The blue, mystic Lake Elsinore lies in an inland California valley which is teeming and st

eaming with hot springs. Rimmed by shaggy mountains whose forested crests are reflected in its clear waters, Lake Elsinore is the very personification of peace-but on it rests the curse of Tondo.

The lake has had a colorful history. Much of it lies buried in legend, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. There have been stories of underground volcanoes on the lake bottom, erupting, killing fish and discoloring the water. There have been stories of a playful sea serpent that lived in its depths.

Long noted for its scenic beauty and health-giving waters, the lake was a famous resort in the Nineties. But long before the first white man had set foot along the shore of the lake, this part of California had been the home of the Soboba Indians. Their chief was Tondo, a stern and unforgiving man.

He had a daughter, Morning Star, who was in love with Palo, son of the chief of the Palas, a neighboring tribe. The Sobobas and Palas were sworn enemies. For a time the lovers met secretly. Then one day they were discovered by Tondo. His rage was terrible to behold. He forbade the lovers ever to meet again.

Morning Star tried in every way to appease her father's anger, to soften his heart toward Palo. But in time she saw that it was useless; that he would never give his consent to their marriage. Vowing that they would never be separated, the Indian maid and her lover walked hand in hand into the lake, as the dreary November sun cast long shadows on the land. They were followed by a group of orphan children whom Morning Star had befriended. All walked into the lake, singing the mournful death song of their people, while Tondo stood on the shore and cursed the lovers, cursed the blue water into which they all walked to their death.

Ever since that day it would seem that a jinx has been laid over Lake Elsinore. Old-timers tell of a great upheaval in the lake which caused water to spout into the air like a geyser and turn blood-red. Later, it became known that three hundred springs of boiling mud and water were born in the valley during that upheaval. The springs reeked with sulphur.

For many years after this phenomenon the lake remained peaceful. Then boats were overturned for no apparent reason, and few of their occupants ever returned to tell the story. This continued for several years. At the same time, strong swimmers dived into the lake never to reappear.

In 1833 and again in 1846, fish in the lake suddenly died.

In the spring of 1850 came the Battle of the Gnats. They bred in the water of the lake and swarmed over the land. They invaded the countryside until the harassed inhabitants called for help.

And in July 1951, the sky-blue waters of the lake vanished like mist before a noonday sun. When the bottom was laid bare there was no trace of a volcano, the bottomless pits, or the other disturbances of legend or fact.

The copious winter rains of 1951-52 have replenished the lake. But what menace does its haunting beauty hold today？ For tomorrow？

The once mighty Sobobas are few now. But the old men swear that their ancestors still haunt the lake. They nod grizzled head and murmur that the Great Tondo's curse will forever remain upon the lake. Only Time, the wise and silent one, can tell.

Which of the following statements is true of Lake Elsinore？

A．It is considered by legend to be rich in gold.

B．It was once famous as a beautiful resort.

C．It is located in a volcanic crater in California.

D．It used to be the center of a mining village.