ADVANCE TOWARDS A BEAUTIFUL LAKE--HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS MET WITH--BOILING
MUD POTS--CURIOUS BASINS FORMED BY WATER IN THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN--
LOVELY FRETWORK ROUND THEIR RIMS--NEARLY SINK INTO A BOILING MUD POOL--
THE LAKE REACHED--ABUNDANCE OF GAME AND FISH--BUILD A RAFT--BEGIN VOYAGE
ACROSS LAKE--VIOLENT STORM--IN GREAT DANGER--DRIVEN ACROSS THE LAKE--WE
CLING TO TREES WHILE THE RAFT IS DASHED TO PIECES--MAKE OUR WAY THROUGH
THE FOREST--I MISS MY COMPANIONS, AND LOSE MY GUN AND KNAPSACK OVER A
PRECIPICE--REACH FOOT OF MOUNTAIN--I CAMP WITHOUT SUPPER OR FIRE.
In spite of the fearful noises produced by the savage inhabitants of
that region, and certain slow, ominous rumbling sounds which came up
from the direction of the waterspout, when we did go to sleep we slept
soundly enough. At length the sergeant, who had taken the last watch,
roused up Manley and me, and we started to our feet--my first impulse
being to look out for the jet of water which I supposed I had seen on
the previous evening, but which was now nowhere visible.
"If we have got into an enchanted land, as the Indians suppose it is,
the fairies or spirits have not thought fit, during the night, to
trouble us," said Manley, laughing. "Our business now is to try and
make our way across this valley--so, forward!"
After breakfast, we strapped on our packs and recommenced our march, our
object being to reach the shore of the lake as soon as possible. If
there were any native inhabitants in this region, they would probably be
found there; and we would either get them to put us across the lake in
their canoes, or else we would skirt along it until we could again take
a westerly course.
We soon found that we had got into a region subject to violent volcanic
action, and were compelled to turn aside to avoid a wide space full of
ponds, the intervals between which were covered with a crust of
brimstone. I attempted to reach one of the ponds, but had not gone far
when the point of my pole went through the crust, and up bubbled a
quantity of black slime. On touching it, and finding it scalding hot, I
shouted to my companions, who were behind, not to venture on the
treacherous ground. A horror seized me, and every instant I feared that
I should break through the surface. Should that take place, what a
dreadful fate would be mine! I hastened back, stepping cautiously, as
if moving over ice too thin to bear my weight; and very thankful I was
when I once more got on hard ground.
Still further on, as we proceeded down the valley, we saw vapour rising
from numerous fissures in the hill-sides. Around these vents quantities
of sulphur had been deposited. But the most curious objects were basins
of all sizes, nearly circular, of which there were great numbers--
formed, apparently, by the lime contained in the hot springs. Some of
these springs were exhausted; others, as they gushed forth from the
mountain-side, were hot enough to boil potatoes. Beautiful as was the
appearance of the basins, we were too eager to push forward, to examine
them minutely. One was from twelve to twenty feet in diameter, and had
a beautifully scalloped border. So perfect was the shading of the
scallops, that it looked like a most delicate work of art rather than
the production of nature. From the centre spouted up water to the
height of seven or eight feet. Farther on was another boiling spring,
of far greater dimensions,--a horrible-looking caldron, the water dark
and muddy, and in ceaseless agitation.
"Here is a pot suitable for the witches' caldron in Macbeth," cried out
Manley.
He was rather ahead of me, and on overtaking him I found him standing by
the side of a circular basin whose diameter we calculated to be fully
twenty feet. The contents consisted of what greatly resembled hasty
pudding, or, as Manley said, "a huge caldron of thick mash." The whole
surface was bubbling up every instant, and giving off a thud like the
noise produced by the escape of the gas below.
Curious as these sights were, we were still more astonished by the
appearance of the side of the mountain, the base of which we passed.
All up the slope was seen, as it were, one above another, a succession
of large basins or reservoirs. The margins were beautifully scalloped
and adorned with natural bead-work of exquisite beauty. In spite of our
hurry, we could not resist the temptation of making our way up to them.
One of the largest springs we calculated to be fully thirty feet in
diameter; and so perfectly transparent was the water, that, as we looked
down into it, we could see to the very bottom. Its sides were
ornamented with coral-like forms of various shades, from pure white to
bright cream-yellow, while the blue sky overhead gave an azure tint to
the whole surface which no art could imitate. Over several parts of the
rim the water was flowing down into other basins. I climbed up and
looked over into one of the pools, which was literally hanging on to the
one above it like a bird's nest to a wall; while beautiful stalactites
were suspended below it, caused by the water which flowed over the
sides. The temperature of the water when it came out of the side of the
mountain was high, but in the course of its passage from pool to pool it
became gradually cooler.
