Travelling Is More Expensive In Iceland Than Any Where Else,
Particularly When One Person Travels Alone, And Must Bear All The
Expense Of The Baggage, The Guide, Ferries, &C. Horses Are Not Let
Out On Hire, They Must Be Bought.
They are, however, very cheap; a
pack-horse costs from eighteen to twenty-four florins, and a riding-
horse from forty to fifty florins.
To travel with any idea of
comfort it is necessary to have several pack-horses, for they must
not be heavily laden; and an additional servant must likewise be
hired, as the guide only looks after the saddle-horses, and, at
most, one or two of the pack-horses. If the traveller, at the
conclusion of the journey, wishes to sell the horses, such a
wretchedly low price is offered, that it is just as well to give
them away at once. This is a proof of the fact that men are every
where alike ready to follow up their advantage. These people are
well aware that the horses must be left behind at any rate, and
therefore they will not bid for them. I must confess that I found
the character of the Icelanders in every respect below the estimate
I had previously formed of it, and still further below the standard
given in books.
In spite of their scanty food, the Icelandic horses have a
marvellous power of endurance; they can often travel from thirty-
five to forty miles per diem for several consecutive days. But the
only difficulty is to keep the horse moving. The Icelanders have a
habit of continually kicking their heels against the poor beast's
sides; and the horse at last gets so accustomed to this mode of
treatment, that it will hardly go if the stimulus be discontinued.
In passing the bad pieces of road it is necessary to keep the bridle
tight in hand, or the horse will stumble frequently. This and the
continual urging forward of the horse render riding very fatiguing.
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Not a little consideration is certainly required before undertaking
a journey into the far north; but nothing frightened me, - and even
in the midst of the greatest dangers and hardships I did not for one
moment regret my undertaking, and would not have relinquished it
under any consideration.
I made excursions to every part of Iceland, and am thus enabled to
place before my readers, in regular order, the chief curiosities of
this remarkable country. I will commence with the immediate
neighbourhood of Reikjavik.
CHAPTER IV
May 25th.
Stiftsamtmann von H- was today kind enough to pay me a visit, and to
invite me to join his party for a ride to the great lake Vatne. I
gladly accepted the invitation, for, according to the description
given by the Stiftsamtmann, I hoped to behold a very Eden, and
rejoiced at the prospect of observing the recreations of the higher
classes, and at the same time gaining many acquisitions in specimens
of plants, butterflies, and beetles. I resolved also to test the
capabilities of the Icelandic horses more thoroughly than I had been
able to do during my first ride from Havenfiord to Reikjavik, as I
had been obliged on that occasion to ride at a foot-pace, on account
of my old guide.
The hour of starting was fixed for two o'clock. Accustomed as I am
to strict punctuality, I was ready long before the appointed time,
and at two o'clock was about to hasten to the place of rendezvous,
when my hostess informed me I had plenty of time, for Herr von H-
was still at dinner. Instead of meeting at two o'clock, we did not
assemble until three, and even then another quarter of an hour
elapsed before the cavalcade started. Oh, Syrian notions of
punctuality and dispatch! Here, almost at the very antipodes, did I
once more greet ye.
The party consisted of the nobility and the town dignitaries. Among
the former class may be reckoned Stiftsamtmann von H- and his lady;
a privy councillor, Herr von B-, who had been sent from Copenhagen
to attend the "Allthing" (political assembly); and a Danish baron,
who had accompanied the councillor. I noticed among the town
dignitaries the daughter and wife of the apothecary, and the
daughters of some merchants resident here.
Our road lay through fields of lava, swamps, and very poor grassy
patches, in a great valley, swelling here and there into gentle
acclivities, and shut in on three sides by several rows of
mountains, towering upwards in the most diversified shapes. In the
far distance rose several jokuls or glaciers, seeming to look
proudly down upon the mountains, as though they asked, "Why would ye
draw men's eyes upon you, where we glisten in our silver sheen?" In
the season of the year at which I beheld them, the glaciers were
still very beautiful; not only their summits, but their entire
surface, as far as visible, being covered with snow. The fourth
side of the valley through which we travelled was washed by the
ocean, which melted as it were into the horizon in immeasurable
distance. The coast was dotted with small bays, having the
appearance of so many lakes.
As the road was good, we could generally ride forward at a brisk
pace. Occasionally, however, we met with small tracts on which the
Icelandic horse could exercise its sagacity and address. My horse
was careful and free from vice; it carried me securely over masses
of stone and chasms in the rocks, but I cannot describe the
suffering its trot caused me. It is said that riding is most
beneficial to those who suffer from liver-complaints. This may be
the case; but I should suppose that any one who rode upon an
Icelandic horse, with an Icelandic side-saddle, every day for the
space of four weeks, would find, at the expiration of that time, her
liver shaken to a pulp, and no part of it remaining.
All the rest of the party had good English saddles, mine alone was
of Icelandic origin.
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