156 KLOT'WAXG AXD TTS CAVES. 



to greatly embarrass the owners, and gave them such -an original 

 expression, that we were never tired of admiring them. 



On turning the point of the island, I could not repress an excla- 

 mation of surprise. Iu front of us was a magnificent cave inhabi- 

 ted by millions of swallows, whose piercing cries mingled with the 

 deep murmur of the sea, produced, on their reverberation from the 

 distant depths of the cavern, an awe-inspiring sound, which had no 

 ordinary effect upon the mind. 



One could not but feel small in the presence of these grand 

 phenomena of Nature, and silently wonder at the work and its Crea- 

 tor. 



The first moments of wonder and admiration passed, we entered 

 the cavern, an immense subterranean canal some fifteen to twenty 

 metres high and ten to twelve metres in width : bambu scaffoldings, 

 extraordinary at once for their lightness and boldness of construc- 

 tion, enable the Atchinese to collect the swallows' nests. 



Ten metres from the entrance, a fresh surprise awaited us. A sub- 

 marine communication between the cavern and the sea allows a 

 gleam of light to penetrate at the bottom of the water, and this, in 

 its passage, illuminates the fish whose scales Hash countless colours 

 scattering everywhere multicoloured reflections with fairy-like 

 effect. 



The subterranean canal soon turns to the right, penetrating into 

 the heart of the island, whither it continues its course for a great 

 distance, for the murmur of the sea reverberates endlessly ; but 

 the darkness prevented our going any farther. 



Between this point, E.S.E.. and the port is another avenue, the 

 two entrances to which are above the sea ; they are at an elevation, 

 the one of twenty metres, the other of about thirty-five metres ; for 

 some time we could not find a point where it was possible to land ; 

 everywhere the sea- worn rock was vertical when it did not over- 

 hang us ; at last, two-hundred metres farther on, we found a spot 

 where the rock had fallen down and where we could land ; we then 

 contrived, sDmetimes by leaping from rock to rock, sometimes by 

 making use of the unevennesses on the surface of the w T all of rock, 

 to reach the upper entrance, where a marvellous sight repaid us for 

 our trouble. A vast cavern lay open before us. At our feet and 



