THINGEVALLE. 
89 
domestics, who had come out to gaze at us. His 
dress bespoke but little of the clergyman, not 
differing, that I could perceive, in any respect 
from that of an Icelandic peasant. He even wore 
the common blue cap, which concealed but a 
small portion of his white and venerable hair that 
hung over his shoulders. He offered us milk, fish, 
or any thing that his dwelling afforded, which 
could be of service to us. His house was a 
pretty good one, and more extensive than is 
common in Iceland, where, generally, a low fence 
of stone or turf encloses a considerable portion 
of ground, and, in the midst, stands a cluster 
of little buildings or cabins, which, taken col¬ 
lectively, form an Icelandic house: the walls of 
these are extremely thick, especially at the base, 
formed of layers of stone and turf, not standing 
perpendicularly, but leaning a little inwards, and 
about seven or eight feet high; a sloping roof of 
turf, laid on birch boughs, makes the whole height 
of the buildings, which even thus does not reach 
above twelve or fourteen feet. It is to be ob¬ 
served, that to all these, except one building, 
(which is, nevertheless, united by walls to the 
rest), a single entrance serves: so that, going 
therefore, not a common sight, and is mostly confined to 
Reikevig, where they learn the custom from the Danes, who 
are always smoking. 
