and no instrumental observations, or geographical survey of any
description, had ever been made anywhere in the neighboring region.
It was generally supposed that it had no visible outlet; but,
among the trappers, including those in my own camp, were many who
believed that somewhere on its surface was a terrible whirlpool,
through which its waters found their way to the ocean by some
subterranean communication. All these things had been made a frequent
subject of discussion in our desultory conversations around the
fires at night; and my own mind had become tolerably well filled
with their indefinite pictures, and insensibly colored with their
romantic descriptions, which, in the pleasure of excitement, I was
well disposed to believe, and half expected to realize.

"In about six miles' travel from our encampment we reached one of
the points in our journey to which we had always looked forward
with great interest -- the famous Beer Springs, which, on account
of the effervescing gas and acid taste, had received their name
from the voyageurs and trappers of the country, who, in the midst
of their rude and hard lives, are fond of finding some fancied
resemblance to the luxuries they rarely have the good fortune to
enjoy.

"Although somewhat disappointed in the expectations which various
descriptions had led me to form of unusual beauty of situation
and scenery, I found it altogether a place of very great interest;
and a traveller for the first time in a volcanic region remains in
a constant excitement, and at every step is arrested by something
remarkable and new. There is a confusion of interesting objects
gathered together in a small space. Around the place of encampment
the Beer Springs were numerous but, as far as we could ascertain,