The Collected Works of William Morris, Volume 8
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THE COLLECTED WORKS OF WILLIAM MORRIS WITH INTRODUCTIONS BY HIS DAUGHTER MAY MORRIS VOLUME VIII JOURNALS OF TRAVEL IN ICELAND 1871 1873 LONGMANS GREEN AND COMPANY PATERNOSTER ROW LONDON NEW YORK BOMBAY CALCUTTA MDCCCCXI “ liam ( A TEE fe - Horrid, AE ETF J CONTENTS INTRODUCTION page xv A JOURNAL OF TRAVEL IN ICELAND, 1871 Chapter I. London to Reykjavik Thursday, July 6th pf Thursda July 6th, Newcastle ed Thursday, July 6th, Berwick md BI Friday, July 7th, at the Granton hotel Saturday, July 8th. Onboard-ship“Diana ” lyinginGran- GO ton Harbour 5 Sunday, July gth. On board-ship “Diana,” somewhere in the Pentland Firth 8 Monday, July 10th, On board-ship “Diana,” somewhere between the Orkneys and the Faroes 10 Tuesday, July 11th. On board-ship “ Diana,” the Faroes astern of us II Wednesday, July 12th. On board-ship “Diana” near the East firths of Iceland 18 Thursday, July 13th. Onboard-ship“ Diana” off thecoast of Rangirvalla-sysla, Iceland 19 Friday, July 14th. At Reykjavik in the house of Maria Einar’s-dottir 22 Saturday, July 14th. In the same place 24 Sunday, July 16th. At the same place 27 Chapter IT. From Reykjavik to Bergthorsknolland Lithend. Monday, July 17th. In camp at Bolavellir 27 Tuesday, July 18th. At Mr. Thorgrimsson’shouseat Ey- rarbakki 31 Wednesday, July 19th. At the priest’s houseat Oddi 36 Thursday, July 20th. In camp in the home-mead at Berg- thorsknoll 41 Friday, July 21st, In camp in the home-mead of Lith- end 44 Saturday, July 22nd. In camp at same place 50 Chapter I11. From Lithend to the Geysirs. Sunday, July 23rd. Incampin the home-meadat Véllr 58 1X Monday, July 24th. In the priest’s (Sira GuSmundr Jéns- son’s) house at Storuvellir 6o Tuesday, July 25th. In camp at Geysir 64 Wednesday, July 26th. In camp at the same place ~~ 69 Thursday, July 27th. In camp at the same place 71 Friday, July 28th. In camp at the same place 73 Chapter IV. From the Geysirs through the wilderness to Waterdale. Saturday, July 29th. In camp at Brunnar 75 Sunday, July oth. In the bonder’s house at Kalmans- tunga 78 Monday, July 31st. In camp at Bidar (by Arnarvatn) 82 Tuesday, August 1st. In the bonder’s house at Grims- tunga 86 Wednesday, August 2nd. At the same place 89 Thursday, August 3rd. In Dr. Skaptason’s house at Hnausar 90 Chapter V. From Water-dale to Biarg and Ramfirth. Friday, August 4th. In Mr. J6n Vi8alin’s house at Vi&i- dalstunga 93 Saturday, August sth. In camp by the stead of Farbar horn, Ramfirth Sunday, August 6th. In camp in the home-mead of Herd. holt 104 Monday, August 7th, In the same place ro Tuesday, August 8th. In the same place Wednesday, August gth. In the priest's houseat Breitabdl star on Skégar-strand 114 Thursday, August 10th. At Mr. Thorlacius’ house at Styk- kisholm 117 Friday, August 11th. In the same place 121 Saturday, August 12th. In camp by Berserkia-hraun ~~ 124 Sunday, August 13th. In campat the stead of Skerdings- stadr 126 Monday, August 14th. In the church at Ingialdshéll 132 Tuesday, August 15th. In camp by Stapi 139 Wednesday, August 16th. In camp in the home-stead of StaBastadr 142 Thursday, August 17th. In the bonder’s house at Mikla- holt 146 Friday, August 18th. In the priest's house at Hitardal 147 Saturday, August 19th. In camp in the tin of Bor I51 Sunday,August 20th. Incampin thehome-mead of Borg 153 Monday, August 21st. In camp in the home-mead at Staf- holt I5§ Tuesday August 22nd. In the priest's house at Gilsbank (Gilsbakki) 157 Wednesday, August 23rd. In the priest’s house at Reyk- holt 159 Thursday, August 24th. In the same place 163 Friday, August 25th. In camp in the home-mead at Thing- vellir 164 Saturday, August 26th. In the same place 170 Sunday, August 277th. In the same place 173 Monday, August 28th. In a house at Reykjavik 177 Tuesday, August 29th. Ina house (Geir Zoega's I think) in Reykjavik 179 Wednesday, August 3oth. In the same place 179 Thursday, August 31st. In the same place 179 Friday, September 1st. On board the “Diana” off the south coast of Iceland 180 Saturday, September 2nd. On board the “Diana” off Beru- firth 181 Sunday, September 3rd. On board the “Diana,” somewhere between Iceland and the Faroes 181 Monday, September 4th. On board the “Diana” in the har- bour of Thorshaven ‘182 Tuesday, September 5th. On board the “Diana” between the Faroes and the Orkneys 183 Wednesday, September 6th. On board the “Diana” off the North coast of Scotland 184 Thursday, September 7th. In England again 184 x A DIARY OF TRAVEL IN ICELAND, 1873 Thursday, July 24th. Resting at Breia[bélsstadr], on