Page:Old ninety-nine's cave.djvu/284

 "Yes," he returned, "and it is the least beautiful of four lakes running along the summit of the mountain,—Maratanza, A wasting, Minnewaska and Mohonk."

A brisk half-mile walk over the pavement-*like rocks bordered with huckleberry bushes and stunted pines brought them to the lake, a beautiful sheet of pure, soft water whose surface was rippling in the slight breeze and sparkling with innumerable gems in the brilliant sunlight.

Dora was lost in wonder—"Where does the water come from?"

"Some time ago at a meeting of scientists that very question came up for discussion but no definite conclusion was arrived at," said Mr. De Vere. "In my opinion it comes from drainage. The lake lies in a depression and on three sides the shores are composed of shelving rock which slopes toward the lake. These rocks are thickly covered with moss and bushes and the moss absorbs all moisture falling on it, and, as the evaporation is slight, it gradually drains into the lake. To sub