o　set　out。　Then　came　Utgard　Loke；　and　ordered　the　table　to　be　set；　where　there　wanted　no　good　provisions；　either　meat　or　drink。　When　they　had　breakfasted；　they　set　out　on　their　way。　Utgard　Loke　accompanied　them　out　of　the　castle；　but　at　parting　he　asked　Thor　how　the　journey　had　gone　off；　whether　he　had　found　any　man　more　mighty　than　himself？　Thor　answered；　that　the　enterprise　had　brought　him　much　dishonour；　it　was　not　to　be　denied；　and　that　he　must　esteem　himself　a　man　of　no　account；　which　much　mortified　him。
  〃Utgard　Loke　replied：　'Now　will　I　tell　thee　the　truth；　since　thou　art　out　of　my　castle；　where；　so　long　as　I　live　and　reign；　thou　shalt　never　re…enter；　and　whither；　believe　me；　thou　hadst　never　come　if　I　had　known　before　what　might　thou　possessest；　and　that　thou　wouldst　so　nearly　plunge　us　into　great　trouble。　False　appearances　have　I　created　for　thee；　so　that　the　first　time　when　thou　mettest　the　man　in　the　wood　it　was　I；　and　when　thou　wouldst　open　the　provision…sack；　I　had　laced　it　together　with　an　iron　band；　so　that　thou　couldst　not　find　the　means　to　undo　it。　After　that　thou　struckest　at　me　three　times　with　the　hammer。　The　first　stroke　was　the　weakest；　and　it　had　been　my　death　had　it　hit　me。　Thou　sawest　by　my　castle　a　rock；　with　three　deep　square　holes；　of　which　one　was　very　deep：　those　were　the　marks　of　thy　hammer。　The　rock　I　placed　in　the　way　of　the　blow；　without　thy　perceiving　it。
  〃'So　also　in　the　games；　when　thou　contendedst　with　my　courtiers。　When　Lopt　made　his　essay；　the　fact　was　this：　he　was　very　hungry；　and　ate　voraciously；　but　he　who　was　called　Loge；　was　FIRE；　which　consumed　the　trough　as　well　as　the　meat。　And　Huge　（mind）　was　my　THOUGHT　with　which　Thjalfe　ran　a　race；　and　it　was　impossible　for　him　to　match　it　in　speed。　When　thou　drankest　from　the　horn；　and　thoughtest　that　its　contents　grew　no　less；　it　was；　notwithstanding；　a　great　marvel；　such　as　I　never　believed　could　have　taken　place。　The　one　end　of　the　horn　stood　in　the　sea；　which　thou　didst　not　perceive；　and　when　thou　comest　to　the　shore　thou　wilt　see　how　much　the　ocean　has　diminished　by　what　thou　hast　drunk。　MEN　WILL　CALL　IT　THE　EBB。
  〃'Further；'　said　he；　'most　remarkable　did　it　seem　to　me　that　thou　liftedst　the　cat；　and　in　truth　all　became　terrified　when　they　saw　that　thou　liftedst　one　of　its　feet　from　the　ground。　For　it　was　no　cat；　as　it　seemed　unto　thee；　but　the　great　serpent　that　lies　coiled　round　the　world。　Scarcely　had　he　length　that　his　tail　and　head　might　reach　the　earth；　and　thou　liftedst　him　so　high　up　that　it　was　but　a　little　way　to　heaven。　That　was　a　marvellous　wrestling　that　thou　wrestledst　with　Ella　（old　age）；　for　never　has　there　been　any　one；　nor　shall　there　ever　be；　let　him　approach　what　great　age　he　will；　that　Ella　shall　not　overcome。
  〃'Now　we　must　part；　and　it　is　best　for　us　on　both　sides　that　you　do　not　often　come　to　me；　but　if　it　should　so　happen；　I　shall　defend　my　castle　with　such　other　arts　that　you　shall　not　be　able　to　effect　anything　against　me。'
