182 



THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



of the lake practically no water was visible because of the vegeta- 

 tion floating upon it. With great hesitation we crept out upon 

 these curious gardens, floating no one knows how far from the 

 bottom. One might be more bold with a pair of snowshoes. 

 Every Saturday the women of the village make an excursion to 

 this lake to do the family wash. 



It was not till we started the mad scramble up the other steep 

 slope of lava-boulders that we began to realize what a task we 



An Entrance to the Burrows on the Rim of Rano Kao Crater 



These caves are extensive enough to accommodate thousands of people but no one knows 

 why they were built. 



had undertaken. Every few minutes a loud clattering of rocks 

 echoing across the crater told us that someone had too hastily 

 trusted his footing. In time the rim was reached and we found 

 the rest of the party exploring the seemingly endless underground 

 burrows made by some ancient race. Soule and Parkinson were 

 photographing the carvings on the rocks near the numerous low 

 entrances. Having crawled inside one of these curious doorways 

 one could proceed through a maze of tunnels by stooping slightly. 

 In places the roof was caved in so that one had to retreat to try 

 a second shaft in a different direction. The painted stone-slabs 



