S ’ U 1 II !
in his Flora Islándica by the name of Menyanihes
trifoliata. “ This plant is important to travellers
Avho are not acquainted Avith the route in the
morasses; for they are Avell aware that Avheresoever
it groAA s they may safely priss; its closely-woven
roots making a firm bed upon the soft subsoil. The
Icelanders call it Reidinga, and employ the matted
tufts to prevent the saddle or any load from chafing
the horses’ backs.” These mats, if I may so call
ti]em,are made fast by ropes or cords passing round
ilie belly. On the back of the horse, and upon the
matting, is a sort ofAA’ooden saddle,Avith three small
pegs standing upright, on which the boxes are
hung and made tight by cords fastened to the
handles. 1 his mode of travelling and packing the
horses is uniA'ersal throughout the island. All the
articles that are brought from the interior for sale
at the sea-])orts, and all those taken back for AA'in-
ter consumption, are packed and cariied in this
Avay. There is not, in fact, in all Iceland such a
machine as a Avheel-carriage : no, not a Avheelbar-
roAv; and indeed, if there Avere, they would be
useless, as there is nothing in the shape of a road
on Avhicn they could move, d he w a y or the path
either lies over beds of lava, so rugged that the
horses are obliged to pick tlieir Avay, or over boggy
ground, where it is equally necessary to avoid those
places into Avhich the animals might sink up to their
belly, and Aihich, Avhen left to themselves, they are
remarkably skilful in detecting. In some places.
the path resembles a deep rut formed by the cracking
or disruption of a stream of lava ; and here the
rider is pretty much in the predicament of the
Irishman who Avas carried in a sedan chair without
a bottom in it; for in all such places Ave Avere able
to relieve our horses, by putting our feet on the two
sides of the sunken path.
Our saddles were supplied to us by some of the
Danish merchants who reside at Reikiavik, and
Avho kindly lent them for the occasion. Clumsy as
they Avere, Avithout them Ave should have been at
a sad loss. There Avas nothing remarkable in the
equipment of the horses on Avhich Ave were mounted,
save the bits of the bridles, which were somewhat
ponderous, being sufficiently large to have broken
the jaAVS of the hardest-mouthed animal in a regiment
of dragoons. The Icelandic horses are small,
seldom standing above fourteen hands, and frequently
not more than twel\'e or thirteen. In so
great a number of horses promiscuously taken,
there Avas no Avant of variety as to shape, size,
colour, or quality; but being so taken, it was far
beyond our expectation to find that there Avas not
one animal among them that could be called a bad
one, and only one th a t might be said to be decidedly
vicious; and this one certainly tried the
patience of his riders, as Ave alternately mounted
him in the course of the journey. He had very
nearly killed one of Mr. Smith’s pointers Avhilst I
happened to be on his hack. The dog had, un