THE MAMMOTH CAVE. bon 
so graphically described, could not be seen to 
advantage under ordinary circumstances,—every 
visitor having his lamp in hand. The guide 
seats the visitors upon a bench provided for the 
purpose, placed against the right wall of the 
avenue; he then takes all the lamps from the 
party, and, stepping back ten or fifteen feet, on 
the same side, he holds them within a small 
recess naturally formed in the rock, in such a 
manner that none of the direct rays of the 
light fall upon the eyes of the beholder, but are 
thrown upon the ceiling. By this manceuvre 
the illusion of a starry sky is as complete as it 
is possible to be; a perfect representation of a 
comet, as if especially provided to add to the 
reality of the sublime scene, is also plainly dis- 
coverable in the distance. 
_ After indulging the visitors in the fascination 
of the scene long enough to produce a lasting 
impression, the guide, with the lamps, passes to 
the opposite side of the avenue, in front of us, 
leaving us seated as before, and descends into 
the mouth of an avenue still lower. As he 
slowly disappears below, we have the finest dis- 
play of lights and shadows that it is possible to 
imagine. A black cloud gradually passes over 
the sky, and it is difficult to divest one’s self of 
14 
