^Voyage to the 
Ground fliake under us j we alfo heard fuch a terrible 
Noife in the Bowels of the Earth, that it feemed as if it 
would burft open : At the fame time there appeared, on 
all Sides, Chinks ; out of which there iiTued bliiifh 
Flames, which fmelt like the Stench of burning Brim- 
ilone. This Sight made us turn back, for fear of being 
confumed to Allies by them. W e had fcarce got down 
thirty Yards, before . a black, fmoky Cloud afeended 
out of the Mountain, fo that it darkened the Light of 
the Sun, and covered us fo that we could not fee one an- 
other j our Fears grew upon us every Step we took ; for 
behind us came Flames of Fire, Showers of Alhes, and 
Pummice-ftones, which fell as think as Hail j and this 
dreadful Storm was attended with horrible Noifes, which 
made us cry out in a frightful Manner, fancying that 
the infernal Furies were coming out of the Mountain 
to devour us ; befides, we expeded every Moment that 
the Earth fhoulcl open, and fwallow us up, which added 
Wings to our Flight, and we ran as fail: as we could, to 
efcape the Danger, to which our idle and ridiculous 
Curiofity had expofed us. 
Fear made us fo nimble, that in a Quarter of an Hour 
we defeended fo much of the Mountain as we were a full 
Hour in afeending. When our Companions perceived 
us come down fo fail upon them, they burft out a laugh- 
ing at us, and their Laughter grew louder when they 
faw us in fuch a Pickle, as black as if we had been 
plunged in Soot •, but their Mirth abated as foon as we 
came nearer them and dropped dowm dead, for fo they 
thought us, we being neither able to ftir nor fpeak. They 
rubbed our Temples, Noftrils, and Hands with Vinegar, 
and did what they could to bring us to our Senfes again : 
It was not long before wo came to ourfelves ; they gave 
us a good Cup of Canary ; and when we recovered 
Strength, we told them what had happened to us ; and 
they rejoiced that we came off fo well. We all left the 
Foot of the Mountain, to go to fee two Fountains ten or 
twelve Miles off ; the one is always boiling, and the other 
always fo cold that it turned every Thing that was put into 
it to Iron, About a hundred Yards off the Foot of 
the Mountain we found a Pummice-Stone as big as 
a Wine-Hogftiead, which had lately been caft out of 
H^ecla. Our Guides feeing that we were aftoniihed at 
the Bignefs of the Stone, faid, they had feen feveral much 
bigger than that, which ten Men could not ftir •, and that 
inftead of Flames, Alhes, and Pummice-Stones, there 
fometimes iffued out Floods of Water, as out of Spouts j 
fometimes nothing but Flames, fometimes nothing but 
Afhes, and fometimes nothing but Stones, After threeHours 
riding we drew near to the Fountains *, they are about 
thirty Yards Diftance from each other: We came to the 
cold one firft, and put in a little Cane I had in my Hand, 
when I took it out again I was furprized to fee the End of 
it v/hich had touched the Bottom, metamorphofed into 
Iron, and weighing as heavy as that Metal. , 
From thence we went to the boiling Fountain. At ten 
Yards Diftance from it we faw a Parcel of Animals as big 
as Ducks, moft of them red, which were friftdng about and 
playing together. W e flood looking on them awhile, 
pleafed with the Novelty of the Sight ; when we came 
nearer to the Place v/e faw nothing, and when we were 
gone they appeared playing and frilking, as before. They 
do fo when they fee no-body, but if any body appears 
they plunge down to the Bottom of the Fountain, which, 
as our Guides informed u§, is fixty Fathoms deep. 
From the boiling Fountain we travelled towards the Sea- 
fide, and arriving within half a League of it, we heard 
Noifes like the Voices of Perfons complaining. Our ig- 
norant Guides, Natives of the County, would fain have 
perfuaded us that thefe Noifes were the Lamentations of 
the Damned whom the Devil tormented, and that when 
he had roafted them in the Flames of Hacla, he’ cooled 
them in the Ice of the Coafts. Though we did not give 
much Credit to this Iceland Tradition, we refolved to fee 
thofe Seas of Ice which bound that Part of th6lfland and 
no other. When we arrived at the Coaft, I found that 
■thofe imaginary Complaints were occafioned only by the 
Agitation of the Wind and V/ater, the Ice beating 
againft it, ■ and the Ice againft the Rocks, This Ice, fay 
our Guides, comes on their Coafts in June, and goes away 
the fifteenth of Sep ember. 
