THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 147 
hung a gigantic mass of rock, which, in its folds 
and masses, presented a wonderful resemblance 
to a curtain. It had a regular fringe of stalac- 
tites, and there was a short outer curtain over- 
lapping it at the top. The length of this piece 
of limestone drapery could not have been less 
than one hundred feet. In a few moments, 
Alfred, who had left us, reappeared at another 
window on the right hand, where he first dropped 
some burning paper into the gulf, and then kin- 
dled a Bengal-light. It needed this illumination 
to enable us to take in the grand dimensions of 
the Dome. We could see the oval arch of the 
roof a hundred feet above our heads; the floor 
studded with stalagmitic pedestals as far below ; 
while directly in front the huge curtain that 
hung from the center of the Dome—the veil of 
some subterranean mystery—shone rosy-white, 
and seemed to wave and swing, pendulous in the 
awful space. We were thoroughly thrilled and 
penetrated with the exceeding sublimity of the 
picture, and turned away reluctantly as the 
fires burned out, feeling that if the Cave had 
nothing else to show, its wonders had not been 
exaggerated.” 
Gorin’s Dome was formed in the same manner 
as the Side-Saddle Pit, which, it will be remem- 
