Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-08-19


and the desire to see the great repository OF
the sacred animals overpowercd the momenta-
ry terror.
ssAbdallah ~
-ssYa, Howaiii."
"It anything happens, if fall down, give
out, or faint, don't you run. Tell the guides
that have ordered Ab-del-Atti to shoot them,
man by man, as they come out, if one of them
appears without me. Do you pour this down
my throat, and drag me out of the entrance.
\ GU understand ?''
'sAiowah, va HowaUi. Fear not 1 will do
it,
sERecollect that if 1 die, you all die, that is
arranged for, as surely as you, one of you, at
tempt the entrance without me, Ab-del-Atti is
ready for you.''
The guides had listened attentively, and
having seen me hand my pistols to my trusty
dragoman before coming down, they believed
every word of it, although it never occurred
to me until this moment.
The guides were all at fault here, precisely
as they were in Mr.. Legh's time, and that of
every traveller since. This chamber had been
The intense darkness is some excuse for this,
since our eight candles wholly failed to show
wall anywhere around or above us. The
men proposed that we should sit still, while
they tried various passages opening out Of the
room. To this objected, much preferring to
trust myself at a juncture like this. In that
intense blackness it was not easy to find the
wayne had come in for, of course, there was
no guide north or south, except my recollec-
tion of the shape of the rock on which / was
seated, and its bearings as 1 approached it.
The reader will bear in mind that the whole
floor of the room was covered with immense
masses of rock, among which we moved about
in search of outlets, leaving a man on that
rock to mark its locality. After trying three
passages that led nowhere, l hit on that one
which the guides pronounced correct, and the
party advanced. For the benefit of future ex-
plorers, if any such there be, 1 may explain
that it is the first passage which goes out of
the chamber to the right, as You enter it.
That is to say, keeping the right hand wall
will bring you TO it, leaping chasm at its en-
trance. This is the chasm of which Leigh
speaks. / found it only about six feet.
The passage which we now entered was SO
low that found it necessary to creep on my
hands and knees, and sometimes to crawl,
snake fashion, full length. 1t continued for a
distance that 1 hesitate to estimate. 1t is
wholly impossible to guess at the progress one
is making in such postures. Henniker,
think, makes it four hundred yards. / should
think thousand feet was large estimate, but
it may be as much. The air was now worse,
lacking the ammonia. 1t seemed to be pure
nitrogen. The lungs operated freely, but took
no benefit or refreshment from it, while the
heat was awful, and perspiration rolled down
our faces and bodies, soaking our clothes, and
making mud on our features and hands with
the fine dust that filed the atmosphere. At
length the passage became so narrow that my
progress was entirely blocked. My broad
shoulders would not go through, and I paused
to consider the matter. The hole was about
two feet high. Evidently, Mr.. Leigh did not
pass beyond this. was obliged to lay over
on my right side, presenting my body to it
narrow way, up and down, and pushing with
all the strength of my feet, as well as pulling
with my hands on the floor and rocky projec-
tfons, forced myself along about eight feet.
In this struggle my brandy flask, which was in
my trousers pocket, being under me, was bro
ken to pieces, and my sole hope, in the event
of giving out of my faculties, was gone. At
the time, thought little of it, laughing at the
occurrence, as called out to those who fol-
lowed me but afterwards I remembered the
accident with q shudder. The only argument
that had allowed me to persuade myself to at
tempt this exploration, was promise that l
would take brsndy with me, which no one else
had done, and, If necessary, secure artificial
strength thereby. 1t was gone now, and was
more than thousand feet from light or air,
in a passage that did not average four feet by
two its entire length.
A vigorous push sent me out into more
open passage, and a sort of doorway opened
into gallery on aleyel two feet lower. Jump
ing down this step, was, for the first time in
nearly half hour, where could stand up
right. Ny English friend shouted for help be-
hind me. His light was gone out, and he was
literally stuck in the hole. returned, touch
ed my candle to his, and gave him hand to
drag him through, and in q few moments. we
were all standing together. We now advanced
some hundred feet, in STOPPING posture most
", but occasionally crawling as before, and at
length, as we crept. the rough and very low
parts of the gallery and the roof began to lift,
and found I was actually crawling over MUM
mics. There was just here . sort of blind pas
sage, at the side of the chief passage, in which
the French expedition hadcarved their names.
The wall WAS covered with jet black substance