"I cannot resist the temptation of taking a bath in one of these
beautiful basins," exclaimed Manley.
Selecting one, I followed his example; and the sergeant was soon sitting
in a third, with his head just above the water. Nothing could be more
refreshing and invigorating, and when we got out we all agreed that we
felt better able to continue our journey.
We found that the clear atmosphere of this region greatly deceived us as
to distances, and it was not until the following day that we arrived on
the shores of the lake. It was nearly evening when, after having
penetrated a thick pine forest, we at length stood on its borders. Few
lake-scenes could be more beautiful than that now spread out before us.
The southern shore was indented with long narrow inlets, while
pine-crowned promontories stretched from the base of the hills on every
side. Islands of emerald hue dotted its surface, and round the margin
was a sparkling belt of yellow sand. The surface, unruffled by a breath
of air, was of a bright green near the shore, shading into a dark
ultramarine towards the centre. Whether there were fish, we had yet to
discover; but we had no fear of starving, for the whole surface of the
lake swarmed with birds--swans, gulls, pelicans, geese, herons, brants,
sand-hill cranes, and many varieties of ducks. An island in view was
literally white with the numbers of pelicans which had taken up their
abode upon it. We had also seen many other birds during the day--
eagles, hawks, ravens, ospreys, prairie-chickens, grouse, mocking-birds,
and woodpeckers; while we caught sight of several kinds of deer, elk,
and mountain sheep. Even buffalo had made their way into the valley.
Grizzly bears and panthers, too, we had good reason to fear, abounded,
and were likely to be troublesome to us.
We formed our camp on the shore of the lake, where there was fuel in
abundance; and taking my gun, in the course of a quarter of an hour I
shot geese and ducks enough to give us an ample supper, and breakfast
next morning. Manley, who was a good angler, had, in the meantime, been
fitting up a rod and line--for he had brought hooks with him; and I
found, when I got back, that he and the sergeant had caught a dozen
salmon-trout, between a pound and a pound and a half in weight. Their
colour was of a light grey above, and a pale yellow below. The dorsal
and caudal fins were dark grey, and the others mostly of a brilliant
orange or bright yellow.
We calculated that the lake was fully twenty miles long, and not less
than fifteen broad in its widest part; and had we not been in a hurry to
proceed on our journey, we agreed that we would have willingly spent
some days in this enchanting spot. However, this was not to be thought
of.
We kept up a blazing fire all night, and consequently escaped a visit
from either grizzly or panther. The question now was, "How were we to
cross the lake?" We were none of us much accustomed to boating,
although Sergeant Custis knew more about it than either Manley or I. At
first we talked of building a canoe, but the sergeant suggested that, as
it would take some time to construct one, it would be better to form a
raft, which could be put together in a few hours.
"If the water remains as quiet as it does at present, we can soon paddle
to the other side; and we can also rig a mast and yard, on which we can
make a very good sail with our blankets," he observed.
At daylight we commenced to build a raft. There were logs enough of
every size and length in the forest, and we selected those only which we
could drag with ease to the water's edge. Lithe vines, of which there
were plenty hanging to the trees, served instead of ropes, and with
these we bound our logs together. As the pine-wood was heavy, we formed
a platform on the top of the logs with smaller poles and lighter
branches, interwoven, and bound together as tightly as we considered
necessary for the easy voyage we proposed to undertake.
We were, it must be understood, at the north-east end of the lake. On
the west side was the promontory which we hoped to reach, and beyond it
a deep gulf ran up the shore, the farther end of which we could not
distinguish.
Some hours were passed in constructing the raft. We had then to cut out
the paddles, a long oar to steer by, and also the mast and yard. These,
although they were very roughly formed, occupied us some time longer, so
that it was late in the day before we were ready to commence our voyage.
We calculated, however, that we should have no difficulty in getting
across before sundown; and as the evening promised to be calm and
beautiful, we expected to have a pleasant passage. The wind, too, was
favourable, blowing from the eastward, and would help us along,--
although, as it was very light, we must be prepared to use our paddles.
The raft had been built in the water, so that all we had to do was to
step on board, set our sail, and shove off. "Away we go!" cried Manley,
giving a shove with the steering oar, and we glided off from the shore.
Sergeant Custis quickly set the sail, which, as we got a little way on,
blew out with the breeze. He and I then plied the paddles. We appeared
to be making fair progress, too, although the raft moved but slowly.
