mile away,
the Beehive Geyser threw into the air a shaft of dazzling spray fully
two hundred feet in height. I realized then, as never before, the
noble action of our Government in giving this incomparable region to
the people. If this had not been done, the selfishness and greed of
man would have made a tour here almost unbearable. A fence would,
doubtless, have been built around every geyser, and fees would have
been charged to witness each wonderful phenomenon; whereas, to-day,
thanks to the generosity of Congress, the Park itself, and everything
that it contains, are absolutely free to all, rich and poor, native
and foreigner,--forever consecrated to the education and delight of
man.

[Illustration: THE CRATER OF OLD FAITHFUL.]

But no enumeration of the geysers would be complete without a mention
of the special favorite of tourists, Old Faithful. The opening
through which this miracle of Nature springs is at the summit of a
beautifully ornamented mound, which is itself a page in Nature's
wonder-book. The lines upon its wrinkled face tell of a past whose
secrets still remain a mystery. It hints of an antiquity so vast that
one contemplates it with bated breath; for this entire slope has been
built up, atom after atom, through unnumbered ages; during which
time, no doubt, the geyser hour by hour has faithfully performed its
part, without an eye to note its splendor, or a voice to tell its
glory to the world. Old Faithful does not owe its popularity entirely
to height or beauty, though it possesses both. It is beloved for its
fidelity. Whatever irregularities other geysers show, Old Faithful
never fails. Year in, year out, winter and summer, day and night, in
cold and heat, in sunshine and in storm, Old Faithful every
seventy minutes sends up its silvery cascade to the height of about
one hundred and eighty feet. Of all the geysers known to man this is
the most reliable and perfect. Station yourself before it watch in
hand and, punctual to the moment, it will never disappoint you. Few
realize on how large a scale the forces of Nature work here. At each
eruption, Old Faithful pours forth about one million five hundred
thousand gallons, or more than thirty-three million gallons in one
day! This geyser alone, therefore, could easily supply with water a
city of the size of Boston.

[Illustration: CASTLE AND OLD FAITHFUL GEYSERS.]

[Illustration: OLD FAITHFUL IN ACTION.]

Within this area of the active geysers is a