The Ely miner., 1930-08-01

from north to south, with an area of
10000 square miles.
More than one-eighth of the island
is covered with glaciers, and an equal
area is covered with old lava fields.
An automobile trip over one of these
fields of desolati0n shows picture of
destruction difficult to describe.
In the small country villages the
meals are excellent. But the hosts
are very apologetic for being unable
TO provide what they think the visitor
would like to eat. Naturally the
timed food which is a luxury to them,
and to which travellers are more than
accustomed, can very well be omitted
in favor of their fresh chicken. excel
lent haddock, and fresh-water salmon.
In Iceland. as in Norway. many
plants and flowers are grown indoors,
and some especially large geranium
blooms are to be seen.
Historic House Rebuilt.
For. Iceland's millennial celebration
an early Icelander's house that was
burned SO years ago was reconstruct
ed. The new house duplicates, as
nearly as possible, the historic home
of one of Iceland's greatest lawyers
Mai. He was learned in the volumi-
nous and technical law of Viking Ice
land before William the ConquerOr
brought the English jury system to
England on the end of a Norman
spear
Iceland has rebuilt Mails home be-
cause the fame of his legal skill, to-
gether with the story of his death
amid melodramatic scenes, has been
preserved in one of the most cher
ished of Iceland's sagas, 'The Story
Of Burnt Mail" The saga came into
being eleven years after Lief Eric
sons journey from Greenland to Amer
ican shores, which was in the year
1000 A. D.
Mails reconstructed house is espe-
cially interesting to Americans be-
cause it is similar to the house re-
puted to have been the first built by
white men in America. Thorfinn Karl
sefin, the colonist who followed Lief
Ericsson, is believed to have built a
Viking house somewhere on the shores
now known as New England or Nova
Scotia. Malls rebuilt house has
floor plan not unlike that of Lfef's
own house. the ruins of which may
still be seen in Iceland.
The appearance of many Viking
houses reSembled a street of modern
row houses in eastern United States
and Seaboard cities. The triangular
Viking gable ends ranging in a line
suggested q series of cottages shOul-
der to shoulder, but each Viking gable
roof usually sheltered single room.
The whole sprawling Viking house Of
many gables was connected by mar
row hall that linked the rooms in the
same way that covered passages link
up the many buildings of New Eng
land farmhouse. Turf often rooted the
Vikings house. and in spring he lived
beneath a carpet Of wild flowers.
Interior of the Residence.
Leading men Of the island. such as
Njal, usually had one high-rOOfed,
large hall in their houses. This hall
had three divisions lengthwise; nave
and two low side aisles separated by
low stone walls The high roof of the
nave was supported by two lines Of
wooden pillars brought over stormy
seas from Norway in the small Viking
ships. This hall was a sleeping, eat
ing and living room for the chief and
l.: np
which served as eating, living and
sleeping rooms, were very large. One
in Iceland was 200 feet long and 60
feet wide.
Down the center of the hall was one
long fireplace. The smoke from the
fire found its way out through holes
cut high up in the roof. Benches for
the family, servants and retainers ran
along each side of the long fireplace.
In the low-roofed aisles parallel to the
long axis of the hall were hunks for
sleeping. These hunks usually had
swinging doors which locked on the
inside so that the sleeper could lock
himself in his compartment.
Such a house was burned down
over Mails head. Njal had been too
successful in the Iceland courts. He
knew Icelandic law so well he could
repeat it all from memory. So he, his
sons, and his friends and servants
were attacked by rival gang. With
spears and battle axes they beat off
the attackers who finally set fire TO
haystack which in turn fired the house.
Women and children were permitted
TO go out safely, except Bergthora,
Mails wife, who chose to stay with
her husband. Mai himself was to
old to fight so he and BergthOra lay
down together, covered themselves
with an OK hide and awaited their
fate.
One of the defenders managed to
escape amid the smoke and confusion.
He brought his enemies to trial. heard
them declared outlaws, and finally
followed some of them as far south
as Wales to kill them for vengeance.
World War Battles in Air
During the World war the United