DESCENT INTO ELDEN HOLE. 3 



perfectly smooth^ so that there was no risk of cutting the 

 rope. He sustained no further injury than that which 

 befell those of us who followed him, viz. a complete rolling 

 in mud derived from the damp and slippery rocks. As the 

 pioneer, however, he ran considerable danger from stones 

 which had lodged on ledges of rock and which there was a 

 risk of disturbing. When a little more than halfway down, 

 he came clear of the rock again, and there was a sheer de ■ 

 scent to the bottom, the rope continuing to run over the 

 smooth projecting side. Three of us followed him, one at 

 a time, each of us being tied to the rope so as to have the 

 hands free to guide the body. 



The effect of being lowered into the dark abyss, with the 

 blue sky above and the green ferns and creepers around, 

 was very fine ; but the knocking one got against the rock a 

 few yards down soon distracted the attention from scenic 

 effect. At a distance of i8o feet from the top a landing- 

 place was reached, although not a very secure one, as it was 

 inclined at an angle of about 45 degrees. Thence a cavern 

 ran downwards towards the south or south-east ; the floor 

 was entirely covered with loose fragments of limestone, 

 probably extending to a considerable thickness. 



This is, no doubt, to some extent natural, but is princi- 

 pally artificial, being the result of the favourite amusement 

 of visitors, the throwing down of loose stones from the pro- 

 jecting wall which surrounds the top. The farmer told me 

 that during his time two or three walls had disappeared and 

 been replaced ; no doubt it had been the same in the times 

 of his predecessors. There was quite sufiicient light at this 

 point to enable one to sketch or read. Having refreshed 

 ourselves, we left daylight behind, and scrambled or, rather, 

 slipped into the cavern. For some few yards, during which 

 we descended a considerable distance, it was of a tunnel- 

 like shape ; then it suddenly expanded into a magnificent 



b2 



