THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 59 



only leave hope, but we leave care and sorrow 

 and all the feelings that make up the sum of 

 our mundane existence, in the world behind us. 

 We really enter a new phase of life. We 

 forget, for a time, the life we have lived before. 

 Here we find no objects of comparison, — nothing 

 to remind us of our pre-existence. It is worth 

 a visit to the Cave to experience these new and 

 extraordinary sensations. 



We first enter a small archway at the mouth 

 of the Cave, called the Narrows. The sides are 

 walled up with rock, which the saltpetre manu- 

 facturers removed from the floor at this point to 

 allow of easy ingress. 



After leaving the Narrows, the ceiling of which 

 is about seven feet high, and which does not pos- 

 sess any special interest, the Rotunda is entered. 



The Rotunda is said to be situated immedi- 

 ately under the dining-room of the Cave Hotel. 

 The ceiling of the Rotunda is about one hun- 

 dred feet high, and its greatest diameter is one 

 hundred and seventy-five feet. 



The floor is strewn with the remains of vats, 

 water-pipes, and other materials used by the 

 'saltpetre miners in 1812. The wood of which 

 they are made is in a remarkable state of pres- 

 ervation. 