Fleet] L{ithe] 186 Saturday, 19th. Incamp on the Battle Holm, Thingvellir 188 Sunday, 20th. In camp at Snorra StaSir—in Laugardal 189 Monday, 21st. In camp in the tun of Scilholt 191 Tuesday, 22nd. In the church at Storuvellir 192 Wednesday, 23rd. In camp at BreiSa[bolsstadr] 194 Thursday, 24th. Same place 197 Friday, 2 5th. In the tin of Eyvindarmili 198 Saturday, 26th. In camp in Steppafil in Thorsmork ~~ 200 Sunday, 27th. The same 204 Monday, 28th, Eyvindar Muli 20§ Tuesday, 29th. Keldur 207 Wednesday, joth. Storuvellir 209 Thursday, 31st. Same place 210 Friday, August 1st. Galtaleekr 210 Saturday, August 2nd. Tungna-4 211 Sunday, August 3rd. [At ©“ Hvamgil’] 213 Monday, August 4th. At Eyvindarver 218 Tuesday, August sth. Same place 218 Wednesday, August 6th. [At Flibtsdalr] 219 Thursday, August 7th. At Miofidal 222 Friday, August 8th. Haldorsta®ir 223 Saturday, August gth. Gautland 225 Sunday, August 10th. [At Grimsstadir] 226 Monday, August 11th. [At GrimsstaBir] 228 Tuesday, August 12th. [At Hli¥arheli] 229 Wednesday, August 13th. At GreniaBar[stadr] 232 Thursday, August 14th. At Halsi 232 Friday, August 15th. Saurbeer 233 Saturday, August 16th. Akreyri 234 Sunday, August 17th. Mobruvellir 23% Monday, August 18th. SteinstaBir [in Oxnadalr] 23% Tuesday, August 19. Ytrakot NorBardal 236 Notes by Eirikr Magnusson 237 xij LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS William Morris, from a photograph by Elliott & Fry, 1877 ontispiece The Arms of Iceland XXXVj Facsimile page of the manuscript to face page 98 Map of the North-East of Iceland, to illustrate the journey of 1873 to face page 128 Map of West Iceland, to illustrate the author’s journey of 1871 at the end xiij INTRODUCTION HE visit to Iceland was another land-mark in my | father’s life. In itself, apart from what it stood for in his work, it was something of an undertaking. A sea- soned traveller would have smiled at the adventure of six days in a small steamerand six weeks’ ridingamong friendly people; but my father was not a seasoned traveller. He had a deep loveand knowledge of country things, and was country bred, but his every-day life was necessarily a sedentary one: he was going to exchange this, without any training, for six weeks’ hard riding over difficult country in a wild climate, cutting himself oft from every possiblecommunication with his own folk—no little thing for a man so deeply-rooted in the home-life. So it must be said that he started in a some- what adventurous spirit that spoke well for thesuccessof the journey. His courage, however, was nothing to that of Charley Faulkner. My father’s old college-friend was not in good health and thought the careless open-air life would benefit him: this partly, but he went chiefly out of sheer affection for my father, interested in, though not sharing his absorbing passion for the things of the North. He suffered untold miseries on any sort of salt water, endured the long days in the saddle the best he might, and during the journey was several times on the verge of illness: moreover, his short- sight almost amounted to blindness, and manyatimeit must have been only the wisdom of those admirable little ponies that saved him from disaster. Yet with all this,and not living in the magic dream that possessed his friend, he managed to keep going by sheer pluck and enjoyed it, rough times and smooth times and all. He was store-keeper and paymaster to the expedition. With them went Mr. W. H. Evans, of Forde Abbey, Dorsetshire, who had been attracted to Ice- land for the shooting and fishing. Mr. Magnusson made up the party of four and was, of course, the organizer of the travelling details: once landed and making for the interior, Xv they would have to travel in primitive fashion with guides and a troop of ponies, carrying tents and food and every- thing for their needs. There was a great to-do over the buy- ing of outfits and packing of stores; the cooking too had to be considered. Mr. Mackail in his “Life” tells how the Burne-Jones children remembered my father coming one day and building “a little hearth in their garden with loose bricks, over which he cooked a stew in the manner of some pirate or backwoodsman in a story-book.”” And it was not so long ago that I came upon the rather melancholy ruins of Jenny-and-May’s out-door “kitchen” in one of the home- closes at Kelmscott, built in the same way. My father wrote to Faulkner months before, bidding him praise riding. “I began this morning. By Gum the Great we shall have plenty of it there according to our program.” But I think it must have been a very desultory and fitful sort of training.