which had fallen upon us--a racking
anguish tortured me, and I vainly strove to regain my scattered
senses. Then, in the midst of this confused dream, I heard the booming
of cannon--at first far down in the earth, but gradually growing
nearer, till, with a start, I awoke. Still the guns boomed! Surely the
sounds were real. I could not be deceived. Starting to my feet, I
listened. Splashing and surging waters, and dull, heavy reports,
sounded in the air. I dashed aside the lining of the tent and looked
out. Never shall I forget that sight--the Great Geyser in full
eruption! A tremendous volume of water stood in bold relief against
the sky, like a tall weeping willow in winter swaying before the wind,
and shaking the white frost from its drooping branches. Whirling
vapors and white wreaths floated off toward the valley. All was clear
overhead. A spectral light, which was neither of day nor of night,
shone upon the dark, lava-covered earth. The rush and plashing of the
fountain and the booming of the subterranean guns fell with a
startling distinctness upon the solitude. Streams of glittering white
water swept the surface of the great basin on all sides, and dashed
hissing and steaming into the encircling fissures. A feathery spray
sparkled through the air. The earth trembled, and sudden gusts of wind
whirled down with a moaning sound from the wild gorges of the
Langarfjal.

It did not appear to me that the height of the fountain was so great
as it is generally represented. So far as I could judge, the greatest
altitude at any time from the commencement of the eruption was not
over sixty feet. Its volume, however, greatly exceeded my
expectations, and the beauty of its form surpassed all description. I
had never before seen, and never again expect to see, any thing equal
to it. This magnificent display lasted, altogether, about ten minutes.
The eruption was somewhat spasmodic in its operation, increasing or
diminishing in force at each moment, till, with a sudden dash, all the
water that remained was ejected, and then, after a few gurgling
throes, all was silent.

I no longer attempted to sleep. My mind was bewildered with the
wonders of the scene I had just witnessed. All I could do was to make
a cup of tea at the big boiler on the slope above my tent, and walk
about, after drinking it, to keep my feet warm. Soon the sun's rays
appeared upon the distant mountains. A strange time of the night for
the sun to be getting u