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Hospitality Under the Arctic Circle

           Thiswordproducedarepulsiveeffect.ThehorriblediseaseofleprosyistoocommoninIceland;itisnotcontagious,buthereditary,andlepersareforbiddentomarry.

           Theseapparitionswerenotcheerful,anddidnotthrowanycharmoverthelessandlessattractivelandscapes.Thelasttuftsofgrasshaddisappearedfrombeneathourfeet.Notatreewastobeseen,unlessweexceptafewdwarfbirchesaslowasbrushwood.Notananimalbutafewwanderingponiesthattheirownerswouldnotfeed.Sometimeswecouldseeahawkbalancinghimselfonhiswingsunderthegreycloud,andthendartingawaysouthwithrapidflight.Ifeltmelancholyunderthissavageaspectofnature,andmythoughtswentawaytothecheerfulscenesIhadleftinthefarsouth.

           Wehadtocrossafewnarrowfiords,andatlastquiteawidegulf;thetide,thenhigh,allowedustopassoverwithoutdelay,andtoreachthehamletofAlftanes,onemilebeyond.

           Thatevening,afterhavingfordedtworiversfulloftroutandpike,calledAlfaandHeta,wewereobligedtospendthenightinadesertedbuildingworthytobehauntedbyalltheelfinsofScandinavia.Theicekingcertainlyheldcourthere,andgaveusallnightlongsamplesofwhathecoulddo.

           Noparticulareventmarkedthenextday.Bogs,deadlevels,melancholydeserttracks,whereverwetravelled.Bynightfallwehadaccomplishedhalfourjourney,andwelayatKrösolbt.

           Onthe19thofJune,foraboutamile,thatisanIcelandicmile,wewalkeduponhardenedlava;thisgroundiscalledinthecountry‘hraun’;thewrithensurfacepresentedtheappearanceofdistorted,twistedcables,sometimesstretchedinlength,sometimescontortedtogether;

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