TRAVELS IN ICELAND. 



rtig, cold, anil showers of stones, with no prospect around 

 them but that of certain destruction. 'At length the masses of 

 ice being consolidated, they drew after them their emaciated 

 horses, which were so reduced as to be unable to walk; and 

 gained, when they were themselves in the last stage of ex- 

 haustion, the parish of Hofdebreck, in the canton of Myrdah 

 On the 7th November, when the inundation had ceased, these 

 men, to the number of eighteen, endeavoured to pass over the 

 plain; but the heaps of ice rendered the passage impossible, and 

 and they at length found the means of reaching the sea-shore. 



The strong sulphureous exhalations, besides subjecting the in- 

 habitants to the danger of suffocation, also deprived them of 

 the sense of smelling: the eyes became red, the eye-lids swoln, 

 and the guins ulcerated. The cattle which were not carried off 

 by the inundation, did not escape the disaster: for some of them 

 went mad from alarm at the fire and earthquakes, and ran head- 

 long into the abysses among the rocks; while those which re- 

 mained were starved, because the pastures were covered with 

 sand and ashes, so that the animals, by searching for grass, exco- 

 riated their mouths and teeth. To increase these unfortunate 

 circumstances, the winter provisions which the inhabitants had 

 collected, were spoiled by the fine cineritious dust, which pene- 

 trated every crevice of the houses; and all the portable water 

 was corrupted by the infected air and flying ashes. 



4. The volcano threw out, during the impetuosity of the erup- 

 tion, a meteor similar to a strong flash of lightning, the effects 

 of which were both astonishing and dreadful. Eleven horses 

 were killed by it in the vicinity of the mountain, three of which 

 were in a stable, and were found dead by the side of each other. 

 The two people abovementioned lost their lives by this meteor 

 in a remarkable manner: The one, a respectable peasant, on 

 coming out of his house, was struck by it, and fell dead in- 

 stantly : at first, no mark or wound was perceived, nor were bis 

 clothes scorched ; but, on being undressed, it was found that 

 the skin and flesh on the right side were burnt so as to expose 

 the bones, as were the shirt and neckcloth, which were pro- 

 bably of good linen, though his outward clothing, which was 

 of woollen, did not seem to be injured. The other victim of 

 this phenomenon was a servant, who used to go out with the 

 peasant to milk the cows : she was struck at the same time, but 

 did not die immediately. On changing her clothes it was found 

 that she had been burnt on the right side; but the burn, which 

 was penetrating, glutinous, and very different from an ordinary 

 stroke of lightning, continued to consume her, so that whenever 

 the clothes in which she had been dressed were taken off, they 

 were found to be damaged by the caloric. At length her bodjr 



