able to discover; for, if they perceive, by a
difference in the vegetation, a part which
appears insecure to tread upon, they immediately
put their noses to the ground, and,
as if by the faculty of smell, seem to be
sensible of the propriety or impropriety of
proceeding. This instinct, indeed, is not
peculiar to the horses of this country, for
the shelties of Scotland appear to possess it
nearly in as great a degree. After conducting
us into a beaten track, at about three
Friday, o’clock in the morning of the fol-
July 2i. lowing day, our attentive guide left
us, and with no diminution of speed set off
on his return to Heiderbag, in order that
he might reach the place in time to go
through his whole day’s work of hay-cutting.
The mist now began to clear away, and I
saw at but little distance before me the
chasm at the foot of the mountain Skoul-
a-fiel. I alighted from my horse and walked
along a steep descent to the edge of the
precipice, whence I looked directly down
into an opening of the ground, which, at
the same time that it appeared nearly as
deep and quite as terrific as that of Alman-
negiaa, was more remarkable, from having
in the centre, between the two precipices,
¿' perpendicular column of rock, in height
nearly equalling the place on which I stood,
and surrounded, excepting a small portion,
by the waters of a torrent that flowed
with great rapidity along the bottom of the
chasm. There was no way by which I
could arrive at the stream without going
a very circuitous route, and I therefore
thought it better to hasten to Reikevig,
and, if the time allowed me before the sailing
of the vessel would permit, to return
and bestow a day upon the investigation of
this place and the neighboring mountain.
On our nearer approach to Reikevig, we
saw numerous parties of the natives with
their tents and horses, giving an appearance
of life and population, which alone could make
the rest of our journey in the least interesting.
Wheresoever a green spot presented itself,
tents were pitched, and the horses suffered
to graze, whilst the owners were reposing
themselves after a journey which had
been made during the night, according
to the general custom of the Icelanders at
this season of the year. These people were
on the road either to or from Reikevig; in