pS JAMAICA. 



one half of them had never been explored by any human behig. 

 Soon after, we came all on a fudden to a little precipice, of about 

 four or five feet; and lome of the party would have hurt them- 

 felves very feverely, if it had not been for the foft Jiratum of bat's 

 dung which lay below ready to receive them. Our guide, and two 

 or three of the foremoft, difappeared in an inftant, having tumbled 

 one over the other ; but foon recovered from their furprize, when 

 they found themfelves unhurt. The refl^, who followed at fome 

 little diflance, being put on their guard, defcended with fomewhat 

 lefs rapidity. We continued our walk without further interruption, 

 till we hailed the day-light again, in an open area environed on all 

 lides with fteep rocks covered with trees. This area, as nearly as 

 we could conjefture, lies about a quarter of a mile from the en- 

 trance of the grotto. We remarked feveral adits leading from 

 different parts of this little court; but our guide was acquainted 

 with one of them only, into which we walked, and came into a 

 magnificent apartment, or rotunda, of about twenty-five feet 

 diameter, and about eighteen to the dome, or vaulted cieling ; 

 from the centre of which defcended a ftrait tap-root of fome tree 

 above, about the fize of a cable, and pretty uniform in {hape from 

 top to bottom. This had made its way through a cleft in the 

 rock, and penetrated downward quite into the floor of the apart- 

 ment. On one fide was a fmall chafm, opening like the door-way 

 of a clofet into a narrow pafl'age ; which our guide endeavoured to 

 diflliade us from entering, on account of a deep well, which he 

 informed us lay a few paces within. However, we ventured in a 

 little way with great caution, and found his account very true. 

 The pafl'age grew more and more contrad:ed, till we met with a 

 thin, upright ledge of rock, rifing like a parapet-wall, almoft 

 breaft-high, which feemed to decline gradually lower as we ad- 

 vanced. We therefore thought it prudent to halt, and foon difco- 

 vered the ledge of rock feparated us from a vaft cavernous hollow, 

 or well. Having no line, we could not found the depth of the 

 water, nor how far it lay beneath us ; but, by the fall of fome 

 ftones we threw in, we judged the diftance to the water about thirty 

 or forty feet. The flones in their fall produced a mod horrid, 

 hoarfe noife, as loud as heU's porter uttered from his triple jaws, 

 ^ prhnis 



