The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-10-09


breathless wonder at the scene dis
closed, and then the light was
gone, and smoke, dense, suffocating
smoke only remained. There was no
way for it TO escape, and so there it staid,
making thick fog. "This will not do"
said the guide; "no more red light in
here!" So ours was the first and last
l may say just here that after several
hours of wandering and exploring the
intricacies of the cave, when we re-
turned to the scene of our little illumina-
ton, we found the smoke still there. |
hope in time it found its way out, but it
must have been work of time. The
farther we penetrated the more we were
entranced, and more wonderful became
the formations. We were allowed to
burn the magnesium wire we had
brought, as that gave but little smoke.
We had our guide to flash it upon what
ever was of most interest, and by its
vivid light, we saw huge elephants, grin
ming monkeys, the fish market, where
hung rows of fish, looking as if yet wet
with their native water. In one cave
sat an old woman, as though crouching
down and shivering. High up on
marble pedestal sat grand Turk,
cross-legged, with turban on his head
and flowing beard. Near him was
perched an eagle on what looked like
an old dead tree. We saw the Tower
of Babel towering upward in pride, arch
upon arch rising white and beautiful,
and we saw Pinto's Cavern, dark and
grim, and looked down into its untold
depths of blackness. Then, as we
CROPPED our way along, on either hand
were dim, mysterious vaults that one
could easily fancy must be the abode of
elves and spirits. A little child, the
youngest of the party, started back.
From one of the blacklist recesses APP
preached, or seemed to approach us, a
tall figure most ghostly in its appear
| ance. One arm was extended, the 9th
er seemed to be holding together the
! long white veil with which it was envel-
oped from head to foot. An irresistible
fascination made us strain our eyes to
discern the features that it seemed to try
to hide, and vet one felt sure that what
was hidden was horrible.
A few steps on brought us to a differ
ent scene. An angels wing, white and
beautiful, guarded the entrance to a glo-
rious cathedral. Stately rows of col
umns and noble arches appeared, and
at the farthest end was seen a huge or
gan. Suddenly we were startled by
strange sounds that broke the silence
| from the organ came strains of unearth-
ly music-for as the guide swept his
hand over the pipes they responded to
! his touch and sent forth a weird melody.
/ Beyond this we found the " dancing
hail." the largest of all the apartments.
| 1t is difficult to estimate size where ev-
ery thing is so odd and unusual, but this
| hall is said to be about the size of the
rotunda of the Capitol at Washington.
From one of the doOrways we see fair
lady hurrying away, her flowing drapery
of creamy lace trailing behind her in
her flight. 1t is Cinderella fastening
from the ball. BY a strange freak,
which struck us as pathetic, in corner
of the dancing hall we find the "ceme-
terry" 1t has been rallied off as though
to protect from Dissertation the heaving
mounds and grave-stones standing up
right.
A human interest is given to the cave
by tragedy here enacted. Years ago
a poor Indian boy was lost in these deep
recesses. What must have been his
feelings of horror and dismay, buried
alive in such vault! We find the foot
print of his moccasin and notice how he
has slipped little on the muddy path
the print has become as hard as stone
and there it has remained to touch
with pity for his fate the hearts of those
of another race after long ages have
passed and his people have been swept
from the land Some distance from the
foot-mark, showing how he had wan
dered, we find where he had fallen. Poor
boy! he struggled hard, no doubt, for
his life, but a deep and terrible pit-fall
CAPPED before him; into it he fell, and
there his skeleton now lies half buried
in stony covering.
think the most beautiful object in the
cave is the % crystal fountain" 1t is an
oblong box, white as marble, most deli
cately carved; over it hangs a canopy
fringed with what look like icicleS. 1t
is filed with the clearest water. In this
water had been found tiny mitten; it
certainly must have been knit by fairy
fingers for some little brownie lover!
Anu we lduClcO JHc pOOI HUT eh IL } lhS
in vain to reach after it when it had
fallen by accident. But he never re-
covered that mitten. The goOd-natured
guide won the eternal gratitude of a boy
of our party by presenting it to him, to
be treasured as the gem of his museum
and a souvenir of Luray.
can not tell half of what might be
told about this marvellous cave. A visit
to it is like having a glimpse of another
world, land of shadows and a realm of
mystery. And now, when | look over
towards those blue mountains, the charm
of the unknown is gone, but in its place
are pleasant memories of a smiling val
ley, a pretty little town resting upon its
bosom, and far beneath sunlight and
moonlight land that exceeds all my
childish fancies ever pictured in my
dreams of Wonderland.