water, which is not the case at present; It
is an undoubted fact, that the whole tremendous
current of fire has proceeded from one
common source, and in all probability this
source lay in the small mountain I have been
speaking of; for, from that place, the whole
range of country overflowed with lava gradually
slopes as far as the Skaptaa, which is
also the case all the way from Skaptaa to the
sea. Whether this place of eruption was
originally a mountain, or whether it has
been formed by the ejected matter, cooling
around the crater, into its present form,
I cannot determine. But thus much is
certain, that never since the island has been
inhabited has there been known in this spot
an eruption or a volcano, not even when
Katlegiaa, which is situated a little to the
westward, or when several other mountains
to the eastward, haye raged in their greatest
fury. Still, however, there are observable,
in the northern part of Sidumanna-afrett,
in the Borgden, and in the Landbrotet itself^
evident marks of subterraneous fire, which
must have been in an active state, at a very
distant period of time, since our annals are
entirely silent upon the subject.
§ XIX.
Continuation of the Great as was my anxiety
th e 'm o u n ta in s!1 to approach near the seat of the
fire, yet the impossibility of doing so rendered
all farther efforts vain, and I was
obliged to return. I felt also considerable
apprehension for my horses, with which I
had now travelled for three successive days,
through long and dangerous roads, without
their having the least forage or grass; and it
may naturally be conceived, that both myself
and my companions were very much
exhausted by climbing day and night, by
ascending and descending the heated lava,
and by boring with the mountain-shaft,
whilst enveloped in a thick sulphureous
stench. On my way back, I continually
followed the course of the lava, commencing
at a place a little way distant from Uxatin-
dur (where the last attempts were made to
use the mountain-shaft, and also to cross
the current) as far as Helisa, a river which
formerly fell into the channel of the Skaptaa.
During this journey the dreadful smoke
arising from Hrossatuna, presented a remarkable
appearance, as far as the lava had filled
its channel. It stood here like a thick wall,