The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-04-02


vault fragments of gold glistened like me-
teors. He ran through the subterranean
arches, and beheld through their support
ing columns far off palaces and temples
whose spires and turrets and mullioned
windows were incrusted with pure, molten
gold, dazzlingly beautiful. r.
No Assyrian dream of Ginnistan, where
antediluvian Peris tiuttered through halls
Of marble and gold; no palace of Cosroes,
immortalized by the poet Antar, could ri.
val these subterranean basilicas erected by
the salamander spirits to the secret wor-
ship of the eternal. For miles they SEEM
ed to glimmer away, and as the awed ex-
plorer climbed to the summit of n quartz
flight of steps, which conducted to the
tower OF the temple, and looked down over
the scenes he discovered, far away, pools of
dazzling brilliancy, over which waves of
transparent bloodred fire seemed to play
and sparkle, as if rubies had gathered to
| them from ten millions of subterranean
treasuriesiff molten streams. q = *
1t wasaacmple, such as mortal hand
Has never built, noSecstasy nor dream
Reared in the cities ofenchanted land.
SHELLEY"
Becoming faint and exhausted from long
fasting and from terrible mental and ply
steal excitements, he bethought himself of
the food in the satchel which he carried,
and sat down and partook of it. After
ward i'll his aimless wanderings, having
lost oil hope of ever seeing again the light
OF heaven, as it shines upon the surface of
the earth, he discovered what appeared to
be spiral stairway leading upward. The
bare idea that these steps would lead him
back to the land of life, from whence he
came, filled the lost man with thrill of
passionate JOY. Upon ascending few
steps all his hope Of delverance fled. The
light of the golden sea did not penetrate
the darkness of that dome more than
few feet and the slightest MISS step would
terminate that life, which had thus far
been so remarkably and so providentially
preserved. He sank down upon the step
in despair "Strange fatality With the
wealth of an empire around him, he could
not command rush light to guide him up
the ancient stairway. With miles of fire
stretching away before him, lie could not
gain one spark to light him to safety. Oh,
the horror of that thought, that Taptalus
agony of an ocean of fire before him, to
which he could not, dared not, approach,
to seize enough in q fragment of rock to
light him upward The intense heat would
have melted him, miles away from the
shore ofthe billowy fire had he dared to
approach it. = Il - He racked his
brain to discover some plan for securing a
light for the ascent. He searched his pock-
cts for match ; he found two. The ex-
ultation quickly vanished. OF what use
were they to him? He had no torch, no
lamp to light. What had lie about him
that would burn? Oh, cotton! He had
provided himself for rough exploration
with large, coarse, cotton handkerchief.
light him up that fearful and unknown
height. 1t would blaze away, perhaps at
the touch OF match and speedily be con-
sumed. IS 81 An idea came swiftly to
him. He had abandoned part of the fatty
substance of the meat which had been
part of his meal. He might succeed in find
ing those fragments and saturating the cot
ton with their grease. He fastened away
at the thought through the arches and
temples to the point where he had emptied
his bag. To his inexpressible relief he
found the fragments of the fatty meat, and
proceeded to rub them over his handker-
chief He extracted every particle of
grease that was possible, and then crush
ing the fat between rocks tore it into shreds
and wound it up in torches of the cotton.
He had finally in his possession dozen
fatty tapers wound with cotton, and two
matches to light them. Whata slender
bundle Of hopes with which to penetrate
through unknown darkness to upper earth,
to q cave far, far above him, in which it
was deemed certain destruction to wander
without guide 81 He paused to
light a match upon the rock. The slender
origin of light gave out feeble, sickly blue
flame, and Immediately expired. Merciful
heaven! one match alone held for him the
fate Of life or death. He had but one more.
Carefully, but in fear, he drew it upon his
sleeve; instantly the light flickercd up,
trembled ut the end of the match, held its
own for second and then suddenly burst
out into yellow flame. He held it to one
of his rag tapers small but calm flame
ensued, and he commenced the ascent slow
ly. Slowly he assembled, scanning every
step, with rag taper only between him
and death If that slight flame should ex-
pirc, the lamp Of life would speedily flick
er out. According to the belief of the
Persians every month was under the pro-
lection Of its angel. He prayed, as he slow
ly moved upward, that every flicker of
his feeble light might he similarly guard
cd"
The explorer toiled up the weary way,
hour after hour until he became dizzy of
the monotonous character of the ascent.
He had no means of preserving light save
through his tapers, and if lie paused to
sleep the light might disappear. Tie strug-
gled on, but at length overtasked nature
asserted itself He leaned upon the wall
and slept, holding the taper in his hand;
and when the taper burned down to his
hand he was awakened, and continued his
ascent. How wearisome it became Oh,
tramp, tramp, cease He slept again, and
awakened as before and finally, at the end
of unknown hours reached the last step OF
the stairway, and to his horror discovered
a roof above him. After all his toilful as
cent, and after having exhausted his last
taper, he here met barrier between him
and the land Of sunshine. Then, indeed,
he felt that
"Never Saint took pity on
My soul in its agony"
After the paralyzing sensation had pass
cd he bethought him of his geological
hammer which he always carried. He
struck the ceiling, and to his establishment
and joy Il hole was broken through the
thin canopy of rock, which itprov-
ed to be. He soon enlarged the opening
to an area sufficient to admit the passage
of his body through it. He found himself
in one of the avenues of the Mammoth
Cave, and saw in the distance the lamps
and figures of explorers. He was deliver
ed.
CoNpEsCEND TO READ THIs.-In one
thing at least we may take lesson from
| tho Jnnonpso THEW arn n nponlo IF cro n