Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/31

 renheit.

Seething and  swashing  like  a  troublous  witches  broth stirred by  subterranean  imps,  with  no  visible  outlet, its thick  black  liquid  bubbling  sometimes  to  a  height of three  or  four  feet,  the  bank  near  by  begrimed  like a chimney-back  and  just  above  blooming  with  beauti- ful sulphur crystals,  Dante  himself  could  not  conceive a more  perfect  stygian  pool. This black  vapory  pit has been  called  also  the  Devil's  Punch  Bowl. It is an  insult  to  his  Majesty,  who  knows  full  well  how  to brew  good  punch.

Every spring  has  its  voice,  its  own  peculiar  strain ; its busy  babble,  or  surly  grumble,  or  hollow  moan,  or impotent  sputter,  or  testy  hiss,  or  angry  roar,  or wild  shriek,  its  vain  spoutmgs  or  gleesome  gurgle, and throuo;hout  the  ao-es  the  infernal  choir  ceases  not to deliver  its  united  and  discordant  strains. But loud above all  voices  and  high  above  all  sounds  are  the puffmgs and  roaring  pulsations  of  the  Steamboat Geyser, which  sends  from  the  hillside  in  several  fitful volumes, through  orifices  from  an  inch  to  a  foot  in diameter,  columns  of  hot  vapor  to  heights  of  from 50 to  200  feet. The sounds  of  which  the  name  is expressive,  are  like  those  proceeding  from  the  escape pipe of  an  engine. The roar  is  continuous,  though broken by  puffs  and  louder  bursts,  while  all  around from tiny  holes  in  the  spongy  ground  jets  of  hot steam shoot  upward,  with  a  force  and  fury  significant of the  contending  elements  beneath  the  surface. Then there  is  the  Intermittent  Geyser,  which  belches boiling water  spasmodically,  sometimes  fifteen  feet and again  only  three  or  four  feet;  the  Devil's  Ink- stand, which emits  through  a  small  aperture  a  black liquid that  may  be  used  for  writing,  and  whose  stain is indelible;  the  Devil's  Grist-mill  with  its  sputtering clatter ; the  Devil's  Kitchen,  the  Devil's  Bake-oven,  the Devil's Wash-tub,  the  Devil's  Tea-kettle,  the  Devil's Pulpit,  and  the  devil  knows  what  else. All along the banks  of  this  Lethe  stream,  as  you  climb,  fainting with the  heat  and  smells,  between  slippery  rocks  and