THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 119 
form. The base of the whole is sulphate of lime, 
in one part of dazzling whiteness and perfectly 
smooth, and in other places crystallized so as 
to glitter like diamonds in the light. Growing 
from this, in endless diversified forms, is a sub- 
‘stance resembling selenite, translucent and im- 
perfectly laminated. Some of the crystals bear 
a striking resemblance to celery, and all are 
about the same length, while others, a foot or 
more in length, have the color and appearance 
of vanilla cream candy; others are set in sul- 
phate of lime, in the form of a rose; and others 
still roll out from the base in forms resembling 
the ornaments on the capital of a Corinthian 
column. Some of the incrustations are massive 
and splendid; others are as delicate as the lily, 
or as fancy-work of shell or wood. Let any per- 
son think of traversing an arched way like this 
for two miles, and all the wonders of the tales 
of youth, not forgetting those gorgeous fictions, 
‘The Arabian Nights,’ seem tame and uninter- 
esting when brought into comparison with the 
living, growing reality. The term ‘growing’ is 
not a misnomer; the process is going on before 
your eyes. Successive coats of these incrusta- 
tions have been perfected, and then crowded off 
by others, so that hundreds of tons of these 
