The Henson Journals

[89]

Monday, June 21st, 1909.

A bright morning after the rain. I wrote letters to Arthur and Buff. At 10 a.m. Major & Mrs Benson arrived to take us over the Terraces. We had two hours of most interesting inspection & most agreeable conversation. These terraces are really a collection of dead, moribund, & dying geysers. A time will come when "Old Faithful" will have smothered himself in his own deposits. He, & every other active geyser, is engaged in building & decorating his own tomb. We admired especially the "orange" geyser, about which trees & flowers are growing freely. We drank the tepid disagreeable water of the Soda Spring: descended the sulphurous cavity of the "Devil's Kitchen": and gazed on the green–tinged water of the pool in which the bather may swim from cold water to hot.

We returned to the hotel for lunch; and then went through again the dolorous task of packing. We went to the Bensons for a farewell cup of tea. The Major had got out his views of the Yosemite valley.

Then we dined in the hotel, paid our reckoning, and went off to Gardiner. Our coach drive to the station was cheered by a beautiful double rainbow.

[90]

We left Gardiner at 7.15 p.m. on Monday, and arrived at Seattle at 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The train was filled with an inferior class of tourists.

One tragic incident marked our journey. One of the tourists – a young woman – died on the journey, & was removed from the train at the first convenient station.

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