132 THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 
like distant thunder from below, proclaimed the 
depth of the horrid chasm. Then the young 
hero of the occasion, with several hats drawn 
over his head, to protect it as far as possible 
against masses falling from above, and with a 
light in his hand and the rope fastened around 
his body, took his place over the awful pit, and 
directed the half-dozen men, who held the end 
of the rope, to let him down into the Cimmerian 
gloom. 
‘“‘ We have heard from his own lips an account 
of his descent. Occasionally masses of earth and 
rock went whizzing past, but none struck him. 
Thirty or forty feet from the top, a cataract from 
the side of the pit went rushing down the abyss, 
and, as he was in the midst of the spray, he felt 
some apprehension that his light would be ex- 
tinguished; but his care prevented this. He 
was landed at the bottom of the pit, a hundred 
and ninety feet from the top. He found it 
almost perfectly circular, about eighteen feet in 
diameter, with a small opening at one point, 
leading to a fine chamber of no great extent. - 
He found on the floor beautiful specimens of 
black selix, of immense size, vastly larger than 
were ever discovered in any other part of the 
Mammoth Cave, and also a multitude of exqui- 
