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diff --git a/old/53063-8.txt b/old/53063-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6c33930..0000000 --- a/old/53063-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6408 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Netherworld of Mendip, by -Ernest A. Baker and Herbert E. Balch - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Netherworld of Mendip - Explorations in the great caverns of Somerset, Yorkshire, - Derbyshire, and elsewhere - -Author: Ernest A. Baker - Herbert E. Balch - -Release Date: September 16, 2016 [EBook #53063] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NETHERWORLD OF MENDIP *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Whitehead, Chris Curnow and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE NETHERWORLD OF MENDIP - - - - - NETHERWORLD - OF MENDIP - - EXPLORATIONS IN THE GREAT CAVERNS - OF SOMERSET, YORKSHIRE - DERBYSHIRE, AND ELSEWHERE - - BY - ERNEST A. BAKER, M.A.(LOND.) - - AUTHOR OF "MOORS, CRAGS, AND CAVES OF THE HIGH PEAK" ETC. - JOINT-EDITOR OF "THE VOICE OF THE MOUNTAINS" - - AND - - HERBERT E. BALCH - - - - CLIFTON - J. BAKER & SON - - LONDON - - SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO. - 1907 - - - - -PREFACE - - -The objects of this work are twofold: to describe the actual incidents -of various interesting episodes in the modern sport of cave exploring, -and to give an account of the scientific results of underground -investigations in the Mendip region of Somerset. Speleology is the -latest of the sporting sciences: like orology and Arctic exploration, -it has two sides, sport and adventure being the lure to some, whilst -others are chiefly attracted by the new light thrown by these -researches on the geology, the hydrology, and the natural history -of the subterranean regions explored. The chapters dealing with the -scientific results are by H. E. Balch, who has been working on the -geology of Mendip, more especially among the caves, for upwards of -twenty years: the accounts of actual experiences, in which the sporting -side is predominant, are by E. A. Baker, who described the recent -exploration of the Derbyshire caves in his _Moors, Crags, and Caves -of the High Peak_, 1903. No attempt is made to traverse the ground so -perfectly covered by Professor Boyd Dawkins in his fascinating volume -on _Cave Hunting_, and elsewhere, most of the work described here being -supplementary to that done by him, and, largely, outside the scope of -his aims. The authors are indebted to the kindness of the Editors of -the _Liverpool Courier_ and _Daily Post_, the _Manchester Guardian_, -the _Standard_, the _Yorkshire Post_, the _Irish Naturalist_, and the -_Climbers' Club Journal_ for permission to use the substance of various -articles which have appeared in their pages, and to M. Martel, Mr. -C. Blee, and Messrs. Gough for permission to reproduce a number of -excellent illustrations by them. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE CAVE DISTRICT OF THE MENDIPS 1 - - THE CHEDDAR GROUP OF CAVERNS 16 - - ANTIQUITY OF THE CAVES OF MENDIP 21 - - CAVE EXPLORING AS A SPORT 32 - - EXPLORING WOOKEY HOLE 45 - - STRENUOUS DAYS IN THE EASTWATER SWALLET 60 - - SWILDON'S HOLE 70 - - THE GREAT CAVERN AT CHEDDAR 82 - - FIVE CAVERNS AT CHEDDAR 91 - - THE BURRINGTON CAVERNS 99 - - THE CORAL CAVE AT COMPTON BISHOP 106 - - LAMB'S LAIR 115 - - A CAVE IN THE QUANTOCKS 123 - - CAVE EXPLORING AT ABERGELE 127 - - CAVE DISCOVERIES ON THE WELSH BORDER 133 - - THE EXPLORATION OF STUMP CROSS CAVERN 138 - - SWALLET-HUNTING IN DERBYSHIRE 144 - - EXPLORING NEW CAVES IN DERBYSHIRE 152 - - A VISIT TO MITCHELSTOWN CAVE 159 - - INDEX 169 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - MAP OF THE MENDIP DISTRICT OF SOMERSET, SHOWING - SWALLETS, CAVES, AND OUTLETS 5 - - THE GREAT GORGE OF CHEDDAR 16 - Photo by DAWKES & PARTRIDGE, Wells. - - ROMANO-BRITISH POTTERY, COINS, HUMAN REMAINS, - ETC., WOOKEY HOLE CAVE 22 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - HYÆNA DEN AND BADGER HOLE, WOOKEY HOLE 23 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - PLAN AND SECTION OF WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN 25 - By H. E. BALCH. - - THE GREAT SWALLET ON BISHOP'S LOT, PRIDDY 28 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - ST. ANDREW'S WELL, WELLS 29 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - PROFILE OF THE "WITCH OF WOOKEY," WOOKEY HOLE - CAVERN 46 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - AMONG THE POOLS, WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN 47 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - MASS OF STALAGMITE, WOOKEY HOLE 48 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - IN THE FIRST CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN 49 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - STALACTITE TERRACE, WOOKEY HOLE 50 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - GREAT RIVER CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE 51 - Photo by DAWKES & PARTRIDGE, Wells. - - SECOND GREAT CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE 52 - Photo by DAWKES & PARTRIDGE, Wells. - - ENTRANCE OF THIRD CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE 53 - Photo by DAWKES & PARTRIDGE, Wells. - - STALACTITE GROTTO: NEW CHAMBERS, WOOKEY HOLE - CAVE 54 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - STALACTITE GROTTO, WOOKEY HOLE 55 - Photo by CLAUDE BLEE. - - STALACTITE PILLARS, WOOKEY HOLE 56 - Photo by CLAUDE BLEE. - - NEW STALACTITE GROTTO, WOOKEY HOLE 57 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - THE GRILLE: NEW CHAMBERS, WOOKEY HOLE 58 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - THE SOURCE OF THE AXE, WOOKEY HOLE 59 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - ENTRANCE TO GREAT CAVERN OF EASTWATER 62 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - SECTION OF EASTWATER CAVERN 63 - By H. E. BALCH. - - THE DESCENT OF EASTWATER CAVERN, THE SECOND - VERTICAL DROP 64 - From Sketch by H. E. BALCH. - - THE GREAT CANYON, EASTWATER CAVERN 65 - From Sketch by H. E. BALCH. - - ENTRANCE OF SWILDON'S HOLE 72 - Photo by M. MARTEL. - - WATERFALL, SWILDON'S HOLE 73 - Photo by H. E. BALCH. - - ENTRANCE OF STALACTITE CHAMBER, SWILDON'S HOLE 78 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - STALACTITE CURTAINS, SWILDON'S HOLE 79 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - STALACTITE CHAMBER, SWILDON'S HOLE 80 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - STALAGMITE PILLARS IN GOUGH'S GREAT CAVERN 84 - Photo by GOUGH, Cheddar. - - THE PILLARS OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, GOUGH'S CAVES, - CHEDDAR 85 - Photo by GOUGH, Cheddar. - - ORGAN PIPES, GOUGH'S CAVES, CHEDDAR 86 - Photo by GOUGH, Cheddar. - - "NIAGARA," GOUGH'S CAVE, CHEDDAR 87 - Photo by M. MARTEL. - - IN COX'S CAVERN AT CHEDDAR 92 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - GREAT RIFT CAVERN, CHEDDAR GORGE 93 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - ENTRANCE TO LAMB'S LAIR, HARPTREE 116 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - PLAN AND SECTION OF THE GREAT CAVERN OF LAMB'S - LAIR 117 - By H. E. BALCH. - - THE "BEEHIVE" CHAMBER, LAMB'S LAIR 118 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - STALACTITE WALL, LAMB'S LAIR 119 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - ENTRANCE TO GREAT CHAMBER, LAMB'S LAIR 120 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - LARGEST CHAMBER IN SOMERSET, LAMB'S LAIR, HARPTREE 121 - From Sketch by H. E. BALCH. - - STALACTITES IN ENTRANCE GALLERY, LAMB'S LAIR 122 - Photo by BAMFORTH, Holmfirth. - - THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE 128 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - INSIDE THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE 129 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - IN THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE 130 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - A PRE-GLACIAL CAVE, LLANDULAS 132 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - ON THE CEIRIOG 134 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - UPPER CEIRIOG CAVE 135 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - LOWER CEIRIOG CAVERN 136 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - IN STUMP CROSS CAVERN 140 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - THE PILLAR, STUMP CROSS CAVERN 141 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - THE CHAPEL: STUMP CROSS CAVERN 142 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - RICKLOW CAVE IN FLOOD 156 - Photo by G. D. WILLIAMS. - - A GREAT PILLAR: MITCHELSTOWN CAVERN 160 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - A FAIRY LANTERN: MITCHELSTOWN CAVERN 161 - Photo by E. A. BAKER. - - - - -THE NETHERWORLD OF MENDIP - - - - -THE CAVE DISTRICT OF THE MENDIPS - - -"A land of caves, whose palaces of fantastic beauty still adorn the -mysterious underworld where murmuring rivers first see the light." In -these words an imaginative writer describes Somerset, which shares with -Derbyshire and Yorkshire the title of a land of caverns. Across it the -range of the Mendips, a region of Old Red Sandstone and Carboniferous -Limestone, 1000 feet above tide-level, stretches in a huge, flat-topped -rampart for nearly 30 miles, from the town of Frome to the sea. No -piece of country in the kingdom offers so much to explore. An abundant -harvest is there waiting to be reaped; for on every side are obvious -indications of half-buried gateways to the dark and secret pathways -to the netherworld, and everywhere upon the surface of the Mendip -tableland lie the open pits and hollows which the local speech calls -"swallets," that is to say, swallow holes, some of them dry, some -actively engulfing streams, but all testifying to untold ages of water -action. - -This Limestone district lies far from the busy hives of industry, -remote and secluded in the very heart of lovely Somerset. Only on the -darkest of nights, with the clouds low in the sky, can the glare of the -lights of Bristol be seen reflected far to the northward. One main -line of railway, the Great Western from Bristol to Exeter, passes near -it, and even that does not intrude beyond the margin of this Caveland. -The rendezvous for the cave explorers of the district is usually the -quiet little city of Wells, lying calm and secluded under the southern -slopes of Mendip, in close proximity to all the principal caverns. A -mile to the south-east rises the bold and picturesque Dulcote Hill, -a fragment of the most southerly anticline of Mountain Limestone in -the kingdom. From this point, rolling northward in a great fivefold -anticline, Old Red Sandstone, Lower Limestone Shales, and Mountain -Limestone form the great mass of the worn-down stump of the once mighty -Mendip range. The extent of the denudation which has taken place -indicates that this range was originally at least 5000 feet high, -yet now in but a few places is the height of 1000 feet attained, and -this is reached only by the Old Red Sandstone ridges laid bare in the -prolonged course of that denudation. The first of these high ridges -rises boldly to the north of Wells, and a steep climb of 900 feet in -two and a half miles brings us to the summit of Pen Hill, or Rookham, -from which a grand southward view is to be obtained. Immediately below, -the three cathedral towers pierce the blue mist hanging over the little -city we have just left. Beyond, the peat moors of the Brue and the Axe -stretch away to the Isle of Avalon, sacred as the birthplace of our -Christian faith in England. Here below us is that - - "Island valley of Avilion, - Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow, - Nor ever wind blows loudly; but it lies - Deep meadow'd, happy, fair with orchard lawns, - And bowery hollows crowned with summer seas." - -Here, where Arthur's bones are said to have been found, and where -traditions associated with him abound, his memory is kept green in -the names of many well-known spots; and yonder rises Cadbury Camp, -looked upon by many as the Camelot of romance. On the low ridge which -intervenes between the valleys of the Axe and the Brue lies Wedmore, -where King Alfred gained in the Peace of Wedmore such temporary -respite from his foes as allowed him to gather strength for the great -operations that resulted at last in the conquest and unity of the -whole kingdom. Yonder, too, are the marshes of the Parrett and the -Tone, around which cluster tales familiar to every schoolchild. In the -marshes between the Mendips and Glastonbury, exploration has unearthed -a most interesting example of a swamp or lake village, with great -store of antiquarian material, throwing a flood of light upon a period -of which little was known. Beyond lies Sedgemoor, where in 1685 took -place the last battle ever fought on English soil; and throughout this -neighbourhood the infamous Jeffreys worked his will in the judicial -slaughter of countless Somerset men. - -In the far distance the sunshine glints on the waters of the Bristol -Channel, where, 60 miles away, the bold promontory of the Foreland -rises sheer from the sea; to the south, upon the farthest limits of our -vision, Pilsdon and Lewsdon mark the descent of our southern counties -to the English Channel; whilst, on a clear day, between them is seen -the summit of Golden Cap, the base of which is washed by our southern -sea. Surely here is as fair a scene as eye could wish to see. - -Only a pleasant walk away, the great chasms of Ebbor and Cheddar -have rent the rocks asunder, forming two of the loveliest ravines in -the kingdom. Northward across the intervening syncline of Mountain -Limestone, pitted with swallets marking the entrances to many an -unknown subterranean labyrinth, are seen the Old Red Sandstone summits -of North Hill, crowned with its seventeen Neolithic barrows, and of -Blackdown beyond, from whose bare top is seen the broad estuary of the -Severn spreading out across the view, giving a glimpse of the coast -of South Wales in the far distance, its busy factories showing their -pencil-like chimneys against the dark hills behind. In the Channel the -little islands of Steepholm and Flatholm mark the line of the original -continuation of the great Mendip range into South Wales. The limestone -shores of the former rise sheer from the sea, forming an impregnable -fortress. Here, far below the level of the salt water around, a supply -of pure water is obtained from the Limestone, brought, doubtless, from -the Limestone area of Mendip by way of some hidden fissure. - -Hard by, at Clevedon, is the grave of that great friend of Tennyson, -who sat here and listened to - - "The moaning of the homeless sea, - The sound of streams that, swift or slow, - Draw down æonian hills, and sow - The dust of continents to be." - -Very truly and accurately his words describe the action that is going -on, by which the swallet streams are undermining and honeycombing these -hills and bearing their component rocks away to the sea. - -Standing on Pen Hill and looking northward, a great east and west -depression is seen forming a broad low valley in the tableland of -Mendip. Into this valley numerous springs and a liberal rainfall are -for ever pouring their waters. Yet nowhere is there a surface channel -which can carry this water away; and nowhere, save in the small hollows -of the Old Red Sandstone and Shales, does water accumulate. The reason -is not far to seek. The Carboniferous Limestone, evenly stratified -everywhere, has been split by vertical joints into a series of gigantic -cubes. Between them, the surface waters, laden with carbonic acid -obtained from the atmosphere and from vegetation, have for ages made -their way, enlarging them by both chemical and mechanical action, till -they have become fissures capable of giving passage to an enormous -quantity of water. So from one joint to another, from one bedding plane -to another, the water percolates downwards until it meets with some -impermeable rock beneath, or until it finds an outlet at the level of -the Secondary rocks forming the valley below. Such impermeable beds -are found in the Lower Limestone Shales, and the resulting outlets are -well known in the great risings of St. Andrew's Well in the gardens of -the Bishop's Palace at Wells, in the source of the Axe at Wookey Hole, -in the Cheddar Water and other large springs, of all of which more -hereafter. - -[Illustration: MAP OF THE MENDIP DISTRICT OF SOMERSET, SHOWING -SWALLETS, CAVES, AND OUTLETS.] - -Reference to the sketch map of the district will show that the majority -of the more important swallets lie along the line of the great -depression referred to. These comprise by no means all the swallets -of Mendip, yet they are the chief ones. It is obvious that the whole -of the mass of material represented by this great depression has been -removed in suspension by way of these swallets; and one is compelled to -ask, How long has this work been going on? What time is represented by -so vast a work? On the threshold of the inquiry we are met by such an -amount of evidence bearing upon it that the subject must be dealt with -separately. For, upon the upturned edges of the Carboniferous Limestone -rocks, which can have been brought down to their present plane of -denudation only by long-continued water action, have been deposited, -and still remain _in situ_, great masses of the basement beds of the -Secondary rocks, lying in such a manner as to convince us that swallet -action had prepared the denuded surfaces upon which they lie. And upon -this hinges the whole