288 THROUGH CENTRAL BORNEO 



gotten. The caves were so high that my lanterns failed 

 to reveal the roof. There were hordes of bats, some of 

 them with wings that spread four feet. The noise of 

 their countless wings, upon our intrusion, was like the 

 roar of surf. Spiders of sinister aspect that have never 

 seen the light of day, and formidable in size, were ob- 

 served, and centipedes eight or nine inches long. In 

 places we waded through damp bat guano up to our 

 knees, the strong fumes of ammonia from which were 

 quite overpowering. 



"Far back in one of the caverns were those mar- 

 vellous Hindu idols, beautifully carved in bas-relief on 

 panels of stone, each with a projection at the bottom for 

 mounting on a supporting pedestal. They represent the 

 Hindu pantheon, and are classic in style and excellent in 

 execution. They are arranged in a half-circle, and high 

 above is an opening to the sky which allows a long, 

 slanting shaft of light to strike upon their faces. The 

 perfect silence, the clear-cut shaft of light — a beam a 

 hundred feet long — drifting down at an angle through 

 the intense darkness upon this group of mysterious and 

 half-forgotten idols, stamps a lasting picture upon one's 

 memory. 



"It is the most majestic and strangely beautiful sight 

 I have ever seen. Coming upon the noble group of gods 

 gazing at the light, after a long dark walk through the 

 cave, gives one a shock of conflicting emotions quite in- 

 describable. One hardly dares to breathe for fear of 

 dispelling this marvellous waking dream. Fear and awe, 

 admiration and a sense of supreme happiness at having 



