came as far as
Lake Yellowstone. On his return, some one inquired what he thought of
Nature's masterpiece, the canon of the Yellowstone.

[Illustration: LARRY, AS FISHERMAN AND COOK.]

"The canon!" cried the general, "no matter about the canon; but I had
the most magnificent fishing I ever saw in my life."

One day, while walking along the shore, my comrade suddenly pressed
my arm and pointed toward the lake. "An Indian!" I cried in great
astonishment, "I thought no Indians ever came here." Our guide
laughed heartily; and, as he did so, I perceived my error. What I had
thought to be an Indian was but a portion of a tree, which had been
placed upright against a log. The only artificial thing about it was
a bunch of feathers. Everything else was absolutely natural. No knife
had sculptured it. No hand had given a support to its uplifted arm.
Even the dog which followed us appeared deceived, for he barked
furiously at the strange intruder. There was to me a singular
fascination in this solitary freak of nature; and, surrounded though
I was by immeasurably greater wonders, I turned again and again to
take a farewell look at this dark, slender figure, raising its hand,
as if in threatening gesture to some unseen foe.

[Illustration: A FALSE ALARM.]

Leaving the lake, we presently entered the loveliest portion of the
Park,--a level, sheltered area of some fifty square miles, to which
has been given the appropriate name of Hayden Valley, in
commemoration of the distinguished geologist, Doctor Ferdinand V.
Hayden, who did so much to explore this region and to impress upon
the Government the necessity of preserving its incomparable natural
features. Even this tranquil portion of the Park is undermined by
just such fiery forces as are elsewhere visible, but which here
manifest themselves in different ways. Thus, in the midst of this
natural beauty is a horrible object, known as the Mud Geyser. We
crawled up a steep bank, and shudderingly gazed over it into the
crater. Forty feet below us, the earth yawned open like a cavernous
mouth, from which a long black throat, some six feet in diameter,
extended to an unknown depth. This throat was filled with boiling
mud, which rose and fell in nauseating gulps, as if some monster were
strangling from a slimy paste which all its efforts could not
possibly dislodge. Occasionally the sickening mixture would sink from
view, as if the tortured wretch had swallowed it. Then we could hear,