Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1894-06-22

ban k S Of the
Walkota, in the North Island Of New
! ZealaAd. It SO CHANGED that ! had
ridden forward little ahead of the
wagon and the remainder OF the par
ty, and, refining my horse upon the
summit of a ridge wooded ground,
looked suddenly upon a strange and
striking scene.
The valley sloped on all sides down
ward to little lake. in steps or ter
races of snow-white silica, which had
been deposited in the lapse of ages
by the waters of a score on moro OF
giant fountains, which at intervals
along the terraces threw up their
I{sparkling waters in the sun. These
boiling geysers-or as the natives
call them, puias the first in my
experience, and the beauty OF the
sight was q kind which / could never
have imagined. Vast, yet fairy-like,
these fountains.o 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 his crater, while
in a spot Il moment before vacant
another fountain was to be seen
dancing in mid air. From the crest of
each cloud OF white steam foated
slowly off in the still air. The
steam was white, but the water of
the spouting columns was of the
deepest sapphire, which became pal
er and yet paler azure rs it cascaded
down the terraces and flowed into the
lake, over whose heated surface hung
a vail of faint blue mist.
The c aravan came up, with my
companions. They shared my adj
miration to the full; but, unlike my
self, they We're contented with dis
tant view. We had had a firing
march since daybreak. and not a
! man of them would volunteer to Join
me in climb into the valley in or
der to inspect the puias near at hand.
On this. however, had setmy mind.
We were to halt some hours upon
the spot for rest and dinner, us well
as for some slight matters of repair
about the wagon. Accordingly. when
the horses had been unbridled and
turned loose to Craze, and while our
native guides We're Busy splitting
wood to build fire, cutting rashers
from a side of bacon, and bringing
out the kettle and the gridiron, |
started off alone into the valley.
The distance to the nearest puia
was not over half mile; but the de-
sent at first was steep and rugged,
and | made my way but slowly. AS
soon, however, as reached the high
est OF the terraces, tie nature of the
ground completely changed. 1t was
now crisp, baked surface. full of
cracks and assures, from many Of
which spurted jets of steam. Idid
not know the risk of walking heed
lessly upon this thin and treacherous
crust, which is liable at any mo ment
to give way beneath the travellers
foot and to let him plunge beyond
redemption into some horrible abyss.
Luckily, however, though ! stepped
without the slightest caution, ]
reached the puia without accident
beside its spoIting fountain.
The Jet, which was about a yard
in thickness and some 20 feet in
height. rushed with a tremendous
hiss, or ratherroaring, fromits crater
on the summit Of a slightly elevated
mound. exactly ike a miniature vol
cano, down the sides of which the.
overfiowing water poured in torrents
to the lower terraces, and thence in
to the lake. ! dipped my finger in
the water, withdrew it with a cry
OF pain: twas absolutely boiling hot.
AS | CHANGED to stand to leeward of
the fountain, the cloud Of steam
which drifted from its summit was
above my head and kept me i'll a
drizzling shower of rain. j 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 issxay, another puia, which had
been playing as descended, but had
now sunk underground To this ac-
cordingly, j turned my steps, and as
cending its low mound, looked down
into the empty crater.
The outside ofthe mound was COM
paratively rugged, but the interior
was as smooth as polished marble
and as white rs srow-as snow on
which the setting sun has cast rosy
lustre of the most ethereal tinge. 4
have seen the inside Of sea shell
look exactly like it, but nothing else
that / can think of. In form the era
ter was afunnel Of % yards linn stsru
Nth s.tes which Slplbsam