Litchfield enquirer., 1867-07-11
A TERRIBLE ADVENTURE IN ICE
 LAND.

| LAND.
 Y! Mount Hecla, on the Island of Iceland IS slightly under mile in height It has three peaks little elevated above its body and along its sides are numerous craters the seats of former eruptions The crate1 of the principal peak is about 100 feet il depth. 1t is composed chiefly of basal and lava, but slug sand and ashes cover great part of It's surface, and obsidian is among its most remarkable products. There have been 43 eruptions of Moun ! Hecla recorded within the last thousand years, five of which have been simulta neous with Vesuvius, foilr with those oI Etna, and one with those of both
 The last eruption began September ?, 1845. and lasted till April s, 1846. On the 33d of November the torrent Of lava, two miles from the crater was a mile in width and from 40 to 50 feet in depth. | Carl Steinman visited Hecla just previous to this terrific eruption, and had one oi the narrowest escapes from a horrible death that ever befel an adventurous man. | We give his narrative in almost his own words:
 | On the next morning after my arrival at the small village at the foot of the volcano, l engaged guide, a faithful, honest fel- l low, and set out for visit to the noted crater.
 From the very first it seemed as if had passed the confines and entering a new world, so entirely different was the scene l cry.
 Asyou press upward toward the focus of all the horror of burning stuff, you find the peril, dreariness and desolation increases, until at length its awfulness becomes sub lime ;and at Tenth when you stand on the top most point of this burning world of chaos you instnctively raise your heart to God, with a shudder of terror, to restore you to the great living world that you have left be- hind you.
 For six mortal hours-three on horse back and three on foot-I had been clam bering upward from the lower world, and now among the clouds and mists that rolled around me, stood in a world of lava blacl, as ink, the snow of dazzling whiteness- and not in all the region the slightest brush, shrub, plant, or living creature ex- cept the guide and myself.
 As far as the eye could discern, when the sweeping clouds afforded view was suc- cession of dark hills, giistening glaciers, snow-capped peaks, and frozen streams world devoid of life, the awful solitude oi itself-flled with gaping caverns, terrific abysses, and stygian caves, which echoed only the sullen reverberations of thunder or the groanings of the troubled earth be- meath.
 So impressive was this scene that felt a strange chill creeping through me, and l shouted to break the horrible stiffness which was more awe-inspiring than the thunders of thousand Niagaras. I fre- quently found myself imagining that was dreaming, and was only assured by pinching my limbs or conversing with my guide. Drawing my blanket around me to shel- ter me from the chilling atmosphere, and carefully puncturing the ground with my sharp pointed stick before me. to make sure of my footsteps. I began to pick my way over piles and heaps of lava, and pit. falls and patches of ice and snow, my guide keeping near me, and often warning me when he imagined my footsteps were lead ing me into danger
 Occasionally struck the fragments oi lava that rolled down behin me, and as vet discovered no signs of the crater. which SC years before had vomited forth its tremen- dous volume of black sand. At length, however, reached the summit, and looked down into sort of basin, open at the low CT side, and having several deep seams o1 chasms ill the centre, into which the melt ed snow or ice on its sides were running in small streams.
 Arepulsive odo,, in the shape of thin smoky vapor, came up and I fancied l heard distant, rumbling noise that sound ed far dowI in the earth.
 turned to my guide, and was about to speak, when I observed that he was tremb. l lino and was as nala as daoth
 ''What's the matter?" I asked: ''you seem to be frightened"
 "Oh, my God!" he gesped, ''there's go. ing to be another eruption.''
 'How do you know that? Have you ever been here before?"
 ''Yes; but never saw it look like this. When l was here last there was no hollow there, but only level piece of snow and ice'
 ''Indeed!' l exclaimed with intense in terest; ''and you judge that fact to be deci- sive, with regard to an eruption?"
 ""Oh, my master" said he, in the great est agony, "what else could have caused this change? There must be fire below, or what has melted this glacier? You see the ice IS nearly gone, and what is left is fast 1 melting, and will soon follow it. l observed at this point that my feet had sensation of warmth and stepping down, found the ground quite hot.
 'IHow is this?' I inquired
 He shook his head
 "All wrong; there's trouble brewing. master, as sure as you live. You had bet ter leave"
 recalled the fact that the last eruption of Hecla occurred 80 years before. lono previous to the birth of my guide. and con. sequently, he could know as little of that as did This foolish thought prevented me from putting the faith in his words that l ought to have done.
 "There is no hurry,' replied: CT have been so long finding my way to the ton, that l am hardly disposed to leave until have seen more of the volcano"
 observed his paleness and tremb]ino increase if possible. but still felt a relucf, ance to retreat so ignominiously, after toil- ing so hard to make the summit.
 He stood moment in silence. and tban ventured again:
 ''Let us go while there is time. Iam afraid to remain here We may be over whelmed at any moment"
 "Hold on, ,' said I, sensible of a curious fascination such as sometimes comes over one when at the brink of the most appal ling peril. 'sIt is true the ice has melted. but it has done so very gradually. have