steam and hideous sounds. -Suddenly a fearful crash made us stand aghast; it seemed as if half -the mountain had tumbled in upon the other side of this horrible -valley, and for some time we could see nothing for the dense -clouds of steam which seethed up before us, and the heavy rain of -loam which was falling, while the most hideous shrieks, groans, -booming and screaming sounds rose from all parts of this terrible -depression, the bottom of which was now utterly obscured. Again -and again came a crash and a roar from the opposite side, and also -occasionally from the side we were standing upon. The sides of -the crater were evidently falling in, and huge wide cracks, even -where we stood, showed us that our position was not altogether a -safe one; but the wind was clearing the clouds away, so, seating -ourselves upon some large blocks of pumice, we lit our pipes and -waited until we could obtain a better view. One thing was certain, -this was evidently the volcano of the Öskjugjá which had wrought -so much devastation in the Jökuldalr and its vicinity, and we were -upon the eastern wall of its crater! Presently the clouds lifted in -the distance, and as gap after gap, and space after space cleared, -we could see the scorched and blasted country which stretched for -many a league behind us. Mountain after mountain gradually shook -off the clouds in which the night had enfolded them, and as the -mist cleared toward the north we could distinguish a three-cornered -plain, encircled except at one point, N.N.E., by semi-detached -sections of volcanic mountains, some of which had broken out in -ancient times, and by their insignificant lava streams had helped -to swell the widely-extending lava stream of the Ódáðahraun. - -The crater upon the eastern edge of which we stood was situated -in its southern corner. This plain was the Askja (or oval wooden -casket). It is about six miles long, and from three to four -broad, and at this end was some 4000 feet above sea level. I -believe it could be easily reached by a glen upon the N.E. side -of the Dyngjufjöll. Presently, apparently about a mile away to -the north, we could see the rim of the crater, at a great depth -beneath us, and while we were looking at it, a great crack opened -upon the margin, and a huge slice slipped with but little noise -into the crater, deep down beyond the range of vision. The mist, -however, somewhat cleared away, and then a shaft, like the mouth -of a large coal-pit, was disclosed to the N.N.E. corner of the -valley, but beyond the rim of the crater, from which a straight -column of pitch-black vapour was issuing. Boom, boom, from its -hoarse black throat, was succeeded in a few seconds by a heavy -shower of the coarse earthy granules before mentioned; then a -long line of chasms and holes burst to view in the dark floor of -the crater, from which issued screaming noises, intermingled with -inky vapour, patches of steaming ground, and gaping rifts and -chasms. The sun now broke through, and almost simultaneously the -clouds lifted from the valley, shaking off the Plutonic vapours -which had chained them during the night, and, as if ashamed to own -their temporary bondage in the presence of the lord of day, they -slunk away to windward. By this time we could see the whole of -the crater and its surroundings, except in places where the thick -smoke and steam intervened. I felt it was well worth taking the -journey from England to stand even for a moment and look into the -abyss which opened at our feet, with its black pits and grim chasms -all contributing to the general aggregate of steam, and loam, and -stench, and horrid sound; while behind us stretched a wild waste of -glen, desert, and mountain, a country moaning in ashes, and howling -with desolation. - -This crater, which perhaps we may be allowed to call Öskjugjá, -or “the chasm of the oval casket,” is triangular in shape, and -is about five miles in circumference, the base of the triangle -being to the N.W., and about 1¼ English miles across. From this -base, which was nearly at the level of the plain of Askja, a -perpendicular wall of rock cut off all communication with the floor -of the crater, which sloped gradually towards the centre, to the -depth probably of four or five hundred feet below the plain above -described; but I had no opportunity of measuring it, as I could not -get down to the crater at any point, neither could I see nor hear -the stones which I flung in strike the bottom, as they gave back no -sound, on account of the soft mud into which they must have fallen; -for the floor of the crater appeared to be covered with the same -soft loam which was at intervals rained upon us. - -[Illustration: THE ÖSKJUGJÁ. - - _Page 88._] - -The eastern and western sides of the crater converged towards the -south, being shut in by lofty mountains, which rose in some places -to the height of 1000 feet above the plain of Askja; so that they -appeared to be shorn of their inner faces by the violence of the -eruption, which had left perpendicular cliffs of great height. The -edges of the crater, too, were rapidly tumbling in, and had formed -in several places steep slopes of pumice and débris, which it was -quite possible to descend; all access to the floor of the crater, -however, was prevented by an interior rim of precipice immediately -at the bottom of these heights. How long this shape will remain -unaltered is, however, a matter of great doubt, for during our stay -there, sometimes scarcely a minute elapsed between the roar of -the stony avalanches, which increased the din and gradually altered -the form of the crater! Three principal lines of fissures, pits, -and irregular openings diverged from the centre of the crater to -the south-east and west respectively. These, together with black -patches of steaming ground and several minor cracks, were all that -remained of the huge chasm which at one time must have occupied -this valley. - -I now selected a spot where there had been a considerable fall in -the wall of the crater, forming a slope of a much smaller angle -than anywhere else, and exposed a stratum of the previous winter’s -snow which enabled us to obtain sufficient water for our breakfast. - -My men slept here while I posted up my diary, but I was presently -disturbed by a peculiar rushing sound. I instinctively looked -towards the crater, and there saw what at first sight seemed to -be a fog-bow amongst the steam, but presently the increasing -noise gave sufficient evidence of its true character. It was a -huge column of water springing up from a fissure in the bottom of -the crater, which, being ejected in a slanting direction, almost -described an arc, rising to a much greater height than even the -level of the spot we were encamped upon, was, of course, converted -into spray long before it reached such an elevation, and falling -with great violence upon the opposite edge of the valley, caused -a great portion of the wall of the crater at that point to fall -away with a prodigious noise, the concussion of which produced a -series of avalanches in various other parts of the volcano. One -could imagine, from the effect of such a comparatively small body -of water, what a terrible scene must have presented itself when the -mountain was in a state of general activity, and when the entire -crater vomited a vast volume of pumice, mud, and water, and the -whole valley beneath was a seething cauldron of fire and water! We -next removed to the lee of a large rock of agglomerate, and having -scooped a bed in the pumice, slept comfortably, with the tent -spread over all of us like one large blanket. - -Upon awaking I ascended the highest point in the wall of the -crater, which was almost its southern extremity, and there I found -its height by my aneroid to be about 4500 feet above sea level, -the angles by my azimuth compass being from Herðubreið 40° west, -Skjaldbreið 103° east. From this point the floor of the crater -appeared more bent about and upheaved, while many of its gaping -fissures seemed much wider than before, doubtless the result -of the longitudinal view of them which the position commanded; -in fact, each fissure seemed trying to excel its neighbour in -making the most horrible noise, while emitting the most nauseous -smell. I doubt if even Cologne, in all its former nastiness and -“thousand well defined and separate stinks,” could have produced -anything so utterly putrid and abominable as the effluvia which -were wafted to the summit we were standing upon! At one point it -seemed just possible for us to reach the floor of the crater, and -as it would save us a considerable detour if we were able to cross -it, we packed up and began again to descend a very precipitous -slope of pumice. From thence we descended as far as 750 feet, and -then found our way barred by the interior rim of precipice before -spoken of. Hitherto we had been unable to see its full extent from -the overhanging wall of the crater, but from this vantage-ground -it seemed to be about 300 feet deep, while the floor appeared to -be dark mud: many of the fissures must have been twenty or thirty -feet across, and others at least a quarter of a mile in length. -I tried to measure the precipice by flinging over a large lump -of the heaviest pumice, but it gave no sound as it reached the -bottom, for it was so light I could not fling it far enough to see -where it struck, hence we were afraid to go to the extreme edge of -the precipice on account of the loose and crumbling nature of the -rocks. Nothing now remained for us but to climb back again. This -was no easy matter, because of the great angle of the slope, so -I was compelled to dig my sore toes into the pumice with all my -might; and in one place, for a distance of some 200 feet, to dig -steps with my ice axe. We reached the summit at last, very warm, -but very glad to be at the top instead of at the bottom of those -750 feet, for had we slipped, we should in all probability have -fallen to the bottom of the crater. At last we arrived at the plain -of Askja by following along the top of cliffs upon the eastern -side of the crater, and there we found everything covered with a -dark brown loam, which was still falling thickly around us. I next -inspected the pit I had noticed in the morning, which was situated -by itself at the top of the precipice, and found it about a quarter -of a mile in circumference. Upon looking into it, for a long time -nothing could be seen but dense clouds of steam and loam which -were rising from it with intermittent violence; but after a while -a large portion of the margin slipped in, and stopping the steam -for a few moments, enabled us to discern a black funnel-shaped pit -tapering towards the bottom, from which huge volumes of steam were -again beginning to rise; then came a sudden burst of hot steam, -loam, and stench, which again compelled us to make a precipitate -retreat. I next investigated every part of this side of the crater -in order to see if I could by any means descend to the floor of -it, but I found the interior precipice extended all round, and at -every point prevented my doing so. We therefore camped but a short -distance from the pit, that we might be the better able to watch -the wonderful and varying manœuvres which from time to time were -enacted. - -The worst of our position now was, that it lacked both snow and -water, but the loam made us a tolerably nice soft bed, and we slept -soundly. Soon, however, a heavy fall of loam upon our tent awoke -us, and our eccentric friend outside was uttering such fiendish -noises, and giving off such a putrid stench, that we thought the -better part of valour was to retreat; so we hastily packed up -amid a copious shower of loam, our movements being quickened by -the surmise that we might also be treated to a little pumice and -hot water. Moreover, the stench was beginning to tell upon us, -causing us to feel sick. We next proceeded along the N.N.W. side -of the crater, as I wished to count the number of paces along it, -in order that I might approximate the size, which I found to be -about one and a quarter miles in length. The ground was now much -fissured, and disclosed in many places the snow of the previous -winter at the depth of six feet beneath the pumice, as well as a -quantity of loam which had been flung out by the volcano. After -breakfasting beside one of these fissures, at mid-day we turned our -backs upon what I can imagine to be one of the most marvellous, -and perhaps I may add, one of the most indescribable sights the -world can anywhere present! On resuming our journey, we set our -faces towards Skjaldbreið, alias Trölladyngjá, and the first part -of our journey was across the little plain of Askja, over a lava -stream, which here enters from the Ódáðahraun, and had run for -some distance up hill. The loam which had been showered down by -Öskjugjá had taken the edge off the lava, which was a great source -of comfort, and soon we were glad to sight the broad black desert -of the Ódáðahraun. There was the snowy mound of Skjaldbreið, -spotted with black lava, with its curious tuft of rock at the -top, somewhat similar to that on Herðubreið. Before us there was -Kistufell, by which we had first descended into Norðurland, and -behind all, the broad expanse of the Vatna Jökull, sweeping the -horizon from east to west, where it appeared in the distance to -be joined by Tungufell and Tindafells Jökull. From here, we could -not see the Sprengi Sandr, which lay between them, but perceiving -through my telescope a patch of snow upon the hills which almost -joined Skjaldbreið upon the east, I determined to strike a line -across the Ódáðahraun to it, that I might take another rest and -relinquish all our loads before we ascended Skjaldbreið the next -morning. - -I may here remark that the Ódáðahraun is a desert of sand and lava, -extending over an area of 1200 square miles, the greater part of -which seems to have flowed from Skjaldbreið, so I think it must be -one of the oldest lava flows in Iceland, for this volcano has not -erupted since 1305. Some of the lava may, however, have flowed from -the Dyngjufjöll, or, possibly, from fissures in the plain itself. -I could, however, trace no distinct stream from the above-named -mountains, nor has any one, I believe, travelled along the west -side of them for the purpose of ascertaining. In several places the -lava of the Ódáðahraun has run up hill. This, I believe, has been -occasioned by the crust which flowed upon the surface of the lava -stream, constituting a sort of pipe with the ground upon which the -stream rested; and the air being thus excluded, the still liquid -lava underneath has acted in the same way as water would when -enclosed in a pipe, by finding its own level, or approximately so, -according to its degree of fluidity. At any rate it took us five -hours to cross the Ódáðahraun and reach the snow patch I had seen. -There we rested, and early next morning, accompanied by Thorlákur, -I set off for Skjaldbreið, leaving Eyólfur, who was very tired, -in camp. We next followed an immense lava stream about half-way -up the mountain, and during the early part of our walk I several -times heard the muffled sound of water running beneath the lava. -When about half-way up, we reached deep indurated snow, through -which protruded the black hummocks and masses giving Skjaldbreið -such a mottled appearance when I first saw it from the Dyngjufjöll -mountains. Skjaldbreið is, however, nothing but a huge mound of -basaltic lava, partially covered with snow, rising by a very -gradual slope to about 4000 feet above sea level, and from it has -evidently flowed the greater part of the Ódáðahraun, though, as all -the neighbouring mountains seem to have erupted at some period or -another, it is but fair to presume they have also helped to swell -this vast wilderness of volcanic dregs; but I have been unable -to trace any lava stream in the Ódáðahraun to any other source -than Skjaldbreið. The summit of Skjaldbreið I found was thickly -enveloped in clouds, so I stopped when within 300 feet of the top -to look at the surrounding country. To our north lay the arid -waste of the Ódáðahraun, the unearthly desolation of which I have -never seen equalled. Truly, it may be said that it extends over -but a small area when compared with many of the mighty deserts -in other parts of the world, but there is a forbidding, yet -fascinating grimness about this which is an especial characteristic -of Icelandic scenery, and as this savage region extends as far -as the eye can see, it produces none the less vivid impression -upon the mind of the beholder, although one can refer to the map -and find that it extends over only about 1500 square miles. When -first gazing at a dreary Icelandic lava desert the sensations are -something akin to those experienced when for the first time one -sees a prairie immediately after the fire has swept across it; but -although one is conscious that there may be a million instead of -a thousand square miles of burnt, black, cindery country around, -it does not impress one with its awful magnificence and grandeur -of desolation as the Ódáðahraun does. To the north and east were -the Dyngjufjöll mountains, with their volcanoes smoking away with -renewed vigour in the cold morning air. A point further to the east -was the long weary route we had just traversed, stretching away -bleak and bare to where the grey pumice in the distance gave the -country the appearance of lying in bright sunshine. To the south -rose the Vatna Jökull, cold and gloomy, with its heights wrapped in -fog and mist. Kverkfjall and Kistufell, however, were exceptionally -clear; the former was smoking in three places, and a great quantity -of sand and lava appeared to have proceeded from it. Between us -and the Kverkfjall swept the broad tongue of glacier, reaching -two-thirds of the way northward towards the Vaðalda hills, and -from its extremity I counted five arms of the Jökulsá which issued -from it, while the small stream from Kistufell was hidden by the -intervening hills. We next continued our journey to the summit, and -then found a small but perfectly formed crater, about 500 yards -in circumference, but of no great depth, while in the centre rose -a ridge of burnt lava, which gave the mountain the black tufted -appearance I had noticed in the distance. - -The latest eruptions, I should imagine, from the contour and -disposition of the surrounding lava, have taken more the form -of prodigious boilings over than of explosive outbursts, and it -seems as if it had continued to burn tranquilly long after its -last outburst. From here we descended a short distance upon the -north-west side, in order to get below the fog, and obtain a view -of the country to the west. The same dreary desolation presented -itself--the pure white Jökull, with the black sand and the rugged -lava fields were alike cold, silent, motionless, and dead! The -mountains were a little different in form, but there was the -same grand desolate wilderness, seeming ready to blast every -living thing that dared to intrude on its enchanted solitude. We -therefore returned to camp, and were not sorry to sit down to a -good breakfast of pemmican, bread and butter, and water. The sun -shone fiercely at midday, and the heat, radiated by the sand and -lava, became so great that we rested till the cool of the evening, -when we struck for the south-east end of the Dyngjufjöll, which -we reached about midnight, but as a thick fog descended upon us, -I steered close along the base of the mountains, preferring