Letters From High Latitudes [20]
was pretty well arranged,--guns, powder, shot, tea-kettles, rice, tents, beds, portable soups, etc. all stowed away,--when the desponding Wilson came to me, his chin sweeping the ground, to say--that he very much feared the cook would die of the ride,--that he had never been on horseback in his life,--that as an experiment he had hired a pony that very morning at his own charges,--had been run away with, but having been caught and brought home by an honest Icelander, was now lying down--that position being the one he found most convenient.
As the first day's journey was two-and-thirty miles, and would probably necessitate his being twelve or thirteen hours in the saddle, I began to be really alarmed for my poor chef; but finding on inquiry that these gloomy prognostics were entirely voluntary on the part of Mr. Wilson, that the officer in question was full of zeal, and only too anxious to add horsemanship to his other accomplishments, I did not interfere. As for Wilson himself, it is not a marvel if he should see things a little askew; for some unaccountable reason, he chose to sleep last night in the open air, on the top of a hen- coop, and naturally awoke this morning with a crick in his neck, and his face so immovably fixed over his left shoulder, that the efforts of all the ship's company have not been able to twist it back: with the help of a tackle, however, I think we shall eventually brace it square again.
At two we went to lunch with the Rector. The entertainment bore a strong family likeness to our last night's dinner; but as I wanted afterwards to exhibit my magic lantern to his little daughter Raghnilder, and a select party of her young friends, we contrived to elude doing full justice to it. During the remainder of the evening, like Job's children, we went about feasting from house to house, taking leave of friends who could not have been kinder had they known us all our lives, and interchanging little gifts and souvenirs. With the Governor I have left a print from the Princess Royal's drawing of the dead soldier in the Crimea. From the Rector of the cathedral church I have received some very curious books--almost the first printed in the island; I have been very anxious to obtain some specimens of ancient Icelandic manuscripts, but the island has long since been ransacked of its literary treasures; and to the kindness of the French consul I am indebted for a charming little white fox, the drollest and prettiest little beast I ever saw.
Having dined on board the "Artemise," we adjourned at eleven o'clock to the beach to witness the departure of the baggage. The ponies were all drawn up in one long file, the head of each being tied to the tail of the one immediately before him. Additional articles were stowed away here and there among the boxes. The last instructions were given by Sigurdr to the guides, and everything was declared ready for a start. With the air of an equestrian star, descending into the arena of Astley's Amphitheatre, the cook then stepped forward, made me a superb bow, and was assisted into the saddle. My little cabin-boy accompanied him as aide-de-camp.
The jovial Wilson rides with us tomorrow. Unless we get his head round during the night, he will have to sit facing his horse's tail, in order to see before him.
We do not seem to run any danger of falling short of provisions, as by all accounts there are birds enough in the interior of the country to feed an Israelitish emigration.
LETTER VII.
KISSES--WILSON ON HORSEBACK--A LAVA PLATEAU--THINGVALLA-- ALMANNAGIA--RABNAGIA--OUR TENT--THE SHIVERED PLAIN-- WITCH-DROWNING--A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, A. D. 1000-- THANGBRAND THE MISSIONARY--A GERMAN GNAT-CATCHER--THE MYSTICAL MOUNTAINS--SIR OLAF--HECKLA--SKAPTA JOKUL--THE FIRE DELUGE OF 1783--WE REACH THE GEYSIR--STROKR--FITZ'S BONNE FORTUNE--MORE KISSES--AN ERUPTION--PRINCE NAPOLEON --RETURN--TRADE--POPULATION--A MUTINY--THE REINE HORTENSE--THE SEVEN DUTCHMEN--A BALL--LOW DRESSES-- NORTHWARD HO!
Reykjavik, July 7, 1856.
At last I have seen the famous Geysirs, of which
As the first day's journey was two-and-thirty miles, and would probably necessitate his being twelve or thirteen hours in the saddle, I began to be really alarmed for my poor chef; but finding on inquiry that these gloomy prognostics were entirely voluntary on the part of Mr. Wilson, that the officer in question was full of zeal, and only too anxious to add horsemanship to his other accomplishments, I did not interfere. As for Wilson himself, it is not a marvel if he should see things a little askew; for some unaccountable reason, he chose to sleep last night in the open air, on the top of a hen- coop, and naturally awoke this morning with a crick in his neck, and his face so immovably fixed over his left shoulder, that the efforts of all the ship's company have not been able to twist it back: with the help of a tackle, however, I think we shall eventually brace it square again.
At two we went to lunch with the Rector. The entertainment bore a strong family likeness to our last night's dinner; but as I wanted afterwards to exhibit my magic lantern to his little daughter Raghnilder, and a select party of her young friends, we contrived to elude doing full justice to it. During the remainder of the evening, like Job's children, we went about feasting from house to house, taking leave of friends who could not have been kinder had they known us all our lives, and interchanging little gifts and souvenirs. With the Governor I have left a print from the Princess Royal's drawing of the dead soldier in the Crimea. From the Rector of the cathedral church I have received some very curious books--almost the first printed in the island; I have been very anxious to obtain some specimens of ancient Icelandic manuscripts, but the island has long since been ransacked of its literary treasures; and to the kindness of the French consul I am indebted for a charming little white fox, the drollest and prettiest little beast I ever saw.
Having dined on board the "Artemise," we adjourned at eleven o'clock to the beach to witness the departure of the baggage. The ponies were all drawn up in one long file, the head of each being tied to the tail of the one immediately before him. Additional articles were stowed away here and there among the boxes. The last instructions were given by Sigurdr to the guides, and everything was declared ready for a start. With the air of an equestrian star, descending into the arena of Astley's Amphitheatre, the cook then stepped forward, made me a superb bow, and was assisted into the saddle. My little cabin-boy accompanied him as aide-de-camp.
The jovial Wilson rides with us tomorrow. Unless we get his head round during the night, he will have to sit facing his horse's tail, in order to see before him.
We do not seem to run any danger of falling short of provisions, as by all accounts there are birds enough in the interior of the country to feed an Israelitish emigration.
LETTER VII.
KISSES--WILSON ON HORSEBACK--A LAVA PLATEAU--THINGVALLA-- ALMANNAGIA--RABNAGIA--OUR TENT--THE SHIVERED PLAIN-- WITCH-DROWNING--A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, A. D. 1000-- THANGBRAND THE MISSIONARY--A GERMAN GNAT-CATCHER--THE MYSTICAL MOUNTAINS--SIR OLAF--HECKLA--SKAPTA JOKUL--THE FIRE DELUGE OF 1783--WE REACH THE GEYSIR--STROKR--FITZ'S BONNE FORTUNE--MORE KISSES--AN ERUPTION--PRINCE NAPOLEON --RETURN--TRADE--POPULATION--A MUTINY--THE REINE HORTENSE--THE SEVEN DUTCHMEN--A BALL--LOW DRESSES-- NORTHWARD HO!
Reykjavik, July 7, 1856.
At last I have seen the famous Geysirs, of which