It was the thirteenth when we were there ; and having fecn 
all that was worth feeing, we returned to Kirkebar^ where 
we arrived three Days after ; we ftaid a few Hours in 
Town, and then went aboard ; where w'-e found the Go- 
vernor of the Ifle accompanied by the Bifliop of Scehholt^ 
who came to fee our Ships, and difeourfe with us, under- 
ftanding we had been at Zembla. The lOanders for the 
mofl: part dwell in Caverns cut out of Rocks, the reft 
live in Huts built after the Manner of thofe in Laplatid^ 
fome with Fifh-bones, and others with Vfood covered 
with Turf : They and their Cattle lie under the fame 
Roof: They are all ugly, both Men and Women; they 
are fwarthy, and dreffed like Norwegians ; their Shifts 
and Smocks are made of Packing-Cloth, or Sarplier ; 
and fome few wear Coats mdde of Sea-Calf-Skins, with 
the Flair outward. - They live very plainly, as do all the 
Nations of the North ; they lie on Hay or Straw in their 
Cloaths with Skins upon them, and make but one Bed for 
the whole Family. All their Work is fiflring ; they are 
nafty and brutal ; they are almoft all of them'Wizards or 
Witches. They worlhip the Devil by the Name of 
Kobald : It is faid he often appears to them under a 
human Figure. They have alfo a Sort of Houfhold God 
or Idol cut out of a Piece of Wood with a Knife, very 
hideous to look on, which they adore privately, and hide 
for fear of the Lutheran Priefts, who teacli them as they 
can, the Chriftian Faith, and endeavour to deliver them 
from the Bondage of Satan : But thele Barbarians 
fonder of their diabolical Idol, and more conftant to him 
than fome Chriftians to the Profeffion of their moft holy 
Religion. Though the Fields in Iceland look fair, and 
there is Plenty of Pafture, no Wheat grows there, nor any 
other Grain lit to make Bread wfth ; the Cold is fo ex- 
treme ft kills the' Seed, or green Corn, by a North-eaft 
Wind; which is very violent in thofe Parts. 
Three Days after our Return from our Journey to 
Mount llacla., and that we were a Ship-board, we took 
the Opportunity of a North Wind, which flood fair for 
us, 'weighed Anchor and fet fail, holding our Courfe 
South-fouth-eaft. We failed before tjje Wind feveral 
Days, and then it blowing a very ftiff Gale, it drove us 
on the Coaft of Norway^ wkere we made the Promontory 
of Lalfo, a little City built on an Eminence four Leagues 
from the Sea, there is a fine Caftle in it ; and we rejoiced 
that we were fo near Land, hoping that we fliould foon 
fee an End of our Voyage. We coafted along Shore 
about twelve Hours, and then the Wind changed with 
the Moon, v/hich obliged us to keep out to Sea, for fear 
of being driven back ; notwithftanding our Caution, it 
blew fo hard that we v/ere forced to drive before the 
Wind forty Leagues backward. 
Then the Weather grew a little more calm ; foon after 
that, we had not Wind enough in our Sails to ftir us. 
Nothing is fo tedious to a Sailor as a Calm, efpecially 
upon a long Voyage, when he has been out a confidera- 
ble Time, and is impatient to reach home ; a Storm 
would be more welcome to him : He cannot tell how 
to eiTrploy his Time, all his Thoughts run upon his 
Country, made dearer to him by many Months Abfence ; 
and his Impatience to fee it, torm-ents him more under 
the Delay of a Calm, than the Fear of Shipwreck in a 
Tempeft. In about two Hours we had a Water- Cloud 
to the South-weft ; our Mariners were prefently ftruck 
with a dreadful Confternation, apprehending it would 
fall upon us. We were obliged to furl all our Sails, 
and lower our Yards riov/n a Port, fearing it would 
pour upon us ; but it did not come nearer than two 
Leagues ; v/e faw it fall at about that Diftance. Thefe 
Clouds are in Form like a black Column or Pillar, which 
appears in the Heavens over the Sea ; and if by Chance 
they fall on Ships, they fink them to the Bottom, with 
the Flood of Water, which pours dov/n from them like 
Cataradls, efpecially if it chance to fall perpendicularly. 
The Wind fpringing North-north-eaft, w’e proceeded on 
our Voyage, fo happily, that in ten Days Time w^e arriv- 
ed at Copenhagen ; where, having fainted the Cafde, we 
dropped Anchor, put out our Boat, and went to Shore. 
When 