a -little circuit to wandering about all night in uncertainty upon the -plain. Our course from here was over an old lava stream, buried in -light volcanic dust, which was very trying to travel over, for we -sunk rather deeply into it, and had to stop every now and then to -empty our shoes, which were constantly becoming filled with sand. -At length we struck upon the pumice, which showed we were nearing -the volcano of Öskjugjá; soon after we came to a small stream, and -being all very thirsty, the water was highly appreciated. Seeing -that the pumice increased, and fearing we should be getting too far -to the east, I resolved to follow the course of the next stream, -conjecturing that it would bring us down to the pools by which we -had made our cache. It was a crooked way, but it brought us right -at last; for as the mist dispersed we sighted the pools, and it was -not long before we gladly lighted upon our cache. The first thing -that came to hand was a box of Fry’s chocolate powder, so we all -sat down upon our packs and with our broad knife blades began to -operate upon the powdery treasure. Eating chocolate powder we found -was thirsty work, so having emptied the box, we took a good drink -of water, pitched the tent, and turned in. - -We had hitherto been using stones for tent pegs, but here there -were none to be had, and as we could not now avail ourselves of -little screws of hay, as we had done when last camped upon the same -spot, we took off our mocassins and buried them, with a string -attached to each, at intervals round the tent; these answered the -purpose of pegs very well, and as it is always necessary to bury -untanned mocassins while resting, to prevent them from shrinking -and becoming too hard to wear, we, by this device, managed to -“kill two birds with one stone.” After a good sleep, I debated on -the possibility of reaching the Kverkfjall, which I particularly -wished to examine, but the Jökulsá and a long stretch of country -lay between us, and as Thorlákur assured me if we did so we should -have soon “_to go on our naked feet_,” it was a matter for grave -consideration what was best to do. The lava had already played sad -havoc with our foot-gear--we had each of us worn out four pairs -of mocassins since we left Grímstaðir--and those which were doing -duty as tent pegs were almost played out, while there were but -two pairs remaining in our small stores, which was anything but -encouraging. Moreover, we had a long way before us yet; so all -things considered, I came to the conclusion that Kverkfjall was -impracticable. I determined, therefore, to ascend the Dyngjufjöll -again, and from the peak above us take a farewell look around, -directing Eyólfur in the mean time to carry all our things to a -small stream at the foot of the mountains, about two miles north -of our present position, which could be easily done in two shifts. -Accordingly, I began my climb accompanied by Thorlákur, but our -progress was continually interrupted by deep “gjás,” or fissures, -many of which were of great depth, probably several hundred feet. -In some cases, however, we found bridges of snow and pumice, by -which we were able to cross these chasms. - -At this time the sun was wending its way westward across the snowy -slopes of the Vatna, as we reached the top of this part of the -Dyngjufjöll, and really language quite fails me when I attempt to -describe the wildness of that view! Behind us was the volcano, -from which vast volumes of dark smoke and steam were rising; the -various mountains which studded the sterile wastes before us were -all clothed in the same dull grey covering; the black sand of the -Mývatns Örœfí was just visible to the north, and as far as the eye -could see eastward, there stretched a series of mountains, valleys -and wasted plains. During nearly two hours we might almost be said -to have slept in the view before us; indeed, I was hardly conscious -how the time had gone until the sun seemed to have slipped behind -the Hofs Jökulls, giving their snows a golden outline, while my -watch reminded me that it was nearly 11 P.M. - -The atmosphere now turned very cold, the frost was already -sparkling upon the surrounding rocks, a purple glow stole over the -mountains, blending their softened outlines with the tinted sky, -and we felt that a little brisk work would sensibly add to our -comfort. Our descent afforded us some amusement, sliding down the -steep beds of small pumice, which we did at a furious rate. It had -taken us more than three hours to ascend the mountain, but less -than one to come down it! We found Eyólfur where I had directed him -to wait; making a good meal, we patched up our mocassins as well as -we could by moonlight, and by a different route to that by which -we came we struck a straight line for Herðubreið. Ultimately we -reached Herðubreið with the sun, and I was not at all sorry to find -myself on my way home; for increased inflammatory symptoms in my -great toe showed that a liberal application of blue-stone and rest -were absolutely indispensable to its cure. The weather by this -time appeared very uncertain, for the heavens were spotted all over -with masses of golden nimbus, drifting rapidly before a wind which -was blowing above, though the atmosphere beneath was perfectly -calm, which are invariably indications of storm in Iceland. - -We were now clear of the pumice, and after a hard scramble over -some very rough lava, part of which had flowed from an ancient -volcano not marked upon the map, about eight miles S.S.E. of -Herðubreið, part, apparently, from the Dyngjufjöll mountains, and -some from Trölladýngjur (Troll’s bowers). Here we camped by a pool -of water. - -Herðubreið, whose trigonometrical height is 5447 feet, is a -snow-covered cone, resting upon a perpendicular mass of rock, -whose height equals about twice the diameter of the cone. Upon its -south-east and west sides are tali of disintegrated and greatly -weather-worn rocks, and bulging, misshapen masses of agglomerate. -At every point except the S.E. and N.N.W. the sides are perfectly -perpendicular, presenting walls of about 2000 feet from the base of -the mountain to the commencement of the snow-covered cone; it is -surrounded by a dry sandy foss, and choked in places with rounded -_débris_, which had fallen from the agglomerate of which Herðubreið -is principally composed. - -Probably the most remarkable feature of this mountain is that no -streams of water flow down its sides, while the base of most other -Icelandic snow-capped mountains are generally watered with streams, -which, as we have already seen, often disappear in sandy or -cavernous ground; but here all the water which must result from the -melting of the frozen accumulation upon the summit of Herðubreið -seemed utterly lost, until it issued in springs such as those which -form the source of the Lindá, at a considerable distance from the -base of the mountain, or collects in pools such as Herðubreiðvatn. - -The gulleys which had in many places worn the side of Herðubreið -into the fantastic forms so peculiar to this formation -(agglomerate), appear to be the result of rain and wind, and the -only points from which the mountain is assailable are the S.S.E. -and N.W. It was from the latter that Captain Burton attempted it in -1872, and that experienced traveller seems to regard it as the core -of a much larger mountain; possibly such may be the case, but its -shape is decidedly against its being a volcano of anything but the -most ancient order. History tells us, however, that this mountain -has erupted upon several occasions. The eccentricity of its form is -sufficient to suggest any amount of speculations as to its origin -and character, while nothing but a careful investigation of the -mountain from the base to the apex could enable anyone to arrive -at a satisfactory conclusion. The palagonitic agglomerate (which, -as I have said, constitutes the greater part of the mountain), is -of so friable a nature, and so rapid is the erosive influence of -the Icelandic climate, while so disturbed and metamorphosed has -the whole of the island been by volcanic agency, that one ceases -to wonder at the eccentric shape and anomalous character of its -mountains. - -I much regretted being compelled to pass by Herðubreið without -attempting to ascend it, but our foot gear was in tatters and my -sore toe required immediate attention, so we camped in a large -gulley of sand and lava, which extended a mile or more, gradually -rising to the level of the plain towards the south. Here, while we -were lying with the tent spread over us all, blanket fashion, and -had just dropped off to sleep, we were suddenly awakened by such -a blast of wind, and a deluge of the finest sand and pumice, that -for the moment I didn’t know what it was. At first we started to -our feet, only to get our eyes full of finely-powdered pumice, and -as I tried to speak I got my mouth full. We saw all the smaller -articles of our packs making the most speedy tracks for the more -settled portions of the country. I tried to save my hat, but in so -doing kicked my bad toe against a lava block, tangled my feet up -in the tent rope, and fell down, the latter being about the most -sensible thing I could do, for in a few moments the gust was past -and I could look up. - -Blind with the sand, and wild with the agony it was occasioning -us, we all rushed for the water, and opened our eyes in it. While -so doing there came another gust, which compelled us to wait upon -our knees, keeping our heads in the shallow water until it was -over; and then, soaked with sand and water, we made our way back to -where our things had been. I say _had been_, for all were not there -then; my broad-brimmed Danish hat, and half my small etceteras were -gone, and, worst of all, my map and case, where were they? Four -white spots upon a lava field a quarter of a mile away caused me to -run--yes, run--bad toe and all! However, my painful and spasmodic -effort was amply repaid by the recovery of Olsen’s map, which had -been nicely mounted and packed up in a case by the bookbinder at -Reykjavík; now, even the bookbinder would scarcely have recognised -it. Its journey across the Vatna Jökull had not improved its -“personnel,” but the short cut it had made through the neighbouring -pool had in some places rendered it illegible. Fortunately the -Vatna Jökull and its surroundings, with my various markings, were -miraculously preserved, but its case I never saw again. - -To return to camp. Everything that had been buried in the sand had -been dug out, and just as we were about to start again another gust -came sweeping down the gulley, half smothering us. We buried our -faces in our mackintosh coats until it was past, when my companion -Thorlákur remarked, “This is not fine;” to which I assented in -the most emphatic language my stock of Icelandic would command. -We now made very fair progress over the lava field, where, under -an overhanging lava block, we bathed our eyes with sulphate of -zinc and rose water, which had often been a great relief during -my Icelandic journeys, and I advise all travellers who may follow -in my wake by no means to omit taking so essential a medicament. -We soon reached the grass at the source of the Lindá, which river -rises from a single spring about two miles N.N.E. of Herðubreið. -Here we took the rest we had been unable to obtain at our last -halting-place, and by evening we reached the remainder of our party -at the Grafalandá, where I was rejoiced to find our horses and a -good supply of provisions, which had been sent with a kind note -from the good people of Grímstaðir, who had sent us some pancakes, -flat bread, coffee and milk, and the latter, though sour, was very -acceptable. From Vopnafjörd I also had ordered some schnapps and -chocolate; so that we made what seemed to us a right royal feed, -and after a good wash, I enjoyed a night of sound rest in the -sleeping bag, which had previously sheltered my men who had been -waiting for us upon the banks of the Grafalandá. - -At 5 A.M. the next morning we were on horseback, and away over the -sand and the lava of Mývatns Örœfí, leaving the Vatna Jökull and -the land of the outlaws behind us, enveloped in clouds of light -grey dust which were blown up from the pumice by a S.E. wind. This -dust, I must explain, was of the most irritating nature, resembling -finely-powdered glass; our clothes got saturated with it, and I -was already beginning to feel its effect in the severe abrasion -of skin it was inflicting upon me. By 12 A.M. we were level with -Grímstaðir, only much more to the west, and here we stopped to -allow the horses to graze off the wild oats, for the heat of the -sun was intense. After lunch we must all have taken a nap, for -suddenly looking up, I found it was one o’clock, and the horses -were nowhere in sight, and more than an hour elapsed before we -recovered them. Having secured the vagrant animals, we made for the -new lava, which was produced by the eruptions of last spring in the -Mývatns Örœfí. Sulphurous and acid vapours had long announced its -proximity, although the wind was unfavourable for their reaching -so far. This lava stream, which is about fifteen miles long, -and varies from one to three broad, has flowed almost entirely -over ancient lava streams, most of which have flowed from an old -crater situated in the vicinity, called Sveinagjá. The new lava -extended to about an English mile to the north of the old road from -Reykjahlíð to Grímstaðir. - -At this particular point it is bordered by a rather fertile stretch -of ground, where a few sheep managed to sustain a miserable -existence on cinders and salix, though further to the north and -east there are excellent pastures. The lava stream was basaltic, -and presented the usual chaos of black crags, waves, and fanciful -shapes, blisters, and heaps of clinker. It was intensely black, -and still hot; thin, pungent choking fumes being emitted in -all directions, while from various places puffs of steam were -constantly bursting out. This stream, or rather, these two streams, -which have since joined one another, I find have flowed from a long -fissure in the plain, the course of which was marked by a line of -conical mounds thrown up by the eruptions in the late spring; of -these a fuller description will be found upon another page, and an -account of the previous eruption in the Appendix. - -We climbed a few hundred yards over the lava stream, but could not -reach the mounds from which the lava had flowed, on account of -the deleterious fumes exhaled from them. The fissures were lined -with various sublimations, to the thickness in some places of -half-an-inch. Amongst them chloride of ammonia was very prominent, -but this was in a state of rapid deliquescence. It might have paid -to collect it, for the quantity was considerable. - -We next turned more than a mile out of our course, to a part -where Thorlákur expected to find some water, for we were all very -thirsty. Our road, however, was over old and viscous lava for -some distance, and we came upon some coarse hillocky grass land, -in a line north of the lava stream. Here we encountered a variety -of fissures which had been formed by the earthquake, several of -which, Thorlákur informed me, had cast out sand, stones, and a -little lava. We found only dry pits at the place where Thorlákur -had expected water, so nothing remained but to strike westward for -Reykjahlíð. No doubt the various cracks and fissures so recently -formed in the plain accounted for the absence of water. - -The new lava obliges a traveller from Grímstaðir to Reykjahlíð to -go three miles out of his way. We here crossed a depression of -about thirty feet, extending over several square miles, caused by -the late volcanic disturbances. In the vicinity of this depression -the ground was upheaved and much fissured. Thorlákur informed me -that the depression was formed shortly after the first eruption -in the Mývatn Orœfí in the preceding spring. We were, however, -soon amongst the hills of Mývatn, where we obtained some water, -and before long ascended the Námufjall, whose dirty yellow, red -and brown sides, had in some places the appearance of washed-out -posters. Here the smell was filthy. In this locality the treasures -of the Northern Sulphur Mining Company are situated, but as I was -thinking more about my supper than the hidden wealth of the hills -over which we were riding, I will say more about them presently. - -A wadi near the summit which divides the Námufjall upon the south -from the Dalfjall upon the west, brought us to the western side -of the sulphur hills, where we first caught sight of the Lake of -Mývatn, or Midge-water, upon the north end of which Reykjahlíð is -situated. Lake Mývatn is seen to the best advantage at a distance, -but it cannot lay claim to great beauty of appearance, although -certainly both remarkable and interesting. Surrounded as it is -with volcanic mountains, and rugged lava streams stretching along -its shores, studded with misshapen little islands, it presents an -eccentric and striking aspect. A short ride past spluttering and -steaming solfataras brought us to the farm of Reykjahlíð, where -we were hospitably received by the bóndi Pètur Jónsson, who was -expecting our arrival. - -Reykjahlíð is of the average better class of byre. The farm is a -good one, and has been in the possession of the same family for -600 years. I was glad to find Paul and the rest of my belongings -awaiting us, and anything but displeased to receive the information -that an Englishman occupied the guest chamber. My compatriot I -found to be Mr. G. Fitzroy Cole, who was making a survey of the -neighbourhood for the Company purposing to work these northern -sulphur mines. I also heard that a sulphur prospecting party, -under the guidance of the well-known Captain Burton, had only just -left for Húsavík, upon the sea coast. The guest chamber being thus -occupied, I shared another room with Paul and Thorlákur, and in -the morning I had the pleasure of making Mr. Cole’s acquaintance, -sharing the guest room with him, and likewise a magnificent salmon. - -The two days following I rested, as the weather was so -unfavourable. I also paid off all my men excepting Paul and Olgi, -and sent them home to the south. Mr. Cole in the meantime left, -so I proceeded to investigate the sulphur mines for myself. These -I found to be situated in the Námufjall, upon the eastern side of -the Lake of Mývatn, and these collectively are designated the -Hlíðar-Námur; they consist of a series of solfataras, which occur -not only upon the Námufjall itself, but extend a considerable -distance upon either base of the mountains. The Námufjall is -composed of palagonitic agglomerate and lava, the solfataras being -simply pools of calcareo-siliceous mud, formed by the decomposition -of the lava and agglomerate. Upon the surface of these pools the -sulphur sublimates in crusts varying from half-an-inch to several -feet in thickness. The phenomena of solfataras are so well known -that it is needless for me to dilate upon them in the abstract. -However, I first examined the west side of the Námufjall, where -I found both active and latent fumeroles, the former spluttering -and fizzing, and tranquilly steaming, the latter in the form of -cold accumulations of sulphur, siliceous clay and gypseous earth. -I was able to follow the tracks of the sulphur exploring party, -who had preceded me. They had dug into the sulphur crust upon the -surface of the solfataras, and in some