1816.] 



Hie unparalleled Cavern of Kentucky. 



sliown witli tiie greatest brilliancy from 

 tlie reflection of lamps. 



A part of the "haunted chamber," 

 is directly over the bat-room, which pas- 

 ses under the " haunted chamber," 

 withf)nt having any connecti(m with it. 

 My guide led me into a very narrow de- 

 file on the left side of this rjiamber, and 

 about one hundred yards from "Wil- 

 kins' armed chair," over the side of a 

 smooth limestone rock, ten or twelve 

 feet, whicii we passed with much pre- 

 caution; for, had we slipped from our 

 hold, we had gone to '"that bourne 

 whence no traveller returns," if I may 

 judge from a cataract of water, whose 

 dismal sound we heard at a very con- 

 siderable distance in this pit, and nearly 

 under us. However, we crossed in 

 safety, clinging fast to the wall, and 

 winding down under the "haunted 

 •hamber," and through a very narrow 

 passage for thirty or forty yards, when 

 our course was west, and the passage 

 twenty or thirty feet in width, and from 

 ten to eighteen high, for more than a 

 mile. The air was pure and delightful 

 in this as well as in other parts of the 

 cave. At the further part of iliis avenue 

 we came upon a reservoir of water, very 

 clear, and delightful to the taste, appa- 

 rently having neither inlet nor outlet. 



Within a few yards of this reservoir 

 of water, on the right iiand of the cave, 

 there is an avenue which leads to the 

 rorth west. We had entered it but 

 about forty feet, when we came to se- 

 veral colunms of the most brilliant spar, 

 sixty or seventy feet in height, anil al- 

 most perpendicular, whicli stand in 

 basins of water, that comes trickling 

 down tlicir sides, then passes otf silently 

 from the basins, and enters the cavities 

 of stone without beingseon again. These 

 columns of spar, and the basins they rest 

 in, for splendour and btauty, surpass 

 every similar work of art I ever saw. 

 We passed by th;'se coiuums, and en- 

 tered a small but beautiful chamber, 

 whose walls were about twenty feet 

 apart, and the arch not more than seven 

 high, white as white-wash would have 

 made it; the door was level as far as I 

 explored it, w hieh w as not a great dis- 

 tance, as 1 found many pit-holes in my 

 path that appewred to have been lately 

 Bunk, and whicii induced me to return. 



We rclurned by the beautiful pool of 

 water, which is called the " Pool of 

 Clitorius," alter the "Ions Clitorius" 

 of the classi<;s, which was so inire and 

 delightful to the taste, that after drinking 

 tif it it pcrauu bad jio longer a tuslc Jo>- 



427 



wine. On our way back to thd narrow 

 defile, I had some difficulty in keeping 

 my liglits, for the bats were so numerous 

 and continually in our faces, that it was 

 next to impossible to get along in safety. 

 I brought this trouble on myself liy my 

 own want of forethought ; for, as we 

 w crc moving on, 1 noticed a largo nnm- 

 ber of these bats haiiging by tlieir hind 

 legs to the arch, which was not above 

 twelve inches higher than my head. I 

 took my cane and gave a sweep the 

 whole length of it, when dow n they fell ; 

 but soon, like so many imps, they tor- 

 mented us until we reached the narrow 

 defile, when they left us. We returned 

 by " Wilkins' arm-chair," and back to 

 the Second Hoppers. 



It was at this place I found the mum- 

 my which I before alluded to, where it 

 bad been placed by jVLr. A\ iikins, from 

 another cave, for preservation. It is a 

 female, about six feet in height, and so 

 pcrl'ecdy dried as to weigh but twenty 

 pomids wlien I found it—the hair on the 

 back part of the head is rather short, 

 and of a sandy hue — the lop of the head 

 is liahl — the eyes are sunk into the heaj 

 — the nose, or that part which is cartila- 

 ginous, is dried down to (hebonesof the 

 face — the lips aie dried a« aj', ajid dis- 

 covered a fine set of tectij, wliite as 

 ivory. The hands and feel are perfect 

 even to the nails, and very deiieafe, like 

 those of a young peison; but the teeth 

 are « orn as much as a person's at the 

 age of fifty. 



She mr.st have been some jiorsonage 

 of high distinction, it we may judge from 

 the order in whicii she was buried, Mr. 

 W ilkins informed ine she w as first found 

 by some labouiers, while digging saltr 

 pctre cartii in a part of the cave about 

 three miles from the entrance, buried 

 eight feet deep between four limesfone 

 slabs, and in the ])()sfiire she is e.v hibited 

 in the drawing I sent you. [.Scaled, the 

 knees bmnglit close to the boily, whicii 

 is erect, the hands clasped and laitl upou 

 the sfoniacl), the i.ead iijiright.J — She 

 was muflkd up, and covered wilji a 

 number of ganncnts made of a >ipecies 

 of w ild hemp and the bark of a willow, 

 which formerly grew iu Kentucky. 

 'J'he cloth is of a curious tf \jure and 

 fabric, made up in the form of blankets 

 or winding sheets, with very handsome 

 borders. (Jags of dilicrent sizes were 

 found by her side, made of tlie same 

 cloth, in wiiich were deposited her 

 jewels, beads, trinkets, and iHijiIementb 

 of industi7, all which are very great cu- 

 riosities, being different from any tiling 

 313 ■ of 



