The Arizona sentinel., 1891-08-01
and spitefuI, of all the groupe of volcanoes, besmears him with it's boiling hot black mud.
 THE BLACK INK

|
 like water which fills the lake,
 comes up to within 3 or 4 inches
 of the level of it's shores. It's temperature near the edge is about no, gradually growing warmer, as you get down in it, and as you ap-
 proach the center of the lake,
 where on the surface it is about
 150, and at the depth of 250 it is 216. Near the shore on the east,
 south and west sides, the water is
 only from 4 to 6 feet in depth, for
 20 feet or more into the lake, where
 the shelf breaks off perpendicular
 ly, and there, no bottom has ever
 been found. To the touch, the
 water feels smooth andoily. The
 ashes and oil which covers the lake,
 when it's waters are quiet, are from
 :! ap inch to an Inch thick. When
 the wind is fresh it blows them
 over to the lee shore, where they
 are often found 2 to 8 inches thick.
 They have more of an oily feeling
 when alone than when mixed
 with the oil, as then they are sticky
 and adhere to what ever they
 touch. The water in the lake is jet
 black, though it does not color the skin of those who bathe in it. Un- der glass the coioring matter
 seems to be minute black sub stance, held in suspension by the
 water, which adheres to white cloth imm ersed in the lake. To the taste the water is warm, salt and bitter. To the bather the sensa- tion on entering the water is grand, collaborating to a wonderful degree, so much so, that bath of 10 or 15 minutes, makes one feel as if he was under the influence of the very best brandy. Millions of bub- bles formed by the escaping gases keep the surface of the lake agitat
 ed, at times till it rolls, boils and foams, as if ready to break over it's banks and escape, and again only in myriads of sparkling globules, glittering in the sunlight. When ever the volcanoes rage with anger. the lake follows, and the sight of it's maddened waters is we'll wortk seeing.
 From time immemorial these
 waters have been used by the differ ent tribes of Indians, lar and wide, at war, or in peace, as the great all healing remedy, following a bath in the hot mud Of the peace able volcanoes, for all levers, rheumat- ism, scrofula and venereal diseases They take the invalid and bury him, all but his ears, eyes and mouth, in the hot volcanic mud, for from 20 to 30 minutes, then carry him covered with mud, on a blanket, the 50 or 100 feet to the edge of the lake, and put him into the water, holding his head above it, for from 15 to 30 minutes, then rolling him in his blanket, they carry him few feet away, to a shade which they have provided, and lay him on the hot sulphurous sand or rock, and there let him sweat. They repeat tkis in the afternoon. At night they move him to place where the ground is not quite so warm. and let him sleep. and if possible where he can breathe the gases or vapors of the neighboring volcanoes. The cures wrought are perfectly wonderful'I and could not be believed f not seen. A few white men have been f here and tried the remedies, and thus far without single failure. The indians also drink the hot water from some of the springs, but not from all. When ever they ap- proach this strange wierd scene, this barren waste, even when they | come on their trips for salt, which 1 lies in great beds, mile or so be- yond, they stop on the highest mound, and with one hand shad- ing the eyes, they screech and cry, with that fearful yell, of tra, tra, la, la, hoop, va, lip, lip, 500, %, oo, la, which makes your blood run a little faster in it's channels, and then they wait to see, if the Gods | of the desert are there to assist them. If all is still, with naught but the half smothered groans