ing one after another for
great distances, with here and there some chink in the stony vault
above, through which a sunbeam penetrates, enabling us to see to the
right and left openings leading to untrodden places in the bowels of
the earth. As few of these caves have been explored, the wildest
accounts are given by the natives concerning the dark recesses where
only wild beasts seek shelter. Before venturing far in, it is
advisable to secure one end of a ball of twine at the entrance, and
keep the ball in hand; nor is it safe to go without lanterns or
torches, lest we step into some yawning chasm or deep water. The
leader of one party suddenly saw a very dark spot just before him; he
jumped over, instead of stepping on it, and told the others to halt.
Examination proved the dark patch to be a pit that seemed bottomless.

Awe-inspiring as are the interiors of some of these caves, they are
frequently most beautiful. The natural pillars are often grand in
dimensions and sparkling with various hues, while stalactites and
stalagmites sometimes resemble familiar objects with astonishing
perfection. It is, however, not advisable to place implicit confidence
in accounts of the natives, for the reality, no matter how beautiful,
can hardly be equal to what the vivid imagination of the Indian has
pictured. Anything bearing the least resemblance to a woman is called
"a most beautiful Virgin Mary." Fantastic flutings become "an organ,"
and a level rock "an altar." Only once we were not disappointed, when,
having been told to look for a pulpit, we found one that appeared as
if man must have fashioned it, supported on a slender pyramidal base,
the upper part very symmetrical, and ornamented with a perfect
imitation of bunches of grapes and other fruit.

As I have already said, in these caves are sheets of water, some very
large, others only a few feet in circumference, fed by subterranean
currents. When the water is clear and sweet, it is peopled by a kind
of bagre, a blind fish called by the natives _tzau_, also a species of
_Silurus_. But there are likewise medicinal and thermal waters, by
bathing in which many people claim to have been cured of most painful
and obstinate diseases.

Strange stories are told of some of these waters. Of one it is said
that those who approach it without holding their breath fall dead.
People who live near the place swear it is so, and say the water
appears to boil on such occasions. From the therma