smoke and steam, I expect. There, wash your hands.
It's not hot enough to scald your hard skin."

"No, sir; take a deal hotter water than that; but if you'll excuse me,
gents, I'll get away from here, please. It don't feel safe."

"Give me the soap," said Lane, handing his gun to Panton.

"There, Smith, my lad, a man who comes to such a place as this mustn't
be frightened at everything fresh he sees."

"Oh, I'm not frightened, sir, not a bit," said the man. "Am I, Billy?"

Wriggs grunted, and this might have meant anything.

"Only you see, sir," continued Smith, "it seems to me as it's a man's
dooty to try and take care of hisself."

"Of course," said Oliver Lane, as he laved his hands. "What beautiful
soft, silky hot water. We must come here and have a regular bathe. It
is nicely shut in."

This to his companions, while Smith stood looking on in horror, and
turned to his messmate.

"Look at him, Billy! Ain't it just awful? Come away 'fore we gets let
through, and are boiled to rags."

"Hold yer tongue," growled Wriggs. "You'll have the gents hear yer.
Ask 'em to let us go back."

"You'll have to analyse this water, Panton," said Lane, as he went on
with his washing. "There must be a deal of alkali as well as carbonate
of lime in solution."

"Strikes me, mate, as it won't have us in slooshum?" whispered Smith.
"Don't ketch me slooshing myself in it."

The water assumed another shade of blue where Oliver Lane was washing,
while Panton chipped off the petrification formed round the basin, and
Drew examined some peculiar water-plants which grew just where the hot
water issued to form the little stream.

"Be a fortune for anyone if he had it upon his own land in England,"
said Panton. "Can you see where the spring rises?"

"Yes, down here in the middle, there's quite a pipe. This must be
similar to what we read about, connected with the geysers?" said Oliver.
"Here, you two, don't be so cowardly. Come and wash. Catch!"

He threw the soap to Wriggs, who caught it, let it slip from his
fingers, and it went down into the beautiful blue basin of water with a
splash.

"There, fetch it out!"

Accustomed to obey, Billy Wriggs stepped forward, plunged in his hands,
caught the soap, and kept his fingers beneath the surface. "Why, it's
lovely, matey!" he cried reproachfully to Smith. "Here, come on."

"Oh, very well," was the reply, and the sailor approached the basin.
"What's good for you's g