4 ICELAND. 



glowing light. Removed from all comparison with the 

 leviathans of the Mersey, our little steamer grew upon 

 as tfll we had almost forgotten the hesitation we at 

 first felt to encounter the North Atlantic in such a tiny 

 craft. 



As night closed, a stormy petrel hovered about us ; 

 but all on sky and sea appeared so calm and peaceable, 

 and the big solemn barometer seemed so confident of fine 

 weather, that we derided our little enemy as a hopeless 

 lunatic who should be bound over to keep the peace 

 towards us. However, Mother Carey's envoy, as usual, 

 knew more than we did of what the winds and waves 

 were meditating, and though at night the barometer 

 hastened to rectify his prognostic, and courageously 

 threw a somersault from fair to foul, he was hardly- 

 in time to " assist ' at the commencement of the 

 strife. 



In the morning after leaving port, we passed the south 

 end of Islay, and saw its beetling crags lashed by spin- 

 drift as the grey swirls of rain-cloud were rent for a 

 moment by the rising gale. That was our last sight of 

 land till we made Iceland after five days severe buffeting 

 with the wind and sea. For a day or two the gale canie 



roaring up after us 



" With all 



Its stormy crests that smoked against the sky," 



and bore us bravely on into the dark waste of waters, 

 walled by mist, which lay beyond ; and I confess this part 

 of our voyage was very enjoyable. It was most pleasing 



