The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-09-01
the priest to celebrate divine

pectation of the priest to celebrate divine
service.
1t would he impossible for my pen to
describe everything that transported us
with Joy, and drew forth our admiration.
we really imagined ourselves to be in ono
OF the Arabian Nights palaces, and the
Indians themselves were Tar from guessing
the one-half OF the wonders We had Just
discovered.
INTO THE LABYRINTH.
Having left this dazzling palace. we con-
tinued our underground ramble, pene-
uating more and more into the bowels OF
the earth, following step by step wind
ing labyrinth, but which for n whole half
league offered nothing remarkable TO our
view, except now and then the sight OF
the very great dangers our undauntable
curiosity urged us on to. In certain parts
the vault no longer presented the aspect
OF BENG as solid as stone, earth alone
seemed To be it's component parts, and
here and there recent proofs of falling-in
showed us that still more considerable
ones might take place, and cut off from
us al means of retreat
Nevertheless we pushed on still far be-
yond our present adventurous discovery,
and at last arrived at a new, magnificent
ana extensive space all beSpangled, like
the first, with brilliant stalactites, and in
no way inferior to the former in the gorge
Gus beauty of its details. Here again
we gave ourselves up to the most minute
examination OF the many wonders sur
rounding us, and which shQne like prisms
by the light of our torches
We gathered from off the ground several
| small stalagmites as large and as round
as hazel nuts, and so like that fruit,
when preserved, that some days later at
ball at Manila, we presented some OF
| them to the ladies, whose first movement
was to put them to their mouth, but soon
inding out their mistake they entreated
10 be allowed TO keep them to have them,
as they said, converted into earring
drops.
Having fully enjoyed the beautiful and
| brilliant spectacle presented to our eyes,
we now began to feel the effects of hunger
| and fatigue. We had been walking in this
subtenaneous domain to the extent of
more than three miles, had taken no rest
or refreshment since morning, and the
day was already far advanced.
have often experienced that our moral
strength decreases in proportion as our
physical strength does, and of course we
must have been in that state when sin
lister suggestions took possession of our
lmaginatiOns. One of our party commun nj
Gated to us a reflection he had Just made,
which was that a falling-in might have
taken place between us and the issue
/ from the grOtto, or, what appeared still
| more probable, that the enormous rock
| that was suspended and buttresSed up by
| the column might have fallen down, and
| thus bar up all passage through the hole
we had 50 rashiy made.
| Had such a misfortune happened to US,
what horrible situation we should have
been in. We could hope for no help from
without, even from our friend Genu, who,
as We had Witnessed, had been so upset
| by fear; so that, rather than suffer the
anguish and die the death of the wretch
| buried alive in Sepulcher our pOignardS
81 h>,ya a q
All these reflections, which we ana
Used and commented upon one by one,
made us resolve upon returning, and leay-
ing to others more imprudent than our
selves, if any there be, the care OF exploring
the space we had still to travel over. We
soon got over the ground that separated
US from the place we had most TO dread.
OUT OF PERIL.
Providence had favored and protected
us. The large fragment of rock, that OBJ
iect of all our fears, was still propped up.
One after the other did we squeeze our
selves through the narrow opening, avoid
ing as much as possible the least friction,
till at last we had all passed through.
Joyous indeed were we on seeing our
selves out of danger after so peTIIOuS an
enterprise, and we were already begin
ming to direct our steps towards the out
let of the cavern, when suddenly hol-
low, prolonged noise, and below our feet a
rapid trembling excited once more all our
fears.
But those fears were soon Gained by
our Indian, who came running towards
us at full speed, brandishing in his hand
his pick-ax. The imprudent fellow, I'M
willing to sacrifice it, had waited till we
were some PAGES distant, and then pulling
it to him most forcibly, while all the while
he took good care to keep quickly moving
away, when, thanks to Providence, or to
his own nimbleness, he was not crushed
to atoms by the fragment of the rock,
which, being no longer buttressed up by
the column that had been shaken, had
fallen to the ground, completely stopping
up the issue through which We had pass
ed one after the other. So that no doubt
no one after us will be able to penetrate
into the beautiful part of that grotto
which we had Just passed thlough so
fortunately.
After this last episode we no longer
hesitated in returning, and it was with
great delight that we beheld once more
the great luminary of the world, and found
our friend Genu sitting upon a block Of
marble, rejecting on our long absenye,
and at the same time on our unquaii-
fable temerity.
Ito be continued.l