fire. The current of lava had in a single day,
before the evening of the 12th, proceeded
as far as the farm Aa, in Sida, where it overflowed
houses, enclosures, pasture-lands, and
carried every thing away before it. It had
also in another direction done much damago e
to the farm Buland, and destroyed Svartanup
and Litlanes. On the western side the fire
had already extended itself as far as the
farms Svinadal and Hvaam, where much
injury had been sustained. The same was
the case with Skaptardal, on the eastern
side.
According to all appearances it might reasonably
have been expected that the immense
masses of lava, rushing down like
melted metal from out the Skaptaa, with
such prodigious force and velocity, would
at once have over-run Medalland, which lay
just beneath, and consequently have done
infinite mischief; but at this very place the
fire was arrested in its progress, on the succeeding
day. A lake, formerly situated in a
place between Skaptardal and Aa, but now in
part filled up with sand from the Skaptaa,
swallowed up a vast quantity of lava that, for
several successive days, poured down with a
horrid noise. The fire-stream was consequently
very much diminished, but when
the great lake was at length filled, and when
the lava, by continual supplies from its
principal source, had risen to a considerable
height in the valley between Skaptartunga
and Aa, then the stream extended itself
much farther over the lowlands. Frightful
noises and sounds that caused the whole
place to tremble, strong claps of thunder
and constant lightnings, prevented the inhabitants
from taking any rest between the
14th and 15th of June. The burning lava
was seen at that time to overflow the farm
Nes, in Skaptartunga, together with the
whole of the adjacent country, and, among
other places, several that were well wooded
between this farm and Skalarstapi, in Sida.
Another arm proceeded eastward from this
place, passing by the farms Skal and Holt,
where it stopped several days; but during
that period burned the wood-lands called
Brandeland, belonging to Kirkebai-cloister.
On the 13th previous, several persons had
endeavored to go up into the mountains in