The higher mountains to the left fade gradually more and more from
view; but the river Elvas spreads in such a manner, and divides into
so many branches, that one might mistake it for a lake with many
islands. It flows into the neighbouring sea, whose expanse becomes
visible after surmounting a few more small hills.
The vale of Reikum, which we now entered, is, like that of Reikholt,
rich in hot springs, which are congregated partly in the plain,
partly on or behind the hills, in a circumference of between two and
three miles.
When we had reached the village of Reikum I sent my effects at once
to the little church, took a guide, and proceeded to the boiling
springs. I found very many, but only two remarkable ones; these,
however, belong to the most noteworthy of their kind. The one is
called the little Geyser, the other the Bogensprung.
The little Geyser has an inner basin of about three feet diameter.
The water boils violently at a depth of from two to three feet, and
remains within its bounds till it begins to spout, when it projects
a beautiful voluminous steam of from 20 to 30 feet high.
At half-past eight in the evening I had the good fortune to see one
of these eruptions, and needed not, as I had done at the great
Geyser, to bivouac near it for days and nights. The eruption lasted
some time, and was tolerably equable; only sometimes the column of
water sank a little, to rise to its former height with renewed
force. After forty minutes it fell quite down into the basin again.
The stones we threw in, it rejected at once, or in a few seconds,
shivered into pieces, to a height of about 12 to 15 feet. Its bulk
must have been 1 to 1.5 feet in diameter. My guide assured me that
this spring generally plays only twice, rarely thrice, in twenty-
four hours, and not, as I have seen it stated, every six minutes. I
remained near it till midnight, but saw no other eruption.
This spring very much resembles the Strukker near the great Geyser,
the only difference being that the water sinks much lower in the
latter.
The second of the two remarkable springs, the arched spring, is
situated near the little Geyser, on the declivity of a hill. I had
never seen such a curious formation for the bed of a spring as this
is. It has no basin, but lies half open at your feet, in a little
grotto, which is separated into various cavities and holes, and
which is half-surrounded by a wall of rock bending over it slightly
at a height of about 2 feet, and then rises 10 to 12 feet higher.
This spring never is at rest more than a minute; then it begins to
rise and boil quickly, and emits a voluminous column, which,
striking against the projecting rock, is flattened by it, and rises
thence like an arched fan. The height of this peculiarly-spread jet
of water may be about 12 feet, the arch it describes 15 to 20 feet,
and its breadth 3 to 8 feet. The time of eruption is often longer
than that of repose. After an eruption the water always sinks a few
feet into the cave, and for 15 or 20 seconds admits of a glance into
this wonderful grotto. But it rises again immediately, fills the
grotto and the basin, which is only a continuation of the grotto,
and springs again.
I watched this miraculous play of nature for more than an hour, and
could not tear myself from it. This spring, which is certainly the
only one of its kind, gratified me much more than the little Geyser.
There is another spring called the roaring Geyser; but it is nothing
more than a misshapen hole, in which one hears the water boil, but
cannot see it. The noise is, also, not at all considerable.
July 3d.
Near Reikum we crossed a brook into which all the hot springs flow,
and which has a pretty fall. We then ascended the adjoining
mountain, and rode full two hours on the high plain. The plain
itself was monotonous, as it was only covered with lava-stones and
moss, but the prospect into the valley was varied and beautiful.
Vale and sea were spread before me, and I saw the Westmann Islands,
with their beautiful hills, which the envious clouds had concealed
from me on the Hecla, lying in the distance. Below me stood some
houses in the port-town, Eierbach, and near them the waters of the
Elvas flow into the sea.
At the end of this mountain-level a valley was situated, which was
also filled with lava, but with that jagged black lava which
presents such a beautiful appearance. Immense streams crossed it
from all sides, so that it almost resembled a black lake separated
from the sea by a chain of equally black mountains.
We descended into this sombre vale through piles of lava and fields
of snow, and went on through valleys and chasms, over fields of
lava, plains of meadow-land, past dark mountains and hills, till we
reached the chief station of my Icelandic journey, the town of
Reikjavik.
The whole country between Reikum and Reikjavik, a distance of 45 to
50 miles, is, for the most part, uninhabited. Here and there, in
the fields of lava, stand little pyramids of the same substance,
which serve as landmarks; and there are two houses built for such
persons as are obliged to travel during the winter.