question of the antiquity of the caverns of -Mendip. But whilst the age of our caverns is a debatable matter, no -one can question the accuracy of the theory of ravine formation from -the collapse of cavern roofs, as evidenced by the instances supplied by -Mendip. - -Through crevices and cracks, here, there, and everywhere, the -percolating waters find their way. Now some crevice is enlarged into -a passage; now some weak point in the passage becomes a chamber; and -on the water rushes, steadily joining forces and accumulating, until -on the level of the lower land it finds an outlet, and rushes forth -a considerable stream. In its headlong course the water again and -again leaps down some great series of potholes, as down some giant -stairway, forming many fine cascades, whose deafening roar goes on for -ever where there is no ear to hear and where no footstep ever treads -the rocky ways. Along the course of the larger streams huge chambers -occur; for the ever-eddying water, bearing sand along in its course, -eats out the sides of its channel, or, revolving stones in its bed, -carves out the pothole by friction. Or some pendent mass of rock has -its support undermined and comes crashing into the streamway, only to -be broken up and carried away by the ceaseless energy of the stream, -so ever enlarging the chambers upwards towards the light of day. But -whilst this action is going on underground, a more potent factor is -at work where the subterranean stream first sees the light. Here -very soon the action of the water alone gives rise to a little cliff -overhead. Now rain and frost, wind and tempest, loosen, bit by bit, -the fragments of rock forming the face of the cliff, which fall away -into the river, to be broken up and carried away. Little by little the -face of the cliff recedes, along the line of the subterranean river, -until the first underground chamber is reached. The undermined archway -of rock is less able to withstand the agents of denudation, and the -cliff front recedes apace. Such is the present stage at Wookey Hole, -the chamber whence the river Axe issues being still in process of -destruction. Thus the work goes on slowly, yet none the less surely, -until along the whole course of the subterranean river the roof of -the cavern is destroyed, perhaps effectually hiding the stream under -huge blocks of Limestone, such as those of Ebbor Gorge, near Wells, -or until the water finds another course for itself, as at Cheddar, to -begin the whole story over again. Every stage is abundantly illustrated -by our Mendip swallets and caves. The large swallets of Eastwater, -three and a half miles from Wells, of Swildon's or Swithin's Hole, a -half-mile nearer Priddy, and the more recent swallet of Stoke Lane, -half-way between Wells and Frome, are excellent examples of streams -engulfed on the summit of Mendip. The whole of the country surrounding -the two first-named caverns is dotted with innumerable small pits and -hollows. The great swallet of Hillgrove, three miles north of Wells, -in the exploration of which we are at present engaged, in an endeavour -to penetrate the labyrinth of ways to which it will undoubtedly -afford access, is a fine example of an intermittent swallet. Here -three ways, carved deeply through the stream-borne sands and clays of -some uncertain epoch of geological history, converge in a deep glen, -beautiful with its tropical wealth of ferns. In the bottom of the glen -huge spurs of Limestone stand up boldly, dipping towards the Old Red -Sandstone exposed to the south, and pointing to a great fault, along -the line of which the Limestone water is bound to accumulate in a -huge triangular reservoir, the outflow from which may account for the -summer flow of the Axe when the majority of the swallets are dry. In -winter the converging torrents here find ingress into the Limestone, -but, though pits and hollows abound on every hand, no foot of man has -ever yet trod the hidden ways beneath. At a depth of 10 feet we have -reached the first open channel, only to have it blocked subsequently by -a fall of the treacherous gravel through which we have been working. - -Vast dry swallets are represented by a great depression which we call -the Bishop's Lot Swallet, on the road from Wells to Priddy. Here a huge -hollow in the ground, perfectly circular and 300 yards round, shows -us the largest swallet in Mendip. Though the surrounding land slopes -gently to the edge of the great pit, which is 60 feet in depth, there -is but the smallest trace of water penetrating it. It is ages since the -drainage of the surrounding land gravitated towards it, for it lies at -a considerable height above the level of most of the other swallets -in the neighbourhood. A mile and a half to the west, a similar pit -occurs called Sand Pit Hole. Here too water has ceased to flow, and it -remains, with precipitous sides, a problem for us to investigate in the -near future. - -To enter either of the active swallets of Eastwater or Swildon's Hole, -and to follow it to its greatest depth, is to gain an insight into -the action of subterranean streams such as no other method can give. -The former is well illustrated by the annexed section, in which its -profound depth and its labyrinth of passages may readily be understood. -The difficulties and disappointments which we encountered when I -conducted the operations which at last resulted in our effecting -an entrance into this cavern, the existence of which was not even -suspected previously, need not here be recapitulated. Altogether, what -with volunteers and labourers, nearly a dozen of us were occupied ten -days in the determined effort which we made, and which at last was -crowned with success. From the point of view of the subsequent explorer -the reader is referred to the ensuing chapter upon Eastwater Cavern, -which will convey some idea of what the first explorers must undergo in -any such place when to the ordinary difficulties of such an exploration -is added the great uncertainty felt at every step taken, and when -every boulder upon which our weight is to rest must first be carefully -examined. The difficulty of our work at Eastwater is practically what -must be experienced in any new work undertaken in the Mendip region, -and there is much waiting to be done. If there is one thing more than -another to be learned from Eastwater Cavern, it is the great importance -of chokes in determining the lines of subterranean drainage. Here they -are seen in every stage of formation and destruction, and the channels -which have been carved by the arrested water may be readily recognised. - -There is a fascination in exploration work such as that at Eastwater, -where corridors, hitherto untrodden by the foot of man, open up all -around as you make your way ever downwards into the heart of the hills; -and even now there are many accessible passages into which as yet no -one has penetrated. Reference to the section annexed will show an upper -way, which terminates abruptly in a choke of stones and gravel, holding -up a little water, whilst allowing a considerable quantity to pass. It -is a remarkable fact that in all the labyrinths of galleries which we -have explored in the profound depths of this cavern we have not yet -alighted upon any portion which gives access to the continuation of -this channel. There, rendered inaccessible by the barrier of débris, -is, without doubt, a cavern as extensive as that which we have proved -to exist in the sister watercourse hard by; and these two channels, -starting from practically the same point, must diverge widely, and -certainly do not unite again before the depth of 500 feet is attained. - -Farther eastward in Mendip, too, are similar swallet caverns. Not far -to the north-west of Stoke Lane is an interesting cavern locally known -as Cox's Hole. It is situated in the Limestone forming the southern -edge of the great basin in which lies the Radstock Coalfield. Owing to -the existence of this coalfield, there are no deep caves accessible in -this part of Mendip. Yet a good deal of water must be absorbed through -the innumerable fissures into the depths of the Carboniferous Limestone -underlying the coalfield, and it is by no means unlikely that this -water, heated to a high point by the subterranean temperature, gives -rise to the hot springs at Bath. Cox's Hole was at a remote period, -when the form of the hill was very different from that presented now, -an active water-channel, evidently draining towards St. Dunstan's Well. -It has two distinct entrances, one, the more westerly, being a cavity -of considerable size. For about 100 feet the cavern consists of a roomy -gallery running more or less horizontally. Then it pinches in, until -the height is less than a foot, and only those can get along who are -able to compress themselves into small compass. In a few feet, however, -it widens out into a good-sized passage, with fine stalactites here and -there, especially at a point on the northern side where an aven opens -into a chamber more than 30 feet high. Now roomy and now contracted, -the passage leads on until, at a distance of 100 yards from the -entrance, it becomes so small that there is considerable difficulty in -proceeding. Beyond this point the cavern becomes a simple water-tunnel, -of a type common in Yorkshire. At 130 yards there is a sharp descent, -the floor is littered with boulders, and 20 yards farther the passage -is choked with silt. A very small passage, which had water in it when -I was there, is said to be passable at times, though I am inclined to -doubt this. An almost vertical ascent amongst treacherous boulders, -however, seems an indication of a possible route onwards, which may, -I trust, with care be yet explored. The last 50 yards of the cave run -to the south-east--that is, away from the direction of St. Dunstan's -Well--a beautiful spring rising from the Carboniferous Limestone hard -by; yet I feel sure that it must of necessity be a part of the same -waterway. Either it was an inlet which received the waters of some -vanished Old Red Sandstone spring, or it was a former outlet for the -waters of that well. I am inclined to favour the former theory. As to -the present source of the waters of St. Dunstan's Well there can be -no doubt whatever. In the valley below Stoke Lane, and three-quarters -of a mile distant from the well and from Cox's Hole, there is a most -interesting swallet, of comparatively recent age. It is obviously -certain that, not so long ago, the stream which courses down the -valley flowed unchecked down its whole length, and so reached the -larger stream below. Slightly retarded, in all probability, by some -flood-borne silt, the water found a little joint in the western bank of -the valley, and by slow degrees so enlarged it that it at last became -capable of swallowing the whole. Even now a few hours' work would -divert the water and cause it to resume its former course. Upstream is -a mill, the owner of which has courteously given every facility for -testing and for exploration. It was found that the effect of damming -the mill stream entirely was to reduce the flow at St. Dunstan's Well -enormously, and to render the entrance of the swallet passable. Mr. -Marshall of Stratton-on-the-Fosse with his party made a successful -descent, and travelled a considerable distance, mainly parallel -with the valley without and to a great extent horizontally, through -water-tunnels of small size. As no measurements were taken one cannot -say yet how far it is passable, but he says that they did not get to -the limits of possible exploration, as the time which they spent there -was getting dangerously near the hour up to which it is possible to -dam the water, and they most wisely beat a hasty retreat. The first -opportunity will be taken by us to make use of a spell of fine weather -to carry this exploration to a successful issue. Not far distant, -too, is another swallet, from which the water has been diverted to be -used for water-supply. This is in the vicinity of a ruined hunting -lodge, and is said to lead in the same direction as the Stoke Lane -Swallet. The whole of this district is likely to be very interesting, -there being a series of remarkable rifts or fissures in the Dolomitic -Conglomerate which deserve attention. One of these, called Fairy Slats, -has been known for many years, and is indeed shown on the Ordnance -map; and the fact that such fissures abound has been forcibly brought -home by a disaster to a new reservoir, only recently completed by the -authorities of Downside Monastery, to supply the neighbouring villages. -Here a finely designed basin, having been constructed over one of these -fissures, had its massive concrete bottom burst out as if it were an -egg-shell the moment the water filled it, and in a single hour the -whole fabric was absolutely ruined. Some measure of the extent of the -concealed fissures may be gathered from the fact that 500,000 gallons -of water were absolutely swallowed up without a drop coming to light -in the neighbouring valley. An early visitor to the adjoining field -reported that air was being ejected through the grass all around him, -much to his alarm, as he was quite unaware of what had occurred. It -will be a most interesting subject for inquiry, as to how far such -fissures as these are the results of water action or otherwise, and -it is most desirable to descend one of them at the first opportunity -in search of evidence. At present I am inclined to attribute their -presence to movements in the Secondary rocks, due to the intersection -of the district by valleys. The Conglomerate mass has parted along the -lines of the principal joints, and the rifts thus formed have become -lines of drainage. This theory, in view of possible future discoveries, -may have to be modified. - -Above Stoke Lane Swallet, and evidently connected with it in some -remote way, is a cavity without a name, the exploration of which would -probably be interesting, and would be most likely to yield remains of -primitive Man. Mr. Marshall also reports the existence of a fissure -of considerable size, where, after a very small entrance, a point -is reached with a vertical descent of great depth. All these things -indicate that there is a splendid field here for further work. - -Indeed there are abundant evidences of this all over Mendip. One of -the most interesting problems has had further light thrown upon it -by work recently done by us at Wookey Hole. The Hyæna Den and the -Badger Hole are testimony that a large amount of underground action -has taken place upon the east side of the ravine, yet nothing has been -known hitherto of any series of dry channels upon that side. Recently, -however, we have succeeded in gaining access, by way of the smallest of -fissures, into what will turn out most likely to be a portion of this -very series. Here is to be seen a choked-up chamber of precisely the -same type as the Hyæna Den, but far deeper in the wall of the ravine. -Without doubt it contains prehistoric remains, yet its excavation will -entail great labour. We have already reached a distance of 80 feet from -the entrance, and only a partially choked passage bars the way. - -High up in the ravine at Ebbor, too, there is a very promising field -for further research. This is immediately beneath a cliff on the -western side of the valley, where we have already done much preliminary -work. There is also a very promising little cave, slightly north of -Tower Rock in the same gorge and high up in its side. Here a narrow -entrance gives access to a small chamber, on the floor of which is a -deep deposit of cave earth, from which I have obtained Deer bones. - -At Dulcote, again, there is a series of waterways and dry caves of -great interest, which in themselves bear corroborative evidence of the -great antiquity of the caverns of the district. From time to time the -quarrymen have broken in upon these waterways, which have been lost in -subsequent operations. Not many years ago a blast blew off the top of -an almost vertical shaft, carved out in the Limestone by water action -and descending to a great depth. The mass of rock blown off by the -charge turned over and fell down the shaft, blocking it at 30 feet from -the surface. It was possible to descend to this point and throw down -stones, which fell for a considerable distance; but the block was never -moved, and in the process of quarrying the hole became filled, and is -now lost in the general level of the quarry. Hard by, also, a cavern of -considerable extent was opened, and still remains. It contains nothing -of peculiar interest, though when I was first lowered into it, from -a hole 60 feet above its floor, it contained very pretty coral-like -splash stalagmite; and also, in the mud floor, the tubular linings -of calcite, formed from the drip from above. In this quarry, too, -were found a considerable quantity of the bones of Bear, Deer, Bos, -Horse, etc., and these are now in the Wells Museum, where they were -deposited some years since by A. F. Somerville, Esq. There are numerous -other minor caves in this locality. Farther up the same valley, above -Croscombe, is a small cave known locally as Betsy Camel's Hole, and it -appears to have been occupied by a woman bearing that name for some -years. She was, of course, carried away by the devil, according to the -same popular report. It may very well have been a rock shelter at some -stage of its history. Mr. Somerville informs me, too, that in Dinder -Wood there is a small cave which was almost certainly a rock shelter. -This also has never been explored. In fact, the whole district may -be described as