NORTH AMERICA. 
245 
drop after drop, or chafing each other in winding 
little rills down to the bottom. One fide of the 
vafl: cool grotto was fo (battered and broken in, I 
thought it poffible to defce'nd down to the water at 
bottom ; and my companion alluring me that the 
Indians and traders frequently go down for drink, 
encouraged me to make the attempt, as he agreed 
to accompany me. 
Having provided ourfelves with a long (nagged 
fapling called an Indian ladder, and each of us a 
pole, by the afTiftance 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 ft ones, 
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 furface 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 produdtions growing on the fide of the 
(loping funnel towards its center, the furface of the 
ground covered with grafs and herbage; unappre- 
henfive of danger, I defended precipitately towards 
the group of fhrubs ; when I was furprifed, and 
providentially (lopped in my career, at tne 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 aftonilhment 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 
plea! ant fituation on the verge of the lawn* 
R 3 Next; 
