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第13节

letters from high latitudes-第13节

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The first Christian missionaries who came to Iceland seem to have had a rather peculiar manner of enforcing the truths of the Gospel。 Their leader was a person of the name of Thangbrand。 Like the Protestant clergymen Queen Elizabeth despatched to convert Ireland; he was bundled over to Iceland principally because he was too disreputable to be allowed to live in Norway。 The old Chronicler gives a very quaint description of him。 〃Thangbrand;〃 he says; 〃was a passionate; ungovernable person; and a great man…slayer; but a good scholar; and clever。 Thorvald; and Veterlid the Scald; composed a lampoon against him; but he killed them both outright。 Thangbrand was two years in Iceland; and was the death of three men before he left it。〃

From the Althing we strolled over to the Almanna Gja; visiting the Pool of Execution on our way。 As I have already mentioned; a river from the plateau above leaps over the precipice into the bottom of the Gja; and flows for a certain distance between its walls。 At the foot of the fall the waters linger for a moment in a dark; deep; brimming pool; hemmed in by a circle of ruined rocks; to this pool; in ancient times; all women convicted of capital crimes were immediately taken; and drowned。 Witchcraft seems to have been the principal weakness of ladies in those days; throughout the Scandinavian countries。 For a long period no disgrace was attached to its profession。 Odin himself; we are expressly told; was a great adept; and always found himself very much exhausted at the end of his performance; which leads me to think that perhaps he dabbled in electro…biology。 At last the advent of Christianity threw discredit on the practice; severe punishments were denounced against all who indulged in it; and; in the end; its mysteries became the monopoly of the Laplanders。

All criminals; men and women; were tried by juries; and that the accused had the power of challenging the jurymen empannelled to try them; appears from the following extract from the Book of Laws:〃The judges shall go out on Washday; i。e。; Saturday; and continue out for challenges; until the sun comes on Thingvalla on the Lord's…day。〃 And again; 〃The power of challenging shall cease as soon as the sun can no longer be seen above the western brink of the chasm; from the Logberg。〃

Turning aside from what; I dare say; was the scene of many an unrecorded tragedy; we descended the gorge of the Almanna Gja; towards the lake; and I took advantage of the opportunity again to examine its marvellous construction。  The perpendicular walls of rock rose on either hand from the flat greensward that carpeted its bottom; pretty much as the waters of the Red Sea must have risen on each side of the fugitive Israelites。 A blaze of light smote the face of one cliff; while the other lay in the deepest shadow; and on the rugged surface of each might still be traced corresponding articulations; that once had dovetailed into each other; ere the igneous mass was rent asunder。 So unchanged; so recent seemed the vestiges of this convulsion; that I felt as if I had been admitted to witness one of nature's grandest and most violent operations; almost in the very act of its execution。 A walk of about twenty minutes brought us to the borders of the lakea glorious expanse of water; fifteen miles long; by eight miles broad; occupying a basin formed by the same hills; which must also; I imagine; have arrested the further progress of the lava torrent。 A lovelier scene I have seldom witnessed。 In the foreground lay huge masses of rock and lava; tossed about like the ruins of a world; and washed by waters as bright and green as polished malachite。  Beyond; a bevy of distant mountains; robed by the transparent atmosphere in tints unknown to Europe; peeped over each other's shoulders into the silver mirror at their feet; while here and there from among their purple ridges columns of white vapour rose like altar smoke toward the tranquil heaven。

