in order to see what plants it produced,
while Jacob hastened forward in search of
our horses. Here I spent some time in collecting
one of the richest botanical harvests
I ever made in one day. Some grasses, a
Veronica, and a Gnaphalium, with five or
six mosses were all new to me, and I also
found several scarce plants that I had never
before seen, though I met with them in
other places afterwards; so that with these
I not only completely filled two vascula and
my game bag, but at length began to apply
my pockets to the purpose of containing my
specimens. On my return I found Jacob
fast asleep more than half way down the
mountain, holding in his hand one of the
horses by the bridle. Having mounted our
beasts, we made the most haste we could to
our tent; and, as it still appeared possible,
before the dusk of the evening came on, to
go in search of the rock in -the chasm which
I failed of finding in the morning, I set out
a second time for the purpose, and, keeping
above the chasm, was not long before I came
within sight of it: this, fortunately for me,
happened near a spot where I was enabled
to descend to the very banks of the stream,
and procure a good view of this remarkable
place. The lofty column of rock was entirely
separated on one side from the opposite
perpendicular wall of the chasm, to
which it was on the other side united merely
for a few feet from its base, so that the
water did not altogether surround it, though
sufficiently so to give it a most remarkable
appearance. In the faces of the chasm were
several basaltic pillars lying in a horizontal
direction, firmly imbedded in the solid rock,
resembling those figured in M. Rory de St.
Vincent's Voyage *, excepting only that the
Icelandic ones did not extend to the base of
the rock, but merely occupied a few yards
of the surface. The singularity of this place
detained me till a late hour; yet, in spite
of the fatigue of the day, I had the vexation
to find on my return to the tent, that
the continuance of the wind and cold caused
me to spend as sleepless and uncomfortable
a night as the preceding one.
* See plate xi. of that work, where, on the left hand,
is represented a rock containing similar horizontal
pillars. Basaltic columns of the kind figured on the
right hand of the plate are not uncommon in Iceland.