places had excavated the -calcareo-siliceous clay, which hardens into a species of sinter. -This clay likewise contains a percentage of sulphur; at all events -the specimens I obtained varied from 5 to 40 per cent. In many -places I found crusts of sulphur covered over with light _débris_, -which a little digging showed to extend for a considerable -distance. Roughly estimating it by stepping the length and breadth -of the various conspicuous sulphur patches, and lumping the -smaller ones together, gave about twenty sulphur-covered spots of -twenty square yards, upon which the crust of pure sulphur averaged -probably half a foot in thickness. On ascending the Námufjall by a -deep gulley worn by the rain in the side of the mountain, we found -this gulley to be cut through several feet of a friable arenaceous -agglomerate, formed by atmospheric action on the disintegrated -constituents of the rocks composing the Námufjall. Passing various -patches of steaming sulphur, we reached the summit, where we -found several solfataras which bear perhaps the thickest deposits -of sulphur, though, in the aggregate I should hardly think they -extend over so large an area as those upon the western side of the -mountain. This mountain is capped by several castellated masses -of basaltic lava, much weather-worn and decomposed by the acid -vapours evolved from the surrounding solfataras, which upon the -eastern slope are decidedly the most extensive to be met with, and -I imagine they contain more pure sulphur than either the summit or -the western side. Of course when speaking of the relative amount of -sulphur, I allude to the exposed crusts, and there must be a great -deal more sulphur than appears upon the surface. - -Upon the east base were circular pools of bluish boiling slush, -which emitted a fœtid smell somewhat resembling the effluvia which -so disgusted us at the Öskjugjá. These pools boil with great but -intermittent violence, sometimes splashing the scalding mud to the -distance of four or five feet. They have surrounded themselves -with walls of hardened mud a few feet in height, and from a breach -in two of these walls I should imagine that these springs were -occasionally subject to paroxysms of extraordinary violence. While -approaching the most northern of these slush cauldrons, the earth -on which I was walking gave way, and I slipped into a fissure -up to my armpits; a violent burst of steam from beneath me was -the immediate result, and I was glad to be extricated from this -unenviable position by my companion Olgi. It was indeed fortunate -the fissure was not filled with boiling slush, or I might have -been scalded even more severely than was my travelling companion, -the Rev. J. W----, in 1874, in the solfataras of Krísuvík, in the -south of Iceland. This fissure had probably been formed by the -earthquakes in the spring, and had at one time been filled with -slush, which had hardened on the surface, and afterwards flowed -away through some other channel, leaving a treacherous pitfall -for any unlucky tourist who, like myself, should have a fancy to -closely examine these slush pools. - -On returning to the west side of the mountain, and on my way to -Reykjahlíð, I took the liberty of scraping off all the sulphur -from a small solfatara, which I piled in a heap by the side of it; -for the grand question for the Sulphur Company to consider, to my -mind, appears to be--how long does this sulphur take to accumulate? -I trust Mr. Locke, the owner of these mines, will forgive me the -trespass; but in a year’s time he will be able to form some idea of -the rate of accumulation. I shall feel curious to know how soon the -sulphur will again accumulate. - -We next returned to Reykjahlíð and supped with the bóndi Pètur -Jónsson, his son-in-law, Thorlákur, and Paul. The former seemed -a little aggrieved at the sulphur business generally, and from -what I could gather, it had from time immemorial been a sore point -as to whether the sulphur mines belonged to his family or to the -Danish Government. There could not be the slightest doubt about -the matter, but I could scarcely wonder at the existence of such -a feeling; for a family who had owned the neighbouring country -for 600 years might naturally think the intervening mountains -were their own fee simple. This feeling quite accounts for any -brusquerie the Sulphur Prospecting Expedition may have met with. -I can only bear testimony, that during my stay at Reykjahlíð I -received the kindest attention, that I had the best of everything -there was in the place, and that the charges were moderate. Old -Pètur informed me that he was building a stone church in place of -the old turf and wooden structure, which required repair. He had -plenty of stone, but his chief difficulty was the want of lime; in -fact, he had been obliged to import all he had hitherto used from -Denmark, which of course was very expensive to him; so I advised -him to try and burn the gypsum from the solfataras, and instructed -him how to set about it, which piece of information seemed to -rejoice his heart exceedingly. - -The old church in question is the veritable building, with some -additions and improvements, concerning the escape of which from -destruction during the eruption of some craters to the S.W. of -Krafla, in 1720, so much has been said and written. Suffice it to -say, that the lava could not have reached the church unless it had -previously filled up the Lake of Mývatn. My day’s work ended with -making preparations for a visit to Dettifoss. - -The morrow brought very unsatisfactory weather; it had snowed -heavily in the night, and the mountains and ground were white, a -piercing north-west wind was blowing, and it seemed as if we had -suddenly jumped into mid-winter; however, by nine o’clock we were -on horseback. As we journeyed on we were much amused and surprised -to see hay-making going on in the middle of a snow storm; but still -it was the fact that the good people of Reykjahlíð were busily -engaged in the tún (home field) mowing grass, and piling that which -had been cut a day or so previously into cocks, that it might -receive as little injury as possible. Leaving Reykjahlíð behind, -we crossed the rugged lava at the west base of the Námufjall, and -ascended the winding path of the Námu-skarð which divides the -Námufjall from the Dalfjall, and turning to the north pursued our -way by the side of an ancient lava stream, covered with verdure, -and thence bending sharply to the north-east we reached the little -bothy of Skarðsel, a poor dilapidated hut of turf and lava blocks, -which sheltered some of the servants from Reykjahlíð, who during -the summer months tend the sheep in the neighbouring grass land. -Here we took a good draught of milk, and leaving behind us a large -piece of Mr. Cole’s salmon, some hard tack, chocolate and schnapps, -to refresh us upon our return, we crossed the Sandbalnafjöll by -means of a sandy pass, and reached the plain of the Mývatns Örœfí -amid a blinding storm. Our route lay again over lava, covered with -sand, which I was informed had been ejected by Krafla. On, on, -N.N.E., the storm utterly defying our tattered mackintoshes. A -little herbage had begun to make its appearance, and presently we -were galloping over excellent sheep pastures, varied occasionally -by barren stretches of sand and pebbles. Several times, however, we -were stopped by fissures which had been very recently formed in the -plain, probably by the volcanic action of the previous spring, but -very insignificant in comparison with those we had previously met -with in the Mývatns Örœfí. At last, after about six hours’ riding, -we sighted the column of spray arising from the Dettifoss, and soon -after we descended into what appeared to have been the bed of a -large river, most likely an ancient bed of the Jökulsá, which may -have been diverted to its present channel by an earthquake; while -upon ascending its eastern bank, the dull roar of the Dettifoss -reached us. Climbing over crags of basalt we rode to the edge of -the river, where we dismounted upon a patch of excellent grass, -and thence obtained a good view of the cataract, which is very -imposing. The Jökulsá is here about 250 yards across, and roars -along in a series of rapids, till its broken and foaming waters -pour down a perpendicular wall of basalt at least 200 feet in -height, into a chasm some hundred yards wide, seething and boiling -in pent-up wrath, forming a “riotous confluence of water-courses, -blanching and bellowing in the hollow of it,” until, released from -this confinement, it softens, a few hundred yards further down, -into a broad swift-flowing stream of milky water. The Dettifoss is -by far the largest waterfall in Iceland, and, I believe, in Europe, -being about the size of the Canadian Niagara Fall. The only view -obtainable, however, is not calculated to impress the beholder with -an adequate idea of its height, for one has to look down upon it, -which is always a disadvantage: still, although the Dettifoss lacks -the beauty of Niagara, it does not convey the impression of the -thinness of the body of water, as does the Transatlantic cataract; -for the grace and beauty of the latter are greatly enhanced by -its surroundings of richly-wooded heights and the clearness of -the water. Although Dettifoss is much smaller than the Falls of -Niagara in their entirety, nevertheless, it is a grand and terrible -spectacle, and is all the more striking on account of the diablerie -of the wild scenery by which it is environed. There is an upper -cascade, but of no great height, and it is scarcely worth naming -beside Dettifoss; for one waterfall is so much like another, that, -after having seen several of the largest, one rather tires of the -similarity, unless there be some distinguishing peculiarity to -enliven the interest. - -When satiated with admiring the scenery at this part, we took a -light meal, and commenced our return journey amid pouring rain. -It was past midnight before we reached the west side of Mývatns -Örœfí; and as the mist had somewhat lifted from the hills, I turned -my horse’s head towards Krafla. Upon reaching the height of a few -hundred feet the mist again beat down upon us; besides which the -snow lay so thick in many places that it became very dangerous for -the horses in the half-light and fog. We therefore abandoned Krafla -for the moment, and taking the first gill which ran in a southerly -direction, we descended to the little hut where we had left our -salmon and reserve supply of provisions. The good folks were in -bed, but one of the women immediately got up to assist us, and the -other produced, first the bottle of schnapps, and then, one by one, -the biscuits and the chocolate, from what appeared to be the only -cupboard in the place, viz., from underneath the bedclothes. As the -bed had three occupants, I was in terror lest my salmon had been -stored in the same undesirable repository, but fortunately it had -been put up outside. The biscuits and chocolate might have been -none the worse for their safe storage, but they were unpleasantly -warm, and I preferred to wait for the salmon, which with some good -coffee, sheep’s milk, and schnapps, was not to be despised by a -hungry traveller who had been exposed to the storm for nearly a -score of hours. - -We reached Reykjahlíð at five A.M., and I turned in for a short -sleep, till breakfast at seven o’clock, and then we made our start -for Krafla. Over the Námufjall again, by the Námu-skarð, a gill -of solfataras, we passed the parti-coloured heaps, slopes, and -accumulations, which reminded me of the refuse from some huge -dye-works, and turned to the north along the east base of the -Dalfjall, skirting a lava stream upon our right hand. Hereabout -the aspect was much improved by (for Iceland) a luxuriant -overgrowth of dwarf birch and salix. Crossing hence to the base -of Sandbalnafjöll, we drew up for a minute at the little hut of -Skarðsel for a draught of sheep’s milk. Pursuing our way over a -lava field covered with alluvium, we hastened on towards Krafla. We -hobbled our horses at the base of the high ground between Krafla -and Leirhnúkur, and forthwith commenced the ascent, passing several -solfataras of no great importance, their chief characteristic -being the production of abominable smells. Soon after we reached -comparatively level ground, which extended for some distance at the -S.S.W. base of Krafla proper. Cheered by the sight of our horses -making tracks for home, in spite of their hobbles, we now continued -along the south-west margin of a crater-lake, which probably was -more than two miles in circumference, its length equalling about -twice its breadth, being surrounded by steep slopes of clay, -disintegrated rock and fragmentary _débris_. There was a similar -crater further to the N.N.W., of more circular form. Following -along a neck of land between the two, we commenced the ascent of -Krafla proper, which is a sub-conical mass of agglomerate, pierced -to the summit and in many other places with intruded lava. The -sides we found to be everywhere strewed with all kinds of volcanic -_débris_, amongst which were numerous trachitic masses, some of -which contained atoms of iron pyrites, and although these occurred -very frequently in loose fragments and masses, I was unable to find -any _in situ_. Half-an-hour’s hard climbing next brought us to the -summit, which my aneroid shewed to be scarcely 3000 feet above -Reykjahlíð, or a little under 4000 feet above sea level. On looking -around we found upon the high ground to the west several pools of -clear water, probably small crater lakes, as doubtless were the -two depressions immediately beneath us to the south-west. My guide -informed me that it was from the most northern of these that the -last eruption of Krafla proceeded, and that the water in it used to -be hot; he also told me a fact which was afterwards corroborated by -his father, that Krafla had never been known to erupt lava, having -cast out only ashes, pumice, sand and water; indeed, the aspect -of these pit craters would lead one so to imagine it. I was also -much surprised at not finding any obsidian, for I had heard so much -of the obsidian of Krafla; but on further inquiry I ascertained -that it is only found on the portion of the mountain known as the -Hrafntinnuhryggr (the obsidian back), and there it only occurs in -fragments--indeed, the only obsidian I have met with _in situ_ in -Iceland is at Mount Paul, in the middle of the Vatna Jökull. - -The summit of Krafla commands a most extensive view. Looking -south-west, over the hills beneath, with their dirty splotches of -whitish yellow sulphur, the country looked wintry indeed after -the snow storm of the previous day, while the eye as it wandered -southward caught a fine view-range over the Hliðarfjall and -Dalfjall, as well as over the straggling lake of Mývatn, where the -scenery widened out over the Mývatnsveit towards the snow-capped -Seljalandsfjall, standing out like an island in the commencement of -the dark stony sea of the Ódáðahraun. In another direction, between -the snow-covered hills upon the east side of the Skjálfandifljót -and the smoking Dyngjufjöll, the view extended over the pitiless -waste of the Ódáðahraun to the snowy mound of Skjaldbreið, while -the broad white expanse of the Vatna seemed to join the sky, till, -almost wearied with the strain upon the visual power, it seemed -quite a relief to turn to the nearer and happier-looking spots of -green which the volcano and the glaciers have spared to Iceland. - -Further to the east are the Bláfjall, where the Fremri-Námur -deposits of sulphur are situated, and the fire-scorched hills -of Trölladýngjur, whose position on the map Captain Burton has -corrected, and the lordly Herðubreið, whose snowy cap looked all -the purer for the recent snow storm. To the east and north-east -stretched the plain of the Mývatns Örœfí, with its black patch -of new lava enshrouded in a dim mist. Bearing N.N.E. was a tall -column, apparently of steam, upon which the sun was shining; it was -the spray from the Dettifoss, varying in shape as the wind acted on -it, and reflecting rainbow colours in the sunlight. To the north -the prospect was between the Hágaunguhnúkur (high-going hills) and -Jónstindr, over a level country to the hills of Theistareykjafjall, -where a third large deposit of sulphur occurs. It was seven P.M. -before we returned to Reykjahlíð, and in a few hours we bade -adieu to old Pètur and started along the eastern side of Lake -Mývatn, accompanied by Paul and Arngrimur, for the little lake of -Grœnavatn. The road was a bad one, over a continuation of lava -streams which had flowed into the Lake of Mývatn, forming the -curious little islands that spotted its sedgy waters. We put to -flight several of the duck tribe, which were enjoying themselves -after the manner of ducks upon the margin of the lake, and reached -Grœnavatn at three A.M.; this was very slow work, but the nature of -the ground prevented our travelling at anything beyond a walking -pace for the greater part of the way. One of the principal features -of this ride was the numerous gates which had to be opened and -shut; these marked the termination of the various holdings, and -also prevented the sheep belonging to the different homesteads upon -the side of the lake from straying; for very often, where the gates -were situated, the lava prevented the passage even of sheep by any -other way. - -The occupants of the farm at Grœnavatn may be described as “a happy -family.” The two sons of Pètur of Reykjahlíð, Jón and Arngrimur, -had married the two sisters of my previous guide, Thorlákur, and -he, by way of returning the compliment, had married one of their -sisters. They were all living under the same roof with Thorlákur’s -father, and together managed their thriving homestead. - -About midday we started for the sulphur mines of Fremri-Námur, on -the east and west slopes of the Bláfjall and Hvannfell. Proceeding -in a S.S.E. direction we crossed the lava which occupies the -entire eastern side of the valley of Mývatn, and began to ascend -the hills at the base of the Bláfjall. We here inspected two small -but perfectly-formed craters, both of which had discharged lava -streams into the valley beneath. A little further up the hill to -the north of the Bláfjall we came upon the tracks of the Sulphur -Exploring Expedition, under the conduct of Capt. Burton, who had -passed that way a few days previously. From this point the hills -commanded a striking view of Mývatn, Krafla, and the neighbouring -mountains, with a glimpse to the south-west of Arnarfells Jökull -in the far distance. This we found was a difficult route for the -horses, and it did not improve as we reached the lava which had -flowed from the Fremri-Námur at the time of its latest eruption. -This lava stream had flowed into a valley between the Bláfjall -and the Hvannfell, destroying all herbage except a little “island -of green,” which it almost encircled; this small patch of verdure -is called Heilag (holy valley). Here, choosing a spot where there -was the most grass, we rested and lunched. The grass, however, was -not plentiful, the greater part being what is called kinder-grass -(sheep’s grass), or a mixture of straggling birch and salix -intermixed with coarse grass and herbage. The sheep eat this with -avidity, but horses must be very hungry before they will feed -upon it. As we were about to depart a heavy snow storm burst upon -us. My guide had no waterproof, but I had a large