How we Rode to the Geysers. 35 church, was the beautiful expanse of the Thingvalla lake; and around on every side the exuberantly rich grasses of the meadows. Within the Althing itself the wild flowers were most exuberant. During the night the ladies slept in the church and the men in the tents. Some serious observations were made as to nocturnal noises,—particularly as to one special sinner. But it never was quite decided among us who was the sinner. The ladies who were shut up in the church at a distance declared that they had been much disturbed. They had their own opinion;—but never mind! When we sat down to breakfast at five o’clock in the morning no blood had been shed. Our ride to the Geysers was again divided into two stages, each nearly twenty miles,—supposed to take four hours each, but which the leaders did in something less than three. The drawback to our comfort on this day, we knew, would be that as our baggage ponies would travel much slower than ourselves, we should have no dinner and no tents ready when we got to the Geysers. That we should have to wait was impressed upon us ;—and with this was the impression that tea would not be instantly forthcoming because our Providence would be otherwise occu- pied. But we took with us, each his lunch, and perhaps a little drop of whisky. I observed at least that some others did so. The Ancient Mariner was often kind to me in offering the use of his flask. At our resting-place on this day huge bowls of milk, washing-basins full of milk, were brought down to us from a neighbouring farm-house. A few miles on from thence we came to the river Bruara, crossing it at a spot so beautiful and so singular that it will always rest on my memory distinct from all other river scenes. Here again Mrs. Blackburn drew a very correct sketch of the place, which will explain its nature. A delightfully rapid broad and clear river comes rippling down from the mountains close at hand; the body of this, however, is so shallow that there is no difficulty in riding a pony across it; and from the nature of the bottom the ford would be as good as the road,—but that in the very centre of the channel there is a narrow rift, perhaps twenty feet deep, into which the F 2

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