  〃When　Thor　heard　this　discourse　he　grasped　his　hammer　and　lifted　it　into　the　air；　but　as　he　was　about　to　strike　he　saw　Utgard　Loke　nowhere。　Then　he　turned　back　to　the　castle　to　destroy　it；　and　he　saw　only　a　beautiful　and　wide　plain；　but　no　castle。〃
  So　ends　the　story　of　Thor's　journey　to　Jotunheim。
  It　was　now　just　upon　the　stroke　of　midnight。　Ever　since　leaving　England；　as　each　four…and…twenty　hours　we　climbed　up　nearer　to　the　pole；　the　belt　of　dusk　dividing　day　from　day　had　been　growing　narrower　and　narrower；　until　having　nearly　reached　the　Arctic　circle；　this；the　last　night　we　were　to　traverse；had　dwindled　to　a　thread　of　shadow。　Only　another　half…dozen　leagues　more；　and　we　would　stand　on　the　threshold　of　a　four　months'　day！　For　the　few　preceding　hours　clouds　had　completely　covered　the　heavens；　except　where　a　clear　interval　of　sky；　that　lay　along　the　northern　horizon；　promised　a　glowing　stage　for　the　sun's　last　obsequies。　But　like　the　heroes　of　old　he　had　veiled　his　face　to　die；　and　it　was　not　until　he　dropped　down　to　the　sea　that　the　whole　hemisphere　overflowed　with　glory　and　the　gilded　pageant　concerted　for　his　funeral　gathered　in　slow　procession　round　his　grave；　reminding　one　of　those　tardy　honours　paid　to　some　great　prince　of　song；　wholeft　during　life　to　languish　in　a　garretis　buried　by　nobles　in　Westminster　Abbey。　A　few　minutes　more　the　last　fiery　segment　had　disappeared　beneath　the　purple　horizon；　and　all　was　over。
  〃The　king　is　deadthe　king　is　deadthe　king　is　dead！　Long　live　the　king！〃　And　up　from　the　sea　that　had　just　entombed　his　sire；　rose　the　young　monarch　of　a　new　day；　while　the　courtier　clouds；　in　their　ruby　robes；　turned　faces　still　aglow　with　the　favours　of　their　dead　lord；　to　borrow　brighter　blazonry　from　the　smile　of　a　new　master。
  A　fairer　or　a　stranger　spectacle　than　the　last　Arctic　sunset　cannot　well　be　conceived：　Evening　and　Morninglike　kinsmen　whose　hearts　some　baseless　feud　has　kept　asunder　clasping　hands　across　the　shadow　of　the　vanished　night。
  You　must　forgive　me　if　sometimes　I　become　a　little　magniloquent；for　really；　amid　the　grandeur　of　that　fresh　primaeval　world；　it　was　almost　impossible　to　prevent　one's　imagination　from　absorbing　a　dash　of　the　local　colouring。　　We　seemed　to　have　suddenly　waked　up　among　the　colossal　scenery　of　Keats'　Hyperion。　The　pulses　of　young　Titans　beat　within　our　veins。　Time　itself；no　longer　frittered　down　into　paltry　divisions；had　assumed　a　more　majestic　aspect。　We　had　the　appetite　of　giantswas　it　unnatural　we　should　also　adopt　〃the　large　utterance　of　the　early　gods？〃
  As　the　〃Reine　Hortense〃　could　not　carry　coals　sufficient　for　the　entire　voyage　we　had　set　out　upon；　it　had　been　arranged　that　the　steamer　〃Saxon〃　should　accompany　her　as　a　tender；　and　the　Onunder　Fiord；　on　the　north…west　coast　of　the　island；　had　been　appointed　as　the　place　of　rendezvous。　Suddenly　wheeling　round　therefore　to　the　right　we　quitted　the　open　sea；　and　dived　down　a　long　grey　lane　of　water　that　ran　on　as　far　as　the　eye　could　reach　between　two　lofty　ranges　of　porphyry　and　amygdaloid。　