The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1897-04-25

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the wonderful secrets that Il contained.
Their curiosity was not great enough
70 lead them 10 attempt an exploration
OF the Inner portions OF the cavern,
which could be approached only
through a low. narrow. sitting passage
buried In profound darkness and
ehoked with the accumulatlons o. ages
let that passage really led 70 cham
Ders where men had lived and left their
marks In On antiquity 90 remote that
ufeece and Rome seem modern when
eohirasied with q. There was con
cealed proof Of the existence OF man
80 many ages ago that nobody can DO
more than guess at the number o. mil
lenia which have elapsed since all
trace Of those ancestors Of ours vas
lost.
The FIRST discoveries OF remarkable
things IN the cave Of Ia Mou,he we're
made in 1895 by a learned Frtnchman.
u. Emile RlvIere. The nature Of the
SOIL even in the outer part Of the cav
ern' convinced him az once that he was
standing on ground which prehlstoric
man had trod. and n little digging
showed that 10 had been the home OF
human beings during two entire geo.
logical epochs-ihe Ncollthlc and the
Quartennry or Glacial How great an
antiquity that implies we may readily
understand when We rcc1ll-ct that one
OF the best timc-oGtimates % the Gla-
eial epoch that We possess places the
end OF u al $4,000 years ago. But q is
IN the deeper and more concealed por.
lions Of the cavern that NJ. Rlvlere and
his assistants. continuing their explor-
atoms during 1895. and during the last
year. have discovered the mos, won
derful and Interesting traces Of ancient
man. II required courage and resolu-
ton 10 penetrate the long. stlnlng pas.
sage. through some parts OF which they
could with difficulty force their way
and which led inward and downward
TO the strange chambers where the
most important discoveries we're made.
Crawling on their faces. breaking OF
the glittering stalactites and aalaE-
mites that the slow dripping OF lime
water during untold centuries had ere.
ated like a crystal forest 20 obstruct
the way. they finally reached a dark
grotto. which Is absolutely UNIQUE
among caverns. since q may be de-
seribed a. a prehistoric picture gal
lery. on whose walls and ROOF are 20
be seen drawings made with ochre and
engraviDgs cut or scratched in the solid
rock. which are venerable beyond esti.
nation. In the outer parts OF the cav
ern IT. Riviere had found many ancient
hearths and the jumbled remains OF
Wild beasts which have now become OK.
tinci. such as the great cave bear. the
cave hyena. and other creatures whose
huge jaws and long sharp tech remain
20 prove how fierce aud terrible were
the enemies with which our pre-hls.
ioric ancestors fought for the posses.
sion OF their underground homes But
these things are overshadowed In In.
terest by the discovery OF the pictures
Just referred 10. These pictures prove
that even In those most historic DAYS
man was instinctlvely an artist. en-.
deavoring 20 represent and reproduce
the scenes and images Of the world
around him, Working thus 10 please
their oWn eyes. with no thought OF pos.
ierliy, men have nevertheless left "a
most important and graphic testimony.
touching. not only their own powers Of [
Intelligent observation. bu, also the /
character Of the animals living In their /
time. The lime water flowing down thu /
sides Of the grotto has covered some OF /
the drawingswith a transparent deposit
OF stalagmite. and many are more or /
less completely obllierated. A picture /
OF the bison is. however. readily recos.
nizahle. and. most interesting OF an. |
the picture representing on a gigantic |
scale some unknown or unrecognlred
animal which seems to combine the |
characteristics OF bison or other boz /
vine animal with these o. horse. The |
surprising picture. which seems oririn. /
ally 10 have been carefully shaded with /