BOILING LAKE OF DOMINICA 69 



as an open grate, and have that shape. Into these 

 you can look deep down into black holes, sulphur 

 crystals in beautiful golden needles lining throat and 

 flue. It required great care not to break through 

 the crust in many places. My guide was constantly 

 warning me: "Have attention where you make you 

 feets ! " 



While I was preparing chemicals and collecting 

 minerals, my boys were busily cooking our break- 

 fast; and they prepared it without fire, too, and so 

 expeditiously as to cause me wonder. In the forest 

 they had found some wild yams ; Francois had shot 

 a few giant thrushes ; there were a few eggs remain- 

 ing of those we had brought with us. 



Curiously I watched them at their work. Tying 

 the yams in a bit of cloth, and tying that to the end 

 of a stick, Joseph thrust them into the large boiling 

 spring. A few minutes later — I do not know just 

 how many — he drew them out completely boiled. 

 The eggs were treated in like manner, and lastly the 

 birds. Then we withdrew to the shade of a near 

 clump of balisiers, on the bank of a clear spring, 

 plucked a few leaves for plates, for cups, for napkins, 

 for protection from the damp earth as we sat down, 

 sprinkled our curiously-cooked food with pepper and 

 salt, and feasted merrily, though half strangled by 

 the sulphur fumes. In watching this cooking process, 

 I could not but think of our own wonderful geysers 

 in the Yellowstone, where explorers caught trout in a 

 stream and cooked them in a boiling spring, without 

 removing the fish from the hook or changing their 

 own positions. 



Then we turned our backs upon this valley of won- 



