Collected Works of William Morris

Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1911. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... Breitiab61- CHAPTER III. FROM LITHEND TO THE GEY staSr SIRS. Sunday, July 23rd. In camp in the home-mead at VOllr. "E had given out that we wanted to buy horses yesterday, so this morning about breakfast time there was quite a horse-fair in our camp: we bought about half-a-dozen, making up our full number of thirty with one over, a little mare Evans fancied, and speculated in privately. J6n came in to say good-bye, bringing me a book that Magnusson had noticed at his room, an 18th century Icelandic poet, rather rare I believe. We all thought Jon a very good fellow and were quite sorry to part with him. So to saddle and off, on a grey cold overcast day threatening rain; Faulkner in poor spirits and obviously not very well. We ride west along the sides of the Lithe, and after an hour's ride are delayed by Evans' mare finding herself near the stead she was bred at, and running off at score accordingly: so we sit down on a little mound, and watch Eyvindr chasing her all up the slopes, till at last he catches her and brings her back, rather in an ill temper; so she is tied to the tail of a stolid old pack-horse to check her exuberance, and on we go again. We make for BreiaSb61staSr, a church and priest-stead1 which we had seen on the Lithe-side from the plain on Friday; we are to get our horses shod there, as there was no smith at Lithend: the priest* was gone a preaching at another place, but his wife, a good-looking gentle mannered woman, received us kindly, promised us a smith, and gave us a splendid meal of salmon-trout and "red-grout3 with cream," making many apologies for the scantiness of the meal: Faulkner ate, but was rather silent: the good wife provided a smith for us, and the horses were shod, after which, and having presented the daughter with a bottle of ou...