oilskin that Mr. -Kent, one of the sulphur explorers, had given to Paul; we therefore -took shelter under the lee of a crag in the ancient lava stream -underlying the grass-land, and improvised a roof with the oilskin -and our whips. We were imprisoned for more than an hour; so violent -was the storm that it was impossible to see many yards around -us. Eventually it cleared up; we had almost succeeded in keeping -ourselves dry, and I think our drenched and shivering horses were -only too glad to resume their journey. - -It was getting on towards night; the wind was blowing from the -north-west, making our soaked saddles anything but pleasant, for so -suddenly had the storm come on that we had not time to unsaddle our -horses. We next followed the lava stream for some distance until -we sighted the yellow depression which marked the commencement of -the sulphur mines. As we decided that it would be more pleasant to -travel on foot, and that by doing so we could make better progress, -we fastened our horses each with his head tied to the tail of his -companion, and steered for the light yellow patches, from which a -few wreaths of steam were curling. A short climb brought us to -the most regularly-formed crater I have seen in Iceland. This was -an oval depression, with a circumference of about half-a-mile and -nearly 150 feet deep, called the “Great Kettle;” it was formed of a -scoriaceous basaltic lava. No lava stream had actually flowed from -this crater, but it seemed as if it had been tapped by a fissure -some distance westward, whence a great quantity of lava had flowed, -although all traces of such fissure or opening were now obscured by -lava. The principal sulphur mines are upon the north and east side -of the mountain, extending upon the latter right away up to the -edge of the crater, and breaking out even within the crater itself -upon its eastern side. I followed in the track of the exploring -party, as I had done at Hlíðar-Námur, and dug into several parts -of the solfataras. The sulphur here, as at the above-named place, -rests upon a bed of calcareo-siliceous clay, and is strewed in many -places with pieces of gypsum and fragments of lava coated with -various sublimations; in some parts I found the pure sulphur to -be upwards of two feet in thickness, the average thickness being, -perhaps, half-a-foot. These deposits are much more extensive than -those of Reykjahlíð, and I believe I did not inspect the whole of -them. Returning to the summit, the extensive view was anything -but a cheering one. To the east lay the Mývatns Orœfí, with its -black patches of new lava, the thin vapour which was rising from -it making it dim and indistinct; further to the south we looked -across the Trölladýngjur to Herðubreið, whose snowy cone was alone -brightened by the sunlight, which had long forsaken the dark, -shadowy waste of the Ódáðahraun; due south were the Dyngjufjöll -mountains, and upon them the night clouds were brooding heavily. -A strong wind was raising great clouds of dust upon the plain -which lay to the east between us and the Jökulsá. A fresh storm -was rapidly shutting out the twilight in the west, and an ominous -gloom had settled upon the rocks around us. A hunt after our horses -in a blinding storm would have been anything but pleasant in such -an inhospitable region, so we returned with all haste to our poor -trembling steeds. Then with our clothes stiffly frozen, and our -saddles covered with ice, all night long we rode in the face of a -blinding storm, at a snail’s pace, on account of the darkness. - -By two A.M. we arrived at the foot of Bláfjall. The snow had turned -into rain, and amid a thick woolly fog we made our way over the -lava stream which lay between us and Grœnavatn. Our pace was of -necessity very slow, and it was not until four A.M. that we reached -the farm. Here we found materials for a hearty meal spread out -for us by the good folks, who had long since retired to bed. After -doing justice to the catering of our unconscious hosts, I posted up -my diary and turned in. On awaking again next morning I took a swim -in the lake, and breakfast preparatory to my departure with Paul -for Húsavík, where I hoped to have the pleasure of falling in with -the exploring party. Passing to the south of the Lake of Mývatn, -we crossed the Laxá (salmon river), which takes its name from the -abundance of salmon found in the more northerly portion of its -waters, and considerable time was here taken up in drinking coffee -with an old friend. - -The river Laxá, I may here remark, rises in the west end of the -lake, and after flowing out a short distance is joined by the -Kráká. From Mývatn Lake to Grenjaðastaðir (which may be called -the upper portion of the river) its waters abound with trout and -char, but at that point a waterfall (the Brúarfoss) prevents the -salmon ascending the river any further. From the Brúarfoss to the -sea there is, however, some of the finest salmon and trout fishing -in Iceland, as many an English sportsman can testify. The Laxá, I -found, emptied itself into the sea at the Skjálfandifjörð, not very -far from the store at Húsavík. - -Crossing the Mývatns Sandr, the road lies through an undulating -grazing country, and upon the high ground to the south of the -little Lake of Laugarvatn we caught sight simultaneously of the -steam from the hot springs of Reykir, to the north-east the -Arctic ocean, which washes the northern shore of Iceland, and the -mountains of Theistar-reykir, where a third series of sulphur mines -is located. - -On, on we sped, as fast as our horses could carry us, as the -English steamer, for anything we knew, might be on the point of -starting. The Mýrarkvísl, however, was reached in good time, and -as I had stopped behind to give my horse a drink, leaving Paul to -go on before me, upon crossing the river I was pleased to find him -in conversation with Mr. Kent, who had been fishing. Great was my -joy, too, on finding that the steamer had not gone, and that the -exploring party was still at Húsavík. Soon after we proceeded to -the farm of Laxámyri, which was the best farm I had seen in the -country, and must have cost a great sum for an Icelander, as it -was built by Danish workmen, with a wooden carving of a salmon and -an eider duck over the front door to indicate the sources of the -owner’s wealth. Here I made a good meal, and after half-an-hour’s -nap we were off again, in company with Mr. Kent, for Húsavík, where -I met with a most hospitable reception from the members of the -Sulphur Prospecting Expedition, and Herra Guðmundson, the merchant. - -The sulphur party, I found, were submitting to an enforced stay, -for their steamer was a week behind the time she was expected -to arrive. They were all lodged in the house of the sheriff, -which happened to be vacant, and a merry time they were having, -especially the sporting portion of their community, who, I have no -doubt, for a long time will sing the praises of Laxá. - -Besides the veteran traveller Capt. Burton, there was another -member of the party known to fame, Mr. Baldwin, a companion of -the late Dr. Livingstone in his travels in Central Africa, whose -“Twelve Years of Sporting Experience in South Africa” presents a -series of vivid pictures of sporting travel. - -Húsavík is pleasantly situated at the foot of Húsavík-urfjall, upon -the eastern side of the bay of Skjálfandi, and has a good harbour -except when the wind is blowing from the north. The mountains of -Víkna-fjöll upon the western side of the bay form a great addition -to the scenery; they were covered with snow even at this season of -the year. - -Having so long followed in the wake of the exploring party, it -was impossible for me not to speculate upon the prospects of -“the North Iceland Sulphur Company,” and my lucubrations ran in -the following strain:--There is certainly no lack of sulphur -both at Hlíðar-Námur and at Fremri-Námur, and the report of the -_prospectors_ on the smaller solfataras of _Theistareykir-Námur_ is -a good one. The road between the sulphur mines and the sea is not -of such an impracticable nature but that it would be quite possible -to construct a road, or to sledge the sulphur down in the winter. -If the company set about their work in the right way and keep their -undertaking in the hands of some half-dozen capitalists, they will -probably not only enrich themselves, but also add another valuable -export to needy Iceland. If, however, the shares are sent into the -Stock Exchange, the chances are the undertaking will be weighted -with too much capital, and thus be at the mercy of cliques of -speculators belonging to that body. - -After spending a night with the travellers, whose hospitality and -agreeable society added greatly to the pleasure of my stay at -Húsavík, the merchant, Herra Guðmundson invited me to stay with -him, and, as I needed rest, I accepted his kind invitation. - -Nothing could exceed the kindness of my host, and I do not know -how the sulphur expedition would have fared had it not been for -his kindness and assistance. I was beyond measure sorry, on my -return to England, to see a long article in a Scotch newspaper, -from one member or some members of the party, disparaging almost -everything at Húsavík, and making invidious remarks about the wine -which Herra Guðmundson had supplied us with from his own cellar, -and which we had all partaken of with him at his house. Several -members of the expedition whom I have since had the pleasure of -meeting agree with me that it is a matter to be thoroughly ashamed -of. After a few days’ rest I left Húsavík to visit the remarkable -cliffs of Ásberg, which Herra Guðmundson had informed me were -equal to those of Thingvalla: his sister and nephew joined me, -so that, with Paul, we made up quite a pleasant little party. -Unfortunately, however, none of the other visitors were able to go -with us, for they were afraid the steam ship might arrive, and not -be able to wait their return. The road we took to Ásberg lay across -a monotonous stretch of country (the Reikjahlíð), which for the -greater part of the way was undulating high ground, covered with -ancient lava, partly grown over with dwarf straggling birch and -herbage. The track which leads across it is called Bláskógavegr, -or the way of the Blue forest. Bláberrie bushes are apparently -the largest trees one meets with here; they, however, were rather -abundant, and in some instances grew almost to the height of the -long straggling apologies for birch brush which were occasionally -to be met with. If it had not been that we were a merry party, I -should have felt the journey decidedly dull; but it was not, and -ultimately we arrived at the small farm of Ás about midnight, a -short distance to the west of the river Jökulsá, where we took -coffee, bought a lamb, and, accompanied by the farmer, proceeded -at sunrise to the cliffs of Ásberg. We found Ásberg to consist of -a V-shaped valley some 300 feet deep, surrounded by perpendicular -walls of basaltic lava to the east and west, while it opened out -towards the north, inosculating an elongated cliff of basaltic -lava, like a rocky island, towards the northern and widest part -of the valley. This glen is a little more than a Danish mile in -circumference, occurring towards the termination of an ancient lava -stream, supposed by Capt. Burton and the geologist who accompanied -his expedition to have been the work of pre-historic oceans, and -that the walls of the valley are old sea cliffs--probably they are -right. - -The valley contains the finest wood I have seen in the island, -consisting of a thick growth of birch and willow, in many places -attaining to the height of thirty or forty feet. - -Our guides informed us that in the spring time large streams -flowed over the cliffs at the south end of the valley, forming -magnificent cascades; and we noticed that in three places they had -worn water-courses for themselves, over which there now trickled -only a feeble stream. There were also two deep pits filled with -water, that appeared to have been hollowed out by the waterfalls -which in the spring empty themselves into them. It was a beautiful -day, and the fragrant birch reminded me of many a glorious ramble -in North West America. Here we bivouacked, and cooked our lamb to a -turn, under the supervision of our lady friend, and after enjoying -the meal we shouted ourselves almost hoarse in awakening the echoes -which probably had slumbered for years in the old grey cliffs, so -it was not until ten in the evening that we started on our homeward -journey. Right well and bravely did our lady ride, in spite of the -fatigue which she had undergone, over rough ground and smooth. - -We stayed at a small farm called Geîtar Staðir (goats’ farm) for -coffee and a drink of goat’s milk, and arrived at Húsavík at 6 A.M. -The exploring party we found, with the exception of Mr. Tennant -and Mr. Baldwin, were about to start for the Dettifoss, intending -to take Ásberg in the way; so I passed a convivial evening with my -host, but was not sorry to turn in rather early. I was, however, -soon awakened abruptly by two voices which seemed familiar enough, -calling me to get up again. My early visitors proved to be Mr. -Slimond and Mr. Wight, of Leith, whose acquaintance I had the -pleasure of making in the previous spring, giving me warning that -the steamer Buda had arrived and was lying in Húsavík bay. On -hearing that, I hastily dressed, and having given orders to Paul to -take the best horses and start forthwith, bearing a note to Capt. -Burton and his party, with the letters which had arrived for them, -I proceeded with all haste to the Buda, to ask my newly-arrived -friends to breakfast with me. - -Upon nearing the ship, Mr. Slimond called out that they were -just off to Borðeyri, and asked if I would join them. The steps -were just about to be hauled up the ship’s side, but I accepted -his offer, and in five minutes we were steaming out of the Bay -of Skjálfandi and sitting down to a genuine English breakfast. -After rounding the island of Flatey, which lies at the mouth of -the Skjálfandi, we obtained a beautiful view of the mountainous -coast of the north of the island. The weather was delightful, and -the pleasant society of old acquaintances, with the interesting -occupation of looking through the latest news from England, made -the twenty-four hours pass with amazing rapidity; so in fact I -felt quite sorry when the next morning found us steaming up the -Húnaflói upon the S.W. extremity of which Borðeyri is situated. -Here Capt. Cockle, whose acquaintance I had previously made, had -been waiting a whole fortnight with some 300 Icelandic ponies, the -delay having been occasioned by the break-down of the engine of the -Fifeshire, which Mr. Slimond had first chartered for his Icelandic -trip. Mr. Slimond, I must explain, entirely commands the Icelandic -horse trade, and has done more towards developing that branch of -commerce in Iceland than any other man. During the time he has been -in connexion with it, it is stated that he has spent over £50,000 -in the country. This amount has wonderfully helped many of the -Icelanders to improve their dwellings, and it cannot fail to have -exercised a very beneficial influence in stimulating Icelandic -trade as well as assisting the development of other branches of -industry. - -The horses were at last all penned into a corral, and by the time -the Buda was fairly anchored in the Húnaflói, the obstreperous -cargo was ready for shipment--a rather difficult matter, for the -horses had to be conveyed to the ship in small boats, and as their -respective ages varied from two to five years, as may be expected, -the trouble of getting them all conveyed to the ship, hoisted on -board, and stowed away can scarcely be described. While the process -of loading was going on I took a walk on shore, in the company of -Mrs. Slimond, her sister, and Mr. Wight, and I must say we neither -of us received a very favourable impression either of the place or -the people. - -Borðeyri itself is uninteresting in the extreme, as most of the -more fertile parts of Iceland are; it is neither barren enough to -exhibit the desolate grandeur of many other portions of the island -through which I had travelled during the two previous months, -nor fertile enough to be pleasant to the eye. By dint of great -labour on the part of Mr. Slimond, Captain Cockle, and some of the -ship’s crew, together with the tardy assistance of some of the -inhabitants of the place, the animals were at length stowed away, -the Buda steamed out of the Húnaflói, and we arrived at Húsavík -the following morning. Here the Sulphur Company came on board with -all their belongings; Mr. Locke, however, remained, as he had -some further business to transact at Húsavík and Reykjavík; so I -took leave of Mr. Slimond and his party with many thanks for his -hospitality, and, having shaken hands with the other members of -the company, we parted with mutual good wishes for our respective -journeys. - -Accompanied by Mr. Locke, I climbed into the little boat that was -waiting for us, and returned to our kind host, Herra Guðmundson, -while the good ship Buda sped on her way to Scotland. Mr. Locke, -Herra Guðmundson, and his sister were bound for Reykjavík, but I -intended to cross the Sprengisandr, and pay a visit to the Skaptar -Jökull. We therefore agreed to journey part of the way together, -and I was easily persuaded to accompany them as far as Akreyri, -as I wished to see the place--town it can scarcely be called--of -second importance in Iceland. The next day, therefore, Mr. Locke, -Herra Guðmundson, his wife, his sister, his little son, and a -servant, Paul, Olgi, and myself, all set out first for Mývatn, -where I inspected the solfatara I had cleared of its sulphur about -three weeks before, and found it had quite a yellow tinge, although -there was no appreciable fresh deposit of sulphur. From Mývatn we -advanced towards Akreyri, and crossing the river Skjálfandifljót -(quivering flood), we turned to the N.W., to view the waterfall -of Godafoss. This waterfall is but a tame affair after Dettifoss, -and the fall is about thirty-five feet; but the Skjálfandi is a -much smaller river than the Jökulsá. There is, however, a finer -waterfall higher up, upon the Skjálfandifljót, a distance of about -a day-and-a-half’s journey. We halted at the farm of Ljósavatn, and -next day took the road past the Lake of Ljósavatn (Lake of Light) -for Arkeyri, but at the lake Mrs. Guðmundson, her son, and servant -left us, and we rode briskly on, up the pass of Ljósavatnskarð. In -clear weather this must be a beautiful pass, but the clouds were -hanging so low upon the hills they obscured the view, and deprived -us of what otherwise would, no doubt, have been a grand prospect. -We soon reached the church and parsonage of Háls, and thence -descended into a valley, Fnjóskádalr, in which there is the finest -growth of birch, next to that in the valley of Ásberg, which had -as yet come under my notice. We next crossed the river of Fnjóská, -and forthwith commenced to ascend the heights of Vaðlaheiði, a -mountainous ridge upon the opposite side of the Eyjafjörð to -Akreyri. The summit of these heights was so enveloped in mist -that all hope of benefitting by the view which such an altitude, -viz. 2,118 feet, must of necessity command, was quite out of the -question, we therefore descended straight away to Akreyri, which we -reached by fording the mouth of the Eyjafjarðará, which can only be -done at low tide. Here we put up at the