The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-04-09
BgATE ICELAND GIRL.
A Fine Display OF Feminine Bareback
klding-fhe Parting Kiss In che
RIrpr

Mr.. s. E. Waller started for a Fri,
in Iceland in June, 1872 He give
an account of ''Six Weeks IN the Sad
de" in little volume from wbleL
We get an idea Of the customs of the
, people there. The Icelanders are al.
most ineonYeniently hOspitable. II
IS difficult to get Il farmer, who keeps
} you for day or two, TO accent nav,
Our author see ms to have done his
best to requite his hosts by making
himself amusing. Here We have an in.
stance Of native kindness, and femin-
Inc courage.
In the mOrnins made 3 small study
and after very tolerable meal and
many good wishes, we rode of. All
went well until we came 70 the river
MaTkafjot, which happened TO te very
much flooded. Not liking to attempt
u swim under the circumstances, we
, rode on down the bank for some miles
and fortunately found q house.
Knocking at the door We asked: tIa
the river very deep2'' i'Very,U said a
voice from the inside.
sis there a man who will show as a
ford ?" we asked again.
''NO," was the reply, ''bOth Jon aud
OlaVr are up in the mountuins. but
one Of the gir's will do quite as well.
Here, Thora, go and show the Eng
lishmen the way"
Immediately an exceedingly hand
some young woman ran out aud nod
ding kindly to me, went around to the
back Of the house, caught a pony, put
= bride on it, and not taking the
trouble To fetch 3 saddle, vaulted on
his bare back, and Sitting zstrfde drove
her heels into its sides and drove on
down the river bank as hard as she
could go, shouting for US to follow.
We became naturally rather excited
at such display on the part Of such q
pretty gi-l, and started offimmediate-
ly In chase. But though we did our
utmost to catch her, she icnreased her
distance hand over hand. There was
no doubt about it; she had as much
courage as ever we could boast OF, and
in point Of horsemanship was q hun
dred yards ahead Of either OF US.
For about . hall q mile we ratified
along, when suddenly she pulled up
short on q sand bank
You can cross here,n she said, shut
you must be careful. Make strait for
that rock right over there, and when
you have reached 1t, you will be able
70 see the cairn of stones We built TO
show the landing place."
"All right" said. "GOod BY"
She looked puzzled for q moment,
and then said, "I'll come through with
you; it will be safer"
''Good gracious, PjSrnI, don't let her
come" / said 'ishe is sure to be
drowned, and | can't get her out with
all these wet c.Othes Oh tell her 10 kO
back"
But before was hals way through
the sentence, she had turned her horse
into the water, and in a moment was
twenty yards into the river. or
course we followed as quick rs possible
and after great deal of splashing
reached the middle OF the flood.
Now" she said, bringing her horse
up abreast with mine, and pointing
with her whip, "there's the mark. )"
The water was running level with the
horses withers, and it was. only BY
lifting their heads very high that they
could get th ir noses clear.
"GoOd by,' she said, "GOd bless
you" and before was quite aware
of it, kissed me on the cheek.
was about to return the eOmpli-
ment, but she was gone, and q few
minutes after we saw her, y mere
speck in the distance, galloping over
the plain.
Kissing in Iceland Is q custom SINH
lar to shaking hands here. had not
thought Of it il ordinary situations,
but kiss in the waters was, to say
the least Of it, strange. 1t was GER
tainly the wettest one / ever had in
my life.