my air, and many other luxuries;
but the general principle was the same, except that it was impossible
to sleep. The idea of being utterly alone, in such an outlandish part
of the world, may have had something to do with the singular activity
of my nervous system. It seemed to me that somebody was thrusting
cambric needles into my skin in a sudden and violent manner, and at
the most unexpected places; and strange sounds were continually
buzzing in my ears. I began to reflect seriously upon the condition of
affairs down underneath my bed. Doubtless it was a very fiery and
restless region, or all these smokes and simmering pools would not
disfigure the face of the country. How thick was the shell of the
earth at this particular spot? It sounded very thin all over--a mere
crust, through which one might break at any moment. Here was boiling
water fizzing and gurgling all around, and the air was impregnated
with strong odors of sulphur. Suppose the whole thing should burst up
of a sudden? It was by no means impossible. What would become of my
sketches of Iceland in the event of such a catastrophe as that? What
sort of a notice would my editorial friends give of the curious manner
in which I had disappeared? And what would Zoega think in the
morning, when he came down from the farm-house, and saw that his tent
and provision-boxes were gone down in a great hole, and that an
American gentleman, in whom he had the greatest confidence, had not
only carried them with him, but failed to pay his liabilities before
starting? Here, too, was the sun only slightly dipped below the
horizon at midnight, and the moon shining overhead at the same time.
Every thing was twisted inside out and turned upside down. It was
truly a strange country.

Having tossed and tumbled about for an indefinite length of time, I
must have fallen into an uneasy doze. During the day I had been
thinking of the rebellion at home, and now gloomy visions disturbed my
mind. I thought I saw moving crowds dressed in black, and heard
wailing sounds. Funerals passed before me, and women and children wept
for the dead. The scene changed, and I saw hosts of men on the
battle-field, rushing upon each other and falling in deadly strife. A
dreary horror came over me. It was like some dreadful play, in which
the stake was human life. Blood was upon the faces of the dying and
the dead. In the effort to disentangle the right from the wrong--to
seek out a cause for the calamity