an unexplored field, and there is abundant room for -willing helpers. The landowners, for the most part, are exceedingly -kind and ready to offer every facility for scientific research. - - H. E. B. - - - - -THE CHEDDAR GROUP OF CAVERNS - - -The great gorge of Cheddar and its caverns form a subject of surpassing -interest to the student of Geology. Presenting some of the most -stupendous cliff scenery in England, the great wall of rock on the -southern side of the valley towers nearly 500 feet into the air, -defying all attempts at mapping contour lines; and the road which -traverses the ravine winds, with many a sudden turn, along the base of -this noble cliff, ever upwards, until in four miles the actual summit -of the Mendip downs is reached. At the entrance to the gorge, and -close to the caverns owned by Gough, the hidden river bursts into the -light, pouring forth a stream of great volume, which, after serving -the purposes of various millers in the village, hurries on to join its -sister stream from Wookey Hole, the two then flowing into the sea near -Weston-super-Mare. It is strange that in all the exploration work that -has been done at Cheddar, the underground channel of the stream has not -once been reached. Near the entrance in Gough's Cave a fairly deep hole -contains water, which changes in level along with the river itself, but -no open passage leads from it. A vertical rope descent of 100 feet from -the upper and practically unknown caverns belonging to Gough brings the -explorer to what must be regarded as the nearest point which has yet -been reached to the subterranean river of Cheddar. As this gorge is -the most stupendous in the Mendip region, so is this stream the most -considerable in volume. Mr. Sheldon of Wells has gauged its minimum -flow to be not less than three million gallons per day, whilst its -torrent at flood time must be many times as much, probably not less -than eight or ten millions. - -[Illustration: THE GREAT GORGE OF CHEDDAR. - -_Photo by Dawkes & Partridge, Wells._] - -This is considerably larger than the other two great outlets of the -subterranean waters of Mendip, those of Wookey Hole and Wells, each of -which, however, pours forth an enormous volume. That it is the Cheddar -stream which is responsible for the existence of the gorge itself no -one can doubt, and it is a most interesting subject for discussion as -to how this has been brought about. It is not difficult to determine -what points must mark the boundaries of the catchment area, the waters -of which drain to Cheddar. The road from Castle Comfort to Charterhouse -on the north-east, the outcrop of Shales south of Blackdown on the -north, and a line drawn from Rowberrow Farm north of Priddy to the -gorge itself on the south, enclose the whole area from which the supply -is obtained. This is somewhere about 12 square miles in extent. To this -must be added, possibly, some water from slightly more to the eastward. -It is now the commonly accepted theory that the whole of this water, -or at any rate the bulk of it, found inlet into a series of caverns -along the line now occupied by the gorge, and that then the processes -which are so well known to be going on gradually enlarged these to -the point of collapse, the falling débris being removed by the still -flowing stream. It is only right to add that M. Martel, arguing from -his long experience, which probably exceeds that of any man who has -ever studied the subject, sees in the gorges of Cheddar, Burrington, -and presumably Ebbor, the superficial channels worn by the escaping -streams from the ancient Mendip plateau. He says, "The numerous dried -valleys (Burrington Combe, Cheddar Cliffs, etc.), which cut through the -circumference of the Mendips, witness, as everywhere, to the ancient -superficial flowing off of the rivers, and to their capture by the -natural wells, successively opened and enlarged in the cracks of the -Limestone rock." That even small streams acting through a sufficient -period of time are capable of doing enormous erosive work it would -be idle to deny, but the difficulties in the way of accepting this -theory as alone sufficient are too great to admit of its acceptance. -It demands that the water of a very large area could find access to -the eastern end of the ravine, which itself demands that the general -configuration of the Mendips must have been very different from that -presented now. This, from the existence of the Secondary beds in their -present position, say near Harptree, was not the case; and therefore, -for the theory to hold good, we must suppose that the superficial gorge -was pre-Triassic. As it was not filled in, either in Triassic time or -subsequently, it could not have been superficial. Of course it may be -contended that the reversal of this line of argument demonstrates that -the gorge is post-Liassic and may then have been a superficial channel, -but I hold this to be disproved in my chapter on the antiquity of the -Mendip Caves. I am, accordingly, forced to the conclusion that the -Cheddar gorge was during the whole of the Secondary period a roofed-in -cavern. The only difficulty which arises is a doubt as to the ability -of the stream to remove so vast a bulk of falling material as must -be accounted for; but when we see the process in actual operation, -as at Wookey Hole, it is only necessary to demand sufficient time, -and the difficulty vanishes. That a time did arrive when the rate of -collapse more than kept pace with the destructive energy of the stream -is indicated by the rapid rise which takes place in the road through -the gorge. This favours the cave theory as opposed to the superficial -channel theory, inasmuch as a superficial channel would probably have -maintained a more nearly equal depth throughout. - -That the portion of M. Martel's theory which explains the absence of -the stream from the gorge is correct is very clear, there being obvious -indications, notably at the western end of the ravine, where points of -absorption might be traced beneath the high cliffs, any one of which, -if excavated, would almost certainly lead to the present channel of -the river beyond Gough's Caves. The Long Hole above, as pointed out in -my chapter upon the antiquity of the Mendip Caves, is corroborative -evidence which tends to disprove the superficial valley theory, as it -is without a doubt an old cavern of absorption, which could not have -existed had the ravine been a superficial valley. Everyone must lament -the recent developments in the Cheddar gorge by which the northern side -is being hacked to pieces to provide road metal. There are thousands of -places where the same stone could be obtained, with almost equal ease; -and it does seem pitiful that one of the finest places in the kingdom -should be sacrificed to the most callous and sordid commercialism. -The conditions under which the work is being carried on constitute -also a public danger, as has now been exemplified by the collapse into -the gorge of a huge mass of the rock. The dip of the Limestone is to -the southward, and consequently any work done on the northern side is -removing the support that holds up the great mass upon an inclined -plane. Of necessity the mass above, its support gone, comes hurtling -down to the roadway, and it is practically certain that, if quarrying -operations continue, some day the gorge will be entirely closed by a -gigantic fall. - -An interesting little tributary ravine and cavern, far up the gorge, -provides a perfect example of the cave theory of the formation of the -gorge itself. About two miles from the village, on the southern slopes -of the ravine, is an extensive fir wood. High up on the opposite side -this little ravine is visible, and it may be reached with ease. Here -sides that gently slope give way to precipitous walls, between which -you walk. Moss-grown stones give place to new-fallen stones, and then -you have before you the little ravine roofed in; you pass beneath, -and find yourself in the darkness of the cavern itself, which can be -followed for some distance. Here, at any rate, there can be no doubt as -to the process that has been at work. - - H. E. B. - - - - -ANTIQUITY OF THE CAVES OF MENDIP - - -When we consider the question of the age of our caverns, we are met -at the outset by a mass of evidence forcing upon us the certainty -that they must be credited with a very high antiquity indeed. Here -measurement by years and centuries fails, and the imagination must -be called in to aid us to compute the epochs that have successively -elapsed since the first cave, to take one example, began to be formed -at Wookey Hole. These evidences are of three kinds: historical, -palæontological, and geological. In the first place, there has been -obviously little change in the general configuration of our caverns -since earliest historical times. The dens and caves of the earth -have afforded a retreat to the persecuted of all generations, and a -ready-made home when all else has failed. Here, too, with the rocky -walls behind him and his protecting fires at the entrance, early man -could defy the savage beasts that roamed the land in those far-off days. - -At Wookey Hole it was only necessary to scratch the very surface of -the accumulated débris within the mouth of the great cave to turn up -fragments of Romano-British pottery and a human jaw and rib-bones. -These interesting relics are in the possession of myself and Mr. Troup. -From the very nature of the place, it is obvious that the tendency -has been to accumulate more and more débris upon the mass of cave -earth which contains these remains. Slightly deeper, yet still only -in the loose earth of the cavern mouth, we found pottery of still -earlier date, unwheeled and cruder. The fact is borne in upon us, that -certainly for two thousand years this entrance has remained much as it -is now. Perhaps a loose rock here and there has been dislodged from -the overhanging cliff outside, and, crashing to the stream bed below, -has there been broken up and carried away by the river. But no one can -doubt that the general outline is the same now as then. And farther -within the cavern an interesting sidelight is thrown on the slowness -with which things change in the underworld. At the descent into the -first great chamber a chalk inscription roughly made reads "E A 1769." -That inscription has been there unchanged, to my knowledge, for the -last twenty years, and I have no reason to doubt its authenticity. If a -chalk mark remains unerased for a century and more, how long have those -solid walls stood, and how long will they endure? - -As I have gazed upon that inscription, the thought has come, that such -a place as this would be an ideal site for national monuments. When our -abbeys and cathedrals are crumbled away, these great subterranean halls -will remain practically unchanged. And in the caves of Cheddar like -evidences meet the eye. In the loose material in the Roman cave there, -Roman and Romano-British remains have been found in abundance; and here -again we are forced to the conclusion that no change has taken place -since those remains were deposited. - -But when we consider the evidences furnished by the remains of the -extinct mammalia, mingled with those of primitive man, much more is it -impressed upon the mind that we are dealing with relics of enormous -antiquity. The great assemblage of bones of the extinct animals which -occurs at Banwell Cave, and the numberless finds from the caves of -Cheddar, are indications of this; but those of the Hyæna Den of -Wookey Hole, and the conditions of their deposit there, afford us -much more reliable testimony. Here are two principal cavities on the -eastern side of the ravine, representing two of the five river levels -which the stream of the Axe has hollowed for itself in the Dolomitic -Conglomerate. These are branch or side chambers which have not been -totally destroyed in the process of erosion that formed the ravine at -the expense of the cavern. In the uppermost cavity, known as the Badger -Hole (it was the haunt of badgers until a few years ago), no traces -of the extinct mammalia are to be found, nor have I found definite -traces of prehistoric man. At seven feet below the surface, however, -there is a bed of river sand of precisely the same kind as that in the -upper chambers of the great cavern. In the Hyæna Den below, on the -other hand, so thoroughly and systematically explored by Professor Boyd -Dawkins, was found one of the most perfect assemblages of the remains -of extinct animals ever discovered. Many years after his labours were -completed I searched there again, and was rewarded with a by no means -poor collection of bones and teeth: Mammoth and Woolly Rhinoceros, -Irish Elk and Reindeer, Red Deer, Bison, Cave Lion and Bear, Hyæna and -Wolf, Wild Goat, Wild Horse, and Wild Boar have all been found. One -of my earliest trophies was a fairly complete skull of a young Bear; -and I have representatives of all the others. From a small hole in the -side of the valley hard by, which I thought looked promising, we have -obtained a large number of Rhinoceros teeth, together with those of -several of the other kinds present in the Den. The examination of these -cavities and their contents demonstrates the fact that they were the -actual dens of some of these animals. The abundant marks of gnawing -show that the Hyænas made their home there. Over the vertical cliff -many a worn-out beast was hunted to its death by the Hyænas and Wolves, -and its shattered carcass dragged to this hole. - -[Illustration: ROMANO-BRITISH POTTERY, COINS, HUMAN REMAINS, ETC., -WOOKEY HOLE CAVE. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: HYÆNA DEN AND BADGER HOLE, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -It is easy to wander back in imagination and bring the state of things -that existed visibly before the mind's eye: to watch the unwieldy -Mammoth or the great Rhinoceros rolling its huge bulk along; to see the -pack of cowardly Hyænas or Wolves hounding some worn-out Bison to its -death, over the awful cliff close by their den, which purpose effected, -they themselves rushed headlong down the steep slope hard by, to fight -and wrangle over the shattered carcass of their prey; or to see the -Lion lying in wait by the peaceful stream in the little valley for the -noble Elk or timid Deer to come for its accustomed drink; and then to -behold savage Man, with his weapons of flint or bone, when out on his -hunting expeditions, arriving at this peaceful valley, and there for -a while making his quarters in the Den, and lighting his fires at the -entrance to scare the wild beasts from their lair.[1] - - [1] Only a few years since, three cows were driven over the cliff by - several unruly dogs, and of course were instantly killed. Thus was the - tragedy of long ago re-enacted. - -How long ago this state of things existed is a matter for geological -calculation. Suffice it that the earliest historical records show us -no wild beasts existing in the land except Bears and Wolves, along -with the Red Deer which is with us to this day. Now there is no sign -at Wookey Hole of the time when the Bear and Wolf alone remained and -all else had become extinct from the land. There is no trace whatever -in the Hyæna Den of the pottery which we find in the entrance of the -great cave. Without a doubt, the latest deposits here are vastly older -than the most ancient deposits there. The commingling of northern, -temperate, and southern forms gives evidence of oscillations in -temperature such as demand a vast time to have taken place. Yet the -whole of these remains accumulated between the time when the entrance -to the Den was left exposed by the gradual destruction and retreat -of the cliff face up the valley, and the infilling and choking of the -entrance by the accumulating gravel which eventually blocked it. It is -only within the last few years that the gravel arch which was first -formed, and then undermined in the search after bones, has collapsed, -revealing the true configuration of the cavern. Here we must again -postulate a great antiquity for our caverns, since these deposits exist -in what is really an insignificant fragment of the great cavern, and -are only an incidental part of the material which an exposed cavity -is sure to receive. But when purely geological evidences are taken -into account, the demand for time becomes still more imperative. The -subterranean Axe occupies, as its present channel, vast chambers formed -by the excavation of thousands of tons of the hard Conglomerate, great -halls over 70 feet in height and of fine proportions. The process which -formed these is still at work enlarging them, till in the course of -time they must collapse; yet no change is ever visible, no signs of -recent action can at any point be seen. The rarely occurring great -flood serves but to remove one film of sand from the floor and to leave -another in its place as the waters subside. So slow is the undermining -action that no eye can ever detect a change though the waters rise ever -so high. Yet this channel is but one of five distinct levels which the -river has occupied from time to time, until it has found in turn a -lower course, leaving its sands as a record upon each, here and there -sealed down beneath a mass of stalagmite. What untold ages have elapsed -since first the river flowed through these upper channels! - -[Illustration: PLAN AND SECTION OF WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN.] - -But an examination of the top of the Mendips points to a vaster -antiquity still. The published horizontal section No. 17 of the -Geological Survey gives an excellent idea of the plateau of Mendip, -which stretches from immediately north of Wells to the neighbourhood -of Compton Martin. This plane of denudation would never have been -reached save by the long-continued action of subterraneous streams, -an assumption supported by the existence of the great depression -crossed by the road from Wells to Priddy. That depression of nearly -100 feet in depth and several miles in length, hollowed in the hard -Carboniferous Limestone, here dotted with every known type of swallet -or swallow hole, has been obviously formed by the slow action of -swallet streams prolonged through vast periods of time. Every atom of -the millions of tons of solid rock represented by this depression has -been borne down the course of the subterranean Axe. Tributary to this -depression a little valley has been eroded across the Old Red Sandstone -anticline immediately to the north, and in it are deposited masses of -Dolomitic Conglomerate, the component pebbles of which were derived -from the surrounding rocks. The same valley existed, therefore, in -pre-Triassic time, and as there was obviously no other outlet for its -water, the cavities into which it flowed--that is to say, the swallets -and subterranean channels--must have existed also, and are therefore -pre-Triassic in date. Though at first sight this appears impossible, -inasmuch as the known course of the resulting Axe River is through -Triassic Conglomerate, I propose to show that such a conclusion is -necessary and inevitable. Long ago I was struck with the fact that at -Wookey Hole the Triassic Conglomerate attains an abnormal thickness, -and measurements have shown that at the far end of the cavern there is -certainly a thickness of over 350 feet of this rock. As there is no -sign of any approach to the Limestone against which it must abut, nor -any change in the character of the Conglomerate itself at this point, -I think that we may fairly conclude that the total thickness of it -must be at least 500 feet. Now this is a vast deposit, far exceeding -any known to exist elsewhere, and it requires a special explanation -to account for it. Only one explanation is possible. The Conglomerate -is here filling in some great pre-existing valley in the Mountain -Limestone. That is just what I should expect. - -The great Limestone cavern formed by the action of the swallet streams -in early Triassic times collapsed, and formed a Limestone ravine, into -which was rolled a great accumulation of fragments of the Limestone -derived from the slopes and crags above. With the whole of this part of -England these beds were subsequently submerged, remaining so during the -deposit of the whole of the Secondary beds; and on their emerging once -more from beneath the sea the lines of drainage were re-established -along the old courses, where these had not been choked with sedimentary -material. Forcing a way through the Conglomerate which then impeded its -flow, the river formed those cavities which we see. Indeed, it may well -be that the successive levels cut by the Axe through the Conglomerate -may represent stages in the uplifting of the land, the lowest channel -being the last and largest, as it has been formed during an extended -period of stability. But we are not without evidences of another -sort as to the existence of some of our swallet ways at that remote -period. The cavities found in the Holwell quarries, near Frome, filled -in with Rhaetic material containing bones and teeth of fishes; those -of Gurney-Slade, near Radstock; and numbers which from time to time -are laid bare in the Limestone quarries, all filled in with Triassic -sediment, show that penetrating waterways of considerable size then -existed. There was, too, at Charterhouse-on-Mendip, north of Cheddar, a -fissure, possibly a swallet, which, being open, received an infilling -of Liassic material that is known to extend to a depth of 300 feet. Had -these channels been closed by a narrow aperture temporarily blocked, -no infilling but by water would have taken place when the land sank -beneath the waters of the Triassic and Liassic seas. - -Furthermore, in the position of the entrances of many of our swallets -there is corroborative evidence to the same effect. The great circular -swallet on Rookham, near Wells, situated far from any existing line of -drainage, yet withal one of the largest cavities on Mendip, shows that -great changes have taken place since it was an active waterway. The -position of the caverns of Compton Bishop and of Banwell, far removed -from any stream or any line of drainage possible with the present -contours, proves that the configuration of the country has utterly -changed since they formed the points of engulfment of any streams. The -Coral Cave (as we have called it) at Compton Bishop descends abruptly -into the earth, and its outlet must have been far below the level -where now the Triassic Marl forms an impervious barrier. The waters -of Banwell Pond rise through the Marl, forced upwards through beds -which do not yield water and ordinarily retard its passage. Doubtless -the Marl when it was deposited covered some earlier outlet from the -Limestone. The waters of St. Andrew's Well, at Wells, are forced -upwards through Dolomitic Conglomerate and overlying Pleistocene -gravel, the former of which was doubtless deposited upon what was once -a free and unimpeded outlet from the Mountain Limestone, similar to -that of Cheddar. The water of Rickford, near Burrington, resulting from -the streams engulfed at and around Burrington, is forced up through -the Secondary beds, which have been similarly deposited upon the -pre-existing outlet. All these things help to demonstrate that what I -contend is true, viz. that our caverns as a whole are pre-Triassic in -age. The Long Hole at Cheddar, high in the cliffs above Gough's Cave, -lends its evidence too. Contrary to all the other caves at Cheddar, it -was a channel of intake for the water which formed it. Doubtless it -is a fragment of a larger cavern, which, before the gorge of Cheddar -itself was formed, existed in the mass of rock occupying the whole -area. At the northern end of the Limestone defile of Ebbor, near Wells, -the ravine is carved through Dolomitic Conglomerate, which has been -much worked for iron ore. The fact that this Conglomerate was deposited -in a depression in the land, at the head of the present ravine, yet -without entering it, suggests that here was an entrance to a series of -caverns, the collapse of which produced the gorge. - -[Illustration: THE GREAT SWALLET ON BISHOP'S LOT, PRIDDY. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth_] - -[Illustration: ST. ANDREW'S WELL, WELLS. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -The Devil's Punchbowl, near the Castle of Comfort Inn on the Mendips, -is, in all probability, a collapse of the remarkable Lias beds which -there occur into some pre-existing cavity in the Mountain Limestone -below, somewhat in the same manner as the Shake Holes in the Glacial -Drift on the Yorkshire moors were formed. No one questions the -existence of the cavities beneath before the deposit of the Drift, -neither do I doubt the existence of swallets beneath the Trias and Lias -before these were deposited on the Mendips. The question naturally -arises, Why do we not find in our caverns remains of all the ages -that have elapsed since that time? Why are only Pleistocene remains -discovered? Surely, because we have not found them it does not follow -that they are nonexistent. The recent discovery of Pliocene remains -in a cavern at Doveholes, near Buxton (Derbyshire), is clear proof -that we may search hopefully for similar remains in the Mendips. It -must be borne in mind, that the further we go back in time, the more -certain we are to find that the contents of any Limestone cavern would -be completely mineralised, until the whole of the contents may have -become cemented into a solid mass. Where running water is present, -attrition may have destroyed them, or borne them onwards to those great -depths where, constantly submerged as they must be, we can never hope -to penetrate. I am aware, however, of the existence, in the Eastwater -Cavern, of very ancient chokes of water-borne material, from which I -have some hope of obtaining remains. - -I might mention the demonstrated antiquity of the bosses of stalagmite -in Kent's Cavern at Torquay, and from it argue the immense age of -the great masses of stalagmite in the Mendip Caves, but, recognising -the variable rate of deposit of the carbonate of lime in different -caverns, and indeed in different parts of the same cavern, no useful -purpose would be served thereby. The huge Beehive of Lamb's Lair at -Harptree, the large boss in the first great chamber at Wookey Hole, -Gough's "Niagara" at Cheddar, the tall and slender pillars in Cox's -Cave at Cheddar, and the taller "Sentinel" pillar at Wookey Hole, all -demand for their formation a prodigious length of time, which it is but -folly to attempt to compute with our present information. Certainly -many thousands of years are required for some of them, and it should -be remembered that we have then arrived merely at the time when the -floor upon which they stand had received its final form, the action of -running water having ceased.[2] Who can doubt then, that, as we stand -in the great waterways of the profound depths of our hills, we are -looking upon scenes which have varied little since remote ages, and -that in some form or other these waterways played an important part in -the degradation of the earlier and loftier Mendip range? - - [2] In 1894 the initials "T. W." were carved by Mr. Willcox of Wells - on the great stalagmite bank in the end chamber of Lamb's Lair. I - added "1894," that in years to come some measure may be obtained - of the rate at which this bank is being formed. I make a rule of - never making an inscription, but in this case I thought that the end - justified the means. - -It is worthy of remark in this connection that the veteran M. Martel, -commenting upon the caverns of Mendip, says, "In consequence of the -existence, on the flanks of the Mendip Hills, of deposits of Triassic -Dolomitic Conglomerate (Keuper) of Rhaetian beds, and of possibly -Glacial alluvia, unconformably on the Carboniferous Limestone, the -outflow of the water in the risings operates in three ways: (A) by -large fissures in the Limestone itself, when it flows out freely, as -at Cheddar; (B) through the crevices in the Dolomitic Conglomerate -(the Axe at Wookey Hole, etc.); (C) where the outlet of the water from -the Limestone is hidden by alluvia (St. Andrews Well, at Wells). The -consequence of this arrangement is that it will be possible--notably -at Wookey Hole, when the explorations now going on have enlarged the -new galleries recently found--to ascertain whether the Dolomitic -Conglomerate is there shown in long beds of ancient shores, regularly -superposed on the Limestone, or rather accumulated in filled-up -pockets, in hollows pre-existing in the Limestone; that is to say, -there will be a material verification of Mr. Balch's hypothesis -(already outlined by Boyd Dawkins in 1874) of the very ancient -excavation of certain caves of the Mendip Hills, even before the Keuper -period. The lie of the Conglomerate under the vaulted roofs of Wookey -Hole appeared to me to favour this idea. And it is necessary to wait -till formal proofs have been gathered together here, that caves were -hollowed out there before the Trias. I recall, on this subject, that -long ago I concluded, with Messrs. De Launey, Van den Broeck, Boule, -etc., that the formation of caves could commence in the most distant -geological epochs, and that the pockets of phosphorites, among others -at Quercy and the Albanets of Couvin (Belgium), testify to caves or -abysses of at least Eocene times." - - H. E. B. - - - - -CAVE EXPLORING AS A SPORT - - -We are called a nation of sportsmen; yet the first criticism we -level against any new sport, not our own, is the question, usually -unanswerable and always irrelevant, What is the use of it? One -may then, with a certain show of propriety, point out that cave -exploring is a sport not entirely lacking in utilitarian or scientific -objects. It belongs, in fact, to that large class which originated -as something else than mere pastime. Mountaineering and hunting are -typical representatives of that class. The earliest mountaineers were -geographers. Cave exploring was first of all taken up as a branch of -archæological and palæontological research, and then as a general -inquiry into the physical nature of caves. But a science that has -discovery as its principal object, and hardships and adventure as -its natural concomitants, is bound to attract as many sportsmen as -scientists. The geographical might be called the sporting sciences. -And so there are now many ardent cave explorers who would blush to be -called speleologists, their sole motive being the enjoyment of the -game, and scientific results purely a by-product. Thus the science of -caves has given birth to a sport that subserves its aims in the same -irregular way as rock-climbing and peak-bagging subserve the aims of -geography, geology, meteorology, and other sciences. - -Speleology itself is, comparatively, a new science. Cave hunting, the -search for human and animal remains, has been an important bypath -of scientific investigation since the days of Dean Buckland and -the discoveries recorded in _Reliquiæ Diluvianæ_, 1823. Professor -Boyd Dawkins has in recent decades done still more valuable work -for palæontology. Speleology is a word of both wider and narrower -meaning; in the widest sense covering all kinds of knowledge about -caves, their geography, geology, hydrology, their fauna, their -palæontology. But most speleologists confine their attention to -the physical characteristics of caves. This side of the inquiry -has practical utilities. At Vaucluse, for instance, near Avignon, -M. Bouvier in 1878 explored the channels of a gigantic siphon that -carries the waters of an inaccessible reservoir into the Fontaine de -Vaucluse, a famous "rising." His object was partly scientific, and -partly to determine the nature of this permanent source, so as to -utilise its waters to regulate the level of the Sorgue, to extend the -irrigation system of the neighbourhood, and to secure water-power for -manufacturing purposes. The Katavothra of Pod-Stenami were enlarged by -an enterprising engineer, and protected by iron gratings, after their -subterranean exits had been explored, and so utilised to regulate the -drainage of the marshy plains of Laibach, and to prevent periodical -inundations. In our own country, underground exploration has brought to -light valuable water-supplies, and enabled us to safeguard the public -interests by pointing out sources of pollution. Caves are most abundant -in the districts where those great fissures known as rakes occur, -which are rich in minerals, especially lead, calamine, copper, gypsum, -and fluor-spar. During the short period in which cave work has been -taken up as a sport, discoveries have been made, which of course it is -impossible to particularise, that may be the source of considerable -profit in the future. - -The majority of those engaged in this physical exploration of caves -are French. France possesses a Société de Spéléologie, the secretary -of which, Monsieur E. A. Martel, author of _Les Abîmes_, is a most -indefatigable and courageous explorer, and the man who has made the -science an important and a living one. But M. Martel himself awards the -title of "créateur de la spéléologie" to a forgotten predecessor, Dr. -Adolphe Schmidl, who published _Die Grotten und Höhlen von Adelsberg_, -in 1854. In this country, although such brilliant discoveries have -been made of extinct animals and prehistoric relics of humanity, cave -exploring of this kind is a new pursuit. M. Martel says, in _Irlande -et Cavernes Anglaises_, 1897: "In short, the underground of the -calcareous regions of the British Isles may be considered as being, -topographically, very insufficiently known; this is the conviction -impressed on me by my own researches in 1893." Something has been -accomplished since that date. Two or three clubs, consisting chiefly -of climbers, and a few speleologists working independently, have -effected a thorough examination of the great caverns of the Peak, the -extraordinary system of underground waters, huge cavities, and profound -abysses in the West Riding, and the beautiful caverns of Somerset. But -the ground that remains unexplored, the opportunities for adventure and -the possibilities of discovery are such as may probably astonish those -people who think there is nothing of the sort left in Old England. - -Caves are formed in calcareous strata by the chemical action of water -laden with carbonic acid, and by the mechanical action of streams. In -consequence of the original structure of the Limestone, the joints of -which run at right angles to the bedding planes, these eroded hollows -have two dominant forms: the vertical pot, swallet, or hole, produced -by the widening of a master-joint; and the horizontal water-channel, -running in the same direction as the line of stratification. But the -strata being commonly tilted, these pits and abysses are often a long -way out of the vertical, and the caverns that follow the strata very -steep. Many of these ancient watercourses are now dry, but others -are still traversed by streams, and present the explorer with most -formidable obstacles. The complete exploration of any cave system would -involve