But the wind soon dying away, we had our paddles alone to depend on.
Manley tried to scull with the oar, but he was not an adept at the art,
and it did not help us much. When we watched the shore we had left, we
saw that we had made some progress; but when we looked ahead towards the
side of the lake we wished to reach, it appeared no nearer than when we
stood on the shore we had left, while the mountains rose towering up
above our heads as gigantic as ever. The sun had already disappeared
beyond the pine-clad heights to the west, leaving the valley in rapidly
increasing shade.
"I doubt, Ralph, whether we shall set foot on shore much before
midnight, unless we move at a faster rate than we are now doing," said
Manley.
I agreed with him; observing, however, that a moonlight voyage on that
calm lake would be pleasant in the extreme, and a thing to be
remembered.
Not expecting to be so long on the raft, and intending to have supper on
our arrival, we grew very hungry. Fortunately we had plenty of cooked
provisions, and fresh water alongside, so that we had no difficulty in
satisfying our appetites.
While the sergeant was engaged in again doing up the pack, a sudden
squall struck our sail, carrying away the mast, and had I not sprung up
and seized hold of it, the blanket would have been lost. Fortunately I
caught it before it was wet. This squall was quickly followed by
another, and we could see the white-topped waves curling up around us on
all sides. Our raft was but ill calculated to buffet with a tempest
such as seemed but too likely to come on. The wind being as yet
favourable, however, the sergeant attempted to repair the mast and
re-hoist the sail; but scarcely had he done so when it was again carried
away.
"We must trust to our paddles, and the wind will still drive us along,"
said Manley.
We could hear the wind roaring among the trees on the shore, and every
instant it increased, raising up big waves which threatened to sweep
over us. The raft was tossed and tumbled about, and sometimes it was
with difficulty we could hold on sufficiently to prevent ourselves from
being shaken off into the seething water. We had, fortunately, at the
suggestion of the sergeant, secured our rifles and knapsacks to the top
of the platform in the centre of the raft, where they were tolerably
secure.
We were now driving on much faster than we had hitherto been doing, but
the darkness prevented us from knowing whether it was in the right
direction, for we could see only the foaming waters dancing up around
us. All we could do, therefore, was to hold on, and try with the
steering oar to keep the raft before the wind, hoping that we might be
driven into some sheltered bay, where we could land in safety.
I thought of what Clarice would have said, if she had been with
us--"Trust in God"--and I felt sure that she would not have been more
alarmed than we were. We saw our danger,--we could not be blind to
that,--but none of us gave way to cowardly fears. Manley sat with
perfect calmness, steering, while Sergeant Custis and I paddled away,
endeavouring to keep the raft before the following seas. At last I
caught sight of some dark object rising out of the water, but instead of
being ahead, it was on the right hand, or, as we judged, to the
northward of us. It was evidently land, but whether the end of the
island we had seen in that part of the lake, or the mainland, we could
not determine. In vain we attempted to paddle up to it; the gale drove
us on, and showed us that we were perfectly unable to go in any
direction excepting that towards which the wind should impel us.
Again we lost sight of the land, and this led us to think that we must
have passed an island. The waves hissed and foamed, and danced up
around us as much as ever; still our raft held together, and we were
enabled to cling on to it. Even if we were only moving at the rate of
two miles an hour, it could not take us more than seven or eight hours
to get across from one side of the lake to the other, and we calculated
that we must already have been that time on the raft. What if we had
got into a channel of some river, which might rush rapidly along,
pouring over some terrific cataract? Should we by any means be able to
reach the shore, so as to escape being carried along with the raft? Had
it been daylight, the danger would not have been so great, for we might
have seen in what direction to direct our efforts. As it was, we might,
should we paddle to one side or the other, be placing ourselves in
greater danger than by allowing the raft to drive on before the gale.
Our ears were assailed by the continued roar of the waves dashing on the
shore, of the wind rushing through the trees, and of the foaming waters
as they clashed against each other; we sometimes, indeed, could scarcely
hear each other's voices. There being now no sail, we were able to keep
our eyes turning in every direction.
"When we do reach the shore, we must take care not to lose our things,"
said Manley, with due thought. "Let each man seize his rifle and
knapsack; for if we fail to get into a harbour, we shall probably be
dashed against a rocky shore, or among overhanging trees, where our raft
will, no doubt, quickly be knocked to pieces."
Dangerous as was our present position, we had to confess that the
operation of landing might prove even more perilous; still we were eager
to go through it, trusting that, notwithstanding the danger, we should
escape.
