order to discover the real source of the fire,
and the extent of the mischief that had ensued
from it in the district; but the thick
smoke issuing from the lava made their attempt
quite impracticable. Nothing could
be seen but the stream that had filled up the
Skaptaa, together with innumerable fire-
spouts, which rose out of the river, close by
Ulfarsdal and a long way towards the north.
The fire-stream. During the ensuing three
days, till the 18th of June, the fire spread
itself slowly towards thè south and southwest,
from Skal over the old lava-tracts¡
It penetrated the innermost and most concealed
crevices* by which means the old
lava was as it were lifted up from its
original bed; and formed into a number of
hills. It did not, however, suffer itself to
be so removed without a strange whistling
kind of noise, caused b•y> the fire forcinoe the
air from the subterraneous caves through i;he
cracks and narrow openings. Sand and earth
were only slightly scorched by the fire, and
it had but little effect upon the grey-stòne
(graasteen); but, on the contrary, it penetrated
into the smallest fissures, and pores of
the old lava, which was soon melted, flowing
with the new, and often taking fire itself.
Thus, when an old piece of lava was melted,
it immediately lighted that with which it was
in contact, and so continued till the whole
was on fire. It is remarkable that, during the
melting of this lava, the uppermost crust
remained in its original state, so that large
pieces might be taken out of the fire-stream
which had the appearance of beaten metal.
The stream forced itself downward, where
it continued its progress, throwing the above-
mentioned crust up into the air or to the
sides of the current, in which situation it
remained for some time, burning in a pure
steady flame. Wherever the fire-stream had
in this manner forced its way under hills
and rocks, they were, by means of the
heated subterraneous vapors, thrown into
the air with prodigious force and a dreadful
noise. I t may easily be conceived what
a horrible crackling must attend the bursting
asunder of such immense masses of rock,
many of them from an hundred and twenty
to an hundred and eighty feet in height; but
how much more terrifying must be the fall