TRAVELS IN ICELAND. 



127 



and of late years has become crooked and deformed; but its 

 name, as well as two hideous gulphs or basons which it contains 

 on the south-east side,, still render it famous. These gulphs con- 

 tain stagnant waters, and have received the name of Hell- 

 mouths. Although there were several inhabitants at a short 

 distance, we could not induce any one, even for money, to 

 conduct us to the Krabla: for they all pretended that it was 

 impossible to get at it, particularly on horseback; as their sheep 

 were often lost by falling from the precipices, and sinking into 

 the pits of mud which are concealed from view. Having how- 

 ever received all the information we could procure relative to 

 the road, we set off together and arrived without accident, 

 though we met with many of the reservoirs which were hot and 

 covered with a crust of red earth. We ascended the Krabla till 

 we reached one of the craters in the form of a cauldron, which 

 we distinguished from a distance by the black and thick smoke 

 that it emitted. 



All this country we found to resemble the famous Solfatara 

 near Pouzzol in the kingdom of Naples, and which the inha- 

 bitants take to be purgatory. The last eruption of the Krabla 

 was terrible and impetuous : it vomited flames and matter in a 

 state of fusion, which rolled down in torrents and inundated 

 the neighbouring fields. In the lake, where this matter burned 

 like oil for several days, it killed all the fish, and dried up a great 

 portion of the water. The largest branch of this river of fire 

 ran three leagues from the mountain, and was a league in breadth ; 

 while another torrent overran the presbytery of Reykehlid, 

 which was swallowed up without leaving the least trace behind : 

 but the most astonishing circumstance in this accident was, that 

 the church remained untouched, as did the burying-ground at- 

 tached to it, though the firey torrent passed round and scorched 

 it. The volcanic matter ran slowly, destroying every thing it 

 met with in its passage without undergoing the least change. All 

 the lava is therefore of the same black colour ; and no dif- 

 ference is to be perceived in the part where the parish was de- 

 stroyed, except that the stones are a little redder. These vol- 

 canic torrents emitted in the day-time a blue flame like that of 

 burning sulphur, though the smoke that rose from every part 

 prevented it from being often seen. During the night the whole 

 horizon round the lava was inflamed, and the highest regions of the 

 atmosphere were reddened by it. The burning streams propelled 

 globes of fire into the air, the continued redness of which gave 

 notice of the horrible disaster at a very great distance. In the 

 parts where the torrent stopped, as well as in the vallies, the 

 surface of it was soon covered with a crust similar to the scuiri 

 formed on hot milk : this crust, which might be from one to two 