inn, where several friends -soon made their appearance, and a jolly time we had of it. - -Although Akreyri is not so extensive a settlement as Reykjavík, it -possesses a much better harbour, being shut in upon the east by -the Vaðlaheiði, and upon the west by the hills of Súlur and the -outlying mountains of the Vindheima Jökull, which rise in some -places to the height of 3000 feet. The town is situated at the -south end of the Eyjafjörð (island firth), taking its name from -the little island of Hrísey which lies in its mouth. The trade of -this small place does not equal that of its sister settlement, -owing, perhaps, to the numerous stores situated in various fjords -in the north of Iceland, whereas Reykjavík and Eyrarbakki command -the trade of the greater part of the south, in consequence of the -iron-bound nature of its coast. Arkeyri is composed of two streets -of wooden frame-houses, one of which runs so close to the sea shore -as to be occasionally flooded, and it has a renown of its own, from -the largest trees in the whole island growing there. These however, -are merely two or three mountain-ash trees, about 25 to 30 feet in -height, flourishing in front of a house facing the fjord, belonging -to one of the principal store keepers! - -The luxuriance of their growth is the more remarkable, as all the -attempts which have hitherto been made to grow trees in Reykjavík -have failed, although its mean temperature is much higher than that -of Akreyri. The explanation of this probably is that Akreyri is -one of the most sheltered spots in the island, while Reykjavík is -exposed to the full fury of the east and west winds. - -A short distance to the north of the town we found a cluster of -black sheds, the filthy smell from which informed us at once of the -odoriferous business carried on there, which was at full swing. I -had often smelt from afar this same disgusting effluvium, and found -it to arise from the profitable but revolting work of extracting -oil from sharks’ livers. Accompanied by Paul, I determined to -inspect this manufacture, so, passing through an avenue of vats -full of sharks’ putrid livers, reeking and sweltering in the sun, -we thrust our pocket-handkerchiefs into our mouths and plunged -into the boiling-house. Here about half-a-dozen cauldrons of -sharks’ livers were simmering, and slowly “frying out” the filthy -but valuable shark-oil, exhaling the foulest stench imaginable. -Three grimy oleaginous men and a boy, who seemed to thrive amid -their abominable surroundings, were engaged in stoking the fires, -stirring up the stewing livers and baling out the oil, as it -accumulated, into a long trough, which discharged itself into a -large iron tank outside, whence it was drawn off again into barrels -ready for shipment to the various parts of the world where there -is a demand for such a very unpleasant lubricator. The men seemed -quite surprised that we found anything disagreeable in the smell of -the oil, and seemed quite to enjoy giving the cauldrons an extra -stir on our account, which was a pleasure we could have dispensed -with. - -In the evening we paid a visit to the apothecary, whose house -seemed to be the rendezvous of all the captains whose ships were -lying in the harbour, and there we arranged to depart the next day. - -Here I may as well observe there are two ways from the north to the -south of Iceland, the shortest being, however, the most difficult -road, which lies across the Sprengisandr, and the longest, but -easiest, across the Stórisandr. Mr. Locke, with Herra Guðmundson -and his sister, had resolved to go by the Stórisandr to Reykjavík, -and I wished to go by the Sprengisandr to the east, so that I might -visit the Skaptar Jökull. Although I intended to have left early, -it was night before we got away from Akreyri, for leave-taking -always occupies an indefinite time in inverse proportion to the -size of the place. Re-crossing Vaðlaheiði, we reached Ljósavatn -(where I had left my baggage and baggage-horses) with the daylight, -from whence we proceeded along the Skjálfandifljót to Stóruvellir. -The river Skjálfandifljót runs down a broad fertile valley shut -in by hills of basalt, which rise in some places as much as 1300 -feet above the level of the river. From thence a broad stretch -of grass-land, extending some 25 miles long, brought us to -Stóruvellir, a flourishing farm surrounded by grass-lands. The -people, we found, were all busy hay-making; so I ascended the -hills behind the farm to look at the surrounding country, but -before I could reach the summit it had clouded over, and I could -see but a very short distance. Early next morning a man brought -word that a fresh eruption had broken out in the Mývatns Örœfí. -This was news indeed, and as it was Sunday, when some of the more -distant population would be assembled at the neighbouring church, I -despatched Paul to ascertain from them the accuracy of the news. In -the meanwhile, however, accompanied by the farmer’s son, I ascended -the hills to reconnoitre, and when about half-way up I espied a -tall dense column of white smoke in the east, which announced the -correctness of the intelligence we had received. On arriving at the -summit I looked again, and then perceived six smaller columns in a -line with the larger one, rising to about half its height. These -columns of smoke had evidently originated in the Mývatns Örœfí, -and rose in perpendicular columns, which spread out at the apex -like phantoms of giant palm trees in the calm atmosphere of that -early autumn Sabbath morning! The position I occupied commanded a -magnificent view of the Dyngjufjöll mountains and the Kverkfjöll, -both of which volcanoes lie south of the Mývatns Örœfí; neither -of these, however, seemed to be particularly disturbed, but the -mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke which had been there all the summer -still hovered over the Dyngjufjöll. There appeared, however, no -increase in the three thin columns of vapour I had before observed -rising from the Kverkfjöll. Looking in another direction I found -the country to the east obscured by what seemed to be a fog, which -was, probably, vapour and ashes from the fresh eruption drifting -slowly towards the Vatna Jökull. Presently the large volume of -smoke from the Mývatns Orœfí disappeared, leaving in its place a -cloud of thin black vapour, but before many seconds had elapsed it -again sprang up in three distinct bursts to more than its former -height. Hastily descending, I ordered the horses to be saddled, and -at once we rode away at full gallop towards the seat of the new -eruption. - -By evening we reached the farm of Grœnavatn, where I had the -pleasure of again seeing Thorlákur and his brother-in-law, and I -forthwith made preparations for visiting the point of volcanic -activity the following morning, but my plans were frustrated by a -violent storm of rain, wind, and snow, which made it a matter of -impossibility to cross the hills; so, chafing at the delay, I was -compelled to postpone my expedition. During the previous night a -man had arrived from Grímstaðir, upon the eastern side of the -Mývatns Örœfí, and reported that between ten and eleven o’clock on -Sunday morning, August 15th, a smart shock of earthquake was felt -at that place, travelling from north-east to south-west, while -almost simultaneously columns of smoke were seen upon the plain -of Mývatns Örœfí, and forthwith an eruption commenced from the -same place as in the previous spring. Upon the 17th the storm had -sufficiently abated, so, accompanied by Jón, who had been my guide -to Fremri-Námur, I set out for the eruption. Upon entering a valley -in the mountains of Mývatn, by which we intended to gain access to -the Mývatns Örœfí, a few columns of smoke in the distance warned -us that the eruption lay before us, and as we emerged from the -glen, a line of some twenty columns of smoke burst upon our view, -while at the north end lay two clusters of black mounds in close -proximity. From the most southerly of these sprung up two columns -of dense black smoke, which struggling to ascend, were beaten back -to earth again by the wind in a foul heavy mist that spread itself -out for miles over the lava streams, both old and new, which lay -to eastward, clinging to the higher crags in dark, ominous-looking -masses, and obscuring large patches of the more level plain. From -its neighbour to the north a high column of stones, ashes, and -dust proclaimed the principal volcanic vent, and as we gazed upon -the scene, suddenly, with a roar, every particle seemed on fire, -while explosion after explosion hurled the larger fragments to a -height beyond our view in the dense canopy of vapour which hung -over us, making the ground upon which we stood and the rocks around -us tremble. While the lava sloped over the most northerly side, -the large column of fire sank, and only stones and cinders were -ejected. This column of _débris_ I noticed continually varied both -in size and volume, sometimes clustering like a large swarm of bees -in the smoke, apparently scarcely a hundred feet above the crater, -while at other times it shot up into a tall column with explosive -violence, the masses of scoriæ shrieking in their passage through -the air. This was followed by a calm, and then again by a rending -sound, as a new crater opened on the north side of the mound, which -ejected a stream of white hot lava that tumbled in a cascade of -fiery froth upon the old lava stream of the previous spring. At -this point a dense smoke and the sound of splitting rocks marked -its progress till it oozed in bright red viscous masses through the -interstices of the older lava, forming pools beyond the limit of -the elder stream, which glowed for a moment only and then turned -black. As we looked on these wonderful changes of the face of -nature, a dim twilight supervened, although only six P.M., so we -stopped upon a patch of wild oats which grew profusely upon many -parts of these sands, and here we left our horses to feed while we -took our evening meal upon a sand-bank commanding a full view of -the eruption, which was rather more than a mile away. The scene was -grand, but our horses did not appear to be particularly frightened -at the eruption, for after standing some time looking at it, they -quietly went on grazing. - -On approaching the volcano as closely as the heated lava would -allow, I found it to consist of a cluster of black mounds, -describing together an irregular cone, from the centre of which, -and probably towards the termination of the spring-eruption, -a large crater had been formed, apparently little more than -half-a-mile in circumference; its northern wall had now evidently -been broken down, while from the centre rose the conical walls of -the crater then erupting. There was a breach also in the north -side, from which the lava poured at intervals, while numerous -cracks in the walls of the cone caused the glow from the intense -burning within to shine through with such brilliancy as to give the -summit the appearance of being wrapped in flames. As I intently -examined this, two smaller craters became suddenly visible, one -in the north base of the erupting mound and the other some little -distance further north, in the lava itself. Both these were burning -with a brilliant white light, and emitted a rending, crushing -sound, although erupting with little violence. From these two -craters the principal lava streams were advancing with considerable -rapidity, encircling from time to time patches of ancient lava -and sand which formed the plain, and finally overwhelming them in -its fiery embrace. As night closed in, the heated lava and the -noxious gases arising from it prevented me from getting nearer than -within a few hundred yards of the volcano, so I lit my pipe at the -nearest lava _coulée_ and returned to camp. There again, while -sitting by my tent, upon a high bank of volcanic sand, I gazed for -a long time upon the mighty fountains of volcanic fire, which in -one continuous stream assailed the sky with a glorious display of -natural pyrotechnics. All through the dark hours of the night the -volcano burned and roared, followed by explosion after explosion, -which shook the desolate waste around to its very foundation. -When I rose at midnight to take another look at this grand and -terrible spectacle, it was still energetically erupting with a -grandeur the equal of which I may never have another opportunity -of witnessing; for the grim sands and lava fields of the Mývatns -Örœfí were bathed in an unwonted light which reddened the lurid -sky and deepened the shadows amongst the weird crags of lava, -rendering them still more unearthly in that fire-blasted wilderness -in the midst of which we were encamped. The wind still blew freely -from the north-west, from which quarter, fortunately, it had been -blowing all the evening, so that I was enabled to reach a neck of -land almost encircled with lava within about two hundred yards of -the crater which was erupting. From this coign _d’avantage_ I was -able to examine minutely the progress of the eruption; but the -heat was very great even at this distance, while my field glass -shewed me that the fiery column seemed to be made up of myriads of -molten atoms. The whole scene was, in fact, utterly indescribable, -yet I could not but reflect how meagre and insignificant was even -that glorious display in comparison with those mighty fires which -have been occasionally let loose from such mountains as the Vatna -and Skaptar Jökulls, and how terrible! how utterly unapproachable -must have been their outburst! Yes, that is the unsatisfactory -part about them; when they are in full working order there is no -getting near them, and at other times one can only climb, shudder -and freeze over their temporary tombs. - -However, nothing daunted, at 6 A.M. I started to examine the line -of smoking mounds which marked the course of the great fissure -or gjá (chasm). As mentioned before, this fissure was formed in -the early spring, and re-opened on the 15th August, 1875, to -give vent to the volcanic fires which have rifted and contorted -the surrounding plain. The erupting mound had grown about 50 or -60 feet in the night, but the eruption itself, as I saw it, was -evidently upon the wane. The next cluster of mounds towards the -south contained three craters, but the largest was covered with -whitish yellow sublimations, probably sulphur and sal-ammoniac. -This was tranquilly steaming and had evidently not been disturbed -during the recent outburst; in fact, all along the fissure there -occurred mounds at intervals, and some were smoking violently, -while many other smaller lateral cracks and fissures were likewise -smoking, but not to the same extent. These fissures, I noticed, -were entirely environed with hot lava, apparently of recent -production, and a depression in some places of 50 feet in depth -had sunk around them, varying from two to about four miles in -breadth, while numerous deep chasms crevassed the adjacent plain. -They were mostly parallel to the principal line of disturbance, -and as they approached the depression they increased in size and -depth, while those in close proximity to it ran into one another -where the ground was upheaved by a general chaotic dislocation. The -whole line of smoking fissures appeared to me to have erupted lava -both during the spring and at the eruption in August; the fissures -terminated in a series of cracks, the edges of which were in many -places covered with sublimations of sulphur and sal-ammoniac. - -Aided by a strong north-westerly wind, which had fortunately been -blowing throughout my visit to this remarkable spot, and a strong -pair of leather boots, I succeeded at one point in traversing -the still hot lava, till I reached the principal fissure about -half-a-mile from its southern termination. In many places I found -it was four or five feet wide, in some places choked with solid -lava; and in others gaping widely open, but at some points it was -spanned with cinders and lava, encrusted with various sublimations, -which showed that there had been no recent outburst in that -particular spot. In some places, however, similar accumulations had -been scattered around by the recent disturbances, in fragments so -variously encrusted that at first sight I was led to suppose the -fissure had cast out great quantities of party-coloured cinders; at -all events, at all points where the eruption had been particularly -violent circles of cinders and clinkers had formed varying from -one or two to many feet in height, bridging over the fissure and -forming conical mounds wherever the outburst had continued for any -lengthened period. This struck me as being rather remarkable, as I -should almost have expected to find the clinkers, etc., piled up in -banks upon each side of the fissure, instead of assuming, as they -did, such regular shapes, often at right-angles with the fissures -producing them; but where the fissure was not blocked up it steamed -violently, emitting nauseous smells and making hoarse choking -sounds. Its depth I could not ascertain, as the emanations which -arose from the lava I was standing upon compelled me to beat a -hasty retreat, and indeed they made me feel dizzy for the remainder -of the day. This gjá is situated in the Mývatns Örœfí, in a line -parallel with Lake Mývatn, at the height of a little less than -1000 feet above sea level; its direction is N.N.E. to S.S.W. The -length of the fissure is about twelve English miles, and from it -has issued a lava stream of about fourteen English miles in length -and perhaps three-and-a-half broad upon an average, though it is -much narrower at some points than at others, especially towards -its southern extremity. This recent lava, both of the spring and -autumn, had flowed over the ancient lava and sand, rendering so -large a portion of the Mývatns Örœfí a useless desert; while it -had particularly overflowed an ancient lava stream, produced by -a vent in the west portion of the Mývatns Örœfí, called Svínagjá. -The new lava appeared to differ from the old only in this respect, -viz., that the ancient lava contained olivine, which the closest -microscopic examination failed to discover in the more recent -production. I also found that no pumice had been ejected from this -fissure up to last August; lava, stones, cinders and ashes only -having been thrown up. This spot may be regarded as the northern -centre of recent volcanic activity, and the Öskjugjá as the -southern, both occurring in the same rectilinear bearing, N.N.E. -and S.S.W., and so coinciding with the great fissure which it has -been presumed bisects the island from N.E. to S.W. - -Carefully taking the bearings of the neighbouring mountains from -the south end of the fissure, I made two or three dashes over the -hot lava to look into the grim jaws of a chasm which had been -erupting with especial violence, where the various heights of the -conical mounds gauged the violence and the extent of the eruption; -but a very short distance farther north the heated lava became too -broad to permit of such excursions with any degree of safety, so -I ascended some elevated ground to the west, in order to obtain a -bird’s-eye view of the seat of eruption. - -This fissure, as I have before said, extends through a -recently-formed depression, in the direction N.N.E. to S.S.W., -extending from about one mile north of the road from Grímstaðir -to Reikjahlíð to a point bearing Jörundr 19° N., Búrfell 349° -N.W. It had erupted in seven