shapes, many of which suggest some
well-known plaything. In one place is a huge cascade of alabaster
resembling a frozen waterfall, and frequently the walls appear to be
hung with curtains and draperies of gleaming white, or tinted with all
shades of beautiful colours. In one cavern six curious blade-shaped
stalactites are called the Major Chimes. When struck by the hand they
give out sweet musical tones, the vibrations of which last from a minute
to a minute and a half, and resound to far-distant parts of the caverns.
One enormous stalagmite bears the name of the Hollow Column, and
measures one hundred feet round by forty feet high. This column shows
plainly the overwhelming force of a current of water, as it is pierced
from top to bottom, and visitors climb right up inside to explore the
great galleries above the Giant's Hall. Learned people say that some
time in the days of long ago, when the cave was filled with angry water
trying to find a way of escape, the flood forced a passage right through
the heart of this huge stalagmite, and on subsiding left a hollow column
where it had found a solid one. The 'Tower of Babel' is another
wonderful sight, with twenty-two rows of dwarf columns, and from it we
pass into the Giant's Hall, where the colossal stalagmites look like
monster chess kings and queens standing on pedestals. One of these is
particularly beautiful, being white below and changing above to a
delicate rose-pink, the colour of the inside of a shell.

One enormous stalactite was taken from the roof, and presented to the
Smithsonian Institution at Washington. It weighed a thousand pounds, and
was removed with great care. First it was wrapped all over in cotton
cloth, every little point being separately packed. Then bits of wood
were fitted exactly between the points, and, to prevent any jarring, a
wooden case was built round it while it was still hanging from the roof
of the cave. Then, resting on a scaffolding, it was sawn from the rock,
cautiously lowered, and sent off to its new home.

From marks of claws on the stalagmites, as well as of teeth, it is clear
that some of the caverns have been used by huge animals in former times,
and many impressions of smaller animals are also found, such as wolves,
panthers, rats, and rabbits. These marks are perfectly clear, and they
must be of great age, as the stalagmites on which they are found have
grown into huge pillars carrying the records of their visitors up with