THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 31 



supposed to pass directly over a considerable 

 portion of the Cave. At the date of our journey 

 — the latter part of May — this road was* in a 

 comparatively good condition ; but in the winter 

 and early part of the spring it is said to be al- 

 most impassable to travelers. The greater part 

 of the soil is a light-colored, sticky clay, with 

 a little sand at intervals. The rocks are com- 

 posed chiefly of soft white limestone, easily 

 acted upon by chemical and mechanical agen- 

 cies; hence we find them excavated and jag- 

 ged, presenting rough, irregular outlines; their 

 outside color is of a dirty, grayish character, 

 owing to exposure to the elements, but the inte- 

 rior is white. 



There are small cultivated patches of ground 

 here and there, scarcely deserving the name of 

 farms. The country generally is covered with 

 straggling forests, consisting chiefly of "black- 

 jack," white oak, chestnut, etc. Frequently 

 along the road may be seen small circular de- 

 pressions in the ground, called '' sinks," the 

 surface having fallen in in consequence of sub- 

 terraneous excavation. The whole of the sur- 

 rounding country appears to be of a cavernous 

 nature ; and, if the traveler should be so unfor- 

 tunate as to possess a timid disposition or large 



