JOURNEY TO THE GEYSERS. J03 
washed down by the torrents of snow water, as 
the rest of the mountain, but remaining firm, 
and projecting from its sides in various places, 
and of a browner color. Continuing our jour¬ 
ney, we crossed a rugged moor of considerable 
extent, and at length entered an immense plain, 
a great part of which was either a morass, or 
covered with the Lake Apn-vatn. From the 
water near the margin we saw at a distance, at 
a place called Laugardalr a great quantity of 
steam rising in three or four columns. On ap¬ 
proaching, we found it arose from some boiling 
springs, one of which was of considerable size, 
and proceeded from an opening in the rock in 
a very shallow part of the lake, throwing up 
a beautiful jet about four feet in height, and of 
nearly the same width. At the margin of the 
water, nearest the hot spring, was a border of 
sulphur, which covered the stones with a thin 
yellow crust. Three or four other boiling springs, 
also, were close by, some a little way in the lake, 
and others rising from the dry ground, but all 
of a small size. The rest of our road to 
Middalr , where we proposed passing the night, 
was along the margin of the lake, and we reached 
the place about eight o’clock in the evening ; 
having travelled the whole day without resting 
* Laugar is a term applied to the warm baths, in Iceland. 
