Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-10-04

pendous temple, the length, breadth and
height of which none could estimate,
for it seemed to stretch away into end
less darkness on every hand. Immense
columns of varied mould stretched from
the floor up to the unseen roof. Here
everything, with one exception, was on
a gigantic scale. Figures, as of marble
Iftans, reclined against huge columns,
or squatted like magnified Hindoo idols
upon the floor. In contrast with these
(this is the exception) an immense pro-
cessiOn of white dwarfs, varying from
two to three feet in height, stretched
away in a winding line, two by two,
until they We're lost in the darkness, fol-
lowing them to the edge of which they
were seen to be winding on, onward,
still. There was. something more awful
in this, than in the massive repose of the
apparent giants. 1t troubled the mind
with fancies of men and women con-
demned to be thus shrunken, and to
travel onward in gloom and damp for
ever. Conspicuous among the innumer-
able objects on which the light bore was
an immense sarcophagus, on the lid of
which was an urn tina: seemed to be
sparkling with multitudes OF precious
stones. TO get at these how great the
temptation! but the thing was new
version of Tantalus, gazing up at an in-
accessible Mass of stalagmite crowned
with priceless jewels.
Gas we wandered along, a structure
standing by itself on the floor, arrested
our attention and We approached it,
This was kind of grotto, pierced with
several gothic windows, but without a
door. Projecting our torchlights thro'
some of the windows we were astounded
to see within veritable chamber of hor-
rors. Here were ali the implements of
the Inquisition. There rack, there a
wheel, yonder the thumb-screws, all Of
exaggerated proportions. What appeared
to be the skeleton of giant lay on the
floor beside the rack, its immense skull
embedded in the rock at short distance.
If all this were accidental, then indeed
it may be said that accident can some-
times be very full of purpose.
Further on in the cave we came to
an immense deposit of fossil remains
Some of the bones were in state of
good preservation, but their size pre-
cluded the possibility of carrying any
of them away. There were skeletons
of saurians here, measuring more than
sixty feet in length. The head alone of
one of these lizards measured twelve
feet from neck to snout. Remains of
gigantic animals that must have resem-
O1Cu HyCIld9 III 10TH Wucil dllNO WCIC
very common. Huge tusks were scat
tered everywhere, some of them jet
black from age. The scene was one to
set collector of fossil specimens wild
with excitement. -l
"After much wandering hither and
and thither for several hours we came to
shallow ravine, at the bottom of which
ran small stream of water, and to fol-
low this in search of exit we deemed to
be our best chance of once more getting
into open air. We hal not gone very
far when speck of light appeared in
the distance, indicating an opening, and
this was very welcome to us, for our
torches were nearly exhausted, and we
were terribly tired and hungry. The
light increased in size as we approached.
1t proved to gleam through another tun-
mel i'm the rock, much larger than the
one by which we had entered, so that
we easily emerged through it, and found
ourselves at once in presence of scene
nearly as wonderful as those we had
just left behind, nor much less mystic.
The place upon which we emerged was
an extensive table-rOck, partly covered
with green sward and richly-colored
moses. Down the face of lofty wall
of rock beyond this, there came rushsng
and leaping great body of water, the
spray from which formed a curtain of
rainbow hues-for the sun was just over
the horizon-on one side of the fall
From the height whence it tumbled to
the table-rock, this cascade could not
have measured less than 500 feet. How
far down it fell into the abyss after this,
none of us could guess, for no man
could stand, or even lie, on the edge of
that table rock and gaze down into the
unfathomable depths below without
turning sick and giddy.
"My companions were little i'm ad-
vance of me as we gazed with silent awe
and admiration OH this wonderful work
of nature. Suddenly l saw them press
close together and grasp each other as if
in mortal terror. Then looked toward
the great curtain of mist, and was for a
moment startled at the apparation upon
it, of gigantic human form, shadowy,
but very distinct. "reminiscences of the
famed spectre of the Broken then
crowded upon me, and slood wrapped
in admiration at seeing it repeated in
this region of American alps. Moving
gently, so as not to attract the attention
of my companions, L changed my atti-
tude and the spectre did the same
When stretched out an arm so did the
spectre, and when | nodded my head
three times it nodded back to me and
then vanished away, for its time had
come. l stood with folded arms rs my
companions turned and looked at me
with awe-struck eyes. They had not
seen my gestures. The apparation was
to them warning that we had tres
passed upon the domains of the arch
demon, and they whispered in hoarse,
low tones, that we must go.
"Wearily, theE, we took our way by
compass, passing through an ascending
gorge that took us near great range Of
glaciers, to see, which we diverged some
miles from our course. There were
frOsts at night now, aud yet on the edge
of the snow-line, bright flowers were
still growing, forming as curious con-
trast as could anywhere be seen. Not
being provided with either alpen-stocks
or crampons, to explore the glacier to
which we came, would have been a work
of extreme danger. Looking from the
edge of it, however, we saw things that
were most curious and rare. The frost
which is always active at these attitudes
had been performing the strangest
freaks at the edges of the banks of snow
that bounded the glacier. Plants and
flowers of the most natural and beauti-
fnl forms had been reproduced by it in
CRYSTALS of ice. These were in wonder
tul variety, and they actually nodded to
the breeze, like real plants and flowers.
There was fairy-like charm in this,
that bound the superstitious Crees like
spell, and they retired from the spot,
covering their heads with their blankets
as thev went. La Tour ventured upon
the sloping glacier, anxious to gather
some of the perishable ice-fowers which
would have melted in his grasp, and his
venture had nearly cost him his life.-
Before he had gone three yards he
| slipped. His rifle flew from his grasp,
and, skipping down the glacier, went
over into the unknown abyss. He with
difficulty held on where he was, until l
had fastened several of the blanket
straps together, by throwing one end of
which to him, succeeded i'm hauling
him back.
| sour adventures after this, before we
reached civilization, were numerous, but
shall not recount them now"
Here the Spaniard arose and, lifting
his hat with Castillian courtesy, moved
to the door, still tiashiug over his shoul.
der rs he went, that wary, suspicious
glance from his wild eyes. Who can
say that his narrative was a fiction The
manner, at least, In which he reeounted
his adventures wore the stamp of truth,
and | for one, stall continue to believe