ON AND ABOUT WATER 165

kind of a pool of an identical material, which seems to
have flowed out of the well in the remote past and
stretches out of it some fifty or sixty feet. Marks of
original fluidity or at least flaccidity are still visible
on its surface, but the whole has long been petrified.’

Apart from the extraordinarily regular circularity
of its wall, the most remarkable particularity in con-
nection with this strange well, or kettle, is the lethi-
ferous gas or effluvia which its bottom emits. What-
ever living being passes over, or penetrates into, its
perimeter remains there and dies. Bending for a
moment over its red parapet to scan its inside, the
priest and companions (Chief Kar-ta, Duncan, Hobel
and another) saw, strewn on its bottom, all kinds of
birds and small animals, the largest of which was a
ground-hog.

Close to the “Big-Kettle’’ flows the upper reach
of the Omineca River,"® famous in the annals of British
Columbia gold mining. It is not there very deep, of
course. Therefore, as it had rained all the forenoon
and the priest was quite wet, he boldly waded through
it while his charitable companions were asking one
another who was to carry him across.

Later on, it was, in several cases, to be on the broad
shoulders of Robert, alias Hobel, not very tall but
stouter than the others (at least so said Duncan),
that this honour was to devolve. The very obliging
fellow accepted with good grace the task imposed on
him, except one day when he was confronted by
a swift torrential river which he deemed too deep
for his size. He then offered the honour to a taller
man. They all pretexted some excuse, however:

® The ground is there sloping; hence the apparent flowing, at a time
en the matter must not have been very liquid, for it did not go very
ar.

10 Or rather in Sékanais: Omexékhah, river that overflows.