112 



THE POLAR WORLD. 



^' Our guide," says this intrepid traveller, " urged on his horse through the 

 stream, and led the way towards the mid-channel. We followed in his wake, 

 and soon were all stemming the impetuous and swollen torrent. In the course 

 of our journey we had before this crossed a good many rivers more or less 

 deep, but all of them had been mere child's play compared to that which we 

 were now fording. The angry water rose high against our horses' sides, at 

 times almost coming over the tops of their shoulders. The spray from their 

 broken crests was dashed up into our faces. The stream was so swift that it 

 was impossible to follow the individual waves as they rushed past us, and it 

 almost made us dizzy to look down at it. Now, if ever, is the time for firm 

 hand or rein, sure seat, and steady eye ; not only is the stream so strong, but 

 the bottom is full of large stones, that the horse can not see through the murky 

 waters ; if he should fall, the torrent will sweep you down to the sea — its white 

 breakers are plainly visible as they run along the shore at scarcely a mile's dis- 

 tance, and they lap the beach as if they waited for their prey. Happily, they 

 will be disappointed. Swimming would be of no use, but an Icelandic water- 

 horse seldom makes a blunder or a false step. Not the least of the risks we 

 ran in crossing the Skeidara was from the masses of ice carried down by the 

 stream from the Jokul, many of them being large enough to knock a horse 

 over. 



" Fortunately we found much less ice in the centre and swiftest part of the 

 river, where we were able to see and avoid it, than in the side channels. How 

 the horses were able to stand against such a stream was marvellous ; they 

 could not do so unless they were constantly in the habit of crossing swift 

 rivers. The Icelanders who live in this part of the island keep horses known 

 for their qualities in fording difficult rivers, and they never venture to cross a 

 dangerous stream unless mounted on a tried water-horse. The action of the 

 Icelandic horses when crossing a swift river is very peculiar. They lean all 

 their weight against the stream, so as to resist it as much as possible, and 

 move onward with a peculiar side-step. This motion is not agreeable. It 

 feels as if your horse were marking time without gaining ground, and the prog- 

 ress made being really very slow, the shore from which you started seems to 

 recede from you, whilst that for which you are making appears as far as ever. 



" When we reached the middle of the stream, the roar of the waters was so 

 great that we could scarcely make our voices audible to one another ; they 

 were overpowered by the crunching sound of the ice, and the bumping of large 

 stones against the bottom. Up to this point a diagonal line, rather down 

 stream, had been cautiously followed ; but when we came to the middle, we 

 turned our horses' heads a little against the stream. As we thus altered our 

 course, the long line of baggage-horses appeared to be swung round altogether, 

 as if swept off their legs. None of them, however, broke away, and they con- 

 tinued their advance without accident, and at length we all reached the shore 

 in safety." 



After a day's journey in Iceland, rest, as may well be supposed, is highly 

 acceptable. Instead of passing the night in the peasant's hut, the traveller, 

 when no church is at hand, generally prefers pitching his tent near a running 



