The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-02-28

ers may imagine, but l cannot describe
the sensation of awe and fear with
] which trod for the first time-and. L
hope the last-the gloomy precincts of
he'll. Transfxed with horror, repen-
ted my rash act, and would have re-
traced my steps, at the risk of my re-
portorial reputation, had not just at
that time encountered an old familiar
face in the shape of my quondam earth
ly sfriend. Tom Jones, whom saw
walking along the shore, gesticulating
violently, and quoting Shakespeare. l
called him by name; recognizing me
instantly, he rushed up to me and shook
me violently by the hand. | expressed
my surprise at meeting him there, and
told him that his friends had erected
over his remains at Hollywood ten
foot pyramid, on which was confidently
stated that he bad gone TO oanother place.
He said that he had no doubt that was
the case with a good many others, and
probably would be with me but
begged him to understand that was
not then in the spirit but in the flesh,
and then explained to him the object of
my mission, and requested his kind Of
fices--as was a stranger in Gehenna
lin conducting me to Pandemonium.
| He rendered his services with alacrity;
| so, taking his arm, we walked together
over an open country and up gently
inclined hill, which was evenly covered
witha substance like lava. After walk
ing about mile, observed that the
country became less opeE and the way
more rough and steep, and broken into
nearly regular steps. On either side
We're piled up large detached masses of
volcanic rocks, which gradually merged
into gigantic precipices of fantastic
shapes overhanging the gloomy path
way. At last we arrived at the mouth
of a cavern, which was Closed by mas
sive iron gate. AT this gate stood a
tall, gray-haired negro man of grim
and diabolical aspect. Tom informed
me that this was the gate of Pandemo-
Mum, and that the porter was General
Gabriel, the same who had once at
tempted an insurrectionary raid upon
our city, but had been foilcd in this first
ton to Richmond'' by the rising waters.
For this heroic achievement he had
been rewarded with the place of gate
keeper of Pandemonium. On arriving
at the gate, old Gabriel stubbornly re-
fused to let me in: "Mars Tom,' he
SAID, "could go any whars, but no stran-
ger can git insitlcr dis gate widout a
pars.''' showed him Brother Hunm-
cults ticket, and told him that was
the reporter for the Ne,o Nation. Ca
briel made low bow, said, .scircum-
stances alters cases." and, with broad
grin, threw open the gate. We de-
scended for short distance through
natural tunnel. and then Pandemoni-
um, in its magnificent, gloomy gran
deur, broke upon Our vision. From the
entrance where we stood Hooked down
upon an immense, nearly circular, cave,
that appeared to be about thousand
feet in diameter. the floor of which
gradually sloped to the opposite side.-
The sides rose nearly perpendicular
for about one hundred feet in height,
and then sprung the mighty dome, to
height immeasurable, dazzling with
crystal stalactites and studded with
sparkling stars of iron pyrites, illumi-
mated by thousand jets of burning
gas that issued like tails of comets from
the sides and root.
Milton has given us magnificent
description of Pandemonlum as built
by the architect Mulciber, but, of course
it is all imaginary, and differs in toto
from the reality; for he describes it as
being a splendid edifice erected above
ground, with doric pillars and roof of
fretted gold, lighted By starry lamps
fed with naptla and asphaltum; when.
in truth, it is all under ground, and in
stead of its being designed by an angel
own handiwork, although Art has con-
trlbuted good deal toward its comfort
and elegance aud its adoption to its use
as a Legislative hall. Circular rows of
seats with convenient aisles have been
hewn out of the solid rock, and on the
side opposite 20 the entrance amagnifi-
cent throne has been cut from a solid
block of crystal. The supports, sides
and back of this throne are ingenious
ly sculptured in the evolutions of three
huge crystal serpents, which, after
winding and twisting in innumerable
fantastic and graceful curves, to adapt
them to the various forms of the throne,
finally meet at the back, their necks
crossing in high gothic arch, and their
divergent heads extending like cano-
py over the centre of the throne with
open mouths, protruding, defiant, bra
zen-tongues and glistening, evil, emer-
aid eyes. A spread eagle, of solid gold,
with talons sunk into the serpents'
necks, surmounts the whole.
In olden times this hall, OH public oc-
casions, used to be lighted up by fam
beaux aeld up by thousands of shining
imps of dar Sness, but recently there ar
rived party of Pennsylvanians who
had died of oil on the brain, who imme-
diately proposed to light it up with pc
troleum. Obtaining favorable con-
tract, they made tunnel upwards to
the oil regions of Pennsylvania, where
they 'struck ile," and, conducting it