Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-07-24

2AVAeAAtets
"Ya. HowaUi."
'.If anything happens; if fall down.
give out. or faint, don't you run. Tell
the guides that 1 have ordered Abd-el-
Att to shoot them man by man as they
come out, if one Of them appears with
out me. Do YOU pour this down my
throat, and drag me out to the entrance.
You understand
"Aiowah, Va Howaji. Fesr not; /
will do it."
.Recollect that if die, you all die,
that is arranged for, as surely as you
one of you, attempt the entrance with
out me, Abd-el-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
II never occurred to me until this mo-
ment
The guides were all at fault here, pre-
cisely as they were in Mr.. Legh's time,
and that Of every traveller since. This
chamber has been the end of most at
tempts to explore the pits. The intense
darkness is some excuse for this, since
our eight candles wholly failed to show
wall anywhere around or above u.s.
The men proposed that we should sit
still, while they tried various passages
opening out of the room. To this OBJ
iected, much preferring to trust myself
at a iuncture like this. In that intense
blackness it was not easy even TO find
the way we had come in for, OF course,
there was no guide north or south, except
my recollection Of the shape Of the rock
on which l was seated, and its bearings as
l approached it. The reader will beal
in mind that the whole floor Of the room
was covered with immense masses OF
rock, among which we moved about II
search of outlets, leaving always one per
son on that rock, TO mark its locality.
After trying three passages that led
nowhere, bit on that one which ther
guides pronounced correct, and the party
advanced. For the benefit Of future ex'
plorers, if any such there be, may ex
plain that it is the first passage whicl
goes out Of the chamber to the right, a
you enter it. That is to say, keeping
the right hand wall will bring you to II
leaping chasm at its entrance. This
the chasm of which Leigh speaks. l foun'
Ii only about six feet deep.
The passage which we now entere
ran SO low that / found it necessary t
creep on my hands and knees, and som
times to crawl, snake fashion, full length
Iteontinued for distance that hesitat
to estimate. 1t is wholly impossible
guess at the progress one is making in sue
pastures. Henniker, think, makes
four hundred yards. l should think
thousand feet was a very large estimat
. but it may be as much. The air WI
now worse, lacking the ammonia.
seemed to be pure nitrogen. The lunG
operated freely, but took no benefit or T,
freshment from it, while the heat W,
awful, and perspiration rolled down OF
faces and bodies, soaking our clothes al
making mud on our features and han
with the fine dust that filed the atmC
phere.
At length the passage became so nj
row, that my progress was entirely bloc
cd. My broad shoulders would not
through, and l paused to consider
matter. The hole was about eighte
inches wide, and a little more than t
feet high. Evidently, Mr.. Leigh did l
pass beyond this. / was obliged TO
over on my right side, presenting !
body TO its narrow way up and down, a
pushing with all the strength of my f
Us well as pulling with my hands on
floor and rocky projections, l forced Il
self along about eight feet. In t
struggle my brandy flask, which was
my trousers pocket, being under me, '
broken to pieces, and my sole hope, in
event Of a giving out Of my faculties,
gone. AT the time thought little Of
laughing at the occurrence as l called
TO those that followed me; but afterwa
i remembered the accident with a SD
der. The only argument that had
lowed me to persuade myself TO atter
this exploration was promise TIN
would take brandy with me, which
one else had done, and if necessary,
cure artificial strength thereby. 1t
gone now, and / was more than Il
sand feet from light and air, in a pas:
that did not average four feet by two
entire length.
A vigorous push sent me out in
more open passage, and a sort of d