duppies," cried the guide; "de echo nebber take so
long to come back to us."

Still the major was not convinced, although Mr Twigg suspected that
they had disturbed an assembly of negroes, who, not expecting that the
cavern was about to be visited by strangers, had met there for some
purpose or other. It was some time before the guide recovered his
courage.

"Come along," said Archie; "if they were duppies they will be afraid of
interfering with white people, and if black fellows, they are still less
likely to trouble us."

The other young men, who were always ready to follow Archie, insisted on
the guide going on; but he let them proceed in advance, directing them
which way to take. They had gone some distance further, passing the
entrances of several more passages, when the guide cried out, "Stop,
atop, massa; we got furder dan I tink." Scarcely were the words out of
his mouth than Archie and his torch disappeared, and before they could
stop themselves, two of his companions fell over. The ladies shrieked,
supposing that the young men had fallen down some frightful hollow; but
the shouts of laughter which followed soon reassured them, as did the
assertions of the guide, that there was no harm done. It was found that
they had merely gone done a descent of four or five feet, and had
quickly again picked themselves up. The guide followed them, and the
ladies, assisted by the gentlemen, easily leaped down to a lower level
of the cavern. They continued their walk without further interruption,
till daylight streamed down upon them from above, and they found
themselves in an open area, with steep rocks covered with trees
surrounding them on all sides. This area, as nearly as they could
conjecture, lay about a quarter of a mile from the entrance of the
grotto. From it numerous other passages branched off, into one of which
the guide led them. They shortly came to a magnificent circular chamber
with a vaulted ceiling eighteen feet or more in height. The most
curious feature was the straight taproot of a tree which descended from
above, about the size of a cable, uniform in shape from the top to the
bottom. It had apparently made its way through a cleft in the rock, and
penetrated downwards till it reached the floor of the apartment. On one
side was an opening into a narrow passage, which the guide endeavoured
to dissuade the gentlemen from entering. Archie, however, who had
become excited, and considered himse