the tracing out of all its passages from the point where the -stream or streams enter the earth to the point of exit. But I know -not a single instance where such a task has been worked out in its -entirety. In many cases the streams enter the ground merely as small -rivulets, and begin to excavate passages practicable to man only at a -considerable depth. "Siphons," or traps, as they ought to be called, -complete or partial chokes, and a variety of other causes, may put -insuperable obstacles in the explorer's way. - -Take two of the most important cave problems still awaiting solution, -one in Yorkshire, the other in Somerset. A large beck is precipitated -into the abyss of Gaping Ghyll, 360 feet deep, and emerges from -an opening in the hillside, a mile away, close to the mouth of -Ingleborough Cave, which was itself an earlier exit. Several parties -have descended Gaping Ghyll, and followed the passages at the bottom -to a distance of more than 1000 feet. Then impenetrable water-sinks, -and muddy chambers with no outlet, have been encountered, and the -communication with the lower cavern has hitherto proved undiscoverable. -Both the dry galleries and the canals of Ingleborough Cave have been -explored, with great toil and daring, to a considerable distance -upwards, with similar results; and though many speleologists are -still absorbed in this problem, there is little hope that it will be -cleared up without adopting the drastic and costly measure of cutting -through the obstructions. The other problem is that of Wookey Hole, -the cave in Britain which has the longest history, and which is still -yielding interesting discoveries. A number of streams disappear into -the earth on the Mendip plateau, 2 miles away and 700 feet above, and -find their issue in the source of the Axe at Wookey Hole. Two of the -Mendip swallets have been explored to a great depth. Swildon's Hole, -an exquisite series of terraced galleries and stalactite grottoes, has -been penetrated to a depth of 300 feet. But a more determined attempt -has been made to reach the bottom of the Eastwater Cavern. This was -discovered in 1902 by my friend Mr. Balch, of Wells, by means of -opening the swallet, where a tiny brook ran away through small crevices -in a Limestone ravine. A far-extending cave was thus disclosed, full -of intricate ramifications, that explain in a graphic manner how -new galleries are formed and old ones left dry and deserted, as the -result of floods and partial chokes. We have, in the longest route -discovered in this complicated system, reached a distance of 2000 feet -from the entrance and a depth below the surface of 500 feet. At this -point no absolutely impassable barrier has been met with. There is -reason to hope that we may still advance farther into the mysterious -region between it and Wookey Hole. But the formidable difficulties of -the journey hither have set a limit to endurance. Hundreds of feet -of creeping through steep, narrow, and contorted passages, compared -with which a series of drain-pipes would afford luxurious travelling; -perpendicular drops of 50 and 90 feet, with no convenient ledges at -the top for letting men down; and, in addition, the necessity of -transporting great quantities of tackle to the bitter end of it, have -made a twelve hours' day underground as much as we could stand. The -difficulty may perhaps be got over by means of a subterranean bivouac. -Unfortunately, it would not do to leave the apparatus in position for -long beforehand, as it would deteriorate so rapidly. In Wookey Hole -itself, we have not yet succeeded in reaching a farther distance than -600 feet from the cave mouth; there a submerged tunnel has stood in -the way. But Mr. Balch has thoroughly explored the upper passages that -honeycomb the rock above the known caves; he has discovered a number -of promising galleries, which are being slowly cleared of débris; -and, among them, a series of the most beautiful incrusted grottoes in -Britain. A season of drought may reveal an opening up the river-course. - -Innumerable similar problems still await solution. Some of us have been -engaged in trying with pick and crowbar to engineer a way into the -swallets above Castleton, which send their waters through the heart of -the hills down to the caves in the dale of Hope. One of these, which -we have penetrated to a distance of 350 feet, may turn out to be the -entrance to as wonderful a chain of caverns as those of Eastwater. Long -Kin Hole, Helln Pot, and other tremendous cavities in the Ingleborough -district, still promise good sport. Of all the varieties of cave -forms these vertical holes are the most impressive, and also the most -perilous to explore. No exploit stands out more finely in the record of -that intrepid explorer, M. Martel, than his single-handed descent into -Gaping Ghyll, the first ever accomplished. In the Cevennes, however, he -has reached the bottom of abysses still more profound, though without -the unpleasant accompaniment of falling water. One of the most awkward -of the descents described by him is that of the Aven de Vigne Close -(Ardèche), 190 mètres in depth. This strange pit is almost a corkscrew -in shape, comprising five perpendicular drops, the bottom of one being -a few feet from the top of the next. To manage the final pitch, with -a chain of rope ladders 40 mètres too short, it was necessary to get -six men down to the "Salle à Manger" at the foot of the fourth stage, -others remaining as sentinels at the head of the various stages. Some -of these waited on their narrow perches for eleven hours, in the dark, -with nothing to do but listen to the distant noises of their comrades -at work. One man, hanging at the end of a rope, succeeded single-handed -in fastening a pulley to the free end of the second ladder, and so let -down the third ladder to the required extent. This critical operation -was carried out under grave difficulties, the nerves of the whole party -having been shaken a few minutes earlier by the accidental fall of a -heavy lamp, which was within an inch of killing the men beneath. - -Elden Hole, in the Peak of Derbyshire, a yawning cavity 200 feet deep, -with an inner cave 65 feet deeper, has been descended several times -recently. On the first occasion, through the inexperience of the party, -I had the privilege of spending nine hours in the hole, in a state of -uncertainty as to whether it was in the power of the other men to get -me out. On the next occasion, we let down a dozen men safely. But there -still remains the possibility that excavation might clear up the puzzle -as to the connection of Elden Hole with other swallets and caves in the -vicinity. The old miners believed that it had communication with the -natural chambers in the Speedwell Mine; and that is a problem which -will entail exploration in collapsible boats along the flooded levels. -The great chasm in the Speedwell, which used to be reputed bottomless, -has been proved to be only 90 feet deep. It has an upward extension, -in the same steep rake, which has not been climbed, nor its top so -much as caught sight of. It attains a height, most probably, of at -least 400 feet. That is a problem worthy the mettle of our most skilful -cragsmen. In the Blue John Mine, a vertical fissure has been climbed, -by a party properly roped up, to the height of 130 feet, between walls -splendidly adorned with polished and translucent stalagmite. Ladders -may sometimes be rigged up, one above another, to reach hollows in -the roof of caves. In this way a handsome grotto was discovered above -Peak Cavern. When these vertical fissures are open to the sky, it is -a simple matter to fix tackle, and even a windlass, for letting men -down. When they open in the floor of a well-nigh impracticable gallery, -as in the Eastwater Cavern, the difficulties of securing pulleys and -ropes are serious. There our troubles are aggravated by the proximity -of deep, gaping chasms at the foot of each pitch, lying in wait to -receive falling bodies. Nevertheless, by an ingenious arrangement of -life-line and pulley, the entire party gets safely to the bottom of the -gulf and back again, although it is usual in such situations to leave -a sentry behind at the top. Grandest of all these underground cavities -in England is the great chamber of Lamb's Lair, in the Mendips. The -approaches and subsidiary chambers of that marvellous cavern are -magnificent in the richness of their incrustation and their colouring; -but this mighty hall surpasses the rest by far. Floor, walls, and -roof, of a dome-shaped chamber 110 feet high, are a mass of sculptured -transparencies, fantastic reliefs and glowing enamel, all the colours -of the rainbow being produced by the different veins of minerals. Only -a strong party of experienced climbers or cave workers, fully equipped, -should venture to explore this fine cavern in its present dangerous -state. - -No chapters in _Les Abîmes_ are more absorbing than those describing -the exploration of underground waters. By means of collapsible boats, -M. Martel explored the concealed streams that tumble into the canyon -of the Ardèche. In 1890-91, M. Mazauric, with enormous toil and -considerable danger, traced out the labyrinthine ramifications of the -Bonheur at Bramabiau (Gard). The Tindoul de la Vayssière (Aveyron), -with its yawning abyss and powerful subterranean torrent, and the -Causse de Gramat (Padirac), both entailed the descent of a deep chasm -and the navigation of large streams. At Padirac the exploring party -made their way in four boats along a river, with frequent portages -caused by dykes of stalagmite, and discovered some of the most -exquisite and romantic stalactite scenery in the vaults through which -the river flows. - -As a sport, cave exploring ranks high. The exertion it entails is -exceedingly severe. The innumerable obstacles and difficult problems -to be faced make incessant demands on our inventiveness, adaptability, -and presence of mind. The exposure, the hardships, the dangers that -must be encountered, form an admirable discipline. Those who consider -these any detraction from the merits of the sport, must condemn, not -one sport, but a whole class. Running risks, we must remember, is -always foolhardy, but to nullify danger by means of science and skill -is an aim worthy of the noblest kinds of sport. It will, of course, be -objected that the lack of exhilarating conditions, and of the stimulus -of fresh air, deprives the sport of the usual benefits of outdoor -games. But the air at the bottom of a cave 100 or more feet deep is -usually as pure and sweet, and not seldom as dry, owing to its free -circulation, as that on the hills. Then the darkness and the sense of -imprisonment, you say, are not conducive to healthy enjoyment. But a -cave explorer, enthralled by the manifold interest and excitement of -the pastime, will never admit this. The variety of entertainment it -affords constitutes a peculiar charm. - -Only to judge by the number of climbers that have taken up cave work -as a pastime, there must obviously be a natural relation between this -sport and rock climbing. Certainly, there are many methods common to -the two sports, and the expert cragsman has an immense advantage over -others when he takes to cave exploring. But the methods and appliances -of the mountaineer are restricted by artificial regulations. There are -many things that must not be done, even to enable a climber to ascend -an otherwise inaccessible peak or to avoid serious peril. In cave work, -on the other hand, the difficulties and dangers are multiplied so -formidably by the singular conditions, of which darkness is but one, -that such prohibitions would be absurd. When one may be called upon to -climb a wall of mud, or a sheet of slippery stalagmite, or to traverse -water-swept rocks with an unfathomed pool or swallet underneath, -every safeguard must needs be utilised. Any mechanical means of -accomplishing, facilitating, or expediting a passage is legitimate in -cave work; ropes, pulleys, ladders of rope and wood, windlass, rafts, -boats, crowbar, pick, shovel--all these, and an enormous variety of -other things, have their place in the cave explorer's equipment. - -One might write a volume on the equipment of cave explorers. Hardly any -other sport requires so formidable a variety. I must limit myself to a -few words. The explorer's dress should be a boiler suit, made all in -one piece from neck to heel, and with no pockets or buttons to catch -in the jagged Limestone, plenty of both being provided inside. He must -renounce any hankering after waterproof garments, the proper precaution -against the effects of wet being to wear thick woollen underclothing. -His boots should be nailed after the manner of those worn by rock -climbers. Candles are the best illuminant, much better than any -lamp--acetylene, electric, or other. But a supply of magnesium wire -should be carried, with waterproofed matches in water-tight boxes; and -a powerful limelight, burning ether instead of hydrogen, for the sake -of portability, is a useful auxiliary. Boats have been used in some -of the caves in the Peak, in Wookey Hole, and in the cavern of Marble -Arch, explored by M. Martel, in Ireland. Plenty of rope--not of the -Alpine Club material, but hempen--is necessary, and a few rope ladders -often come in handy. The only rule of the game that I should like to -insist upon is, that no damage should be done to the beautiful features -of a cave. It is a rule observed by every cave explorer worthy of the -name. The temptation to acquire specimens must be resisted. - -The first thing that the cave explorer, eager for discovery, has to -learn, is not to lose himself. In many cases no special precautions are -necessary, but if there are numerous bifurcations, specific measures -must be adopted. Often it is sufficient to station a hurricane lamp or -a good-sized candle at the cross roads; a surer method, but one that is -rather troublesome, is to unreel a thread as we advance. Such a cavern -as Goatchurch, in Burrington Combe, Somerset, is a perplexing maze, -where one loses one's bearings completely two minutes after looking -at the compass. The mass of the hill is shivered into innumerable -fragments, of giant size. Passages striking off along the fractures -often lead one back imperceptibly to the point of divergence. At the -Eastwater Cavern, in the same district, after I had already gone four -times through the enormous aggregation of shattered rocks at the top, -where a human body is like a beetle in a heap of macadam, I tried in -vain to make my way out without using the life-line. Although there is -but 100 feet of it, one takes half an hour to get through. The original -explorers spent a much longer time in discovering a practicable route. -For my own part, I was lost in a few moments, and compelled to return. -The imprudence of two men in the Bagshawe Cavern, in Derbyshire, who -went too far in advance in their anxiety to be discoverers, led to an -uncomfortable experience both for them and for their rescuers. This -very extensive cavern has a number of ramifications. The two men who -were following reached a distant and unexplored part of the cave, only -to find that they had missed their comrades, the sand and clay on the -cave floor being still perfectly smooth and untrodden. They failed to -discover the wanderers in the neighbouring passages, and lost their -own way for a time before they got back, through the winding tunnels, -low-roofed fissures, and deep canals, crawling, scrambling, and wading -breast-deep through icy water, to the place where they had parted. -They hoped the truants had found their way back, but there was no sign -of them, and preparations had to be made for a second journey. After -a fatiguing quest, that lasted several hours, they found the missing -adventurers in a remote part of the cavern, nursing their last shred -of candle and waiting to be rescued. The experiences of some youthful -explorers in Wookey Hole, who found themselves on dangerous ground and -all their matches gone, are described on another page. - -There is a romance about cave exploring that is almost unrivalled. -The conditions of the sport are so weird and exciting, so strangely -different from everything we are accustomed to. To be so near to, and -yet so far from, the scenes of our everyday life; to be launched on a -voyage of discovery on an English river, or to be the first to gaze on -some miracle of fantastic crystallisation only a few miles away from -a large town--these are among the attractions of the sport, at least -in its present stage. There is nothing in this country to compare with -the prodigious caves of Kentucky or the terrific subterranean defiles -of Adelsberg. One might as well look for the magnificence of the Alps -among our English mountains. Yet the caves and gulfs of Derbyshire and -Yorkshire have a grandeur of structure and diversity of character, and -the Somerset caves a brilliance of crystalline deposits, that are fully -as admirable and impressive. - - E. A. B. - - - - -EXPLORING WOOKEY HOLE - - "Where Albion's western hills slope to the sea, - There is a cave, and o'er its dismal mouth, - Whence come to quick, mysterious ears hoarse sounds - Of giant revelry, the ivy grew - And shut the old sepulchral darkness in; - And by its side a well, whence ever full - And ever overflowing, silent, deep, - And cold as death, the waters creep - Adown the broken rocks in search of day. - Above it frowns a fretted, stony brow, - And only from the setting sun e'er came - Within that place the joyfulness of light." - - W. W. SMITH, _Angels and Men_: a