Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . of a black cavern of unknown dimensions. I seemed tobe walled around with thick darkness, and the opening throughwhich I had descended shone above me like a moon in an inkyfirmament. Taking the candle, I descended from my resting-place and proceeded to explore my newly-discovered feeble rays of my tallow dip revealed nothing more than anirregular floor of moist clay and walls of limestone rock, coveredhere and there with a few dull, dirty incrustations. After gropi
Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . of a black cavern of unknown dimensions. I seemed tobe walled around with thick darkness, and the opening throughwhich I had descended shone above me like a moon in an inkyfirmament. Taking the candle, I descended from my resting-place and proceeded to explore my newly-discovered feeble rays of my tallow dip revealed nothing more than anirregular floor of moist clay and walls of limestone rock, coveredhere and there with a few dull, dirty incrustations. After gropingabout two thirds of the way around this circular hall, I foundan arched opening about the size of an ordinary doorway. Intothis passage I penetrated with difficulty for twenty or thirty yards, when my heels flew fromunder me, and I slid, I can nottell how far, down into whatseemed, by the sense of touch,to be a bed of soft mud. It isneedless to say I lost my can-dle in the fall, and was left inutter darkness. Here was apredicament for a hero. Above,below, on every side, I felt noth-ing but slimy mud. I feared to. move, lest I might sink into YOUTH S FORWARD SLIP. some deeper quagmire. I was not so much alarmed at first, but, as my body began to chill, my heart sunk with the temperature of my blood. I began to calculate the chances of escape. If I am not forthcoming in due time, will Jack Rawlins come to my assistance ? will any one 192 PORTE CRAYON AND HIS COUSINS. come ? Portentous question. Is not this cavern the bugbear ofthe country, and will my disappearance serve to allay that terror fOh, powers of mud, the heroic spirit was subdued within me—no !not all subdued; the idea occurred to me that possibly a cry forhelp might reach the ears of my companions and hasten my re-lief. But pride forbade; I resolved to die first. Anon I began to fancy that I could see the walls of my prisonand the passage through Avhich I had fallen, and soon the doubtbrightened into reality. My e
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