Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-09-24

earshot Of Les Eyzies are q series of stations
which taken together furnish data ON human his
tory practically from Acheulian times to the
present day. These stations begin with the old
obscured shelter Of La Micoque include the par.
tally ruined shelters of Upper and Lower LAu-
gerie; another ledge-shelter that served oldtime
brigands as q rendezvous and also a. q fortress
to defy the English in 141O; still another ledge
marked by ruins of what looks like some old
baronial chateau; and end up finally with the
more or less well-kept houses Of the modern
peasant These houses often stand on several
meters Of ancient relic-bearing debris and seem
to cling IN an infantile sort Of way to the over
hanging cliff in spite Of its cold. damp nature
Some distance up the Vezere at the Rock Of St.
Christopher, where the last houses have been re-
moved. there are over four meters Of debris
dating from neolithic to present time. and the
adjacent Cliff il marked by several series Of par
aei holes. cut for the insertion Of ceiling beams
precisely a. we hnd them in our own Southwest
Some OF these holes are high up the cliff but
others are below the surface of the accumulated
debris which is itself below the high-water mark
OF the river. With all this evidences suggestive
OF continuous occupation. II 10 not to be wondered
at that some students profess to see among the
Rcai inhabitants q number Of individuals that
resemble the physical type Of paleolithic man.
visit to the painted caves II the experience
OF lifetime; but while 1t IL an adventure bound
to excite more enthusiasm than the examination
OF the shelters. It II less instructive and certainly
less convincing It ID also IN undertaking fraught
with some dihiculty and disappointment. except
perhaps In such cases a. Altamira, Niaux and
Fontde-Gaume. The painted and incised repre-
sentations on the cave walls are seldom 20 plain
ana striking a. one might infer from the superb
reproductions In the published reports. and to
make them out the visitor must take time. In
this effort to decipher he 10 most ably assisted BY
Prof. Emile Cartailhac Of Toulouse. who has given
n DOH6 or< 40 ha~ aP~
ART ana who as present guards nearly all the
Pyrenean caverns. In Spain and in the Dordogne
country. however local guides must be taken. and
as 0ese are not always competent, the student
who would profit by his opportunity must prepare
himself beforehand in regard to what IL to be
seen and then insist on being shown. or he may
not see much.
The last cave to be discovered. and also the
most beautiful. is the Tue d'Audoubert. located
on the estate of Count Begouen near Sant-Girons,
france This fs perhaps the most dimcult cavern
to explore. But to risk passage In the improvised
boat that the visitor must sail in order to reach
the interior. and to crawl on his stomach along
muddy passages that are really too small for
a full-grown man, and finally to receive innum-
cradle bumps on his head from pending stalac.
tites Is not too much to pay for the privilege
which, as II happened. was accorded the Museums
representative a. the first American-to see the
wonders inside. Ordinarily. the natural wonders
OF the caverns are more or less dscolored with
mud. but here 10 gallery after gallery OF be-
wfldering forests Of pillars and pendants and
posts-all pure white and glittering ~ II stud
ded with myriads Of diamonds. Here and there
the stalactites hang in large sheets like folded
draperies and by placing light behind them the
translucent substance flashes up in colors of
green and rose too beautiful to be described.
No fairy palace was ever more adorned! You are
led along devious passages stepping again and
again in lakelets Of invisibly clear water and
when on dry footing you are warned to move
for fear of celebrating some an.
cient human footprints that are fAintly visible
under the thin coat Of stalagmite which covers
the clay floor. Bones and skulls Of the giant
cave bear and other animals lie al about cement
ed IN place. Finally, near the extreme inner end
ofsthe cavern. comes the real object Of the L.