354 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



side of the regular path, and we remained in it some 

 minutes to refresh ourselves, for the closeness of the 

 passage and the heat and smoke were becoming al- 

 most intolerable. 



Farther on we climbed up a high, broken piece 

 of rock, and descended again by a low, narrow 

 opening, through which we were obliged to crawl, 

 and which, from its own closeness, and the heat and 

 smoke of the torches, and the labour of crawling 

 through it, was so hot that we were panting with 

 exhaustion and thirst. This brought us to a rug- 

 ged, perpendicular hole, three or four feet in diam- 

 eter, with steps barely large enough for a foothold, 

 worn in the rock. We descended with some diffi- 

 culty, and at the foot came out upon a ledge of 

 rock, which ran up on the right to a great height, 

 while on the left was a deep, yawning chasm. A 

 few rude logs were laid along the edge of this 

 chasm, which, with a pole for a railing, served as a 

 bridge, and, with the torchlight thrown into the 

 abyss below, made a wild crossing-place ; the pas- 

 sage then turned to the right, contracting to about 

 three feet in height and the same in width, and de- 

 scending rapidly. We were again obliged to betake 

 ourselves to crawling, and again the heat became 

 insufferable. Indeed, we went on with some ap- 

 prehensions. To faint in one of those narrow pas- 

 sages, so far removed from a breath of air, would be 

 almost to die there. As to carrying a man out, it 

 was impossible for either of us to do more than drag 



