ALADDIN'S CAVE. 27 



get some idea of the depth I would have to descend. 

 The grass kept alight at the bottom of the pit, 

 showing the air was fit to breathe, and the depth 

 appearing to be not more than thirty feet, I 

 began the descent, first sticking a lighted candle 

 to a piece of damp clay attached miner fashion 

 to my cap. On arriving at the bottom, I found 

 myself on the top of a mound of debris fallen in 

 from the mouth of the pit. The ground sloped 

 away on all sides, to a very considerable distance, 

 making a very large chamber, the full extent of 

 which I could not see, owing to the darkness, the 

 glimmering light of my candle not extending very 

 far. After waiting a little time, to accustom my 

 eyes to the darkness, I proceeded to examine the 

 sides, in order to discover the nature of the 

 " working," and whether it was for diamonds or 

 some other mineral. On approaching the side, 

 I suddenly found it sparkling with gleams of 

 gold and green and red light, as if studded all 

 over with gems, from which the light I held in 

 my hand was scintillated and refracted. Turning 

 round, I found a similar twinkling light all round 

 on the walls of the mine, as if ten thousand fire- 

 flies had settled all over the sides, only that the 

 light differed in colour, there being sparkles of 

 white and red and green. Was this a' veritable 

 Aladdin's Cave, and were all these glints of light 

 flashing from real diamonds, rubies, and emeralds ! 

 The adventure of the early part of the day had 

 given me cause to believe that there was at least 

 some foundation of truth in the stories of the 



