HOT SPRINGS in ICELAND. 147 



ground under our feet, accompanied with a hollow noife, not 

 unlike the diftant firing of cannon. Another fhock foon fol- 

 lowed, and we obferved the water in the bafon to be much 

 agitated. The Icelanders haftily laid hold of us, and forced 

 us to retreat fome yards. The water in the mean time boiled 

 violently, and heaved as if fome expanfive power were labour- 

 ing beneath its weight, and fome of it was thrown up a few 

 feet above the bafon. Again there were two or three fhocks of 

 the ground, and a repetition of the fame noife. In an inftant, 

 the furrounding atmofphere was filled with volumes of fteam 

 rolling over each other as they afcended, in a manner inex- 

 preffibly beautiful, and through which, columns of water, 

 fhivering into foam, darted in rapid fucceffion to heights which, 

 at the time, we were little qualified to eftimate. Indeed, the 

 novelty and fplendour of fuch a fcene had affected our imagi- 

 nations fo forcibly, that we believed the extreme height of the 

 jet to be much greater than it was afterwards determined to be. 

 In a fubfequent eruption, Mr Baine afcertained, by means of 

 a quadrant, the greateft elevation to which the jets of water 

 were thrown, to be 96 feet. 



Much of the water began to defcend again at different 

 heights, and was again projected by other columns, which met 

 it as they arofe. At laft, having filled the bafon, it rolled in 

 great waves over its edge, and forming numberlefs rills, made 

 its way down the fides of the mound. Much was loft in va- 

 pour alfo, and (till more fell to the ground in heavy fhowers of 

 fpray. The intervals at which the feveral jets fucceeded each 

 other, were too fhort for the eye to diflinguifh them. As they 

 rofe out of the bafon, they reflected, by their denfity, the 

 pureft and mod brilliant blue. In certain fhades, the colour 

 was green like that of the fea \ but in their further afcent, all 

 diftinction of colour was loft, and the jets, broken into a 

 thoufand parts, appeared white as fnow. Several of them 

 were forced upwards perpendicularly 5 but many, receiving 



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