The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-20
THE PUIA.

were making their way along the banks or
the Waikato, in the North Island Of New
Zealand. 1t so CHANGED that | had ridden
forward a little ahead Of the wagon and
the remainder of the party, and, refining my
horse upon the summit of a ridge Of
wooded ground, looked suddenly upon a
strange and striking scene.
The valley sloped on all sides downward
TO little lake in steps or terraces of snow
white silica, which haG been deposited in
the lapse of ages by the waters Of q score
or more of giant fountains, which ~ inter
walls along the terraces threw Hp their
sparkling waters in the sun. These boiling
geysers-or, as the natives call them, pelias
were the first in my experience, and the
beauty of the sight was Of kind which |
could never have imagined.
Vast, yet fairy like, these fountains of
the Titans rose in throngs impossible to
count, because their number every instant
varied; even as the eye rested upon one,
the jet would sink into its crater, while in
a spot a moment before vacant another
fountain was to be seen dancing in midair.
From the crest of each cloud of white
steam floated slowly off on the still air
The steam was white, but the water of the
spouting columns was of the deepest sap
azure as it cascaded down the terraces and
flowed into the lake. over whose heated
surface hung veil of faint blue mist.
The caravan came up, with my compan-
ions. They shared my admiration to the
full; but, unlike myself, they were con-
tented with a distant view. We had had a
firing march since day5reak, and not man
Of them would volunteer to join me in a
pISy inTD bo IN, grIo 70
the puias near at hand. On this, however,
had set my mind. We were to halt some
hours upon the spot for rest and dinner, as
well as for some slight matters OF repair
about the wagon. Accordingly, when the
horses had been unbridIed and turned
loose to Craze, and while our native guides
were busy splitting wood TO build fire,
cutting rashers from a side Of bacon and
bringing out the kettle and the gridiron, l
started of alone into the valley
The distance TO the nearest puia was not
over half a mile; but the descent at first
was steep and rugged, and / made my way
but slowly. AS soon, however as / reached
the highest of the terraces the nature of
the ground completely changed 1t was
now a crisp, baked surface, full Of cracks
and assures, from many of which spurted
Jets of steam. l did not know the risk of
walking heedlessly upon this thin and
treacherous crust, which is liable at any
moment to give way beneath the travellers
foot and to let him plunge beyond redemp-
ton into some horrible abyss. Luckily,
however, though [ stepped without the
slightest caution, l reached the puia with
out accident and stood beside its spouting
fountain.
The Jet, which WAS about yard in thick
ness and some twenty feet in height,
rushed with q tremendous hiss, or rather
roaring, from its crater on the summit Of a
slightly elevated mound, exactly ike q
miniature volcano, down the sides Of which
the overlooking water poured in torrents
to the lower terraces and thence into the
lake / dipped my finger into the water,
but withdrew it with cry Of pain; 1t was
absolutely boiling hot AS l CHANGED to
stand to leeward OF the fountain, the
cloud of steam which drifted from its sum
NIT was above my head and kept me in q
drizzIing shower of rain. | felt a lively
curiosity to look down into the crater; but
this, while the Jet was spouting, was Of
course impossible. There was, however,
not hundred yards away, another puia
which had been playing as l descended, but
had now sunk under ground. To this &C
cordingiy l turned my steps, and ascending
its low mound looked down into the empty
crater
The outside of the mound was compare
lively rugged, but the interior was as
smooth as polished marble and as white as
snow-as snow on which the setting sun
has cast rosy luster of the most ethereal
tinge. / have seen the inside of a sea shell
look exactly like it, but nothing else that
Fan think of. In form the crater was 8
funnel of some five and twenty yards di
ameter, with sides which slOped abruptly
20 the center. where the shaft, which meas
ured about five feet across, descended like
q well.
So far my observation led me. Then,
with the most startling suddenness, my in
spection was cut short.
The margin of the crater where I stood
was formed of overhanging juts Of silica,
as brittle as glass. Alas. l did not know
it, and took no heed. STOPPING forward
TO look down into the funnel, | threw all
my weight with suddenness upon one foot;
the int on which l rested broke off short.
and my foot descended on the slippery sur
face of the crater. l acknowledgements
10 regain my balance-but in vain. The
very effort. like a reehng skaters, com
oleted my disaster; l swung half round.
and fell full length upon the side Of the in
cline.
For a second or two remained Statlona-
~. Then | felt that was sidlng-slowly
but surely sliding-down the shelving fun
mel toward the mouth of the abyss.
With a cry of terror l threw out my
arms in a convulsive search Of something
10 arrest my progress, but the projections
OF the margin were already out OF reach,
and my fingers only slipped upon the pol
i-hed walls of the declivity, which grew
sleeper and sleeper as they approached the
chasm. which now, like q monstrous jaw,
seemed gaping TO receive me. A moment
more, and with the horrible intestinal
sense OF falling from height dropped
like plummet into the darkness OF the
gulf.
For one instant, in extremity Of horror,
] felt that WAS lost; the next, was aware
that something unexpected had occurred
/ was no 4oaSer IAlng. W hat haU nap
penedf
As rule, a geyser shaft is as perpendic-
ular as q coal piss, but sometimes, by
mere chance, the shaft defieots and forms
en- angle al no great distance from the sur
face: and such was the case here. For
twelve or fifrsen feet the shaft descended
vertically; then II ended on a slightly
shelving floor Of rock. IRON the edge -af