She says the view from there is grand, but
how she can have the nerve to go over the wet, slippery rocks is a
mystery to all of us, for by one little misstep she would be swept
over the falls and to eternity.
Our party consists of Captain and Mrs. Spencer, their little niece,
Miss Hayes, and myself--oh, yes, Lottie, the colored cook, and six or
eight soldiers. We have part of the transportation that Major General
Schofield used for this same trip two weeks ago, and which we found
waiting for us at Mammoth Hot Springs. We also have two saddle horses.
By having tents and our own transportation we can remain as long as we
wish at any one place, and can go to many out-of-the-way spots that
the regular tourist does not even hear of. But I do not intend to
weary you with long descriptions of the park, the wonderful geysers,
or the exquisitely tinted water in many of the springs, but to tell
you of our trip, that has been most enjoyable from the very minute we
left Livingstone.
We camped one night by the Fire-Hole River, where there is a spring I
would like to carry home with me! The water is very hot--boils up a
foot or so all the year round, and is so buoyant that in a porcelain
tub of ordinary depth we found it difficult to do otherwise than
float, and its softening effect upon the skin is delightful. A pipe
has been laid from the spring to the little hotel, where it is used
for all sorts of household purposes.
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