Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-08-27

A THRILLING SKETCH.
DESCENT INTO THE CArACoNBS.

The following thrilling account OF descent
into The Catacomhs is from VIM. C. Primes
Boat Life in Egypt and Nubia."
The descent into the cavern was by sitting on
.le edge. swinging of with one hand on each
,.le Of the hele, and dropping into the depths
below. where a a soft bed of sand receives Us,
IL chamber just large enough to hold eight
persons Of whom the party conSiSted-all
sanding in & stoepRg posture, while we light
ii. oar candle and arranged for progress. |
tossed nv tarbouche and ta&ea up to Abd-et
Atti, aai eft NV head bare Then-following
the principal guide | lay down fiat on my
face, held nv candle before me, and began TO
advance with as close resembl blance TO a snakes
M5,ion as human vestebrT viii admit of. Ny
own guide and Abdailsh followed me the
English gentleman next and the dragoman
aai guide bringing up the rear. | progressed
slowly and with great difficulty, constantly
bra>Iag my back on the sharp points OF rock
above me- some some five or SiN yards. Leigh
calls il eight but l think it is not 50 much
We were now able TO stand up again in stoop-
las posture. the ceiling being little better
than four feet high, and thus advancing eight
l- ten Yards further, until We reached the
chamber in which Mr.. Leigh speaks.
am Of the opinion that we had now arriv-
Il JUS; under the bed Of the torrent | have
SPOKEN Of and that the entire cavern which L
afterwards explored is natural fSSure in the
go>A running under the point Of meeting of two
bills following the line of the valley between
;4em. This IS, OF course a conjecture as did
10, take compass with me TO determine the
course.
The chamber, was small. irregular, cav
erlouS room. the floor Of which which was
covered with ShapcleSS masses OF stone that had
fallen from the roof Over these we stepped
With difficulty | need not remark that the
darkness was profound aud the air already be-
coming 50 close that each man was obliged 70
hold his own at his feet 10 determine where
p set them. Crossing the room, We stepped
yycr 4 chaSm between mass Of rock and the
val, of the chamber, 10 point in the wall
which presented a rugged edge. aud from this
into 4 narrow doorway. about four feet high.
! cal il doorway. for IL resembles one. though
l could find no artificial origin abont it, 1t
vas covered with broken rocks and interrupt
e. " huge deep assures \ ledge at the side
afordlas tolerable walking for some distance
Ia STOPPING posture aud then We again lay
down On our faces. and crawied through a
. passage twenty feet in length, entering the
largest chamber in the pit
II vas very irregular chaSIn, perhaps sew
1lty o. one hundred feet in diameter. En-
trance to it was almost forbidden by q cloud
q o@;S that met ne in the narrow pas
sage through which / was craving, dashed
MO ny face wouadiug my face aud cheeks,
ea--ias By scores 10 my hair and beard, Ike
80 many thousand devils diSputing the entrance
% hell can give no adequate idea Of this
chamber Of horrors 10 which | now found my,
sell Profoundly silent We had crawied along,
each aau having q fast beating heart, and
.Sienlns 10 IFS throbs and now rs | emerged
.4;o his room, the loud whirr Of the myriadS
9, bats waS Ike the sound Of another world
mo which had dpenetrated staggered for
Fl7d to 4 rock, and sa. down, when a pierre
.-s !el, start ME TO nv feet X rang through
lie c47ern as if the arch-fend himself were
%e:e there tornenting some poor poor soul
ha' It vas only one Of my poor friends who
we're making their first entrance into an Egyp,
Ian cataeomb, aud had never before eRcoun'
.e7ei the bats, with whom l was thoroughly
familiar
The one who was in advance was ovevwhelm
81 By the army that met him as he approach
81 he room.
What is il p | shouted
These bats they are deYouriag me
Ny light is gone, aud | can see nothing.
dere is my light-eome toward It," haC
.s'' ny candle, which had been pui oct IS hi