The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-03-19
tuisteIluneous.
pGEg, "A 20
PLEASURES OF TRAVEL IN THAT
ISLAND.

ISLAND.
There are no roads IN Iceland:
only t;:intIy marked tracks lead
'"s through Quakins bogs, up
mountain sides, across rurge4
fields Of ir0u-hartl lava and over
lntcrnlinab!a wjIdcrncsscs Of loose
blocks Oi stone. The island well
deserves TIC namc which one Of its
own poets gave it in the tenth Cell
;n"v.a ''gaiIOws Of Slu5h;f Tor near
Is everything which is not rock o.
ha"c sand is rIoraSs or QHAgm!re,
and il is even harder TO keep the
path over the latter kind OF ground
than ovt: the former. Travelling
has to be done on horseback, and
all baggage to be conveyed in the
same way. The most hardened
pedestrian that ever shoui'icrcd q
knapSacl in tic Rhode valley will
lid himself quite helpless there,
for he woaIt have to wade or
swim deep rivers-there are scarce
is any bridges in Iceland and few
fcrries-%nd as he could not find
his way BY map at;d compass for
three miles together, he must have
q guide, who Of course mast ride.
Ia Iceland nobody thinks oi' walk.
ing: probably ti;yre is not 4 living
soul in the island who has gone
on lis own legs for half q Ioz-
Ell miles at q single strctch.-
The Travellers first business is,
therefore: to provide himself with
horses, and this it is often no
easy matter to do. Ii he lands
at Reykjjavid. the capital city.
and especially ii'h,. &o&s I1r " :;;:.v
days only, as most visitors do. lis
best plan is TO hire from one per
son guides, horses, and all other
requisites at so much day, pay
ing heavily but cheerfuIIy.
But if he desires to cross the is
land-and it is hardly worth while
TO 90 SO far without doing this-hc
mast buy his trotting stock, and
trust to getting say one-fiih Of
the price tor them when he sells
them on leaving. OF late years
there has sprung up a trade with
Scotland in ponies and sheep, so
that the price is considerably risen;
in many distrc:s there arr lew po-
mics to be had, and without !; sufii-
cieHt supply yon cannot move i
,tep:and may find yourseifstrardcd
The most disa9rceabIe spot. The
IccIandic farmer is usually u
worthy and honest sort Of fellow,
but i'll horsedealing be is
thorough IorA Shircman; and your
guide, il YOU invoke his help; is
-,
more iiEc'I 10 Siae WIN MS conn-
tryman than with his employer
very likely he will try to make q
satisfactory harg;,in for himself,
You pa, however about twice
The value Of the animal, for time is
more important 20 you thaa mon
ey. You Start with what seems a
whole regiment OF cavalry, and
think your troubles ale ended.
one pony tails lame aHolher gets
q saoalc-s re- 4 'hifu IS diScoFrred
10 have bccN 50 hard worked by
some preceding Traveller tuat 1t IS
OF no use now; and on each occa-
SION Your guide insists on your
buying fresh ones, or at least hlr-
ing others for short stages: with 4
man to accompany them and
1rive them back. Every time
this happens all The old worry Of
bargaining has to be gone through,
with the disadvantage OF lis be-
ing in q language ycu do not uudcr-
stand: so that some condition Ct
ten turns up in the sequel of which
your guide orlnterpreter saveyo"
~ proper noI'ce'
AS You arc practically at the
mercy OF the seller, yo0 always
yield in the long ran. Still more
provoking than these constant
mlshaps OF the ponies IS the habit
they have Of straylng ana losing
themselves. In Iceland 4 horse is
never taken underroof unit! winter
(whcn Of course, it is housed tor
months toSciher:) ana when the
traveler reaches 0aer( (tarm) the
saddles ard brides arc simply IT,
ken OH and the animals turned
loose without more ado. The
IS that tuoS often