240 THE ADVENTURES OF 



torches gave but an imperfect light, and we could scarcely 

 see beyond three yards in front of us. A little farther on, 

 the ground was strewn with fallen stones ; before ventur- 

 ing on this dangerous ground, I cast a glance towards my 

 companions ; they were not in sight. I gave them a call 

 a formidable clamor resounded through the chamber, and 

 Lucien crept close to me. 



"It is the echo returning to our ears Sumichrast's an- 

 swer," I hastened to tell him. " They are in another cham- 

 ber ; you call them now !" 



The boy, agitated, raised his voice. Immediately the 

 dark vaults seemed to repeat his words; and the sound in- 

 creased, as it moved "away, as if a thousand persons, placed 

 at intervals, were repeating some watch-word. A sonorous 

 " Hiou ! hiou !" prevailed over the uproar, and the face of 

 1'Encuerado appeared on our right before the echo of the 

 call had died away. 



" Come and see a beautiful church !" cried the Indian. 

 " A church made of diamonds, Chanito !" 



We moved towards the entrance by an inclined passage, 

 down the slope of which we followed l'E*ncuerado. The 

 distance between the walls gradually increased, and soon we 

 found ourselves in a vast hall studded with stalactites ; in 

 it Sumichrast arranged the lighted torches. 



The Indian was not far w r rong ; we might easily have 

 fancied ourselves in a Gothic cathedral. The wildest dreams 

 could not picture a stranger, more original, or more fantas- 

 tic style of architecture. Never did any painter of fairy 

 scenes imagine any effects more splendid. Hundreds of 

 columns hung down from the roof and reached the ground 

 below. It was a really wonderful assemblage of pointed 

 arches, lace-work, branchery, and gigantic flowers. Here 

 and there were statues drawn by nature's hand. Lucien 

 particularly remarked a woman covered with a long veil, 