places with great violence, and had -formed there conical hills, containing several craters. After -inspecting these, I turned my back upon the line of steaming vents, -having seen all that could be seen, and I was well contented with -my little expedition. After a while we reached our horses by a -short cut over the ancient lava, which had flowed partly from -the Svínagjá and partly from the Mývatn hills, then returning to -Grœnavatn, and proceeded thence to Stóruvellir the next day. - -We left Stóruvellir amid a heavy gale and were accompanied by -the farmer as far as Halldórstaðir where the priest, who spoke a -little English, would not hear of our leaving without partaking of -coffee, chocolate, or schnapps. We took leave here of the bóndi of -Stóruvellir, who had treated us hospitably and had charged very -moderately. - -Leaving here we next made our way to Mýri, where lived an old man -whose father was the first to cross the Sprengisandr, in 1810, as -the south of Iceland previously had been always reached by crossing -the Stórisandr. This old man was pleased to see me, and gladly -gave me an account of the road, written by his father, to guide -future travellers, and my informant I found was eighty-three years -of age. Before leaving my new acquaintance I purchased a spoon -of him said to be fifty years old. This was quite an ingenious -novelty, for when unscrewed it divided into fifteen different -pieces; I also bought a wooden roller which used to serve the -purpose of a mangle a few centuries back, and a rude representation -of the crucifixion in needlework upon green wadmal (Icelandic -homespun cloth), which the old man told me had been worked by -the nuns of an Icelandic convent long, long ago,--he could not -say how long, but he knew that the banner was “eld gamalt” (very -old). He also informed me that when he first went to Reykjavík -for stock-fish no ships came to the north of Iceland, and that in -Reykjavík coffee and sugar cost five marks (about 1_s._ 10½_d._) -per pound, while they could only obtain fifteen skillings (3½_d._) -per pound for their wool. The present price of these commodities, -I may remark, is--coffee, three marks (1_s._ 1½_d._), sugar, -thirty-two to thirty-four skillings (6_d._ to 8_d._) per -pound--while they are now able to sell their wool at 1_s._ 1½_d._ -per pound. - -I sent Paul and Olgi on with the baggage while I, accompanied by -the old man’s son, went a little out of the way to visit the -waterfall of Alderjufoss, where the river Skjálfandifljót pours -into a rift in an ancient lava stream, about forty-five feet deep. -This sight is well worth going out of the way to see, as it is a -much finer fall than the Godafoss. - -The most remarkable feature about these falls, however, is the -wall of rock over which they descend, the bottom of the wall being -composed of perpendicular basaltic columns, overlaid by a compact -basaltic lava of a very crystalline nature, while the columns -themselves are of a compact stony basaltic lava, but in neither -of the specimens I broke off could I find a single crystal. I -am, however, inclined to think that both lavas are of identical -composition, and of contemporaneous production. - -Having satisfied my curiosity here I left the Alderjufoss behind, -and rode quickly after Paul and Olgi, overtaking them not far from -the lake of Ísholtsvatn, from whence a short ride brought us to the -farm of Ísholt, which was inhabited by a bachelor brother and his -three sisters. Here we enjoyed a good supper of char and potatoes -(for the latter were now of an edible size), and a good night’s -rest, preparatory to our journey across the Sprengisandr. - -Although there are no fish in the Skjálfandifljót, there are plenty -in Ísholtsvatn and the Fiskiá, which flows out of it into the -Skjálfandifljót. I suppose this is on account of the turbid nature -of the water in the latter, which is purely a glacial stream. - -After resting a while here I left Ísholt in company with the -farmer, and commenced our journey southwards, there being at the -time a severe storm of wind from the N.W., bearing with it clouds -of sand. On our way we paid a visit to the brother of the old man -of Mýri, from whom I obtained some more curiosities in the shape of -ancient spoons, one of which, like the other, could be separated -into fifteen different pieces, and an old Prayer-book, printed at -Hólar in 1742. This man lived at the farm of Mjófidalr (narrow -valley) and had the reputation of being a good herb doctor. I -found him pleased to see us, and before we left he treated us to a -compound of schnapps and angelica root which was very refreshing. -A fierce gale was blowing at the time from the S.W., and the sand -was intolerable, even penetrating through the gauze of our snow -spectacles, and almost blinding us; while at times the sand storm -was so heavy that we were unable to see one another even when -within touching distance. Our poor horses felt it very much, the -eyes of some being completely closed up, so that when we reached -to the grass hills to the north of Kiðagil, we were compelled to -halt and bathe their eyes with water. As the road here lay over -a series of stony hills, grown over in many places with moss and -scanty grass, the dust became less troublesome, and therefore -we were glad to alight in the evening at the song-famed Kiðagil -(goats’ valley). The last grass to be found upon the north side of -the Sprengisandr is in this valley, and it takes several hours’ -hard riding before the next grass is reached. - -This valley is fertilized by the river Kiðagilsá which runs through -it, and empties itself into the Skjálfandifljót at this spot. The -weather cleared beautifully in the evening, so I climbed to the -summit of Kiðagilshnukur, which commands an extensive view towards -the snowy heights of Arnarfells, the Tungufells, and the white -slopes of the Vatna Jökull, with their black cones and buttresses -protruding through the snow. To the N.E. stretched the country to -the north of the Vatna Jökull, with the well-remembered mountains -which I had traversed with so much interest, and the desert plains -over which I had trudged for many a weary hour, sore-footed and -tired. The wind had sunk to rest with the sun, and the serrated -outline of the Dyngjufjöll grew darker and darker, beneath the -heavy canopy of smoke which still hovered over them, while the -neighbouring mountains grew more indistinct and shadowy as the -light faded from the west. - -My tent had been pitched in the valley below, the autumn nights -had now commenced, and the fitful gleam of the aurora told me -my summer work was almost ended. On looking around upon those -old familiar scenes--it might be for the last time--my emotion -was so great that my tongue, in its endeavours to give audible -expression to the sentiments that filled my breast, exclaimed -with all the enthusiasm my nature was capable of, “Farewell, -farewell, dear old Northernland! I came to your rugged and barren -shores an enthusiastic traveller, anxious and resolved to seek -out the wonderful things hidden in your frozen casket; and having -enjoyed your simple and honest hospitalities and gratified my -ambitious curiosity, I must now bid you adieu, bearing with me -an affectionate remembrance of your craters and geysers, your -mountains of eternal snow, and, above all, of the kind and faithful -services rendered me by your hardy and generous sons and daughters.” - -Having relieved my emotion by this crude expression of my feelings, -I took one more fond look and then turned in to rest for the night, -feeling amid my regret at leaving old Iceland, something akin to -an inward pride, to think that although so humble a member of the -Alpine Club, I had been enabled to accomplish so much, and that, -too, notwithstanding the doubts of my friends, and the opinion of -Mr. Forbes, who seems to have formed very erroneous notions as to -the Vatna Jökull, or of the determination and endurance a member -of the Alpine Club is capable of if once he sets his mind upon -exploring a mountain. - -To return to my narrative. Soon after day-break my men and I were -again astir and in our saddles; but I was sorry to perceive that -the weather had changed for the worst, which was a serious thing -for us, seeing that we had a long, bad road before us, as well as -a tiring journey to perform under various difficulties, enough -to daunt the sturdiest of us. To add to our misery the clouds -above were black as ravens’ wings, and a fierce wind blew in such -piercing gushes that we could scarcely stand against them, as they -came bursting on straight into our very teeth. As I shuddered -beneath the blast, I consoled myself with the thought that such -a parting with Iceland was, after all, quite characteristic; and -soon one poetic notion after another took such possession of me -that by the time I had got thoroughly awake I began to find myself -growing quite warm with excitement, and of course less sensible to -the real severities of the storm. True to his kindly nature, and -well sustaining the character of his countrymen, my old friend the -bóndi of Ísholt resolved to see me part of the way on my journey; -and although unwilling to trouble him, I must certainly acknowledge -the extreme pleasure this trifling act of courtesy and kindness -afforded me. And when at last the hour arrived for us to separate, -we shook each other heartily by the hand, and cheered ourselves in -a parting cup which drained the last of my schnapps. “God speed” -having been expressed on both sides, I resolutely turned my back -upon the fascination of the distant mountains, and faced the -driving storm of wind and sand to thread my way southward. - -Our route at first lay over a series of low terraced hills, and -presently a wet tedious ride brought us to a cluster of small stone -cairns, round which were collected a number of horses’ bones, not a -very cheering sight to our own animals, and they seemed rather shy -of the ghastly remains of their ill-fated brethren. - -While looking on this sad sight, Paul told me it was often the -custom to write a verse, and leave it in a bone upon such a mound -as this for the next traveller, and, accordingly, I wished to do -so too, but could not find one suitable, and so we felt ourselves -relieved from the responsibility of keeping up the “old custom.” -It would have been all the same, however, if we had desired to do -so, for the cheerless prospect of fog and rain, with the apparently -boundless Sprengisandr around us, varied only by an occasional -glimpse of some snowy Jökull, would have been sufficient to freeze -the most gushing of poetical ideas. - -Wishing to quit this spot without delay, we determined upon taking -the route known as the Arnarfells-vegr upon the west bank of the -Thjórsá rather than follow the track upon the east, as by doing -so we should be able to cross the numerous smaller rivers whose -confluent waters form the Thjórsá, one by one, instead of having to -wait perhaps a day or so, until the waters of the Thjórsá should be -sufficiently low to enable us to ford them. - -In the course of our journey we passed between Arnarfells Jökull -and Tungufells Jökull, and thence bearing to the west, we got as -close to the former as possible in order that we might cross these -smaller arms at their source. Some of these arms, I imagine, must -be very difficult in warm weather, for even upon this cold and -stormy day they were in many places over our horses’ girths. - -Arnarfell, upon the N.E., rises from a band of glaciers, from -which steep slopes of snow sweep up to the black peaks of -Arnarfell-hið-Mikla which must be of considerable altitude, a -little more than a Danish mile away from the termination of the -glacier. The nature of the ground we were traversing precluded -the possibility of quick riding, hence it took us five hours more -to reach Arnarfell-hið-Mikla, which was to be our destination for -the night. This elevation is a cluster of eminences formed of -agglomerate, which has been weathered into peaks of considerable -height, and these are traversed by several dykes and intruded -masses of basaltic lava. Here we found a good patch of grass and -angelica, extending along the sides of Arnarfell-hið-Mikla, as well -as along the banks of the river washing its eastern base. - -Our arrival at this part disturbed a bevy of swans, which at this -season of the year (August) lose the feathers of their wings, of -course preventing their flight. Taking advantage of this, chase was -immediately given, and four of their number very soon captured. - -I am glad to say the next morning showed us a more cheery prospect, -for a stiff breeze blew from the N.W., and although the clouds -hung upon the mountains, the sun occasionally broke through, -encouraging us to put some of our wet things out to dry. While -this was being done I ascended the Arnarfell-hið-Mikla, and was -well repaid for my trouble, for the clouds were lifting from the -adjacent mountains, which gave me a peep at the Vatna Jökull, as -well as the more western hills, over the broad plain lying between -it and the Arnarfells Jökull. The Sprengisandr is here cut up -by a network of rivers and streams, which upon our side of the -Sprengisandr all flowed into the Thjórsá. We now pursued our way -with a bright sun shining upon us; the ground was in most places -covered with swampy moss, which was much better travelling than the -stones of the preceding day. Many streams with quicksands had to -be crossed, whose waters were all the deeper for the fine weather -we were enjoying. Turning thence directly southwards we struck the -main stream of the Thjórsá. Travellers to the south who take the -eastern route generally cross this stream at this point, but they -are sometimes detained for days in consequence of freshets, which -may occur at any season of the year; therefore the west side of -the Thjórsá, though a little longer, is found to be much the surer -road. Here we saw a number of sheep grazing upon the opposite bank, -belonging to farmers in the south; and as may be well imagined, we -hailed their appearance as the first sign of the “Suðurland” we -were approaching. - -After a short enjoyable halt here, we continued our journey to a -point between the rivers Kisá and Miklilœkr, where we encamped. On -continuing our journey, an uninteresting ride over an undulating -and gradually descending moor, which in fine weather commands a -good view of Hekla, brought us to an ancient lava stream which had -flowed from the Rauðu Kambar, an old volcano lying to the west of -the road, and here again we found ourselves amongst lava, pumice -and black sand. - -I will not weary my readers any longer by continuing a description -of the monotonous dreary scenery met with at this stage of my -journey, and in fact as I trudged along dreamily, recalling to -mind the many incidents that had crowded themselves upon me since -I had been on the island, my eyes had been as it were blind to -the surroundings to such an extent that more than once I was only -recalled to them by the stumbling of my faithful horse, the rolling -of a boulder, or an extra fierce gust of blinding wind; and then, -once more reminded of the fact that I was still a traveller, I -gazed around like a wanderer amongst the sepulchres of a past race, -awe-struck with the lifeless condition of the place, while my mind -wandered back from the silent scene to the one or two living giants -(Öskjugjá, &c.) that still existed, lonely examples of the activity -and power of an age so far removed from the world’s history as to -be lost in antiquity, and yet still so vigorous as to fulfil the -important and wonderful mission of connecting the present with the -most primitive ages of the world. - -Well, after trudging along several miles in this dreamy mood we at -last arrived at the Skriðufell farm, but here, I regret to say, we -found no welcome, for the farmer was a noted churl, and instead of -offering us the same generous hospitality as all others had, he -positively refused the smallest assistance, even going so far as to -object to let us put our horses under the old roof of an outhouse. -My companions pleaded in his behalf that he could not help it, as -he had had the misfortune to be crossed in love! which I was very -sorry to hear, and sincerely trust no similar calamity might happen -to spoil the other inhabitants. - -However, being compelled to push on again by this unpleasant -contretemps, we made as much haste as we could, and were soon -pleased to find ourselves in front of a poor little homestead, -where we were glad to find a generous welcome, plenty of good -milk and other necessaries, of which we availed ourselves, being -made truly welcome. After this brief halt we again pushed on to -the Hagafell along the banks of the Hagafjall, with Hekla full in -sight, its summit being, as usual, enveloped in clouds. Here we -obtained a good night’s rest, and wishing to obtain some specimens -from the Great Geysir, I decided to reach Reykjavík _viâ_ Geysir -and Thingvellir, although it was the longest route, and accordingly -in the morning we made our way towards Hruni, upon the banks of -the Kálfá. I next turned a little out of my way to examine a white -buttress of rock protruding from a grassy hill upon our right hand. -This proved to be a ridge of intruded trachytic lava, extending a -considerable distance; I mention this as it was the only instance -of purely trachytic lava which I had met with, excepting in a -pumiceous form. Here we were most cordially and hospitably received -by the priest of Hruni, who would not allow us to depart without -bringing out a bottle of his best port wine, and hearing an account -of our experience. It was late in the night before we arrived at -Great Geysir. One of the principal objects of my visit to this -part was to seek a box of minerals I had entrusted to the care of -the farmer of Haukadalr to take to Reykjavík in the previous year, -but which had never come to hand, though he protested that he had -delivered them according to my directions, however, I set about -collecting fresh specimens, which was no very serious trouble. - -Great Geysir did not favour us with an eruption, as we had wished, -so we stirred up Stroker with the usual meal of turf, which caused -it to spout, but scarcely to the same height as when I witnessed -its performance in 1874. In the evening we left for Thingvellir, -but as we did not arrive there till one A.M. we did not awake our -friend the priest, who, on rising, found us lying asleep, with -the tent covered over us, upon the grass just outside his door. -This good gentleman upbraided us for not waking him up, brought -out everything of his best, and gave us a hearty breakfast, for -we were old friends. Five hours’ hard riding later on brought us -to Reykjavík, where I again put up at the house of friend Oddr -Gíslasson, who had two Scotch ladies staying with him. These I -found to be Miss Oswald and Miss Menzies, who had been making a -prolonged tour in the island--a plucky undertaking, which perhaps -may encourage other ladies to seek health and amusement amongst the -wild rocks of salubrious Iceland, undeterred by the fear of having -no other escort than an Icelander. - -Upon the arrival of the Post ship, I was amused to receive an -extract from the “Evening Echo” of August giving a most deplorable -account of my health and personal appearance after crossing the -Vatna Jökull. Though it amused us all at Reykjavík, I felt sorry -to think of the unnecessary distress and anxiety it