Poem. - - -Hardly anywhere else in Britain is the mind borne down with such -a sense of incalculable antiquity as at Wookey Hole. Nowhere, -certainly, is there anything like such a continuous record from ages -inconceivably remote. To touch first of all upon periods that are -historical and measurable, we have the name Wookey, which appears to -be the one bestowed by the ancient Britons; for it is a recognisable -corruption--especially as the people of the district sound it, -"Ookey"--of the Celtic Ogo, a cavern, the same word, Ogof, as the -modern Welsh still apply to several caves in the Principality. Clemens -Alexandrinus, in the second century A.D., has a reference to the -cavern, and there are periodical allusions in Latin and English writers -from that time to the present. In the Middle Ages its fame as one of -the wonders of England was great. William of Worcester has a quaint -description; he says, "Its entrance is narrow, and the ymage of a man -stands beside it called the Porter, of whom leave to enter the Hall of -Wokey is to be obtained." What became of this janitor is now unknown, -unless he be represented by the recumbent monolith still to be seen -outside the portal. References to the antiquities of Wookey Hole occur -in Leland's _Itinerary_ and in Camden's _Britannia_, and there is -incorporated in Percy's _Reliques_ a ballad, by an eighteenth-century -virtuoso, Dr. Harrington of Bath, entitled "The Witch of Wokey," -recounting an old legend of the neighbourhood. - - "In aunciente dayes, tradition showes, - A base and wicked elfe arose - The Witch of Wokey hight." - -So it begins, and goes on to relate, in the sham antique style of the -day, how a malevolent old woman was for her misdeeds changed to stone -by a "lerned clerk of Glaston." The Witch, a black, aquiline profile -in stone and stalagmite, is with her culinary utensils the chief -attraction to sightseers in the first great chamber, or, as it is -sometimes called, the Witch's Kitchen. - -[Illustration: PROFILE OF THE "WITCH OF WOOKEY," WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: AMONG THE POOLS, WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -It is impressive enough to stand beside the very modern-looking -paper-mill, where the infant Axe, still dazzled by its sudden entry -into the sunlight, is harnessed to assist in the manufacture of such -workaday commodities as Bank-note paper, and to see before one things -that carry the memory back all those stages; yet it is but the last -few pages of the voluminous history that we are considering now. -Professor Boyd Dawkins, who won his spurs as a palæontologist by his -researches at Wookey Hole, discovered in the neighbouring Hyæna Den, -which is really a branch of the old cavern, human and animal remains -whose antiquity, compared with the periods just reviewed, is as the age -of Stonehenge compared with that of a man. In the less known passages -of the Hole itself, such relics have constantly been found in the -course of our investigations. Potsherds, celts, bone implements, the -carbonised embers from ancient hearths, all sorts of refuse lying in -odd corners, have continually brought us, as it were, face to face with -the time when man was little more than the king of beasts. Whosoever -would read in the deeper chapters of this vast chronicle must be -referred to the fascinating pages of _Cave Hunting_; there will be only -an occasional glance at the human history in this record of a different -class of exploration. Palæontological research has not been our object. -Several of my companions have made some valuable discoveries in this -line, and are intent on making more; but my own original motive, and -that of several others, was the sport, as much as the scientific -results, to be enjoyed in endeavouring to work out the great problem of -the waters that have made themselves a road through the underworld of -Mendip, and found an escape from bondage at Wookey Hole. This cavern -has been known so long and so familiarly, that it must have seemed as -if there were nothing more to be found out about it. It will, surely, -be a surprise to many to learn what important additions have recently -been made to the extent of its known and accessible passages, and -what progress there has been in explaining the secrets of its water -system. We are, in all probability, on the brink of yet more startling -revelations. - -Drayton complained, in "Polyolbion," that the renown of the Devil's -Hole in the Peak of Derbyshire, then as in the present day, had robbed -the Somersetshire cave of some of its glory. - - "Yet Ochy's dreadful Hole still held herself disgrac'd - With th' wonders of this Isle that she should not be plac'd: - But that which vex'd her most, was that the Peakish Cave - Before her darksome self such dignity should have." - -Many things here bring to mind the Derbyshire cavern, which several -of our party had explored pretty thoroughly before we did any serious -work in Somerset--the approach along the deep wooded ravine cut through -the Dolomitic Conglomerate, the river pouring out from vast reservoirs -within the earth, the legendary associations, and the mystery shrouding -the stream's subterranean course. From the drainage area about Priddy, -700 feet above, on the top of Mendip, these waters find their way -down through a multitude of channels. Most of these passages are -quite unknown, but the two most important, of which a good deal will -be said presently,--the Eastwater Swallet and Swildon's Hole,--have -been explored to a considerable depth. In the latter we have got to a -depth of 300 feet, but natural obstacles and other difficulties have -prevented us from following the stream-course farther. Mr. Balch has -traced the Eastwater Swallet, which he opened in 1902, to the depth -of 500 feet below the point of absorption--almost, that is to say, -down to the level of Wookey Hole; but an enormous thickness of rock -still remains unexplored between the farthest points attained, from -below upwards and from above downwards. Most likely, when we get -farther, if we succeed in passing the present obstacles, we shall soon -find ourselves entering the canals and water caverns that lie on the -same level as the great natural reservoirs of Wookey Hole; in other -words, we are approaching the plane of saturation. Exploration in the -Eastwater Swallet is still being carried on, though perforce very -slowly; and concurrently therewith, efforts are being made, not without -success, to trace the passages in the lower cavern farther and farther -back. - -[Illustration: MASS OF STALAGMITE, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: IN THE FIRST CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE CAVERN. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -The summer tourist, conducted through the three principal chambers -of Wookey Hole by a guide armed with a can of benzoline, for making -stalagmites into torches, comes out having a very imperfect knowledge -of the geography of the cavern, and a totally inadequate idea of -its beauties. I well remember how little I was impressed by my first -visit, under these conditions, many years ago. The weak illumination -seemed to reveal only the proportions of some rather large cellars, -pervaded by oily pools, into which the contents of the can were poured -and set on fire, producing an unearthly glare through the darkness and -the waters; and a number of dingy and unconvincing natural effigies, -black with the accumulation of soot. Our exploring party in March 1903 -saw these things under an illumination such as had never been kindled -there before, and I for one was quite unprepared for the revelation of -brilliance and spaciousness and beauty that we were to witness. - -"Wokey Hole," says Bishop Percy, "has given birth to as many wild, -fanciful stories as the Sybil's (sic) Cave in Italy. Through a very -narrow entrance it opens into a large vault, the roof whereof, either -on account of its height or the thickness of the gloom, cannot be -discovered by the light of torches. It goes winding a great way -underground, is crost by a stream of very cold water, and is all horrid -with broken pieces of rock: many of these are evident petrifactions, -which, on account of their singular forms, have given rise to the -fables alluded to in this poem," the story, that is, of the blear-eyed -hag who was turned into stone. This quaint description is true in every -particular. The first cavern, or the "Witch's Kitchen," has a weird -similitude to Gothic architecture. Arch springs from arch up to the -lofty summit, and the walls and vaulting are full of canopied recesses, -with wild foliations of glistening calcite wreathed from niche to niche. - -Below us, as we enter, a broad deep pool stretches away into darkness. -Could we follow the gently moving current in a boat, we should enter -another great vault, whose existence the ordinary visitor never -suspects. There, in a small passage beyond the water, Mr. Balch -discovered human remains. Whilst we peered into the gloom, the -limelight was burning up, and now it flashed across the cavern to where -the black scowling head of the Witch overshadows terraces, basins, and -wild imageries of spectral stalagmite. - - "A glow! a gleam! - A broader beam - Startles those realms of endless night, - While bats whirl round on slanting wing, - Astonished at this awful thing. - The rocky roof's reflected rays - Are caught up in the waterways, - And every jewelled stalactite - Is bathed in that stupendous light, - One moment only; then the caves - Are plunged again in Stygian waves; - The fairy dream has passed away - And night resumes her ancient sway." - -The Vicar of Whiteparish, near Salisbury, wrote these expressive lines -after seeing Wookey Hole lighted up with magnesium. Our beam of light -was less transitory, and gave us ample leisure to contemplate the -glories of this magnificent chamber. Its walls for the most part are -coloured a rich red, which absorbs light readily and makes photography -a slow business. The first exposure took half an hour. Against the -warm red, the pearly streaks of stalactite and stalagmite shine in -exquisite relief. There is a superb mass of stalactite near the Witch; -to say truth, the eye is confounded by the wild grouping of fantastic -piles of dripstone around that uncouth head; the colours of the rocks -and the flashing crystallisations are reflected in the pellucid water, -and confused again with our glimpses of the river-bed, smitten by the -moving shaft of light. On the nearer side of the cave, where a narrow -arch leads into an incrusted grotto, a gentle stream has deposited -a fairy-like series of fonts and stoups, ending in a pure white -sheet of dripstone, over which the water murmurs. The surface of all -these fabrications is diapered over with a network of delicate pearly -ridges; so that here you see a mass, as it were, of polished brain -coral, and there madrepores and alcyonaria, where the deposits have -continued their growth under water. Some of these efflorescences are -like petrified filaments of water weed. The foul scurf and soot that -covers the Witch's cooking apparatus and other accessories would, -doubtless, disappear under a fresh deposit of pristine white, would -the guides but cease for a twelvemonth to drench them in benzoline, -for the delectation of such as love conundrums in stone. Still, these -things are but a small part of the scenery, when all is lighted up as -we were able to light it. Our work done, a Bengal fire was set off, and -the glimpses it gave us along the waterway to the inaccessible chamber -beyond added vastness and mystery to the scene. - -[Illustration: STALACTITE TERRACE, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: GREAT RIVER CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Dawkes & Partridge, Wells._] - -The next chamber is a loftier vault, and the arching is more decidedly -Gothic in its suggestiveness. Two low arches at either side form -the portals, far above which a series of pointed arches spring to a -height of 70 feet, their summits converging in a polygonal cleft, like -the lantern of some cathedral dome. Then we make our way across the -sandbanks, between the pools, into the largest chamber of all, with a -roof of enormous span, whose breadth dwarfs its height, arching over -the sleeping river and the broad slopes of sand, whereon grotesque -Limestone monoliths take the likeness of prehistoric monsters sleeping -by the waterside. Through the clear water we can discern a submerged -arch communicating with more distant caverns. There is a tradition, -coming down from the mediæval historians, that unfathomable lakes lie -behind the barrier. This is probably true in so far as it points to the -existence of enormous reservoirs of water beyond the accessible parts -of Wookey Hole, the theory being confirmed by the behaviour of the silt -at flood time. Were the hatches belonging to the paper-mill opened, -and the water lowered a few feet, an attempt might be made to solve -these problems. Mr. Balch did, in fact, at a time when the water was -partially lowered, make his way into two unexplored chambers, fed by -tunnels submerged a foot or so below the surface. - -[Illustration: SECOND GREAT CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Dawkes & Partridge, Wells._] - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE OF THIRD CHAMBER, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Dawkes & Partridge, Wells._] - -The older and the newer caves and passages of Wookey Hole lie at five -levels, one above the other like five storeys, the topmost of all -representing the oldest channel of the subterranean Axe, which has -in the course of ages forsaken first one and then the other, boring -fresh passages in the Conglomerate. Of these five storeys, one alone, -the nethermost, is known to the uninitiated visitor. Portions of the -other four had been explored from time to time by Mr. Balch, who in -1903 made such discoveries of unknown continuations as fill us with -hopes of penetrating deeply into the mysterious region beyond. Climbing -into the Upper Series from a spot near the threshold of the Witch's -Kitchen, we made our way eastward over dry rocks, and came speedily -to the junction with another passage from nearer the cave mouth. -Only a thin leaf of rock separates the two, for it is characteristic -of all these upper passages that they run almost parallel to each -other whilst rising to other levels. Altogether, we doubled back on -our original direction three or four times, creeping through holes -in the walls partitioning the corridors, and ascending to the top of -several lofty bridges, formed by fragments that have fallen from roof -and walls and wedged themselves securely. The construction of these -bridges is often marvellous to see. In one case a number of rocks form -an irregular arch, at the top of which a keystone wedges the whole -cluster together. Obviously they must have fallen and come together -practically at the same instant. This was what happened hard by with -two great boulders that fell down the rift and caught each other in -mid-air. Another impressive natural structure is known to explorers -of Wookey Hole as the Spur and the Wedge. The huge horizontal peak of -Limestone projecting into the chasm brings to mind a famous passage in -Mr. Rider Haggard's _She_. This spot was the scene of a droll adventure -that befell one of my companions years ago. With several other boys, -he wandered into these passages, when suddenly the one candle they -had with them went out. A boy had been commissioned to bring a supply -of matches, but it was ascertained that he had only one left, which -on being struck promptly went out. In this emergency, the lads could -do nothing but sit still until help arrived. They had no food, and -in trying to feel the time, they broke the hands of the only watch. -They computed that they had been in durance three days when the rescue -party reached the spot, but the protracted and hungry period of waiting -turned out to be only eight hours. Their resting-place was the flat -back of the pinnacle, with a 60-foot drop on one side and jagged rocks -on the other. - -In two places in these galleries there are fine displays of stalagmite -on the wall, in the form of corrugated sheets, the ridges of which, -stained red with ferrous deposits, hang straight down like a series of -organ pipes. The walls glisten here and there with minute crystals. -But the most striking sight is where the Dolomitic Conglomerate, of -which the walls are composed, appears in clean-cut sections. One of -these, which has been successfully photographed, shows the differently -coloured pebbles, chiefly Mountain Limestone with a few of Old Red -Sandstone, embedded in the matrix, and surrounded with distinct layers -of cement, all as brilliantly defined as the concentric rings of an -agate. Hard by is a corner where Mr. Balch discovered the bones of -a man; they were mineralised, but it was impossible to tell their -period, or even whether they represented an interment, or were merely -the remains of some wanderer from his tribe who had perished in this -forlorn spot. - -Sleeping bats hung from many a coign, and would not be awakened even -when lifted down. Big cave spiders crawled over the walls in the parts -adjoining the open air, where the breeze found its way in, although -we could not see through the narrowing crevices. Here and there the -cocoons of the spiders hung from the roof in white, woolly balls. At -the farthest point reached was a settlement of jackdaws, with a number -of untidy-looking nests, and there we could hear a thrush singing in -the trees outside; for we were close to the main cliff, and the river -was flowing out beneath our feet, under a great thickness of rock. - -[Illustration: STALACTITE GROTTO: NEW CHAMBERS, WOOKEY HOLE CAVE. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: STALACTITE GROTTO, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Claude Blee._] - -By the natural falling in of the roof, the first great chamber of -Wookey has broken through into the galleries above, and certain -passages of the Upper Series now open high up in the vault of the -Witch's Kitchen. One of these openings has been known for years; -another, which we reconnoitred carefully in March 1903, has now had -its barrier of cave earth cut through, with the result that a group -of stalactite chambers of wonderful beauty has been disclosed, with -untold possibilities of further advance. Boxing Day 1903 was spent in -an exploration of these new chambers. Climbing on my shoulders, Mr. -Balch got hand-hold in a chink of the Limestone, and pulled himself up -10 feet. Here a stalagmite peg held the rope ladder whilst we clambered -after, entering a cross gallery that gives access by another short -scramble to the loveliest of the new grottoes. When the discovery was -made, Mr. Balch and his assistants had to keep watch and ward day and -night, until a door had been fitted up, and every hole and crevice -securely blocked; for the entire village was quickly on the scene, and -irretrievable damage might have been committed. - -The grotto is irregular in shape, and the incrustations are -disposed without order or system. From every nook and corner in the -superimpending rocks bundles of stalactite spears are thrust; bosses -and pillars spring from the floor, and sometimes meet the descending -shafts. Of all these frail pillars, the finest, rising on the very edge -of the rift we had ascended, seems to support the whole ponderous roof, -like the fragile column left by a dexterous architect, to cheat the -eye, in some cathedral vestibule. Certain of these hanging shafts are -shaped like the barbed head of a spear, a slanting stalactite having -intercepted and coalesced with the dripping calcite from an inch or -two away. A creamy, brownish yellow, with a golden lustre like that of -amber, is the prevailing tint; but, here and there, plaques of dazzling -white shine out against the burning magnesium. - -Crawling in and out among the stalagmite pedestals, grievously afraid -of injuring the diaphanous fabric, we emerged in a very low chamber of -great area, right across which a grille of translucent rods, each a -foot high and ranged in regular line, fills the narrow space between -roof and floor. This extraordinary and strangely beautiful railing is -some 30 feet long, and only in one spot is it possible, by dint of -careful wriggling, to pass between the rods into the farther parts -of the chamber. Mr. Balch entreated me not to attempt this. When he -tried it, a fortnight ago, he had indeed got through to the series of -caves beyond, but, in returning, a projection had caught him at the -lowest spot, where the chamber is only nine inches high, and he had -struggled hard for twenty minutes before he could move an inch. Two -of us, notwithstanding this advice, ventured through. After draining -off a pool of water that was held back by a thin rim of dripstone, we -traversed the low chamber and a short tunnel beyond, climbed a vertical -cleft, and entered another low chamber of immense length and breadth, -whose various extensions we explored until the accumulated deposits -of boulders and cave earth stopped our advance for the time being. -In returning through the tunnel and the low chamber with the grille, -we tried successfully to dive under the archway and wriggle into the -opening head foremost, in spite of two opposing stumps of stalagmite. -By these tactics we escaped the worst of the squeeze. - -[Illustration: STALACTITE PILLARS, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Claude Blee._] - -[Illustration: NEW STALACTITE GROTTO, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -Whilst engaged in this excursion, we had heard the sound of hammering -somewhere away in the heart of the rock. It was our three friends -attempting to break into a promising gallery, which ought to cross -the vestibule of the main cavern and connect the two groups of upper -caves. We were not long in joining them; and now with pick, hammer, -and crowbar we attacked the barrier in force. The chief obstacle was -a great flat rock standing on end across the unexplored opening, and -propped up by a heap of boulders, which we gradually smashed up or -removed to one side. Still the big fellow would not budge, and we -had to sap his foundations by degrees. Yet this huge rock was but a -fragment that had fallen from the edge of a vast and threatening leaf -of rock, which now hung over our heads like a monstrous guillotine. The -upper caves are waterless, and it soon became desirable to send one -of our number to fetch us a drink. Presently we heard a plaintive cry -from the distance: his candle had gone out, and he had forgotten the -matches. Going to the rescue, I found him groping about on a shelf of -rock, 30 feet from the floor, hard by the Spur and Wedge; he had lost -his bearings altogether. On his return, we made another onslaught upon -our rocky adversary, the five of us sitting on his shoulder and pushing -against the wall, whilst our leader waxed grimly facetious as to what -would happen to us if the shock brought down the guillotine. Slowly -and painfully we tilted the mass of rock over, but only a few inches, -leaving just room enough for a thin man to crawl behind. Squirming -eagerly into the opening, I looked under, and was disappointed to see -that, if wide, it was still heaped right to the crown of the arch -by the rubbish flung there long ago by the river. Nevertheless, Mr. -Balch was not dissatisfied. Though parts of these ancient waterways -are choked with débris, it is unlikely, nay impossible, that the main -channels should not remain open. Our day's work had taken us on another -stage in our slow journey. The labour of removing the new obstacle will -be considerable, but the result is sure. - -In 1904 we had the pleasure of escorting that veteran speleologist, -Monsieur E. A. Martel, through the old and the new caves at Wookey -Hole. About the same time efforts were made anew to force a way into -unexplored territory, with not uninteresting results. Many hours were -spent one day by three of us in a hole that we had discovered just -within the doorway of the cavern, a thing that had most unaccountably -escaped observation hitherto, though right under our noses. The opening -pointed in the direction of the lower cave mouth, where the Axe comes -out; but it certainly did not look very promising. Crawling in, we -found ourselves in a steeply descending passage, almost completely -choked by stones and cave earth. But at the end of the first portion it -was noticed that the floor dropped suddenly, indicating a chamber or -gallery below. An afternoon was spent in the laborious task of shifting -rocks, small stones, and earth, and passing up the fragments, great and -small, from hand to hand, until they could be placed in safe positions -near the mouth of the hole. Eventually, an ancient channel through the -solid rock was disclosed, and at the end of 60 feet or so a broad low -chamber appeared, floored with rocks and earth, and roofed in with -solid rock at a height of 12 or 14 inches. Pushing on, the leader -speedily found he was jammed between floor and ceiling, and could go -no farther without more engineering; but an elder wand was procured, -a candle tied to the end of it, and this rough-and-ready torch being -pushed forward, it was possible to see some 35 feet ahead into the low -chamber, in the depths of which a row of spiky stalactites stretched -across like an alabaster grating. - -To explore this chamber thoroughly, it will be necessary to hollow out -a passage in the soft floor. In all likelihood, it crosses the present -river-course at a level only a few feet higher. Quantities of pottery, -bones, teeth, and fragments of charcoal were found in digging out the -obstacles. It seems most probable that the hole was stopped up by human -agency in prehistoric ages; perhaps it was a place of sepulture. The -obstacles were carefully wedged together, and their removal caused -much difficulty. It is not pleasant to lie on one's back in a hole, -whose roof is only a few inches above one's face, and have a block of -Limestone rolled from end to end of one's frame, without allowance for -projections in either. In all several tons of material were shifted and -carried out of the way. Much of the pottery had designs of a primitive -character worked on the surface; the more elaborate was Romano-British. -Considerable sections of amphoræ and other vessels have since been -pieced together. - -[Illustration: THE GRILLE: NEW CHAMBERS, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: THE SOURCE OF THE AXE, WOOKEY HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -Next day I made a curious find at a point farther in. Where the path -from the entrance rises over a big accumulation of rocks, just before -it reaches the first great chamber, a hole in the floor had been -noticed. It had not been explored, but was waiting for someone capable -of standing an exceptionally hard squeeze. The depth being uncertain, I -had a rope tied on, and after a brief struggle managed to get through -the first hole, into a crooked passage of no great length, which -brought me down to a small bell chamber. This had simply been produced -by the piling up of huge quantities of rocks and stones on the floor of -the original cavern, the whole structure having since become thoroughly -cemented and solidified by the growth of stalagmite. There were many -teeth lying about, but the most interesting object was a wooden bowl, -slightly flattened out, and resembling the top of a man's skull in -shape and size. It felt soft, like a piece of cork, but was perfectly -sound. What its age would be one could not tell within a century or -two. It is now in the possession of Mr. Troup of Wells. - - E. A. B. - - - - -STRENUOUS DAYS IN THE EASTWATER SWALLET - - -From two to three miles north of Wookey Hole, on the top of the Mendip -tableland, is a broad, shallow valley, surrounded on every side by -higher ground. It is a grey, desolate tract, with few trees dotted -over its surface, but a thick belt of wood on the south, the dark -green of which in summer, and the black stems in winter, make the grey -landscape seem the more arid, gaunt, and desolate. The ruined engine -house of a deserted lead mine does not add to the attractiveness -of the scenery. But that is soon lost to sight in the vastness of -the rolling tableland, which swells up in the distance to 1000 feet -above the sea on Pen Hill to the east, and again to the same height -at Priddy Nine Barrows on North Hill, the general brown tints of the -heather and bracken showing that the Old Red Sandstone comes to the -surface on these and the other saliences of the plateau. Within this -shallow basin the rock is Limestone, and the causes of the existence -of a valley without any visible outlet for its drainage are at once -manifest. In many places the surface of the ground is scored and pitted -by innumerable depressions of diverse shapes and sizes; roundish -basins, steep funnels, craggy troughs with streams running in and -disappearing, and mere dimples, grass-lined and perfectly dry. Through -these swallets, or swallow holes, the whole of the drainage finds a -vent, and all the material excavated by the forces of nature in the -process of hollowing out this valley, has been carried off in the -same way. The work is still going on. At Eastwater a little stream, -flowing down a long ravine, suddenly comes against a Limestone cliff, -and begins to burrow. Less than a mile away, another stream, big enough -to be called a brook, pours into a cleft in the ground and is seen no -more. This second swallow is known as Swildon's Hole, Swildon being a -corruption of Swithin. Years ago, in the course of a lawsuit, it was -proved that the waters about the village of Priddy, which stands on -the edge of this upland valley, find their way into the Axe, uniting -their streams somewhere in the heart of the hill between this point -and Wookey Hole. When there were storms on the hilltop, or the upland -waters were fouled artificially, the Axe came out turbid. That the -area drained by the underground Axe is a large one is proved by the -size of the river, which must be formed by the junction of a good many -streams of the volume of Eastwater and the Swildon brook. Probably that -area extends as far east as Hillgrove, where a series of swallets in a -woodland ravine are now being enlarged by Mr. Balch, with a view to an -exploration of the underlying caverns. - -In 1901 Mr. Balch's party made a descent into Swildon's Hole, and got -to a depth of 300 feet below the point of absorption, which is at the -same level as the Eastwater Swallet and that at Hillgrove--that is, 780 -feet above the sea. Difficulties having been put in the way of a more -complete exploration by the owner of the field in which the swallet -is situated, he turned his attention to the neighbouring stream of -Eastwater, which, unfortunately, runs away through holes impenetrable -to man, and therefore had not promised so easy a route into the -unknown. Undeterred by the obvious difficulties, Mr. Balch set to work -early in 1902, and, as he describes, made his way at last into the open -passages underneath the swallet. In the course of two or three visits -he reached a point nearly 500 feet below the cave mouth, and distant -about 2000 feet in horizontal measurement. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO GREAT CAVERN OF EASTWATER. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: SECTION OF EASTWATER CAVERN.] - -He invited a large party to descend with him on March 18th, 1903, for a -more elaborate exploration. Besides the leader, Mr. Balch, experienced -cave explorers came from Oxford, Derby, Holmfirth, Glastonbury, and -Wells. Driving up from Wells early in the morning, we donned our -overalls at the mouth of the swallet. Everything was in readiness -for the adventure, and at eleven o'clock or thereabouts the first -man descended the artificial hole, 20 feet deep, into the enormous -accumulation of loose rocks that extends for more than 100 feet into -the head of the cavern. The blocks forming the sides of this shaft, -and many of those beyond its foot, had been carefully underpinned with -timber. Everything bore witness to the labour and perseverance spent in -engineering an entrance. The baggage having been let down by a rope, -we pushed on through the confusion of rocks by a maze of passages -resembling the intricacies of the well-known Goatchurch Cavern, at -Burrington, although the rocks, instead of being huge rectangular -masses, were shattered into the most irregular forms and sizes, -leaving holes between scarce big enough for a human body to squeeze -through. The first explorers were two hours in finding a way through -this bewildering labyrinth. Some of our men went head foremost, others -crawled on their backs with feet in front. The rocks were water-worn -and jagged, and often so rotten with the action of water laden with -carbonic acid, that a finger could be thrust in up to the hilt, as into -clay. We formed ourselves into a chain to hand on the luggage; this was -a trying business, for we were taking down more than 500 feet of rope, -besides a pick, a shovel, a bucket, various steel pulleys, an ample -stock of candles, and provisions for three meals, to humour which -through these unaccommodating passages was worse than coaxing one's own -body along. Both horizontal and vertical openings occurred here and -there, and had to be avoided carefully, one of the most important of -these being a flood-way formed by the stream entering the swallet. It -was curious to find a withy stick making desperate efforts to put forth -leaves in the darkness, and succeeding in producing a long white sprout. - -Suddenly the noise of falling water was heard, and the leading men -called for the rope ladder. The masses of loose rock end abruptly. To -the right a steep tunnel, called the 380-foot way, carries a small -stream down; to the left is a large, irregular chamber; and beyond it, -the main passages of the cavern. The ladder being secured, each man -resigned himself to the inevitable drenching, and descended into the -rugged cave at the head of the 380-foot way. A camera was got down so -far, but most of the apparatus was left at the parting of the ways. Our -road was now decidedly easier. The water-channel was rugged, but the -roof rose fairly high, and there were few boulders. A large tunnel, -cut in the solid rock, brought down a tributary stream on the right; -on the other side, a horizontal tunnel was marked down for further -investigation. The real termination of the 380-foot way has not been -discovered. At present there is no passing beyond a choke of stones -and gravel that fills it nearly to the roof; but Mr. Balch proposes to -remove this. - -We returned to the horizontal tunnel. It led into an extensive sloping -chamber whose shape is peculiarly characteristic of this cavern. -Roof and floor, roughly parallel, are inclined at an angle of fifty -degrees. For a long distance there was space to creep along under -the roof, then the space grew less, and at length the leading men -shouted that