The Country round Lyell North-East 



The fire was still burning, and by the light of some 

 pieces of resinous pine-wood, which we had reserved 

 for this purpose from our stock of fuel, we set out to 

 explore the lower end of the cave. At a distance of 

 some 80 yards from the entrance, some 70 feet 

 below the level of our sleeping floor, and at a point 

 which we judged to be very near the dry waterfall, 

 we came upon the mouth of a well or shaft from which 

 the roaring was found to proceed, and here the echoes 

 of the cavern being eliminated, we were able to recognize 

 the noise as that of falling water. By holding one 

 of our torches head downwards we were able to get 

 it into a vigorous blaze, and then, throwing it into 

 the abyss, to obtain a momentary glimpse of a great 

 mass of falling water at a depth which was variously 

 estimated at from 100 to 150 feet below. 



On carefully examining the lip of the abyss we found 

 no trace of the waters having reached this level at a 

 recent time, and thus reassured, we returned to our 

 bed-chamber, and having replenished the fire, once 

 more crept into our sleeping bags, and in spite of the 

 roar of the fall slept soundly. 



On waking we were annoyed to find that it was 

 already 10 a.m. and that outside the sun was shining 

 brightly, though no glimmer of light reached our sub- 

 terranean dwelling. 



We noticed before leaving the cave that a small 

 stream of water was flowing along its floor from the 

 direction of the opening which had taken the smoke 

 from our fire, and that this had filled several deep 

 hollows in the floor of the lower part of the cave. We 

 were careful to prevent the pollution of this, for water 



149 



