90 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
from the boers, made the cayerns ring with 
echoes ; and it was little wonder that their 
mirth was excited, for the daylight discovered 
us to be an odd collection of yellow monsters. 
The uproarous mirth of these good-natured, 
happy, light-hearted fellows was quite enliven- 
ing to us, after the heat and fatigue we had 
just gone through, during our lengthened so- 
journ underground ; and wet as we were from 
the continual dropping from the roof. 
" After paying our small fee, we parted com- 
pany with these jolly boers, and returned on 
our way to George, much pleased, and highly 
gratified, with our subterranean ramble. 
"As a specimen of natural excavation, I 
much doubt if these caves are equalled by any 
in the world, both for beauty, height, (that 
usually deficient quality in natural excava- 
tions,) or in extent. And, compared with arti- 
ficial excavations, they are gigantic — the most 
wonderful of this latter description, being those 
of Ellora, Adjunta, Karlie, and Elephanta, in 
India. There, the whole mountains are exca- 
vated by the hands of men, and finished with a 
minuteness quite astonishing : but, although I 
have seen them all, they did not so much gra- 
tify me, as the sight of these Congo caverns of 
Southern Africa." 
In closing (with this intelligent account of 