At length Sergeant Custis cried out, "Land ahead! We shall be close to
it in a few minutes. It seems to me to be covered with wood, with
mountains rising beyond. Yes! no doubt about it! We must each try to
get hold of a stout branch or trunk of a tree, and cling on to it until
daylight returns and we can see our way."
The sergeant was right, although the time we took to reach the shore was
longer than he expected it would be. In daylight we could have made our
escape without difficulty, but now we ran the most fearful risk of being
crushed against the raft, as it surged up and down; or against the
trees, which hung, some with their branches in the water, others but
slightly raised above it, while the seething waters whirled and leapt
around their trunks with a force which must soon reduce our raft to
fragments.
"Now is our time!" cried the sergeant. "Quick, quick, gentlemen!" and
seizing a branch, he swung himself up into a tree, hauling his rifle and
knapsack after him. The next instant he extended his hand to me, by
which assistance I was enabled to follow his example. On looking round,
I lost sight of Manley. Had he been washed off, or struck by a bough?
"Manley, Manley!" I shouted; "where are you?"
"All right!" he answered, greatly to my relief.
The sound came from a distance, for even after I had left the raft it
had been driven some way on before he could manage to grasp a bough. We
had at all events succeeded in our object of crossing the lake, although
we had not landed exactly in the manner we desired, nor could we tell
our whereabouts. We might be at the very southern end of the lake,
should the wind have shifted to the northward, or we might be at its
western extremity. Wherever we were, there we must remain until
daylight; for were we to attempt moving, in the pitchy darkness which
hung around, we might fall off into the water, or lose ourselves in the
forest.
"It cannot be far off daylight, sergeant," I observed.
"I think not," he answered; "but I would advise you to take care not to
drop off to sleep. If you do, you may chance to fall into the water.
It will be as well to caution the lieutenant, or he, being alone, may
forget himself."
Considering the noise of the waves dashing under our feet, the waving of
the trees, and the howling of the wind amid them, I did not think the
caution very necessary; but, notwithstanding, I shouted out to Manley.
"No fear of that," he answered. "It would require a more comfortable
spot for a bivouac, to induce me to take a snooze."
That night appeared to me the longest I can remember. Days appeared to
have passed since we had left the eastern shore, with the bright
sunlight and the calm blue water. Still, day must return. What a
comfort that thought often is! The roar of the waters gradually
decreased, the wind having fallen, and thus, in spite of the sergeant's
warning, my head was beginning to nod, when he cried out--
"Here is daylight at last; I see a tint of red over the snowy tops of
the mountains. We shall have the sun himself sending his warm rays down
upon us before long."
His voice aroused me in a moment Manley answered his hail; and as the
light increased we saw that we were at the farther end of what might be
the main body of the lake, or a branch running off it. It was in
reality the great western arm of the lake, and we had been carried many
miles on our journey, in the exact direction we wished to go.
We had soon light enough to enable us to crawl off the branches to which
we had clung, and make our way down to the ground--if ground it could be
called, for, in reality, in every direction it was covered thickly with
logs in all stages of decay, some only lately fallen, others which could
be knocked to pieces with a kick, while the feet sank at almost every
step in decomposed vegetable matter. Still this was the region through
which, somehow or other, we must make our way.
After an hour's toil we reached a small open space, where the ground was
sufficiently hard to enable us to light a fire and dry our drenched
clothes and blankets. We had also to look to the priming of our rifles,
as they were likely to have got damp, and might fail us at a pinch.
Being unwilling to encamp in the forest altogether, though we all
greatly required rest, we resolved to push on until we could reach more
open ground where water was to be obtained.
To save my companions labour, as I was a more practised backwoodsman
than either of them, I offered to go ahead and try to find the shortest
way out of the forest. How far it might be, I could not tell; but I had
hopes that the forest in which we were might prove to be only a belt of
trees on the shore of the lake.
It did not occur to me as possible that my companions could miss my
trail. I shouted now and then, however, but did not hear their voices
in reply, the forest being so dense that sounds could not penetrate far
through it I went on and on, feeling sure that I was directing my course
to the westward. The ground rose more and more, too, in some places
rather abruptly, but still covered with a dense growth of trees, and
soon I found that I was mounting a hill. The path was more easy than at
first, however, there being but few fallen trunks, so I made much better
progress.
"I must get out of this," at last I said to myself; and so I continued
moving on, occasionally notching a tree with my axe, if I thought my
trail was not sufficiently distinct. "Of course they will follow," I
thought more than once. I did not, indeed, entertain a doubt about it.
