40 LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [VI. 



invenient tot maritos quot velint, — quod geminos quottanis 

 habeant, et quod earum filige, maternum exemplum sequentes, 

 gentem Islandicam perpetuent in ssecula saeculorum." 



The last words mechanically rolled out, in the same " ore 

 rotundo" with which the poor old Dean of Christchurch 

 used to finish his Gloria, etc. in the Cathedral. 



Then followed more speeches, — a great chinking of glasses, 

 — a Babel of conversation, — a kind of dance round the table, 

 where we successively gave each alternate hand, as in the 

 last figure of the Lancers, — a hearty embrace from the 

 Governor, — and finally, — silence, daylight, and fresh air, as 

 we stumbled forth into the street. 



Now what was to be done ? To go to bed was impossible. 

 It was eleven o'clock by our watches, and as bright as noon. 

 Fitz said it was twenty-two o'clock ; but by this time he had 

 reached that point of enlargement of the mind, and develop- 

 ment of the visual organs, which is expressed by the term 

 " seeing double," — though he now pretends he was only 

 reckoning time in the Venetian manner. We were in the 

 position of three fast young men about Reykjavik, deter- 

 mined to make a night of it, but without the wherewithal. 

 There w r ere neither knockers to steal, nor watchmen to bon- 

 net. At last we remembered that the apothecary's wife had 

 a conversazione, to which she had kindly invited us ; and 

 accordingly, off we went to her house. Here we found a 

 number of French officers, a piano, and a young lady ; in 

 consequence of which the drum soon became a ball. Finally, 

 it was proposed we should dance a reel; the second lieutenant 

 of the " Artemise" had once seen one when his ship was 

 riding out a gale in the Clyde ; — the little lady had frequently 

 studied a picture of the Highland fling on the outside of a 

 copy of Scotch music ; — I could dance a jig — the set was 

 complete, all we wanted was the music. Luckily the lady 

 of the house knew the song of " Annie Laurie," — played 

 fast it made an excellent reel tune. As you may suppose, 

 all succeeded admirably ; we nearly died of laughing, and I 

 only wish Lord Breadalbane had been by to see. 



