PEOPLE AND CLIMATE. 49 withstood the raging of the Arctic waves through sunlit summer’s night and sunless winter’s day, from a period when the hissing seething sea battled with floods of molten rock for possession of the channels between the islets, left standing here at the close of the glacial epoch. SECTION II.—THE PEOPLE AND THE CLIMATE. Two veey, and equally important considerations for the tourist, are the character of the people among whom he proposes to sojourn, and the kind of weather he is likely to meet with. In this section it is purposed to treat of both only so far as they affect the summer visitant. First, the people :— The Icelanders are somewhat reserved in the presence of strangers at first, hut if the latter are affable and genial in manner this soon wears off. They are very hospitable; and a night’s lodging is never refused travellers even at the humblest home. In at least two instances during his travels, the author had reason to suspect that the farmer at whose house he sought quarters late at night vacated his own bed that he might have it, and sought less com- fortable quarters elsewhere—possibly among his hay. Both these farms were very poor ones, and many miles distant from the peopled districts. Upon another occasion the people could not boast of possessing sheets for the bed, but they had in the house some dozen yards of new calico, and this was hurriedly stitched together to supply the want. The people, as a rule, are moderate in their charges for food, accommodation, and services rendered. In the author’s three summer tours there occurred but four cases of attempted extortion, two of which he regrets to say he was forced to allow to be successful. Some recent writers have grossly libelled the Icelanders by say- ing they are addicted to drunkenness and dirty in their habits. This, however, is not the case, for one can travel about the country for months, staying every night at a farm, and never see a man the worse for drink. It is true that at the trading stations on the coast, and in the capital, a drunken man will occasionally be seen, but it must be borne in mind that such a one is in all likelihood a peasant come into ‘ town,’ for a supply of necessaries, who has not tasted spirits for months, and who, consequently, is overcome by i

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