I had reached the top of the hill, but the trees were too high to enable
me to see any of the country around. I could judge by the direction of
the sun's rays, however,--which had now drawn round, and were striking
in my face,--that I was steering westward, as before. I occasionally
stopped and looked back, expecting that my friends would overtake me;
and although I did not see them, I felt so sure that they must be close
behind that I continued my course.
On and on I went, when again I found myself descending, and thus knew
that I had crossed over a hill of some height; still the trees prevented
me from getting a view of the country beyond. At last I came to some
marshy ground of a similar character to that which I had met on the
other side of the lake, with sulphur springs in the centre. I had
therefore to make a detour to avoid it, but as the tall trees which grew
on the surrounding hills would not allow me to get a view of the
country, I could not determine in what direction to steer my course. I
did not perceive an important circumstance. Owing to the spongy nature
of the ground, into which my feet sank at every step, the marks were
soon obliterated, while I still supposed that my trail was sufficiently
defined to enable Manley and the sergeant to follow me.
I now mounted another hill, of a far more rugged character than the
former ones which I had passed over.
"Surely," I thought, "on the other side of this there must be open
ground, where I shall be able to see my way ahead, and select a spot for
our camp." The hill, however, proved to be even more rugged than I had
expected. Still I did not like to go back, though the farther I went
the wilder and more jagged it became.
At last I found myself scrambling along the summit of a precipice, until
I saw before me a foaming cascade falling down the precipitous rocks,
with lofty pinnacles rising above it. This formed a cataract which,
after a short course, ran into a lakelet at the foot of the cliffs;
while beyond was the open ground I had been hoping to find.
Although a good cragsman, my climb had been a rough one, and I now sat
down to rest on the top of the cliff before I commenced mounting higher,
which it was necessary to do in order to get above the falls, and from
thence make my way down the further side of the mountain on to the open
ground. To rest my shoulders, I had taken off my pack, and placed it
with my rifle by my side. I failed to notice, as I did so, the slippery
nature of the rock, which was covered with a velvet-like surface of
moss, produced by the constant spray from the waterfall. Feeling
thirsty, I thought that I could reach a small jet of water which,
flowing amid the rocks, fell into the main cascade. I therefore got up
to make my way to it, and while doing so must have touched my rifle with
my foot I obtained the water, although not without difficulty, and more
danger than it was wise to run for the purpose. But, on returning, what
was my dismay to see neither rifle nor knapsack! They had both, it was
very evident, slipped over the cliff, and fallen into the lakelet. Had
I been alone, my loss would have been indeed a serious one, but as I
hoped that my friends would soon overtake me, I did not allow it to
depress my spirits.
I approached as near to the edge of the cliff as I dared, thinking it
possible that my rifle and knapsack might have fallen on some ledge, or
perhaps been stopped in their downward progress by bushes; but, as far
as I could judge, the precipice was perpendicular, and they must have
fallen into the lakelet. I saw at once, therefore, that there was very
little chance of my being able to recover them; still that point could
not be decided until I got down to the level of the lake, when I might
ascertain its depth. If not very deep, I might perhaps be able to dive
to the bottom; but though naturally eager to make the attempt, I felt it
would be safest to do nothing in the matter until I was joined by my
friends.
I waited a short time for their coming up, but as they did not appear, I
thought it desirable to retrace my steps, in case they should have
missed their way, or lost sight of my trail. I accordingly went back,
shouting out to them; but it was not until I came to the spongy ground I
had passed, that I saw the probability of their having lost my trail and
gone in some other direction. In vain I searched for signs of them.
Should I return to where I parted from them, a long time might elapse
before we might meet; and my anxiety to try and recover my rifle and
knapsack forbade me doing this.
The day was advancing, and darkness would come on before I could get to
the shore of the lake, so I again turned and made my way over the
mountain till I got above the fall; from thence, with infinite labour
and at no little risk, I ultimately succeeded in reaching the level
ground. I had now to go round the base of the mountain in order to
reach the lake; but the distance was considerable, and I could scarcely
hope to reach it before nightfall. I felt, therefore, that it would be
prudent to look out for a spot for camping. A grove of trees of no
great extent was before me, and their trunks would afford shelter; but
what about a fire? My flint and steel I had incautiously left in my
knapsack, but I had a small burning-glass which one of our visitors at
the farm had given me. I had seldom made use of it, but I had put it in
my pocket, with the few valuables I possessed, on the night we left
Roaring Water. As the sun had disappeared, that, however, would be of
no use for the present; so I arrived at the unsatisfactory conclusion
that I must pass the night without food or fire.