Year: 1877

1vlSlted Mount decla, IN Iceland, Just
before its terrible. eruption in 1S45, and
the following is brief narration of a
fearful adventure which happened to
me upon that sublime and desolate
elevation.


Having procured guide, l set off at
an early hour on the morning following
my arrival in Sslzun (at the foot of the
extinct yolcano), praying for fair weather,
good luck, and safe return.


As you push on, ascending summit af-
ter summit, on your way to the great and
awful center of all, you find the danger,
dreariness, and desolation gradually in
crease to the most terrible sublimity-
till at last, when you do finally stand on
the highest point in this unliving world
of chaos, you instinctively pray heaven,
with an icy shudder shivering through
your miserable frame, to restore you to
the life you seem to have left forever be-
hind you.


Oh, how shall 1 attempt to convey to
any mind the awful scenes of desolation
that surrounded me when at last stood
more than four thousand feet above the
level of the sea, on the highest peak of
the barren Heclal


Six mortal hours-three on horseback
and three on foot-had been Chamber
ing upward from the world below; and
now, among the very clouds that rolled
and swept around me, stood in a world
of lava mountains, ice and sDow-the
lava black as midnight, the snow of
binding whiteness-and not in all that
region tree, a bush, shrub, blade, or
even a solitary living thing, excepting
myself and guide! Far as the yecould
reach, when the moving clouds permitted
me to see, was succession of black,
rugged hills, snow-crowned peaks, glisten-
ing glaciers, and ice-bound streams, into
whose inanimate solitudes no human foot
had ever penetrated world without
plant or life-the very desolation of DESC
lation-flled with yawning chasms and
dreadful abysses.


Wrapping one of the blankets about
me, to protect me from the freezing cold
and cautiously using my pointed stick to
try every foot of ground before me, now
began to move about, over blocks, and
heaps, and hills of lava, and across mar
row chasms, and pitfalls, and patches Of
snow and ice, my faithful guide keeping
near, and often warning me to be care
full Of my steps. In this manner a
length assembled ridge of considerabl,
elevation, stumbling my way to the top
and now and then displacing fragment
of lava that rolled crushing down behint
me. As yet had seen no signs of tn,
mouth of the crater, which eighty year
before had vomited forth its terrific ant
desolating streams of melted black sand
but on reaching the summit of this ridge
l looked down into sort of basin, opel
at the lower side, and having some thre
or four deep seams and chasms in tn
center, into which the melting snow an,
ice, on its sides, were running in smal
streams. A peculiar and not yer
agreeable odor came up With thin
smoky vapor, and 1 fancied 1 could hea
a distant sound, something between
gurgle and rumble


81 suppose this is the original crater
1 said, turning to the guide.


The fellow was as pale as death, an
every feature expressed surprise, allie
to fear.


"What is the matter" quickly d,
manded. "Haye you never seen this spc
beforef"


81 have seen this place before, ma
ter" he replied, "but never anythin
like this. When was here last, the
was no hollow here, but only a level plai
of snow and ice"