132 THE MAMMOTH CAVE. 



like distant thunder from below, proclaimed the 

 depth of the horrid chasm. . Then the young 

 hero of the occasion, with several hats drawn 

 over his head, to protect it as far as possible 

 against masses falling from above, and with a 

 light in his hand and the rope fastened around 

 his body, took his place over the awful pit, and 

 directed the half-dozen men, who held the end 

 of the rope, to let him down into the Cimmerian 

 gloom. 



" We have heard from his own lips an account 

 of his descent. Occasionally masses of earth and 

 rock went whizzing past, but none struck him. 

 Thirty or forty feet from the top, a cataract from 

 the side of the pit went rushing down the abyss, 

 and, as he was in the midst of the spray, he felt 

 some apprehension that his light would be ex- 

 tinguished ; but his care prevented this. He 

 was landed at the bottom of the pit, a hundred 

 and ninety feet from the top. He found it 

 almost perfectly circular, about eighteen feet in 

 diameter, with a small opening at one point, 

 leading to a fine chamber of no great extent. 

 He found on the floor beautiful sj)ecimens of 

 black selix, of immense size, vastly larger than 

 were ever discovered in any other part of the 

 Mammoth Cave, and also a multitude of exqui- 



