To the Bottom of St. Michael's Cave 5 
On 
Carpenter and myself and one other got through. The Blue- 
jackets named it ‘Clincher Hole.” It is interesting to record 
that upon reaching the bottom we found we were by no means 
the first who had done so, for on the limestone roof above us 
were spaces blackened by candle-soot on which were scratched 
the names of officers and dates, some going back to Crimean 
days! In the absolute stillness and dryness of these depths 
_these old records seemed as fresh as the day they had been 
‘scratched with the broken stalactites, which lay about us on the 
floor. My companion who was a scientific officer in the Hydro- 
graphic Department calculated by means of his lead-lines the total 
depth of the cavern from entrance to the pools of water to be 
500 ft. or roughly 500 ft. above sea-level. The air was quite 
fresh and the only danger lay in the risk of our return passage 
being blocked by sliding débris from above. 
Another famous cave I explored, with a party of the 71st 
Highland Light Infantry was the one in the Europa Ravines 
below the Chiet Justice's House, known as Glenrocky., This 
cavern is the one where the reputed skeleton of prehistoric 
man was discovered. It is a marvellous place, and, being the 
light man of the party as well as the pioneer, I went in a bowline 
ae 
through the hole in the “ceiling” and gained “the lowest storey ” 
out of the three series of caverns we explored. 
At this time my brother officers with one exception did 
not take at all kindly either to climbing or exploration, but I was 
never at a loss to obtain good recruits from the Navy or 7Ist 
Highland Light Infantry. 
In the spring of 1880 I left the Rock for our Depot at 
Winchester. Not long after, I heard how the fashion | had set 
had found imitators among those I had left behind in my Battalion. 
One party elected to explore St. Michael’s Cave with almost 
tragic consequences. For a peculiarly long subaltern of Rifles 