On returning home we found dinner waiting for us。 I had invited the clergyman; and a German gentleman who was lodging with him; to give us the pleasure of their company; and in ten minutes we had all become the best of friends。 It is true the conversation was carried on in rather a wild jargon; made up of six different languagesIcelandic; English; German; Latin; Danish; Frenchbut in spite of the difficulty with which he expressed himself; it was impossible not to be struck with the simple earnest character of my German convive。 He was about five…and…twenty; a 〃doctor philosophiae;〃 and had come to Iceland to catch gnats。 After having caught gnats in Iceland; he intended; he said; to spend some years in catching gnats in Spain。the privacy of Spanish gnats; as it appears; not having been hitherto invaded。 The truth is; my guest was an entomologist; and in the pursuit of the objects of his study was evidently prepared to approach hardships and danger with a serenity that would not have been unworthy of the apostle of a new religion。 It was almost touching to hear him describe the intensity of his joy when perhaps days and nights of fruitless labours were at last rewarded by the discovery of some hitherto unknown little fly; and it was with my whole heart that; at parting; I wished him success in his career; and the fame that so much conscientious labour merited。 From my allusion to this last reward; however; he seemed almost to shrink; and; with a sincerity it was impossible to doubt; disclaimed as ignoble so poor a motive as a thirst for fame。  His was one of those calm laborious minds; seldom found but among the Teutonic race; thatpursuing day by day with single…minded energy some special objectlive in a noble obscurity; and die at last content with the consciousness of having added one other stone to that tower of knowledge men are building up toward heaven; even though the world should never learn what strong and patient hands have placed it there。

The next morning we started for the Geysirs: this time dividing the baggage…train; and sending on the cook in light marching order; with the materials for dinner。 The weather still remained unclouded; and each mile we advanced disclosed some new wonder in the unearthly landscape。 A three hours' ride brought us to the Rabna Gja; the eastern boundary of Thingvalla; and; winding up its rugged face; we took our last look over the lovely plain beneath us; and then manfully set forward across the same kind of arid lava plateau as that which we had already traversed before arriving at the Almanna Gja。 But instead of the boundless immensity which had then so much disheartened us; the present prospect was terminated by a range of quaint parti…coloured hills; which rose before us in such fantastic shapes that I could not take my eyes off them。 I do not know whether it was the strong coffee or the invigorating air that stimulated my imagination; but I certainly felt convinced I was coming to some mystical spotout of space; out of timewhere I should suddenly light upon a green…scaled griffin; or golden…haired princess; or other bonnie fortune of the olden days。 Certainly a more appropriate scene for such an encounter could not be conceived; than that which displayed itself; when we wheeled at last round the flank of the scorched ridge we had been approaching。 A perfectly smooth grassy plain; about a league square; and shaped like a horse…shoe; opened before us; encompassed by bare cinder…like hills; that rose roundred; black; and yellowin a hundred uncouth peaks of ash and slag。 Not a vestige of vegetation relieved the aridity of their vitrified sides; while the verdant carpet at their feet only made the fire…moulded circle seem more weird and impassable。 Had I had a trumpet and a lance; I should have blown a blast of defiance on the one; and having shaken the other toward the foul corners of the world; would have calmly waited to see what next might betide。 Three arrows shot bravely forward would have probably resulted in the discovery of a trap…door with an iron ring; but having neither trumpet; lance; nor arrow; we simply alighted and lunched: yet even then I could not help thinking how lucky it was that; not eating dates; we could not inadvertently fling their stones into the eye of any inquisitive genie who might be in the neighbourhood。

After the usual hour's rest and change of horses; we galloped away to the other side of the plain; and; doubling the further horn of the semicircle; suddenly found ourselves in a district as unlike the cinder mountains we had quitted as they had differed from the volcanic scenery of the day before。 On the left lay a long rampart of green hills; opening up every now and then into Scottish glens and gorges; while from their roots to the horizon stretched a vast breadth of meadowland; watered by two or three rivers; that wound; and twisted; and coiled about; like blue serpents。 Here and there; white volumes of vapour; that rose in endless wreaths from the ground; told of mighty cauldrons at work beneath that moist cool verdant carpet; while large silvery lakes; and flat…topped isolated hills; relieved the monotony of the level land; and carried on the eye to where the three snowy peaks of Mount Hecla shone cold and clear against the sky。

Of course it was rather tant

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