A TRIP TO THE CAVES OF CASPAR CRANDE 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- 

 spimie 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 40 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 



