THINGEVALLE. 
169 
the margin of the lake itself, where, by keeping as 
near the shore, as the nature of the country would 
allow, we escaped the worst part of the chasms, 
which we had some days before experienced so 
much difficulty in crossing, and we enjoyed, as 
the mist dispersed, about two or three o’clock on 
Wednesday, following morning, a magnificent 
July 19. view of Thingevalle-vatn, with its two 
black islands; whilst we ourselves were riding 
along the banks amidst a small copse of dimi¬ 
nutive birch, intermixed with alpine willows, and 
a considerable quantity of Geranium sylvaticum. 
For a few minutes we stopped to bait our horses 
in this verdant spot, and then, continuing our 
way over a track of country that I have already 
attempted to describe on my road to the Gey¬ 
sers, at about five o’clock we came to the house 
of the priest of Thingevalle. Unwilling, however, 
to disturb the family at so early an hour, we 
crossed the Oxeraa, and once more entered my 
favorite spot of Almannegiaa; here, proposing, 
if the weather would allow of it, to spend two or 
three days. No sooner was our little encamp¬ 
ment completed, than I clambered over some 
loose pieces of rock, which, crossing the chasm, 
formed a slight barrier; and hence proceeded 
about a mile up the southern part, where I found 
that, on the west, the perpendicular face of the 
rock increased in height as I went along, while 
