A TRIP TO THE CAVES OF GASPAR GRANDE 59 
of Paria, resplendent in the noon-day sun!!! How grand and 
clear the hills of Monos and Chaguaramas look!!! And the 
Boca Mono with its ever-moaning bar and picturesque little 
rock “Dent Ma Taitron,”’ its crags encircled by clouds of 
sea-birds, while the whitecaps break into foam and sea- 
spume around the base. 
Several small caves are passed on the way up, but they 
only appear like vast crab-holes in the ground, being so 
gnarled and twisted, that it is only possible to see a few feet 
from the top. Following this winding track up the hill for 
about three-quarters of a mile, the guide will turn to the left, 
a few more yards, and there, fenced in by a very dilapidated 
railing overgrown with hanging vines and cacti tall and 
straight, is the mouth of the Cave; fallen from overhead is a 
huge tree, mighty it looks, as if specially thrown to bar us 
poor mortals from further trespassing. About 80 ft. in 
diameter, thirty or more at the steepest part of the descent, 
and twelve at the foot of the first ladder, small caves formed 
in this larger one make a roof of surpassing beauty; giant 
stalagmites, some straight, others twisted in grotesque shape, 
huge stalactites hanging from the parti-coloured roof, glisten- 
ing, all glistening as cut diamonds would, the rays of the 
sun just striking them as they peeped through the branches 
of the overhanging trees. Walls of limestone rock on every 
side and a roof on three, just open enough to give light to see 
further down, for at the foot of the first ladder, 18 ft. down 
from the mouth of the Cave, is a further opening at our feet, 
small this time and dark, just a narrow shaft as it were 
through the rock; here we descend the ladder carefully, 
grasping with one hand a stout rope which has been securely 
fastened overhead, following your faithful guide down about 
30 ft. and then—words are useless to express the sight that 
meets our eyes, all lovers of natural beauty must stop spell- 
bound at this wondrous picture of Nature. 
Out from the dark passages 4o ft. or more, standing on a 
small ledge, we behold the largest Cave. It would be useless 
without magnesium or some other powerful light to estimate 
its size, for it goes so far back veiled in dark obscurity that 
we can have no idea to what extent it really does go. There 
