He fled away, but not before Hans had saluted him with the customary "_Saellvertu._" "_Spetelsk,_" said he.
"A leper!" my uncle repeated.
This word produced a repulsive effect.

The horrible disease of leprosy is too common in Iceland; it is not contagious, but hereditary, and lepers are forbidden to marry.
These apparitions were not cheerful, and did not throw any charm over the less and less attractive landscapes.

The last tufts of grass had disappeared from beneath our feet.

Not a tree was to be seen, unless we except a few dwarf birches as low as brushwood.

Not an animal but a few wandering ponies that their owners would not feed.