The
first danger they met was a great whirlpool, whose center was a vast
hole into which had been drawn many a brave ship. Varrak threw overboard
a small barrel wrapped in red cloth and trimmed with many red streamers,
but with a rope attached to it. A whale swallowed this bait and then
tried to escape as he felt the rope pulling him. In his flight he towed
the ship to a safe place in the open sea.
This brought them far westward and at last they came within sight of the
Island of Fire. Iceland, men call it now, but surely it has as much fire
as ice. From the middle of this Iceland they could see great pillars of
flame and vast clouds of smoke ascending into the air.
Varrak warned the king of his danger, but was commanded to run the boat
ashore. Those who explored the land found a vast mountain casting up
flames and another mountain pouring out smoke. Soon the party came
across great spouting fountains of boiling water, and they found the
ground beneath their feet to be burning lava.
The son of Sulev, who was leading this exploring party, wandered through
snow-fields covered with ashes. A shower of red-hot stones warned him
that he was near the volcano. Going too close to this burning mountain,
his hair and eyebrows were singed and his clothing took fire.
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