might cause to -my friends at home. If such were the motive of the writer, it may -gratify him to learn that he succeeded admirably. However, any one -of the Sulphur Company would at once have pronounced the statement -to be false. - -I rejoiced in the possession of two pairs of Alpine boots, but I -preferred wearing Icelandic mocassins, they being easier to walk -in. I had also two coats, but always preferred wearing a tight -knitted jersey and waistcoat, which were much more convenient for -movement, while I generally prefer a knitted cap instead of a hat, -for a cap draws down about the ears and keep them warm, and is less -at the mercy of sudden gusts of wind. It seemed curious how such -a worthless little piece of pure imagination could gain access -to London newspapers. The simple facts are, I sent a carefully -written letter, giving a succinct account of my journey across -the Vatna Jökull and my visit to Öskjugjá, the effects of which -volcano were creating much discussion in England at the time. -This letter Capt. Burton kindly forwarded for me to the “Times,” -and it was set up in type (as the proof came into my hand on my -return), but for some reason or another, best known to the editor, -it subsided into the waste paper basket, while a more lengthy -letter I afterwards wrote to the same journal, giving an account -of the eruption in the Mývatns Örœfí, appeared in full. There are -anomalies in the civilized world which confound one even more than -the idiosyncracies of nature. - -With the Post ship came several tourists who were bent on making a -few days’ excursion in the island. We therefore made up a party, -including Miss Oswald, Miss Menzies, Mr. Young, of Edinburgh, and -myself, to pay a visit with Oddr Gíslasson to some solfataras -belonging to him at Cape Reykjanes, and a very pleasant trip it -was, though the way was extremely monotonous, being as usual over -a series of lava streams flowing from the Krísuvík mountains. -The part of the S.W. peninsular we were traversing was called -the Vatns-leysuströnd, or waterless strand; here there is no -fresh water to be obtained except upon the beach where the lava -streams terminate. These can often only be reached at low water, -and then, as may be imagined, the water is brackish. Two days’ -journeying brought us to Kirkjuvogr, where Oddr Gíslasson’s mother -and brothers-in-law lived. It is one of the best homesteads in the -south, besides having about the largest piece of grass land on this -peninsular. It is also a fishing station of some importance, lying -as it does upon the south bank of a little boot-shaped creek named -Oscar. We were very kindly received, and the next day rode on to -the solfataras of Reykjanes at the extremity of the peninsular. The -day was miserable, and we were unable to get a satisfactory view. -These solfataras, however, are remarkable, as the acid and heated -vapours have here, as in other places, formed extensive pools of -calcareo-siliceous mud, hardened in some instances into almost a -semi-opal, coloured and streaked with blood-red stains from the -ferruginous nature of the rocks which have been decomposed, but the -sublimations of sulphur were very insignificant. - -The most remarkable feature of the locality occurred where the -lava was not much decomposed by the erosive action of the vapours, -and upon splitting such masses of the partially decomposed rock, -scarlet vapours could be seen issuing from crevices beneath, -coating any surface that was partially exposed to the air with a -film of iron pyrites. Further up the side of the old volcano, at -the base of which these curiosities are to be found, are pools and -pits of blue, red, and green boiling clay. While in this locality -the rain continued and the fog became more dense, and as it would -have been anything but pleasant to be caught in a thick fog amongst -the lava and solfataras of Reykjanes, we curtailed our visit, and -returned with all speed to Kirkjuvogr. - -The next day, wishing to avoid the tedious road over the lava by -which we came, we rode to Njarðvík, where we hired a sailing boat, -and returned by sea to Reykjavík. Here I found that Captain Cockle -and Mr. Slimond had returned by the Post-ship with the welcome -intelligence that the steamer “Queen” would arrive in about a week, -and sail almost as soon as the old tub “Diana.” This was indeed -good news to us all, for we had determined to return by a small -sailing ship belonging to a horse-trader, Mr. Ascham, rather than -subject ourselves to the floating purgatory of the Diana. - -In due time the “Queen” arrived, and I bade Iceland and Icelandic -friends farewell, feeling satisfied with my summer’s work, and -consoling myself with the thought that I had accomplished the -little piece of “utter folly” I had thrice undertaken. I resignedly -committed myself to the evils of sea-sickness, from which I had -scarcely recovered when we arrived at Edinburgh, two days before -the Diana, which had sailed from Reykjavík a day before the Queen. -Here I accepted the hospitality of Mr. Slimond, of Leith, and -greatly enjoyed British fare and a relapse into civilization. - -“Ah!” my reader may say with a smile, “after all the toil and -trouble undertaken the wonders seen could not have been worth the -toil and privation.” My readers, like myself, must by this time -have grown somewhat weary of the eternal repetition of lava, -pumice, &c., &c., and therefore we will mutually congratulate -ourselves upon being able to vary the subject with reference to -scenes and subjects more lively and civilized; but I must most -respectfully demur to that conclusion, for if the general aspect of -nature throughout Iceland be dreary and wild, there is also plenty -to reward a man of scientific and athletic inclinations. Indeed -the same tiresome pumice and lava and sand, when placed beneath -the power of the microscope, is found to possess such wonders -and exquisite beauty of form, that the beholder is struck with -admiration and astonishment to find so much perfection treasured -up in such rough settings, giving material for many an hour of -patient study and enjoyment which has alone fully compensated for -the hardships of the journey across the Vatna Jökull. - - - - - APPENDIX. - - -It may now be as well to take a retrospective view of Iceland to -determine the opinion we have formed of the Icelanders themselves, -and sum up the leading physical features and characteristics of -the country. Iceland, apart from its historical and literary fame, -which it is not our purpose to consider, is of especial interest -to the geologist and the physical geographer. It lies almost at -the northern extremity of the great volcanic line which skirts -the extreme west of the Old World, extending from the island of -Jan-Mayen in the Arctic Ocean, through Iceland, the Faroe Isles, -Great Britain, the Madeiras, the Azores, the Canaries, along the -west coast of Africa, right away down to the Antarctic island of -Tristan d’Acunha; and its equal as a centre of volcanic activity -can alone be found amongst the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The -peculiar manner in which we here find ice and snow mixed up with -the igneous productions of its volcanoes imparts a grim beauty to -its scenery, that I can well imagine we might travel the whole -world over without seeing surpassed. A very short sojourn amongst -the weird rocks of Iceland arouses that latent superstition which -will lurk in the minds of even the most materialistic, and while -we laugh at the mythological credulity of the ancient Icelanders, -we cannot help acknowledging that a more fitting place to create -an implicit belief in wraiths and demons could not possibly be -found, all the way from the elf and pixy dancing amongst the timid -flowers, whose bright eyes peep from sheltered rocks in ancient -lava streams, to the hobgoblin and the ghoul, moaning and shrieking -and performing their nameless deeds upon blasted peaks and barren -mountain-tops, where fire strives with frost. - -This remarkable little island was colonized 1002 years ago by -Norwegians, though its earliest settlement is involved in some -obscurity. It afterwards became subject to Denmark, until the -year before last, when it received its legislative freedom. The -Icelanders are upon the whole a harmless, struggling race, and -like most other nations that have been unable to draw upon the -arteries of other countries for renewed vitality, are encumbered -with that contentment which, however conducive it may be to -domestic ease, is fatal to advancement. The last twelve months, -however, have introduced the element of enterprise which before -was only conspicuous by its absence. This may result from -their newly-acquired liberties or the reflective influence of -emigration; at any rate it augurs well for Iceland, whose emigrants -have already shown that the Icelander contains a good deal of the -right sort of stuff in his composition, and the determined pluck -of those who accompanied me across the Vatna Jökull shows us that -the spirit of their Viking forefathers, who visited both Greenland -and America long before the birth of Columbus, is not yet extinct. -Pre-eminently perhaps in the Icelanders’ character stands love -for his country. It is a remarkable fact that the more barren and -unfruitful a country is, the stronger seems to be the attachment -and love of the sons of its soil. This trait appears very strongly -in the Icelanders’ national song, the first stanza of which runs -thus-- - - “World old Iceland, beloved fosterland, - As long as the ocean girds our shores, - As long as lovers for their sweethearts sigh, - As long as the sun shines upon our mountains, - Thy sons shall love thee.” - -There is great room for improvement in the home industries of -the country, especially in the art of cheese-making, for the -milk is rich and excellent, and there is no reason why cheese -should not be produced in Iceland that would find a ready sale in -European markets. The Icelandic wool, which is unsurpassed, might -be likewise worked at home during the winter to a much better -advantage; for many choice woollen productions which would command -a high price have long ceased to be manufactured. There is also -room for improvement in the breeding of stock, and much valuable -grass-land might be reclaimed by proper drainage. - -The climate of Iceland is very uncertain, but it is much milder -than might be expected from its latitude. This is doubtless owing -to its insular position, and the influence of the Gulf Stream, one -arm of which touches its southern shore. The summer begins in June -and ends in September, and during those months the climate is very -similar to that of the north of Scotland. The rainfall, especially -in the south of Iceland, is very great during the summer, but -thunderstorms seldom occur except in the winter. Upon the -mountains the climate is still more variable, and I have sometimes -experienced a variation of sixty degrees between day and night upon -the snows of the Vatna Jökull, at the height of some 4,000 feet -above sea level. But few vegetables can now be grown in Iceland--a -modicum of potatoes, turnips, radishes, and cabbages alone eking -out a struggling existence against an adverse climate, and seldom -attaining to what we should consider maturity. The trees of Iceland -are mere bushes of birch, willow, and a little ash, and even these -are but rarely met with. The chief exports of the country are fish, -oil, tallow, wool, horses, sheep, and Iceland spar, but it is to -be hoped (now the sulphur mines in the north of Iceland are about -to be worked) that in the course of a year sulphur may be added to -these. The imports are some of the luxuries and a good many of the -necessaries of life. So much for Iceland itself; we will pass by -its history, people, exports or imports, and forthwith consider its -physical characteristics; these may be defined as the volcanoes of -Iceland and their products, the hot springs, the Jökulls, or ice -mountains, and their effects upon the climate. Iceland contains no -less than twenty-two mountains that have been witnessed in active -eruption during historical times. The best known volcano is Hekla. -This remarkable mountain rises directly from a plain that has been -devastated by its repeated eruptions. As the mountain is approached -from the north-west its form appears to be that of an oblong cone; -it is about twenty miles in circumference, and 5,000 feet in -height; it is capped by three smaller cones, the product of recent -eruptions. Its craters are all upon the west and south-west sides, -and most of its lava streams have flowed in that direction. - -The next best known of the Icelandic volcanoes is perhaps Kötlugiá, -which has erupted no less than fifteen times since the year 900. -It now presents nothing but a deep valley filled with snow, cutting -into the very heart of Myrdals Jökull; it is one of the largest -examples of breached craters in the world. The principal phenomena -attending eruptions of this volcano are stupendous floods of heated -water and the prodigious quantities of sand ejected. It has, I -believe, never been known to produce lava, but upon the base of the -mountain I found numerous ancient lava streams, proving that at -one time Kötlugiá was no exception to its neighbouring volcanoes. -The floods from Kötlugiá during eruptions have often submerged a -district of 280 square miles, continuing sometimes for days, in -spite of the rapid outflow to the sea. These floods are produced -not only by the melting of the snow at the time of eruption, -but in all probability by the bursting of large cavities in and -beneath the mountain, in which water might have been for years -accumulating. This aqueous phenomenon is, however, by no means -peculiar to Kötlugiá, although it occurs on the largest scale, -for during the 13th and 14th centuries all the volcanoes in the -south of Iceland erupted water. The most extensive eruption that -ever occurred in Europe during historic times proceeded from the -south-west portion of the Vatna, named the Skaptar Jökull. This -volcano has only been known to have erupted upon that occasion, -viz., A.D. 1783, when it produced two of the most extensive lava -streams in Europe. The highest volcano in Iceland is Örœfa Jökull, -which reaches the height of 5927 feet. - -The volcanoes which erupted so violently in the spring of 1875, -and one of which wrought such damage in the north of Iceland, -are--the Öskjugjá (or the chasm of the oval casket), situated in -the Dyngjufjöll mountains upon the north of the Vatna, and a chasm -some twelve miles in length, which opened in the Mývatns Örœfí (or -sandy desert of Mývatns), but as these have already been described -at some length I need only casually mention them. - -Having briefly enumerated the more important volcanoes of -Iceland, we will now consider their products. First there are -the agglomerates, which form such an important feature in the -geology of Iceland, formed either directly by debacles at periods -of eruption, or indirectly by streams and atmospheric influences. -Secondly we come to the lavas; these occur either as stony streams -that have flowed from the volcanoes, or as pumice which has been -hurled high into the air and fallen in a destructive shower of -vesicular cinders. Another class of lavas we must likewise mention, -namely, the glassy, but we must for the present confine ourselves -more particularly to the physical geology of Iceland, leaving the -character of the Icelandic rocks for other consideration. Of the -stony streams of lava we have two very good examples; first, the -huge lava streams which flowed from Skaptar Jökull in 1783, being -50 miles long and 15 wide; and the other 40 miles in length and -seven broad, being in some places 500 feet in depth. It has been -computed that the entire mass exceeds in bulk that of Mont Blanc. -This lava is basaltic and highly ferruginous, and impregnates very -strongly the waters of the river Eldvatn, which flows through -it. The second example is the lava stream which has flowed into -the far-famed valley of Thingvellir, wherein the Althing, or -Parliament, of Iceland used to hold their meetings, and the -wonderful rifts of the Almanna-gjá and the Raven’s-gjá occur. At -some remote period of the geological history of Iceland a large -river of lava flowed from Mount Skjaldbreið, which is about thirty -miles distant, into the valley of Thingvellir; a crust, of course, -soon formed on the surface, and upon the cessation of the eruption, -the still liquid lava at the bottom of the stream continued to flow -into the deeper parts of the lake which occupies the south-east end -of the valley of Thingvellir, leaving the unsupported crust, which -was now of great thickness, to sink down to the present level -of the valley, occasioning lateral rifts upon either side of the -stream, viz., the Almanna-gjá on one side, and the Raven’s rift -upon the other. The valley of Thingvellir is likewise traversed -by many smaller fissures and crevasses, which in many instances -enclose and almost inosculate large masses of lava; the Lögberg, -or “hill of laws,” is such an island of rock, and is rendered -inaccessible, except at one point, by deep yawning crevasses. It -was on account of these natural fortifications that it was chosen -as a forum for the ancient court of Althing, which assembled there -once a year. Such are the monuments of Iceland, which take the -place of the ruined castles and abbeys of other countries, simply -the rude rocks of nature ennobled by brave deeds of history or some -touching romance of love. - -We now come to the hot springs of Iceland. The chief of these, -_par excellence_, is, of course, the Great Geysir; it has been so -often described and re-described that it scarcely needs a remark -from me. Professor Forbes calculated its age, from the thickness -of the siliceous sinter which surrounds its basin, at 1000 years. -The Great Geysir is surrounded by numerous other springs of all -temperatures and sizes, whose deposits differ according to the -character of the rocks through which they pass. There are numerous -hot springs scattered about in various parts of Iceland, some of -which owe their existence to earthquakes, which instantaneously -called them into being--in 1339 a hot spring sixty feet in diameter -suddenly opened at Mosfell--and during the earthquakes which -preceded the great eruption of Skaptar Jökull in 1783, no less -than thirty-five new hot springs made their appearance. We may not -dwell longer upon these interesting phenomena, but we will turn our -attention to the huge ice mountains or Jökulls of Iceland, which -constitute such an important feature in the physical geography of -the country. The principle ones are the Vatna, Arnarfells, Hofs, -Lang, Myrdals, Godalands, Eyjafjalla, Dránga, and Glámu Jökulls. Of -these remarkable features in the physical geography of Iceland we -could not find a better example than the Vatna Jökull, which has -formed the principal subject of this little book: until recently it -was almost a _terra incognita_, and until this year had resisted -all attempts to cross it. - -The Vatna Jökull is a vast accumulation of volcanoes, ice, and -snow, comprising an area of over 3000 square miles. It is for the -most part surrounded by a wilderness, formed by the destructive -outbursts of its volcanoes, and the constant drifting of the -glacial torrents which flow from its melting snows. The Vatna -Jökull and its immediate surroundings constitute the most lofty -portions of Iceland, and I believe the oldest, for we find lava -streams which have flowed from its volcanoes in a state of ruin -and decay unequalled in any other part of the country; and, again, -we find it bounded upon the south by sea cliffs that were washed -by pre-historic oceans when many other parts of the island must -necessarily have been under water, unless very serious depressions -have taken place since the waters which washed the south outlying -hills of the Vatna receded to their present limit. The Vatna -Jökull comprises by far the most important mountain section in -Iceland, and a far greater area is covered by its snows than could -be occupied by the sum of all the remaining snow-clad mountains -in Iceland. As may be supposed, perhaps half the river water of -Iceland flows either directly or indirectly from the Vatna Jökull, -either issuing in torrents from the extremity of its glaciers, or, -after filtering for long distances through the loose and cavernous -ground, appearing as land springs at a lower elevation. The rocks -of the Vatna, as far as I have had an opportunity of judging, are -purely and simply the product of this very remarkable cluster of -volcanoes, which have piled up layer after layer of ash, sand, and -agglomerate, until a mountain heap was formed of such a height that -it allowed snow and ice to accumulate upon it to such an extent as -to render the summer’s warmth quite inadequate to remove it. This -vast snow pile then grew of its own accord, and glaciers commenced -to creep down the sides of the barren mountains upon which it -rested. Volcanoes continued to erupt, but the effect of their fires -upon the accumulating snow must have been purely local and limited -in the extreme; for volcanic productions are the worst possible -conductors of heat, and I should imagine that a lava stream, -unless it be of gigantic proportions, conducts itself beneath the -profound snows of the Vatna much as a lava stream would beneath -the sea, without producing any very violent commotion. Thus this -vast mountain mass was accumulated, growing with each succeeding -winter and each eruption. The Vatna Jökull rises by a very gradual -slope upon the south, and it is not until more than thirty miles -of snow fields have been traversed that the highest part of the -Vatna, viz., 6,150 feet, can be reached from that direction. I -have at present omitted any mention of the snow line in Iceland; -this is on account of its variable nature, incidental to local -causes. Thus upon the Vatna we have the snow line much lower upon -its southern than northern slopes, the cause of which we will -consider presently. Of late years the volcanic forces of Iceland -appear to have retreated to the Vatna Jökull and its immediate -neighbourhood, and volcanic eruptions have been witnessed in force -in several directions. The Kverkfjall we found to be smoking and -Öskjugjá can only be regarded as a lateral crater of the Vatna, -and, I doubt not, had we been favoured with better weather, we -should have found many other eruptive vents; but so rapid is the -accumulation of snow upon the Vatna, and so bad a conductor of heat -are all volcanic eruptions, that the traces of them are very soon -obliterated. As may be supposed, such a prodigious accumulation -of ice and snow as the Vatna Jökull produces a very sensible and -marked effect upon the climate of certain parts of Iceland. It has -this effect--it deluges the country to the south of it with rain, -and gives to those districts which lie to the north of it a happier -climate than they would otherwise possess. The snowy heights of -the Vatna attract to themselves the aqueous vapours which travel -northwards from more southern latitudes, depositing them upon their -broad shoulders in the form of snow and hail, and refrigerating and -drying the vapours which travel across their snows, thus rendering -the south wind a wet one in the country to the south of the Vatna -and the north wind a dry one, whilst in those districts which -lie to the north of it the reverse is the case. And since by far -the greater part of the aqueous vapours which reach Iceland are -borne thither from the more readily evaporating waters of southern -oceans by that bugbear to travellers in the south of Iceland, the -southerly wind, we see at once why the snow line is lower upon -the south than the north of the Vatna Jökull. When we inspect the -glaciers which fringe the south of the Vatna Jökull, we find they -have decidedly advanced; indeed, at one point so much so as to -almost destroy communication along that part of the south shore. -Upon the north we find that a huge tongue of glacier has flowed -down full ten or twelve miles beyond the utmost limit assigned to -it by Gunnlaugsson some forty years ago, while the route traversed -by that enterprising man is completely overrun by the ice, and the -traditionary road of the Vatna Jökull’s verge is now amongst the -high snows of the Vatna. Icelanders, as a rule, are loth to admit -the advance of their glaciers, and vainly appeal to striated rocks -at much lower altitudes than most of the Icelandic glaciers of the -present day, and to moraines stranded upon the plains beneath some -of the principal mountain sections; but since it is impossible -to say when these rocks were scratched, or even whether the very -rocks to whose striæ they so confidently point were not erupted -long before Northern Europe and America disappeared beneath the ice -and snow of the earlier glacial period, what is the use of such -evidence? The very moraines may have been produced by the glaciers -which have strewn even our own country with erratic boulders and -glacial _débris_. Again, it is no uncommon thing in Iceland for -huge masses of glaciers to slide down the mountain side during -periods of eruption, scratching the harder and furrowing the softer -rocks in their progress, and leaving heaps of _débris_ in no way -distinguishable from terminal moraines. These facts are rather -startling. True, the glaciers of Iceland may, and, no doubt, do ebb -and flow, but they gain upon the whole, and never would increase -to this extent was not the annual accumulation vastly in excess of -the waste. It may be said this is due to a cycle of unpropitious -seasons. Possibly; but we find this advance of northern glaciers is -not peculiar to Iceland. Dr. Nordenskjöld has proved a considerable -advance in the glaciers of Spitzbergen; Greenland gives us the same -intelligence. This seems to point to something more than a local -advance, compensated for by a retreat in other places. It is too -rapid an advance to be accounted for by astronomical causes; but -cannot we suggest some comparatively slight physical changes which -may account for it? Granted that above a certain latitude the earth -only receives as much heat during the summer as it does during the -winter, and that in one winter it will accumulate just as much -snow and ice as the summer’s heat will suffice to melt, if it were -all employed for that purpose. Now we are perfectly aware that snow -and ice having once accumulated, a greater part of the succeeding -summer’s heat would be reflected back into space and not employed -in melting them, while the aqueous vapours condensing above it -would screen the snow from solar influence. Thus a new glacial -period would creep upon us, heralding its approach by an advance -band of low temperature of its own production were it not for the -warm oceanic and atmospheric currents, for the beneficial influence -of which we have only to look at the varying temperature of many -localities in similar latitudes to appreciate. A great alteration -in temperature and climate would certainly take place supposing -any variation should occur in the direction of these currents--in -the Gulf Stream, for instance. Supposing that its waters, instead -of reaching so far north, were deflected southwards, then not -only would Arctic climates and Arctic ice be less affected by it, -but the deflected stream would heighten the temperature of the -waters of lower latitudes, and cause an increased evaporation; -consequently there would be an increased condensation upon northern -mountains and Polar shores, and an increased reflection of the -succeeding summer’s sun. It is rather a curious fact that less -American driftwood has been brought to the northern shores of -Iceland during late years, and an increased amount has been cast -upon its southern coast. This little fact of course proves nothing -in itself; but when we see northern glaciers advancing to the -extent they have done one naturally asks the reason. Astronomical -causes we must put on one side, for the glacial advance is too -rapid to admit of that solution. But if northern glaciers continue -to advance, it will be a matter of some interest if we could -ascertain whether those mysterious forces which give birth to the -earthquake and the volcano have wrought any alteration in the flow -of that guardian angel of the north--the Gulf Stream. - -We will now pass on to the volcanic rocks of which Iceland is -constituted. The foundation of Iceland is palagonitic tuff of -sub-aqueous origin, disturbed and at times metamorphosed by -enormous masses of amygdaloidal basaltic lava whose cavities abound -with zeolites, being traversed by dykes and layers of interjected -basaltic and trachytic lava at all times dislocated and confused by -the various earthquakes which from time to time have shaken Iceland -to its nethermost stone. These rocks are overlaid by lava streams -of sub-ærial origin, pumiceous tuffs and agglomerates that have -been formed by debacles and atmospheric influences. Concerning -the strike and dip of the various layers of trap and basalt there -is no general inclination, no uniformity--all is confusion. The -loose soil of Iceland is entirely composed of disintegrated and -decomposed volcanic rocks and decayed vegetable matter, and would -be very fruitful if it were in a lower latitude. The vast period -of time which it must have taken to decompose the huge lava -streams that we find almost entirely converted into humus may be -appreciated when we look upon pre-historic lava fields, grey with -lichens, like that of Thingvellir, while the actual decomposition -of its surface scarcely amounts to half-an-inch. We may divide the -lavas of Iceland, like those of most other volcanic districts, -into two classes; first, the basalts passing into dolerites, and -secondly, the trachytic lavas. The more ancient basalts occur -most frequently as intruded masses of amygdaloidal character; the -doleritic lavas of Iceland are the more recent products of its -volcanoes, varying only in this respect, that the earlier erupted -lavas contain crystals of olivine, in addition to the felspar and -augite which occur in most of the lavas of our own time. - -Trachytic lava occurs but sparingly in the parts of Iceland that I -have visited. It has for a long time been assumed that a trachytic -band was disposed upon a fissure which bisected Iceland from N.E. -to S.W., namely from Cape Langanes to Reykjanes upon which the -principal centres of eruption were supposed to be situated. This, -however, is a presumption unwarranted by investigation. A glance at -the map will show us that there are many other centres of volcanic -activity which do not occur in this imaginary trachytic band. -True most of the more recently active volcanoes occur upon this -rectilinear, but there are Myrdals Jökull, Eyjafjalla and Örœfa -Jökull, all volcanoes that have erupted comparatively recently, and -a host of more ancient volcanoes distributed over other portions of -the island, which might lead us to surmise that there were a dozen -instead of one great fissure in the superficial rocks of Iceland. - -Trachytes, principally I believe in an altered condition, have been -found around and between Hekla and the Geysers, and notably at the -volcano of Rauðarkamb. I was informed, however, that we must look -for the greater part of the trachyte of Iceland other than in a -pumiceous form upon the peninsulars of Snæfells Jökull. Certainly -I found that trachytic lava almost died out upon the north side of -the Vatna Jökull, or else it is so covered up with recent volcanic -productions as to be undiscernible. The obsidians of Iceland, which -are found so universally distributed in fragmentary forms upon the -sides of the volcanoes are seldom to be met with _in situ_, indeed -the only instance that I have met with of obsidian _in situ_ was at -Mount Paul, in the heart of the Vatna Jökull. That mountain, as we -have already seen, is entirely composed of obsidian, varying from -the vitreous to the grey stony variety. - -The obsidians of Iceland seldom contain the beautiful felspar -crystals, so characteristic of the Arran pitch-stones, but some -of them are of a porphyritic nature, showing under the microscope -crystals of quartz much fissured and split about, no doubt during -the process of cooling. We must also regard the greater part of -the pumice which was ejected last year from the Öskjugjá as an -obsidian, in spite of its remarkably vesicular character. The -fine dust which was carried to Norway during the eruption of last -Easter-day resembled powdered glass, and led geologists there to -come to the conclusion that the mountain which was erupting must -have been pouring out great quantities of obsidian. As compared -with the lavas of Vesuvius, I cannot help suggesting that many of -the more ancient lavas in both instances are of a more trachytic -and porphyritic character. In the Vesuvian lavas especially, the -crystals contained by the older rocks have crystallized out of the -uncrystalline or semi-crystalline mass. A prevalent mineral in the -older Vesuvian lavas is leucite, which corresponds to the olivine -that occurs so frequently in the older erupted lavas of Iceland, -while those minerals are seldom to be met with in the more recent -lavas of either Iceland or Italy. - -I must now bring these few pages to a close. I dare say they -contain a great deal of what is not worth reading; but as they give -the only account of the Vatna Jökull and the part of the Ódáðahraun -which I traversed, I trust those that may take the trouble to read -them, will accept them as the best and the most accurate account of -those districts that I am able to give. - - - - - INDEX. - - - PAGE. - - Agglomerates 183 - - Akreyri 143 - - Alderjufoss 159 - - Arnarfell-hið-Mikla 166 - - Ásberg 136 - - Askja, plain of 86 - - - Birch-tree 20 - - Borðeyri 138 - - Breiðamerkr Glacier 17, 24 - ” ” Sandr 23 - - - Climate 180 - - Crater Lakes 122 - - - Dettifoss 119 - - Dyngjufjöll 83 - ” ascent of 101 - - - Equipment 28 - - Eyrarbakki 8 - - - Glaciers 190 - - Grafalandá River 76 - - Grímstaðir 70 - - - Heiði 11 - - Hekla 181 - - Hengill, volcano of 6 - - Herðubreið 65, 103 - - Hot Springs 185 - - Hraun 7 - - Hrossaberg 75 - - Húsavík 133 - - - Iron Pyrites, sublimation of 174 - - - Jökulls 186 - - Jökulsá-á-fjöllum 61 - - - Kaldbakkr 14 - - Kálfafellsfjall 30 - - Kálfafellstaðr 25 - - Kiðagil 160 - - Kistufell 54 - - Kötlugiá 181 - - Krafla 123 - - - Lœkjarbotn 5 - - Lake Grœnavatn 126 - ” Mývatn 111 - - Lavas of Iceland 183, 193 - ” ” Mývatns Orœfí 108, 155 - - Laxá River 131 - - Lindá River 77 - - Lómagnúpar 19 - - - Mount Paul 36 - - Mud-pools 115 - - Mývatns Orœfí, eruption of 146 - - - Námufjall 113 - - Núpstað 15 - - Núpstaða-skógr 21 - - Núpsvatn River 18 - - - Obsidian 36, 124 - - Ódáðahraun 95 - - Ölfusá, river of 8 - - Öskjugjá, crater of 88 - ” volcano of 84 - - - Pemmican, preparation of 26 - - Perlite 38 - - Provisions 29 - - Pumice 63, 78 - - - Querkfjall 63 - - - Reykjahlíð 112 - - Rivers, diversion of 57 - - - Seljalandsfoss 13 - - Shark-liver oil 144 - - Skeiðarár Sandr 18 - - Skjaldbreið, ascent of 83, 96 - - Skjálfandifljót 145 - - Skógarfoss 11 - - Snow, camping in 32 - - Solfataras 174 - - Spherulite 38 - - Sprengisandr 165 - - Storms on the Vatna 46 - - Sulphur mines 112, 129 - - Svartfugl 23, 25 - - Swans 13 - - - Thjórsá 10, 167 - - The “Great Kettle” 129 - - Trachytic lava 170 - - - Vaðalda Hills 61 - - Vatna Jökull 32, 186 - ” ” Housie 41 - - Volcanic mud 84, 88, 92 - - - Water, eruption of 89 - - - - - FOOTNOTES: - -[1] So called from a particular kind of bird, called Lómi, -which frequents this mountain. - -[2] Not marked on the map. - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE - - For consistency all occurrences of a.m. and p.m. have been changed - to A.M. and P.M. - - Icelandic names often have accents and hyphens, but they are applied - inconsistently in the original text. Names in the etext have - been adjusted to be consistent and follow the most common variant in - the text. For example Reykjahlid, Reykjahlið, Reykjahlíð, have all - been rendered as Reykjahlíð. - - Five occurrences of Öskjagjá have been changed to Öskjugjá. - Eight occurrences of Dyngjufjall have been changed to Dyngjufjöll. - Seven occurrences of Reykjahlaíð have been changed to Reykjahlíð. - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained: for example, - sandbank, sand-bank; mid-day, midday; grass land, grass-land; - under weigh; negociated; felspar; enwrapped; indurated; coign. - - Pg 3: ‘Oddr Gíslason upon’ replaced by ‘Oddr Gíslasson upon’. - Pg 14: ‘named Eyólfr; he’ replaced by ‘named Eyólfur; he’. - Pg 27: ‘and Eyólfr, from’ replaced by ‘and Eyólfur, from’. - Pg 28: ‘accomodate six’ replaced by ‘accommodate six’. - Pg 37: ‘known as spherolites’ replaced by ‘known as spherulites’. - Pg 38: ‘pearlite and obsidian’ replaced by ‘perlite and obsidian’. - Pg 38: ‘spherolites cemented’ replaced by ‘spherulites cemented’. - Pg 52: ‘reached the the height’ replaced by ‘reached the height’. - Pg 66: ‘to develope into’ replaced by ‘to develop into’. - Pg 70: ‘baleing and rowing’ replaced by ‘bailing and rowing’. - Pg 70: ‘Ha had passed’ replaced by ‘He had passed’. - Pg 74: ‘and Eyolpur, while’ replaced by ‘and Eyólfur, while’. - Pg 82: ‘The circumtances’ replaced by ‘The circumstances’. - Pg 92: ‘again begining to’ replaced by ‘again beginning to’. - Pg 111: ‘wady near the’ replaced by ‘wadi near the’. - Pg 114: ‘which upon eastern’ replaced by ‘which upon the eastern’. - Pg 127: ‘at the the time of’ replaced by ‘at the time of’. - Pg 128: ‘the commencment of’ replaced by ‘the commencement of’. - Pg 136: ‘north, insoculating’ replaced by ‘north, inosculating’. - Pg 139: ‘into a karal’ replaced by ‘into a corral’. - Pg 139: ‘the obstreporous cargo’ replaced by ‘the obstreperous cargo’. - Pg 141: ‘cross the Sprengrtandr’ replaced by ‘cross the Sprengisandr’. - Pg 168: ‘view of Hecla’ replaced by ‘view of Hekla’. - Pg 185: ‘almost insoculate’ replaced by ‘almost inosculate’. - Pg 190: ‘by Gunlaugson some’ replaced by ‘by Gunnlaugsson some’. - Pg 190: ‘vergr is now’ replaced by ‘verge is now’. - - Index. ‘Dyngjafjöll’ replaced by ‘Dyngjufjöll’. - Index. ‘Lake Grænavatn’ replaced by ‘Lake Grœnavatn’. - Index. ‘Myvatus’ replaced by ‘Mývatns’. - Index. ‘Námurfjall’ replaced by ‘Námufjall’. - Index. ‘Núpsvatu’ replaced by ‘Núpsvatn’. - Index. ‘Querkfjöll’ replaced by ‘Querkfjall’. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Across the Vatna Jökull; or Scenes i - Iceland, by William Lord Watts - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SCENES IN ICELAND *** - -***** This file should be named 62282-0.txt or 62282-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/2/8/62282/ - -Produced by MFR, John Campbell, Gísli Valgeirsson and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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