many places as smooth as if wrought with art,
and made of a fine glittering red and white granite, supported here and
there with columns of a deep blood red shining porphyry, made with the
reflection of the lights an appearance not to be conceived. Our guides
could here keep on each side of us; and what with the prodigious beauty
and grandeur of the place, our easy travelling through it, and the
diversion of now and then running over one another whether we would or
not, made this the pleasantest part of the journey.

[Sidenote: EXCESSIVE TERROR.] "When we had passed about two hundred
yards, we found ourselves on the brink of another very terrible
precipice; but this our guides assured us was the last, and there being
a very good ladder to go down by, we readily ventured. After about forty
yards' walking, we were again presented by our guides with ropes, which
we fastened around our waists, though not to be swung by; but only for
fear of danger, as there are lakes and deep wells all the way hence on
the left hand. With this precaution, we entered the last alley; and
horrible work, indeed, it was to get through it. The sides and roof of
the passage were of black stone, and the rocks in our way were in some
places so steep, that we were forced to lie all along on our backs and
slide down; and so rough, that they cut our clothes and bruised us in
passing. Over our heads there were nothing but rugged black rocks, some
of them looking as if they were every moment ready to fall on us; and on
the left hand the light of our torches showed us continually the
surfaces of dirty and miserable-looking lakes of water.

[Sidenote: DISAPPEARANCE OF THE GUIDES.] "If I heartily repented my
expedition before, here I was in a cold perspiration, and fairly gave
myself up for lost, heartily cursing all the travellers that had written
of the place, because they had described it so as to tempt people to
visit it, without telling them of the horrors they must encounter in the
way. In the midst of these reflections, and in the very dismallest part
of the cavern, on a sudden we lost four of our six guides. What was my
horror on this occasion! The place was a thousand times more dark and
terrible for the want of their torches; and I expected no other but
every moment to follow them into one or the other of these lakes, into
which I doubted not they had fallen. The remaining two guides said all
they could to cheer us up, and told us we should see t