We now proceeded farther upon our
journey, endeavoring to ascend the mountain
on the south side; but it was not
possible here to continue our route, except
on foot, and in this manner I at last, with
great difficulty, reached the summit, though
with only one of my companions: for the
other was obliged to take a circuitous way
through a valley, in order to get the horses
over. The prospect from this mountain was
truly melancholy. Towards the east was
seen the new black lava, close by the huge
ice-mountain, while the rest of the picture
presented to the view nothing but the prodigious
quantity of ashes and sand that were
immediately after the commencement of
the eruption scattered over the whole of
Sidumanna-afrett. Following the lava-stream
still farther towards the north, by sun-set
we arrived at Blaeng, a very lofty mountain
and the most northerly one here known.
With great difficulty did we scramble up,
and observe that the stream of lava (which
had passed close by the south-east side of
Blaeng, stretching somewhat to the westward
along the south side, where a lake is
iseen in one of the vallies) advanced more
and more to the west on the north side of
the mountain, and appeared to form an arm
in a south-westerly direction towards the
channel of the Skaptaa. The smoke that
issued from the lava-stream north of Blaeng
had an appearance equally terrible and indescribable.
It intercepted our view from
this place, which was otherwise very convenient
for the purpose: yet we could discern
a considerable hillock, or small mountain,
greater in its diameter than in its height,
whence there also proceeded a thick and
black smoke. There I concluded must be
situated the source of the eruption, and immediately
advanced on my journey thither:
but I soon found the difficulty of such an
undertaking, as I continued along the lava-
tract north of Blaeng. The hazard was
increased by the extreme brittleness of the
pieces of lava and the impossibility of
finding a secure footing; and when we advanced
about sixty or eighty yards upon the
lava it became more and more dangerous
and insecure, and at the same time burning
hot, so that it was no longer possible to
^stand upon it. The smoke, too, that rose
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