THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 131 



to the bottom of it; but he shrank from the peril. 

 A few years ago, a learned and bold man resolved 

 to do what no one before him had dared to do; 

 and, making his arrangements with great care 

 and precaution, he had himself lowered down 

 by a strong rope a hundred feet, but at that point 

 his courage failed him, and he called aloud to be 

 drawn out. No human power could ever have 

 induced him to repeat the appalling experiment. 

 "A couple of weeks ago, however, a young gen- 

 tleman of Louisville (Wm. Courtland Prentice), 

 whose nerves never trembled at mortal peril, 

 being at the Mammoth Cave with Professor 

 Wright, of our city, and others, determined, no 

 matter what the dangers might be, to explore 

 the depths of the Maelstrom. Mr, Proctor, the 

 enterprising proprietor of the Cave, sent to 

 Nashville, and procured a long rope of great 

 strength expressly for the purpose. The rope 

 and some necessary timbers were borne by the 

 guides and others to the point of the exploration. 

 The arrangements being soon completed, the 

 rope, with a heavy fragment of rock affixed to it, 

 was let down and swung to and fro to dislodge 

 any loose pieces of rocks that would be likely to 

 fall at the touch. Several were thus dislodged, 

 and the long-continued reverberations, rising up 



