surrounded us on every side to that degree
that we scarcely knew on which side to turn
in order to retrace our steps. At lengthy
however, we effected this, and I attempted
again to pass the lava in another place east
from Blseng, in hopes that the mouth of
the volcano might be approached on the
north side; but here was experienced the
same strong and insufferable heat as at the
former place, so that I was obliged to return
the next morning at sun-rise, after having
employed the whole night in vain, in endeavoring
to get over. I still persisted in
advancing along the lava for a considerable
distance by the west and south-west parts of
Uxatindur (where the lava-stream was very
narrow) in order to cross, but my labor was
all fruitless. The heat was intolerable, and
when I begO an to make use of the borinOg
instrument, it became, at the depth of four
feet from the surface of the earth, so hot that
it was with difficulty we could draw it up
again, though our hands were protected with
mittens. When I found that my people could
no longer bear to work with the mountain-
shaft, and that the great heat was likely
to render our experiments useless, we moved
VOLCANOES.
on towards the outskirts of the lava, where
the temperature was more supportable, and
there continued our observations.
§ XVIII.
Source of th e *s I think certain, that the
eruption. place whence the eruption had its
origin, is that small low mountain, which I
have just mentioned as being situated to the
north of Blseng, and which is, indeed, the
most northerly one we could discover. That
its source is not farther in that direction,
we have the strongest proof in the Skaptaa;
for, had such been the case, this river
would have been filled up long before, in
which case it must, wholly or in part,
have made its way along the east side of
the laya-tract, north-east from Blseng, instead
of taking the western, as at present.
In like manner, could the stream of lava
have flowed farther towards the north, in
that extensive tract of country between
those spots, where the sources of the two
great rivers, Skaptaa and Hverfisfliot, seem
to lose themselves in it, the rivers must have
been sooner choked, and there wrould consequently
have been a great deal of stagnant