8o LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [VII. 



the masses of vapour rising round the fountain, and guessing 

 " what was up" had strained every nerve to arrive in time. 

 As there was no mutual friend present to introduce us to each 

 other, — of course under ordinary circumstances I should 

 have wrapped myself in that reserve which is the birthright 

 of every Briton, and pretended never even to have noticed 

 his arrival ; but the sight we had just seen had quite upset 

 my nerves, — and I confess, with shame, that I so far com- 

 promised myself, as to inaugurate a conversation with the 

 stranger. In extenuation of my conduct, I must be allowed 

 to add, that the new-comer was not a fellow-countryman, but 

 of the French tongue, and of the naval profession. 



Occupying then the door of my tent — by way of vantage 

 ground, as soon as the stranger was come within earshot, I 

 lifted up my voice, and cried in a style of Arabian fami- 

 liarity, " O thou that ridest so furiously, — weary and disap- 

 pointed one, — turn in, I pray thee, into the tent of thy 

 servant, and eat bread, and drink wine, that thy soul may be 

 comforted." To which he answered and said, "Man, — 

 dweller in sulphureous places, — I will not eat bread, nor 

 drink wine, neither will I enter into thy tent, until I have 

 measured out a resting-place for my Lord the Prince." 



At this interesting moment our acquaintance was inter- 

 rupted by the appearance of two other horsemen — the one a 

 painter, the other a geologist — attached to the expedition 

 of Prince Napoleon. They informed us that His Imperial 

 Highness had reached Reykjavik two days after we had left, 

 that he had encamped last night at Thingvalla, and might 

 be expected here in about four hours : they themselves hav- 

 ing come on in advance to prepare for his arrival. My first 

 care was to order coffee for the tired Frenchmen ; and then 

 — feeling that long residence having given us a kind of pro- 

 prietorship in the Geysirs, we were bound to do the honours 

 of the place to the approaching band of travellers, -»-I sum- 

 moned the cook, and enlarging in a long speech on the 

 gravity of the occasion, gave orders that he should make a 

 holocaust of all the remaining game, and get under way a 



