Geology 



too far advanced to attempt the descent of the lower 

 chasm, so we spent the remaining hours of daylight in 

 examining the rocks in the immediate neighbourhood of 

 the funnel. 



Behind a large boulder on the side of the gorge 

 about 20 yards up stream from the edge of the 

 shaft, we found a small opening down which a stream 

 was flowing, and on entering this found that it was 

 possible to penetrate through a narrow cave for some 

 little distance. This cave terminated, so far as we 

 could judge, close behind the main shaft, and we found 

 that near its end the floor fell away rapidly towards an 

 abyss, which we judged communicated with the main 

 shaft at about the level of the ledge, as we could see a 

 faint indication of daylight below, though where we 

 were standing it was quite dark save for the light of our 

 candles. By bringing in an armful of dry heather, 

 setting it alight and throwing it down the pit, we were 

 able to see the bottom, which appeared to be about 

 400 feet below, and the men we had left outside 

 afterwards told us that the smoke came up the main 

 shaft. 



It was, therefore, clear that the two shafts were in 

 communication with each other, and as no ledge was 

 visible in this inner well, and as there was here no 

 danger from falling pebbles, we decided to attempt the 

 descent by this route on the morrow. 



There was considerable noise of falling water in the 

 inner shaft, and we had seen faint gleams reflected from 

 what we at first took to be the wet rock walls, when we 

 threw in the blazing heather, and we therefore decided 

 upon a system of signals by means of pistol shots to be 



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