The tale goes on to say that an old witch went out in a boat to visit Gretter on Drangey. The boat upset and she was drowned; but a large rock like a boat in full sail rose from the sea a few yards from the Island itself.

The 'Saga' contains many wonderful tales in connection with this locality, specially relative to the high table-land which rises almost perpendicularly above the sea. The scenery in this part of the Island is very fine. On the west side of the 'Skagaffiryr,' a fair-sized river, are seen the peaks of the 'Tindastoll,' a very steep range of mountains intersected with water-worn gorges; while opposite, 'Malmey,' or 'Sandstone Isle,' juts into the sea, north of a rude peninsula with a low isthmus that appears almost like an island.

In the middle of this fjord Drangey is situated. This island, which was the property of our guide, is a huge mass of rock, nearly perpendicular, while at[p. 80] one end is the witch's rock resembling the ship in full sail. Drangey is the home of innumerable eider-ducks, who swim at will in and about the surrounding waters. The drake is a very handsome bird, a large portion of his plumage being white; the hen is smaller, and brown in colour. In disposition the birds are very shy and retiring. The hen builds her nest with down plucked from her own breast; this nest the farmer immediately takes possession of; the poor bird makes a second in like manner, which is likewise confiscated; the third nest he leaves untouched, for by this time the bird's breast is almost bare. Eider-down is very valuable, fetching from 12s. to 20s. per pound. When the farmer desires to catch the eider-duck, he places on the shore, at low water, a small board, carefully set with a series of snares on its surface, and as the birds walk over it they are made prisoners by their feet. There must have been many thousands of eider-duck between Reykir and Drangey, and no gun is allowed to be fired for miles around.

Owing to the uneven nature of the ground, caused by constant earth mounds, even where the soil is good the plough is used with great difficulty. In fact, it can only be utilised by removing the sod and levelling the earth with a spade, until smooth enough for a pony to drag the plough over it. There are very few ploughs, or indeed any farming implements of any size in Iceland, the farmers being too poor to buy them, nor are the latter at all an enterprising class, contenting them[p. 81]selves with the primitive method of cultivating the soil which their forefathers used to adopt. Our guide being a man of more energy than his brethren, and wealthier, had invested in a plough, of which he was very proud, and exhibited to us as a great novelty, evidently thinking we had never seen such a wonderful thing.

Hay was being cut all the time we were in the Island, cut under every possible disadvantage, and yet cut with marvellous persistency. With this labour, of course, the frost mounds interfere, being most disastrous to the scythe, and yet the natives never leave a single blade of grass, cutting round and round, and between these curious little hillocks. On the hay crop so very much depends, for when that fails, ponies die, sheep and cattle have to be killed and the meat preserved, and the farmer is nearly ruined. Hay is therefore looked upon as a treasure to its possessor, and is most carefully stored for the cattle's winter provender; but as during the greater part of the year the Icelanders are snowed up, the cultivation of hay or cereals is a difficult matter.

In many parts of Iceland there exist enormous stretches of country covered with dangerous bog, which are, of course, at present undrained. Now, however, that an Agricultural College has been established in the Island, it is hoped a fresh impetus will be given to farming operations in general. At present there are only about 220 acres under cereal cultivation, whilst its inhabitants number over 70,000! Although there are no trees, as before[p. 82] said, there is no scarcity of flowers, indeed the flora is particularly rich, in some instances being composed of specimens not found elsewhere. Often for miles the ground is thickly carpeted with the most beautiful mountain and Arctic flowers, sometimes nestling even in the snow, which lies in patches quite near to the towns. Iceland moss is found on the lava plains.

Mr Gordon was a botanist, and brought home a large collection of specimens; many more, on which he had set great store, were unfortunately lost from the pony's back. The following is a list of those he secured, a great number of which we found growing among huge boulders in high barren places.

LIST OF PLANTS BROUGHT FROM ICELAND.
1.Plantago maritima.20.Galium saxatile.
2.Raniunculus acris.21Stellaria aquatica.
3.Euphrasia officinalis.22.Eriocaulon vaginatum.
4.Alchemilla vulgaris.23.Dryas octopetale.
5. Do. alpina.24.Salix herbacea.
6.Erigeron alpinus.25. Do. lapponica.
7.Rumex acetosa.26. Do. aurita.
8. Do. acetocella.27.Polygonum viviperum.
9.Myosotis sylvatica. (?)28.Thalictrum alpinum.
10.Cardamine pratensis.29.Leontodon taraxacum.
11.Comarum palustris.30.Samolus valerandi.
12.Trifolium repens.31.Equisetum pratense.
13.Saxifraga oppositifolia.32.Stellaria cerastoides.
14.Empetrum nigrum.33.Viola tricolor.
15.Cerastium alpinum.34.Do. palustris.
16.Cynoglossum officinale. (?)35.Cerastium trigynum.
17.Penguicula vulgaris.36.Potentilla reptans.
18.Poa alpina.37.Arabis. (sp.?)
19.Capsella bursa pastoris.38.Betula nana.[p. 83]
39.Parnassia palustris.46.Potentilla anserina.
40.Cerastium vulgatum.47.Aparagia hispidus.
41.Silene acaulis.48.Rhinanthus crista galli.
42.Vaccinium uliginosum.49.Galium vulgaris.
43. Do. vitis idea.50.Galium parisiense.
44.Thymus serpyllifolia.51.Geranium pratense.
45.Gentiana campestris.
Names furnished by C. A. Gordon, M.D. C.B.
Birch2 species.}included in above.
Willow3 "