64 THE MAMMOTH CAVE OF KENTUCKY, 



craw-fish. Hanging my lamp over the side of the boat, I threw 

 out a net to try and capture some of these curiosities. The first 

 fish that appeared evaded the net for a while, and no wonder, for, 

 when caught, I was disappointed to find he had excellent eyes. 

 The guide informed me he had often caught them in the Green 

 River similar to the one I had at first fished up, and argued there- 

 from a connection between Green River and this subterranean 

 water. We crossed^the Lake in a flat-bottomed boat, and paddled 

 along by the dim light of our lamps, fishing net in hand, but we 

 were not rewarded by much sport. Before long the boat grounds, 

 and we are on a miniature " Sandy Desert." The ground is 

 covered with a red, sandy soil, and the white limestone roof has 

 the appearance of clouds, when illuminated by the Bengal light. 

 When the Green River rises to a great height the waters of Lake 

 Lethe and Echo River are united, and a boat can pass from one 

 to the other, a distance of five hundred yards. It is probable 

 that Green River is draining the cave, as it cuts for itself a deeper 

 bed, and doubtless in time Lake Lethe and Echo River will be 

 dried up, as the other parts of the cave have been. 



Of all the pleasures of the cave none will surpass the paddle up 

 "Echo River." The sound of a man's shout is echoed and 

 re-echoed again and again, each time becoming fainter till it dies 

 away in the distance. I have heard echoes among the mountains 

 of Switzerland, but never any to equal those of Echo River. We 

 had a flute on board, and though of rude construction, its strains 

 were charming and grand, like several flutes played at the same 

 time, a short distance apart, and each a few notes behind the other. 

 This voyage, extending over half a mile, is not undertaken without 

 difficulty. In parts the roof is not more than two feet above the 

 boat, obliging us to crouch down in a very uncomfortable position • 

 then again we glide where the river is two hundred feet wide, and 

 fourteen feet high. The water rises 'and falls rapidly, so that 

 travellers have to run the risk of being cut off from a return 

 voyage, as a short time suffices for the water to rise to the roof in 

 the lower part. There is, however, a side way by which explorers 



