The palmetto herald. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1864-1864, 1864-07-28

with stahctites, and as the light Of oul
torches struck on the flashing pendants
the place had the appearance of one vast
stellifer0ls dome.
After feasting our eyes upon this for 8
while, we passed on to another cave, still
smaller han the others and here we saw
passages leading off in all directions
They were narrow and high, seeming
like vast assures where the rock had spill
asundsf.s Into one of these / entered
alone, and as the way seemed straight, ]
kept on for some distance, the thought o.
finding any difficulty in getting back
never once entering my head. l did not
notice that though the way seemed
straight as I was going, yet it had slight
ly radiating branches going back. Al
length the floor became rough, and while
I held the torch above my head, and
looked only upon the floor to see that
my footing was sure, an intervening spun
caught my light and threw it from my
hand. For an instant the fallen fame
quivered with its,expiring throes-and
then was in uttef darkness. / CROPPED
about until found my torch, and then
turned to make my way back. My eyes
were Of no more use than was my lighted
torch but ancied | had not gone far,
and that few moments cropping would
lead me to my companions.
But ere long felt that something must
be wrong, and then / remembered that ]
had my apparatus for lightning cigars
with, and after a while managed to re-
light my torch. Strange that / had not
thought of this sbefore. However, the way
was once more light, and / pushed on,
and ere long / came out into a large
apartment, and was upon the point o.
calling for my friends when / discovered
that Iwas in place where had no,
been before. Again called out with al
my power, but only the startling echoes
of my own voice replied, But my eye
caught q passage that was sure led back
toward the spot where l had left my
companions, and I started into it. had
not gone fifty feet before l came to 6
point where the passage branched of IL
three different ways, but ! took the one
which led straight on, and followed il
until I was satisfied that was on the
wrong track. To 60 back I considered
the safest way, so back turned; but ert
/ had gone three rods found the way
divided into two branches. l had no
noticed this before. Without much hest
tation Tfook the one that led to the right
g.. - ,,a,,,od <r mn fb Of fl,of ,x,o fha ON
by which / had come,
And on I went-on, on; and by-and
by had the peculiar satisfaction of being
convinced that ! had made another mis-
take. stopped and pondered; and a
length ! resolved that / would take some
path and follow as long as / could.
was now in small chamber, the wall!
and ceiling of which were only of darA
rock, and which had three outlets.
chose the one that ! had fancied would
lead me Alright, and pushed on. / hat
heard of peoples being lost and dying
amid the interminable labryinths Of these
vast caverns, and it is not strange thai
thoughts like these made me little un.
easy, to say the least. But on / went
sometimes thinking / must be right, an6
at others that / was wrong. / passed
through four more chambers, one o.
them as large as any had entered, and
finally / struck into low, narrow pas.
sage, which had gradual descent. AT:
ter travelling this some distance I Isropped
The way was very descending now, and
often I had to step down from one crae
to another, sometimes letting myself
down by hands where the perpendicular
descent was great. 1t seemed that
must be going down into the bowels oi
the mountain but after while pushed