ngs, and I
record this experience here, that any person who reads it, should he
ever find himself in like circumstances, may not despair. There is
life in the thought. It will revive hope, allay hunger, renew energy,
encourage perseverance, and, as I have proved in my own case, bring a
man out of difficulty, when nothing else can avail.

It was mid-day when I emerged from the forest into an open space at
the foot of the peninsula. A broad lake of beautiful curvature, with
magnificent surroundings, lay before me, glittering in the sunbeams.
It was full twelve miles in circumference. A wide belt of sand formed
the margin which I was approaching, directly opposite to which, rising
seemingly from the very depths of the water, towered the loftiest peak
of a range of mountains apparently interminable. The ascending vapor
from innumerable hot springs, and the sparkling jet of a single
geyser, added the feature of novelty to one of the grandest landscapes
I ever beheld. Nor was the life of the scene less noticeable than its
other attractions. Large flocks of swans and other water-fowl were
sporting on the quiet surface of the lake; otters in great numbers
performed the most amusing aquatic evolutions; mink and beaver swam
around unscared, in the most grotesque confusion. Deer, elk, and
mountain sheep stared at me, manifesting more surprise than fear at
my presence among them. The adjacent forest was vocal with the songs
of birds, chief of which were the chattering notes of a species of
mockingbird, whose imitative efforts afforded abundant merriment. Seen
under favorable circumstances, this assemblage of grandeur, beauty,
and novelty would have been transporting; but, jaded with travel,
famishing with hunger, and distressed with anxiety, I was in no humor
for ecstacy. My tastes were subdued and chastened by the perils which
environed me. I longed for food, friends and protection. Associated
with my thoughts, however, was the wish that some of my friends of
peculiar tastes could enjoy this display of secluded magnificence,
now, probably, for the first time beheld by mortal eyes.

The lake was at least one thousand feet lower than the highest point
of the peninsula, and several hundred feet below the level of
Yellowstone Lake. I recognized the mountain which overshadowed it as
the landmark which a few days before, had received from Gen. Washburn
the name of Mount Everts; and as it is associated with some of the
most agreeable a