IMPROVED APPEARANCE.
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character as those on the lower part of the beach
at Reikiavik, being angular and pointed, and generally
of-five sides, apparently the fragments of
basaltic pillars. Notliing could be more uninviting
than the first part of our ride, and it did not improve
as Ave proceeded; on the contrary, the vicAv on all
sides Avas marked with one general aspect of-desolation.
Not a shrub raised its head above the
ground; not a habitation attracted our attention ;
and not a living creature was anywhere to be seen,
save a fcAv plovers and curlcAvs, Avhose mournful
notes Avere well suited to the dreariness of the surrounding
scenery. These birds appeared to be so
tame, confident as it Avoidd seem not to be molested,
that they scarcely gave themselves the trouble of
moving out o f our .Avay ; so confiding indeed, that it
Avould almost have been an act of Avantonness to think
for a moment of destroying them. Travelling on-
Avards to a considerable distance, we overtook our
twelve relief-horses, Avhich had been turned loose
to feed on a large and tolerably Avell-clothed grass-
plat. Here Ave rested for about half an hour, and
the twelve horses thus added to our cavalcade Avere
driven loose in front of our baggage-horses.
The guides rode immediately behind the latter,
and Ave ourselves brought up the rear. After this
our hridle-road for a little while Avas tolerably good;
hut it Avas soon followed by a tract of poi-ous and
curled lava that was rough and unpleasant enough.
Beyond this Ave reached a sort of morass, through
Avhich Avere running several small streams, and over
these Ave Avere compelled to Avade, which gave me
an opportunity of trying the good quality of my
Tronyem waterproof boots.
Our route hoav led us close by the side of three
or four small lakes, near Avhich the verdure was rich
and the pasture excellent; and here Ave observed
a few cows and sheep feeding; many of the latter
were so far remarkable that they had four horns,
and the fore part of the body was black and the remainder
Avhite. The cows appeared to be of a larger
breed than those generally met with in Norway ; but
the smallness of our horses, Avhen placed beside
them, may perhaps have shown them off to a greater
advantage. They were hoAvever beautifully marked,
and in shape resembled the Alderney, having generally
very small horns, but frequently they are
Avithout any.
As soon as Ave had accomplished, according to
our calculation, about half of our day’s journey, Ave
halted for the purpose of relieving our baggage-
horses, at the expense of undergoing the same
tedious operation of loading and unloading, packing
and unpacking, half a dozen times before our
Icelanders coidd satisfy themselves that they had
put the saddles and the packages on the right
horses. It Avoidd have been useless to hurry them,
and AVC therefore made a virtue of necessity, and
bore it all Avith becoming patience, amusing ourselves
in the meanwhile by taking some refreshments,
Avhich none of us felt indisposed to do after a pretty
long and very tedious ride.
K'
ft