The　conformation　of　these　mountains　was　most　curious：　it　looked　as　if　the　whole　district　was　the　effect　of　some　prodigious　crystallization；　so　geometrical　was　the　outline　of　each　particular　hill；　sometimes　rising　cube…like；　or　pentagonal；　but　more　generally　built　up　into　a　perfect　pyramid；　with　stairs　mounting　in　equal　gradations　to　the　summit。　Here　and　there　the　cone　of　the　pyramid　would　be　shaven　off；　leaving　it　flat…topped　like　a　Babylonian　altar　or　Mexican　teocalli；　and　as　the　sun's　level　rays；shooting　across　above　our　heads　in　golden　rafters　from　ridge　to　ridge；smote　brighter　on　some　loftier　peak　behind；　you　might　almost　fancy　you　beheld　the　blaze　of　sacrificial　fires。　The　peculiar　symmetrical　appearance　of　these　rocks　arises　from　the　fact　of　their　being　built　up　in　layers　of　trap；　alternating　with　Neptunian　beds；　the　disintegrating　action　of　snow　and　frost　on　the　more　exposed　strata　having　gradually　carved　their　sides　into　flights　of　terraces。
  It　is　in　these　Neptunian　beds　that　the　famous　surturbrand　is　found；　a　species　of　bituminous　timber；　black　and　shining　like　pitch　coal；　but　whether　belonging　to　the　common　carboniferous　system；　or　formed　from　ancient　drift…wood；　is　still　a　point　of　dispute　among　the　learned。　In　this　neighbourhood　considerable　quantities　both　of　zerlite　and　chabasite　are　also　found；　but；　generally　speaking；　Iceland　is　less　rich　in　minerals　than　one　would　suppose；　opal；　calcedony；　amethyst；　malachite；　obsidian；　agate；　and　feldspar；　being　the　principal。　Of　sulphur　the　supply　is　inexhaustible。
  After　steaming　down　for　several　hours　between　these　terraced　hills；　we　at　last　reached　the　extremity　of　the　fiord；　where　we　found　the　〃Saxon〃　looking　like　a　black　sea…dragon　coiled　up　at　the　bottom　of　his　den。　Up　fluttered　a　signal　to　the　mast…head　of　the　corvette；　and　blowing　off　her　steam；　she　wore　round　upon　her　heel；　to　watch　the　effects　of　her　summons。　As　if　roused　by　the　challenge　of　an　intruder；　the　sleepy　monster　seemed　suddenly　to　bestir　itself；　and　then　pouring　out　volumes　of　sulphureous　breath；　set　out　with　many　an　angry　snort　in　pursuit　of　the　rash　troubler　of　its　solitude。　At　least；　such　I　am　sure　might　have　been　the　notion　of　the　poor　peasant　inhabitants　of　two　or　three　cottages　I　saw　scattered　here　and　there　along　the　loch；　as；　startled　from　their　sleep；　they　listened　to　the　stertorous　breathing　of　the　long　snake…like　ships；　and　watched　them　glide　past　with　magic　motion　along　the　glassy　surface　of　the　water。　Of　course　the　novelty　and　excitement　of　all　we　had　been　witnessing　had　put　sleep　and　bedtime　quite　out　of　our　thoughts：　but　it　was　already　six　o'clock　in　the　morning；　it　would　require　a　considerable　time　to　get　out　of　the　fiord；　and　in　a　few　hours　after　we　should　be　within　the　Arctic　circle；　so　that　if　we　were　to　have　any　sleep　at　allnow　was　the　time。　Acting　on　these　considerations；　we　all　three　turned　in；　and　for　the　next　half…dozen　hours　I　lay　dreaming　of　a　great　funeral　among　barren　mountains；　where　white　bears　in　peers'　robes　were　the　pall…bearers；　and　a　sea…dragon　chief…mourner。　When　we　came　on　deck　again；　the　northern　extremity　of　Iceland　lay　leagues　away　on　our　starboard　quarter；　faintly　swimming　through　the　haze；　up　overhead　bla