THE GEYSERS.
of endeavoring to ascertain it. In my first
impulse I hastened only to look for my portfolio,
that I might attempt, at least, to represent
upon paper what no words could possibly
give an adequate idea of; but in this I found
myself nearly as much at a loss as if I had
taken my pen for the purpose of describing
it, and I was obliged to satisfy myself with
very little more than the outline and proportional
dimensions of this most magnificent
fountain. There was, however, sufficient
time allowed me to make observations; for,
during the space of an hour and half, an uninterrupted
column of water was continually
spouted out to the elevation of one hundred
and fifty feet, with but little variation, and in a
body of seventeen feet in its widest diameter;
and this was thrown up with such force and
rapidity, that the column continued to nearly
the very summit as compact in body, and as
regular in width and shape, as when it first
issued from the pipe; a few feet only of the
upper part breaking into spray, which was
forced by a light wind on one side, so as to
fall upon the ground at the distance of; some
paces from the aperture. The breeze, also,
at times, carried the immense volumes of
steam that accompanied the eruption to one
side of the pillar of water, which was thus
left open to full view, and we could clearly
see its base partly surrounded by foam, caused
by the watei’s striking against a projecting
piece of rock, near the mouth of the crater,
but thence to the upper part, nothing broke
the regularly perpendicular line of the sides
of the water-spout, and the sun shining upon
it rendered it in some points of view of a
dazzling brightness. Standing with our backs
to the sun, and looking into the mouth of
the pipe, we enjoyed the sight of a most
brilliant assemblage of all the colors of the
rainbow, caused by the decomposition of the
solar rays passing through the shower of
drops that was falling between us and the
crater. After the water had risen to the vast
height above described, I ventured to step
in the midst of the thickest of the shower of
spray; where I remained till my clothes were
all wetted through, but still scarcely felt that
the water was warmer than my own temperature.
On the other side of the spout, so
undivided was the column, that, though upon
the very brink of the crater, within a few
inches of the stream, I was neither wetted nor