he other four
again soon, and that we were near the end of our journey. I do not know
what effect this might have had on my companions, but I believed no part
of their speech but the last, which I expected very soon to find
fulfilled in some pond or precipice: in that sense, indeed, we were near
our journey's end!

[Sidenote: SPLENDID TRANSITION.] "While engaged in meditating on the
perils that environed me, I suddenly heard a little hissing noise, and
found myself in utter and indescribable darkness. Our guides, indeed,
called cheerfully to us, and told us they had accidentally dropped their
torches into a puddle of water, but that they should soon reach their
companions, when they would light them again, and we had nothing to do
but crawl forward. I cannot say but that I was amazed at the courage of
these people in a place where I thought four of their number had already
perished, and from whence none of us could ever escape; and I determined
to lie down and die where I was.

"One of our guides, perceiving that I did not advance, came up to me,
and, clapping his fingers over my eyes, dragged me a few paces forward.
While I was in this strange condition, expecting every moment death in a
thousand shapes, and trembling to think what the fellow meant by this
rough proceeding, he lifted me at once over a great stone, set me down
upon my feet, and took his hand from before my eyes. What words can
describe my astonishment and transport at that instant! Instead of
darkness and despair, all was splendour and magnificence around me; the
place was illumined with fifty torches; and our guides, who all
reappeared about us, with a loud shout welcomed us to the Grotto of
Antiparos! The four that were first missing, I now found, had only given
us the slip to get the torches lighted up before we came; and the other
two had put out their lights on purpose, to make us enter out of utter
darkness into this pavilion of splendour and glory.

[Sidenote: DIMENSIONS OF THE GROTTO.] "The grotto is a cavern of about
120 yards wide, 113 long, and seems about 60 yards high in most places.
Imagine, then, an immense arch like this, almost entirely lined with
fine bright white marble, and the mind will then acquire some faint idea
of the place I had the pleasure to spend three hours in: this, however,
is but a very insufficient description of its beauties. The roof, which
consists of a fine vaulted arch, is hung all over with icicles of fine
whi