NORTH AMERICA. 
245 
drop after drop, or chafing each other in winding 
little rills down to the bottom. One fide of the 
vaft cool grotto was fo mattered and broken in, I 
thought it poffible to defcend down to the water at 
bottom ; and my companion aifuring me that the 
Indians and traders frequently go down for drink, 
encouraged me to make the attempt, as he agreed 
to accompany me. J 
Having provided ourfelves with a long fnagged 
fapling, called an Indian ladder, and each of us a 
pole, by the amflance of thefe we both defcended 
fafely to the bottom, which we found nearly level 
and not quite covered over with water ; on one fide 
was a bed of gravel and fragments of rocks or ftones, 
and on the other a pool of water near two feet deep, 
which moved with a flow current under the walls on 
a bed of clay and gravel. 
After our return to the fur face of the earth, I 
again ranged about the groves and grottos, examin- 
ing a multitude of them. Being on the margin of 
one in the open foreft, and obferving fome curious 
vegetable productions growing on the fide of the 
Sloping funnel towards its centre, the furface of the 
ground covered with grafs and herbage ; unappre- 
hensive of danger 3 I defcended precipitately towards 
the group of fhrubs ; when 1 was furprifed and 
providentially flopped in. my career, at the ground 
founding hollow under my feet ; and obferving 
chafms through the ground, I quickly drew back, 
and returning again with a pole with which I beat 
in the earth, to my aftonifhment and dread ap- 
peared the mouth of a well through the rocks, and 
I obferved the water glimmering at the bottom. 
Being wearied with excurfions, we returned to our 
pleafant fituation on the verge of the lawn. 
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