The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1861-01-17

'iiiOpS'
"Look up" cried the guide: "look at
the black line in the centre of the roof
should any accident befall you, and you
have the misfortune to get separated, fol-
low 1t till you arrive at this spot, and then
ring yonder bell !; it will bring you succor.
There is a much thinner bar in another
branch, which three British officers fol-
lowed by mistake, when the British army
were here, and got so entangled that their
bodies were not found for three weeks
They expired under one of the wells which
led to the surface; theyprobably perceived
daylight, and died shouting for assistance,
but no one heard them"
This was not a pleasing prologue to our
days entertainment, and the ladies did not
hesitate to express their fears, at which
the guides laughed heartily; but there was
no responsive echo on our part.
We followed our leader through several
branches extending nearly quarter of a
mile, and at length came to Il circular
opening, where there was an altar entirely
formed of deformed spinal bones; and we
then went on between two rows of grinniug
skulls, till we arrived at cham Der, in the
center of which was basin of live fish
that seemed to live in health and happi-
ness IN this strange spot; above us was one
of the wells spoken of by our guide.
"What is the supposed origin of these
catacombs ?" asked Miss NJ.
"Oh," replied our cicerone, without
hesitation, "they are the great quarries
from which the stone was taken by King
Clovis to build Paris they extend in three
different branches, nine miles, and one
passage leads under the river almost to
Montmatre."
"But how came they to be so well fin
ished ?" demanded B.
ooh, they were arched and ornamented
by the monks who first lived in them, and
only left them when the brigands and Sc
cret societies cleared them away, and took
up their quarters in them"
Little Mary Smith, who is always ask
ing foolish questions, naively demarded ::
"Did they bring all these bones ?"
"Not all, Madamoiselle, not all they
were turned out, or rather hunted out,
about three or four centuries ago, and the
king who then reigned had all these bones
collected and brought here. 1t took fifteen
years to arrange them"
"And whose bones are they ~
"Ihats the question no one can tell !;
some say the bones Of the lnnocents brO't
over here ; some say they are those OF the
Protestants who were killed in the St.
Bartholomew affairs others declare that
they were taken out of every churchyard; );
while others believe them to be the skel-
etons Of those whG perished in the Great
Plague"
This was the most unpleasant suggestion
Of all. We now began to fancy that the
close smell which annoyed our olfactory
nerves might be infectious; we might
catch the plague; we might fall victims to
some abominable contagion; already did
we wish ourselves out of those CHASTITY
cellars.
We now proceeded on through con-
tinuation Of galleries, so similar in appear
ance that there was little to remark. Our
curiosity had been satisfied, and we now
felt safety and disgust.
All of sudden our guide with his
torch disappeared. The ladies set up a
general shrek, and the gentlemen for a
moment or two, vainly endeavored to dis
pei their fears but, alas they had but
little cheering information to give them.
with his torch, laughing heartily at the
fright lie had given us. He had lodged
behind a screen of bones, and thus alarm
ed US he now rejoined us, much amused
at the fun but his hi.arity was of short
duration, for young Irish cousin of mine
instantly knocked him down, and, as he
lay sprawling, the light rolled from his
hands, and had l not fortunately snatched
it up, we might all have been lost in the
dark and puzzling mazes of these fearful
subterranean labyrinths.
The guide was raised and soothed; a
fve-franc piece restored his good humor,
| and in few minutes we reached the as
cent which led to the free air of heaven.
[ was glad l had seen those strange exca-
vations They are now shut up, probably
for ever and aye; but were they again open
it would require rich bribe to tempt me
| to revisit them.