48 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [VII. 



clemencies of the Polar Sea. As on this occasion the 

 thermometer was at 8i°, and a coup-de-soleil was the chief 

 thing to be feared, a ton of fur round his skull was scarcely 

 necessary. Seamen's trousers, a bright scarlet jersey, and 

 jack-boots fringed with cat-skin, completed his costume ; 

 and as he proceeded along in his usual state of chronic con- 

 sternation, with my rifle slung at his back and a couple of 

 telescopes over his shoulder, he looked the image of Robin- 

 son Crusoe, fresh from having seen the foot-print. 



A couple of hours' ride across the lava plain we had 

 previously traversed brought us to a river, where our Reyk- 

 javik friends, after showing us a salmon weir, finally took 

 their leave, with many kind wishes for our prosperity. On 

 looking through the clear water that hissed and bubbled 

 through the wooden sluice, the Doctor had caught sight of 

 an apparently dead salmon, jammed up against its wooden 

 bars ; but on pulling him out, he proved to be still breath- 

 ing, though his tail was immovably twisted into his mouth. 

 A consultation taking place, the Doctors both agreed that 

 it was a case of pleurosthotonos, brought on by mechanical 

 injury to the spine (we had just been talking of Palmer's 

 trial), and that he was perfectly fit for food. In accordance 

 with this verdict, he was knocked on the head, and slung at 

 Wilson's saddle-bow. Left to ourselves, we now pushed on 

 as rapidly as we could, though the track across the lava was 

 so uneven, that every moment I expected Snorro (for thus 

 have I christened my pony) would be on his nose. In 

 another hour, we were among the hills. The scenery of this 

 part of the journey was not very beautiful, the mountains 

 not being remarkable either for their size or shape ; but 

 here and there we came upon pretty bits, not unlike some 

 of the barren parts of Scotland, with quiet blue lakes sleep- 

 ing in the solitude. 



After wandering along for some time in a broad open 

 valley, that gradually narrowed to a glen, we reached a 

 grassy patch. As it was past three o'clock, Sigurdr pro- 

 posed a halt. 



