way down the stream. An extensive rocky
moor succeeded, interspersed with disagreeable
bog and numerous rivulets, and presenting
nothing interesting to the traveller, till,
about ten o’clock, our. wearied eyes were
relieved by the view of Apn-vatn, and of a
lofty column of steam from the boiling fountain
of Reykum. As we ascended the hills
on the west side of Apn-vatn, the rain
changed to a thick mist, accompanied by a
degree of cold, which I should scarcely have
thought could have been experienced south
of the arctic circle in the month of July.
A flannel under-dress and two great coats,
in addition to my usual quantity of apparel,
were not sufficient to keep me warm, and I
frequently found it necessary to alight from
my horse, preferring the fatigue of walking
under such a weight of clothes, to the excessive
cold experienced during more moderate
exercise. About midnight it became apparent
from the broken surface of the ground,
and the holes which here and there presented
themselves, that we were approaching
a continuation of the extraordinary country
that extends in an easterly direction from
Thingevalle, while the duskiness that pervades
the atmosphere in the night at this
season of the year, together with the fog
which now confined our view to within a
few yards around us, but which at the same
time increased the apparent size of the objects,
added to the gloominess and horror of
the scenery. We travelled continually among
the great masses of rock that lie strewed
in the wildest possible disorder about the
chasms which they once served to fill up,
and frequently, as we went on, were we deceived
by the imaginary sight of houses in
this solitude, which, on a nearer approach,
proved to be only huge rocks, torn from
their natural situation by the shock of an
earthquake, or some terrible convulsion of
nature. However naturally the mind of man
shrinks from solitude, and rejoices amidst
the dreariness of an Icelandic waste to see
the faces and to hear the voices of human
beings, yet still in a country like tbis, where
the track, whenever it appears, affords room
for only a single horse, the sense of danger
overpowers the gratification, and it is therefore
fortunate that travellers are seldom met
with, except at this season, when the natives
are returning from the mart at Reikevig, or