SAILING THE SEVEN SEAS 



641 



the compass cannot be relied upon while 

 entering the port. On shore the magnetic 

 declination changed two degrees in 80 

 paces, and the value on one shore differed 

 by 1 5 degrees from the value on the other 

 shore, three miles distant. 



Of 90,000 people in Iceland, 12,000 live 

 in Reykjavik, the capital city. 



Farming and fishing are the chief in- 

 dustries, and we often saw halibut weigh- 

 ing 300 to 400 pounds being brought to 

 market. The haddock and the fresh- 

 water salmon were excellent. Vessels at 

 anchor in the harbor were filling their 

 holds with fresh fish, alternating with 

 layers of salt, and when loaded, were sail- 

 ing for northern Russian shores. 



PROHIBITION IN ICELAND 



The government of Iceland was forced 

 by the war to charter a vessel and send to 

 the United States for food, perhaps the 

 first time a vessel from this island had 

 visited our shores since the days of the 

 old Norsemen. Prohibition was to go 

 into effect October 1, 1914, thus pointing 

 the way for other nations. 



Forty-seven thousand Shetland ponies 

 are raised, chiefly for export, and the 

 sheep number about 900,000. During the 

 short summer season many vegetables can 

 be raised, but the potatoes grow only to 

 the size of walnuts. The grass is usually 

 cut by hand because it is so short, and the 

 whole family takes part in the haying 

 process. The hay is brought to market 

 by ponies, the chief method of transpor- 

 tation on the island, each pony carrying 

 two huge bundles. Thus the crop is esti- 

 mated at so many pony-loads (see p. 638). 



Iceland is the Land of the Sagas, the 

 oldest literature of Europe, of which Sir 

 Rider Haggard says : "Too ample, too 

 prolix, too crowded with detail, they can- 

 not vie in art with the epics of Greece; 

 but in their pictures of life, simple and 

 heroic, they fall beneath no literature in 

 the world, save the Iliad and the Odyssey 

 alone." 



The language in use to-day is the same 

 as the ancient language used among all 

 Scandinavian countries, the Icelanders 

 alone having preserved it, chiefly due to 

 the remoteness of their island. 



Since December 1, 19 18, Iceland has 

 been recognized as an independent state, 

 united with Denmark only through the 



identity of the sovereign. The island is 

 about 310 miles long from east to west 

 and 190 miles wide from north to south, 

 with an area of 40,000 square miles. 



More than one-eighth of the island is 

 covered with glaciers, and an equal area 

 is covered with old lava fields. An auto- 

 mobile trip over one of these fields of 

 desolation showed a picture of destruction 

 difficult to describe, and the continuous 

 wind and rain of the day gave an added 

 touch of gloom to the scene. 



At the small country villages where we 

 stopped the meals were excellent. Our 

 hosts were very apologetic for being un- 

 able to give us what they thought we 

 would like to eat ; so we were constrained 

 to assure them that the tinned food which 

 was a luxury to them, and to which we 

 were more than accustomed, could very 

 well be omitted in favor of their fresh 

 chicken, excellent haddock, and fresh- 

 water salmon. 



We called on the pastor of a quaint 

 little country church on the way, and the 

 exchange of points of view was mutually 

 refreshing. 



In Iceland, as in Norway, many plants 

 and flowers are grown indoors, and some 

 especially large geranium blooms were 

 seen. 



We were glad to sail for New York 

 out of the stormiest harbor we had ever 

 visited. Gales were of frequent occur- 

 rence, and one night the vessel dragged 

 the one anchor that was down and was 

 almost ashore before the other anchor 

 could be let go. Even on the day we 

 sailed a gale was blowing, and we were 

 compelled to ask one of the steamers in 

 the harbor to tow us out, as our engine 

 was not powerful enough to drive the 

 vessel against the heavy wind. 



From new york in a buzzard to the 

 tropical heat of panama 



We started on Cruise IV from New 

 York in a blizzard, March 6, 191 5. 

 Within one week we were in the tropics 

 and wishing for cool weather. During 

 one of the heaviest gales, off Cape Hat- 

 teras, about 4 o'clock on a dark, stormy 

 morning, the cook decided to try the great 

 adventure and jumped overboard. A life 

 buoy was thrown into the water, and the 

 vessel was hove to, but the heavy seas 

 running prevented launching the boat. 



