86 
ALMANNEGIAA. 
opposite side^ and at about the distance of twenty 
yards, rose another wall, equally perpendicular, 
more craggy, but not half the height of the for¬ 
mer, and, owing, I suppose, to its northern ex¬ 
posure, which caused the moisture to remain 
longer, covered with a more abundant vegetation, 
especially of moss (Trichostomum canescem) and 
Saxifrages: before us, at the distance of about 
one hundred yards, a little bend, in the direction 
of the chasm, appeared to shut us in by a lofty 
precipice; behind us was the pass or entrance 
to the chasm, which I have just described, and 
by the side of it a continuation to the westward 
of the high walls of the chasm; but the passage 
was almost choaked up by a vast number of loose 
pieces of rock, which had fallen from the pre¬ 
cipices above. However, we had now no time 
to examine the place more; for it was necessary 
to pay our respects to the priest of Thingevalle, 
who lived scarcely a mile from the place. We 
therefore left our luggage and tents in charge of 
the guides, and, going eastward in the chasm, 
came to a little opening on the south side, through 
which we had to pass. When we got here, we 
looked down into an immense plain, which was 
every where intersected by chasms in the earth 
as far as the eye could reach, crossing each other 
in various directions, though most of them were 
rent from east to west: three in particular seemed 
