30 TRACINGS OF ICELAND AND THE FAROE ISLANDS. Danish history—monotonous, and having one verse for sense constantly alternating with another for burden. In the dances, we only saw some five or six men wheeling in a circle, with a hold of each other’s hands. To a member of the Percy Society, one little circumstance would have appeared curious —that the fall-de-rall-lall of our own songs appears likewise in those of the Fariiese. It is a fact of more importance that, while the Faroese have a characteristic style of dancing, the Icelanders have none. In the Yacht Voyage of the Maria, one of the lively coloured lithographs depicts Westmannsliavn Bay under the exciting circumstances of a whale-chase, the one favourite sport of the Faroese. This is an amusement likewise known in Zetland and the Hebrides. Some of our party were hopeful of witnessing an occurrence of it during our stay in the Faroes, either now or on our return, but they were doomed to disappointment; and what rendered this the more vexing, a chase took place in the interval between our two visits. The animal in question, is not properly a whale, though commonly called so, but a gigantic dolphin (Delphinus globioceps of Cuvier). They are innocent creatures, which come southward in great flocks, and are easily captured when attacked in a bay. The people, then, gathering from all quarters in their boats, chase them ashore, where they despatch them with their spears and knives. So many as 212 were taken in this bay on the occasion witnessed by the yachtsmen. The flesh and blubber being both eaten, a successful whale-chase becomes a matter of no small consequence to these islanders, whose faces, it is said, actually shine for weeks after. Next day, the weather having somewhat moderated, the captain caused the anchor to be raised, and proceeded out to sea. The parting views of the Faroes—magnificent cliffs dimly seen through mist and spray—were exceedingly impressive. A few little vessels were faintly descried at a distance over the troubled sea— French and Belgian fishing-craft, which are almost constantly at work here, gathering the food which the people of those countries use on certain days and at certain seasons instead of flesh. A rude adventurous life it is which the crews of these

(1) Front Board
(2) Front Board
(3) Front Flyleaf
(4) Front Flyleaf
(5) Illustration
(6) Illustration
(7) Page [1]
(8) Page [2]
(9) Page [3]
(10) Page [4]
(11) Page 1
(12) Page 2
(13) Page 3
(14) Page 4
(15) Page 5
(16) Page 6
(17) Page 7
(18) Page 8
(19) Page 9
(20) Page 10
(21) Page 11
(22) Page 12
(23) Page 13
(24) Page 14
(25) Page 15
(26) Page 16
(27) Page 17
(28) Page 18
(29) Page 19
(30) Page 20
(31) Page 21
(32) Page 22
(33) Page 23
(34) Page 24
(35) Page 25
(36) Page 26
(37) Page 27
(38) Page 28
(39) Page 29
(40) Page 30
(41) Page 31
(42) Page 32
(43) Page 33
(44) Page 34
(45) Page 35
(46) Page 36
(47) Page 37
(48) Page 38
(49) Page 39
(50) Page 40
(51) Page 41
(52) Page 42
(53) Page 43
(54) Page 44
(55) Page 45
(56) Page 46
(57) Page 47
(58) Page 48
(59) Page 49
(60) Page 50
(61) Page 51
(62) Page 52
(63) Page 53
(64) Page 54
(65) Page 55
(66) Page 56
(67) Page 57
(68) Page 58
(69) Page 59
(70) Page 60
(71) Page 61
(72) Page 62
(73) Page 63
(74) Page 64
(75) Page 65
(76) Page 66
(77) Page 67
(78) Page 68
(79) Page 69
(80) Page 70
(81) Page 71
(82) Page 72
(83) Page 73
(84) Page 74
(85) Page 75
(86) Page 76
(87) Page 77
(88) Page 78
(89) Page 79
(90) Page 80
(91) Page 81
(92) Page 82
(93) Page 83
(94) Page 84
(95) Page 85
(96) Page 86
(97) Rear Flyleaf
(98) Rear Flyleaf
(99) Rear Board
(100) Rear Board
(101) Spine
(102) Fore Edge
(103) Scale
(104) Color Palette