they could get no farther. Being rather slighter in -build than those who were in front, I made an effort to pass them, and -succeeded by clambering along at a higher level. A hole between some -choke-stones and a stalactite gave me admittance to a continuation of -this extraordinary chamber. Then, dropping into a dry water-channel, I -wriggled downward and downward, following the noise of some dislodged -stones that rattled away to a considerable depth. At last I found it -impossible to get any farther, though two more feet would have led -me into a sudden widening that looked rather promising. The next man -behind was unable to get within 50 feet of this point. - -[Illustration: THE DESCENT OF EASTWATER CAVERN, THE SECOND VERTICAL -DROP. - -_From Sketch by H. E. Balch._] - -[Illustration: THE GREAT CANYON, EASTWATER CAVERN. - -_From Sketch by H. E. Balch._] - -After an exceedingly painful journey back to the mouth of the tunnel, -we sat down to lunch, before re-ascending the rope ladder, and carrying -our baggage through a series of awkward holes and pits, all deluged -with water, into the big chamber at the head of the main passages. -In this chamber, whose walls, floor, and roof are formed of gigantic -blocks seemingly on the point of collapsing, is an opening in the -roof, through which a stream comes tumbling in. At the farthest corner -therefrom a large opening leads to the bottom of a chimney or aven. -Great quantities of clay on walls and roof show that this cavern has -frequently been filled with water through the choking up of the lower -exit. The stream runs away into the rocky floor at the lower end of -the cave, and a few feet above it is a flood-way, a short, low tunnel, -through which we crawled. Then begins one of the most interesting -portions of the cavern. In one of those broad, low-roofed fissures, -inclined at the same angle of fifty degrees as the general dip of -the strata, and formed, in fact, by the widening of a bedding-plane -in the Limestone strata, a deep, winding channel has been cut by the -stream we have just passed. It has been called, from its likeness, the -Canyon. For a considerable distance our path lies down the Canyon, -and with our heavy burdens we find the passage far from easy. As far -as possible, we keep near the top of the ravine, straddling across. -Sometimes, however, there is no help for it but to drop right to the -bottom. Before we reach its termination, we have to climb out on the -smooth, sloping floor of the main fissure, and wriggle forwards lying -on our sides or on our backs. Foot-hold and hand-hold being singularly -scarce hereabouts, we shall find this one of the most troublesome -places in returning. On the right, we have a glimpse through a hole -here and there of another great low-roofed fissure sloping at the same -angle; then there are cross roads, with a tunnel on the left admitting -to a stalactite chamber, and a passage on the right leading to the -lower end of the Canyon. - -We now reached the most constricted portion of the main channel. It is -a low, roundish tunnel, with an S curve at the distant end. A good deal -of our locomotion might be likened to crawling through drain-pipes; -we were now coming to a sort of trap. The S bend has to be taken with -the body lying on its right side. Once in it, the explorer cannot turn -round, since the diameter every way only just admits a human body, -and the three curves are close together. My candle went out half-way -through, and to unjam my arm and get it down for the waterproof matches -was a difficult and protracted operation. Moving the luggage through -was a very severe task, the width of the hole at one spot being only -nine and a half inches. - -We issued into a good-sized passage. Immediately on the left a twisting -fissure went down to the head of the first perpendicular drop; but, -leaving this for a while, we spent nearly an hour exploring the -lofty chamber straight ahead of us. It rises to an unknown height in -a vertical fissure, narrowing gradually. At the bottom is a deep -cutting, which some of us passed by back and knee work, at a height -above the floor. On the left, that is the eastern, wall are openings -into a parallel tunnel with good stalactites. At the far end both this -tunnel and the passage itself are blocked with clay and gravel.[3] On -our second visit, a day or two later, I explored a tunnel in the other -wall 10 feet from the floor. It led into another of the vast sloping -fissures already described, which I was too much exhausted to explore -very far. These fissures, all inclined at the same angle, and either -parallel or else lying in one plane, are most impressive features of -the Eastwater Cavern; their extent is evidently enormous, and it seems -as if only a few frail pillars of jammed stones served to prevent the -great mass of the hill from settling down and crushing roof and floor -together. On a more minute survey it may turn out that these are all -portions of one huge fissure, merely partitioned off by different -chokes. - - [3] Recently, October 1906, Mr. Balch dug through an obstruction here - and entered a vast fissure chamber, which he climbed to a height of - 150 feet: it has a remarkable shaft as its outlet. - -It was four in the afternoon when we entered the twisting fissure -leading to the first vertical descent, and two of the party had now -to return. Through an oversight in not bringing a short rope for -harnessing the pulley, nearly two hours were spent in rigging up the -tackle, the situation being awkward for letting men down safely. We -were ensconced in a little chamber, the boulder floor of which opened -into the top of a narrow rift widening downwards, where, about 60 feet -beneath, the walls funnelled into a yawning pit 60 feet deep. This pit -had been explored previously, and was found to be choked at the bottom; -it formed a safe and certain receptacle for anything lost or dislodged -by persons descending the cliff above it. The configuration of our hole -was such that only one man at a time could get a steady pull on the -life-line, which ran over a pulley. A manilla rope was therefore let -down from the same belaying-pin, for a man to climb up and down by, so -far as he was able, the life-line being used merely as a safeguard. One -by one the explorers dropped over into the abyss. The last three or -four had the best of it, since, with a hauling party below, full use -could be made of the pulley. - -We were now drawing nigh to the final tug of war. A quarter of an hour -of indescribable wriggling brought us to a narrow and lofty rift, into -which as many of the party as it would accommodate wedged themselves, -right over the second vertical drop. Much the same tactics were -resorted to here, save that, instead of a fixed pulley, each man in -turn had a large steel pulley belted to him, through which ran 200 feet -of rope, one end fixed to a wedged boulder beneath us, the other end -in the hands of the hauling party. A 90-foot manilla was, as before, -allowed to hang free, as a guide-rope, over the crags, and enabled each -man to do something for himself and assist those above. Only four men -essayed this last descent. - -The gigantic cavity into which we now dropped is one of the most savage -and impressive things it has ever been my lot to see. At the top, -over the heads of the hauling party, it runs up into the rocky mass -of the hill as a vertical chimney, under the mouth of which lay what -appeared to be a deep black pit. We alighted, one by one, on a sloping -shelf that traversed the side of the cavity at a considerable height. -Creeping along this ledge, we saw at the end of it a huge cavernous -opening descending into darkness, with a mighty rock wedged across it -like a bridge. The black, gaunt walls on each side of us were craggy -and rifted; their surfaces glistened with streaming water. Our ledge -ending abruptly, we dropped, hand over hand, on the rope, to the edge -of a large pothole, into which a stream was rushing. At this point a -tunnel goes off to the left, and, as it had not been explored, I was -asked by Mr. Balch to proceed down it. Two of us crept and clambered -and slid down a very dirty watercourse, till, at a distance of perhaps -50 yards, we found ourselves atop of a high clay bank, closely overhung -by rocks, with a stream rumbling along to the south-south-west. I got -within 10 feet of the water, but without a rope to get us up again -we would not venture farther. We had now been in the cave nine and a -half hours, and were too much fatigued to undertake new work. It was -ascertained, beyond reasonable doubt, that a fine series of potholes -that exist in the continuation of the great cavity must drain into the -stream just discovered. Beyond those potholes, to pass which involves -much hard work, is another cavity, and beyond that what?--at present no -one can tell. All we know is, that the water finds its way ultimately -into the vast reservoirs inside Wookey Hole; but whether there are -other vast cavities, or merely narrow crevices and impassable clefts -between, is a question that will require labours almost Herculean to -solve. - -In scrambling back along the ledge in the big cavity I gave the -final shove to a dangerous loose rock weighing something like six -hundredweight. It fell into the ravine beneath, and hurtled onwards -toward the chain of potholes, making the whole grim place ring with a -crash of echoes. It took us two hours and a half to return to the cave -mouth, although we were unencumbered with apparatus, for we had left -the ropes and pulleys in place for another descent. Getting seven men -up the higher of the two vertical pitches was a tough undertaking at -the end of an arduous day, and when we returned through the famous S -tunnel more than one explorer seemed disposed to snatch a sleep on its -procrustean bed. We had been twelve hours underground when we revisited -the glimpses of the moon. - -It had been proposed to continue the exploration next day, but no one -was fit for such a repetition of exhausting labours. The day following, -a party of three was mustered to recover the apparatus that had been -left in the depths. Two of us reached the head of the nethermost pitch, -and after hours of severe work got everything up to the mouth of the -swallet. Once more we drove back over Mendip in the dark. All around -us on the desolate plateau was impenetrable gloom, but in the northern -sky, and it seemed but a few miles away, the lights of Bath and Bristol -flared across the heavens like two immense conflagrations. Never does -one feel the sublimity of the open, windy earth, the starry sky, and -the free sense of space, so profoundly as after striving for a long -day to break through the barriers that shut us out from the regions of -mystery under the hills. - - E. A. B. - - - - -SWILDON'S HOLE - - -An insignificant crevice, a hole scarcely wide enough to tempt a dog -or fox, alone gives admittance to what is perhaps the wildest and -most magnificent cavern in Britain. Swildon's Hole, it has already -been stated, lies at the same level, 780 feet above the sea, as the -Eastwater Swallet and that of Hill Grove. It lies in a separate trough, -within the same basin as the Eastwater stream, with whose waters it -unites somewhere in the bowels of the rocky hills, to flow out of -Wookey Hole as the river Axe, of which it may be considered as the -principal feeder. A few years ago the actual swallet was visible, -the brooklet running away into holes under a bank of earth and rock -crowned with foliage. More recently, in order to make a small fish -pond, the landowner has made a dam above the swallet, which is entirely -concealed by this means, an entrance remaining, however, into the maze -of cavities and waterways through a narrow crevice at the side. Mr. -Balch was the first person to recognise the importance of Swildon's -Hole as a chief feeder of the Axe, and in 1901 he made preparations to -explore it. But through some delay, three members of his party were the -first to enter the cave, without him--namely, Messrs. Troup and H. and -F. Hiley. A short while after, Mr. Balch was able to carry out a more -extended exploration. Then for some time no one entered the swallet, -which gradually became choked with stones and litter brought down by -the stream. Very few had ever heard of the cave, and hardly anyone -realised that one of the most beautiful pieces of underground scenery -in Britain was lying there unseen, and one of the most important of -hydrological problems remaining quite unsolved. - -The next visit took place about Christmas 1904. Mr. Troup, who had been -one of the first in the cave, took the lead of our party. My other -companions were Messrs. Bamforth and E. E. Barnes, but we expected to -be joined some hours later by Mr. Balch and Mr. Slater. - -When the first explorers entered this cavern some little while ago, -they met with serious difficulties owing to the presence of ancient -chokes or dams that held back pools of water, but they were assisted -by the dryness of the weather. We, on the contrary, made our descent -after a period of heavy rains, and the volume of water that accompanied -us down was twentyfold as great. We had one advantage, however: the -original discoverers were with us to point the way. With luggage -reduced to a minimum, two ropes, plenty of illuminants, food, and -two cameras, we passed through the uninviting entrance, and attacked -methodically a close-packed mass of débris that had been washed into a -narrow gut since the former visit. - -Whilst we lay at work, the sound of falling water in the depths below -broke on our ears, a musical but ominous salutation. The obstacle -wasted two hours of valuable time. Wriggling through at last, feet -foremost, our legs came out over the rift, a narrow chasm some 20 feet -deep, with the head stream of the cavern tumbling in over a choke-stone -at one end. Our goods were let down carefully into the hands of the -first man, who lodged them in a sheltered spot whilst we scrambled -hastily down through showers of spray. Now began a painful advance into -the depths. Along the tilted bedding planes, down the perpendicular -joints of the Limestone, widened by the water into broad, low chambers -and deep shafts and canyons, we forged ahead, hugging the stream, which -grew larger and angrier as tributaries came swishing in from walls and -roof. At one point the water swept horizontally along a straight canal, -but was stopped at the end by a recent choke, and now tumbled through a -hole in the wall into a huge pothole. Through this lay our road. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE OF SWILDON'S HOLE. - -_Photo by M. Martel._] - -[Illustration: WATERFALL, SWILDON'S HOLE. - -_Photo by H. E. Balch._] - -The water poured down a staircase of similar basins, where to keep -clear of the stream was impossible. So far we had kept tolerably dry, -but as we clung to this watery ladder I pricked up my ears at the -remark, "Will you have your back or your stomach in it?" Crouching on -all fours, with back pressed against the low roof, and looking between -my legs, I watched the performances of my comrades, as each in turn -went through the final archway. Not one escaped a severe wetting. -But I was going to be more wily--at least, I thought so. With hands -and knees in the rushing stream, I squirmed hastily but cautiously -through. I seemed to be getting on famously, and gave a spurt. That -moment the rocks ended; they were undercut. I found myself sliding -down a waterfall 10 feet high, and floundering in a big pool at the -bottom. Drenched we were; but what better preparation could we have for -the troubles ahead? This part of the cavern shows traces of enormous -changes in the course of the stream, which has planed down great masses -of stalagmite, the growth of ages, when this section of the tunnels was -dry or all but deserted by the streams, which found a way down by the -horizontal canal or some higher channel. Between this first water-chute -and the second lies the most nerve-trying part of the journey to the -farthest point hitherto attained. It is a succession of lofty rifts, -giving into each other at right angles, the water sweeping from one to -the next through curving fissures and sudden falls. For a while we kept -above the canyons on a water-worn shelf, all that remained of a low, -flattish chamber that sufficed for the small streams of older times. -This giving out, we scrambled along the cliffs of the canyons, which -seemed in the gloom without top or bottom, bestraddling the rift, or -with feet on one side and back to the other pushing on from hold to -hold. The Limestone grips would have been amply sufficient for this -mode of progression had they not been drenched and slippery. Below us -the waters raced and bellowed. At the junctions of the canyons they -sounded on all sides at once; the invisible hollows all round seemed -to be alive with angry voices, mad to be at us. What if a thunderstorm -burst over Mendip now? Such thoughts would occur, although we knew we -could climb into safety on the upper shelves of the canyon; for with a -water-chute above and another below, a little flood would make us fast -prisoners. - -At the Well, the stream tumbles suddenly into a deep round pit, in -which it is churned to foam before being driven out with accelerated -speed along a rugged gorge to the second staircase of potholes. Shreds -of magnesium ribbon dropped into the Well lit up such a turmoil of -waters as one might see in some gigantic turbine going at full speed. -Two of us now went ahead to report on the condition of the next stage. -The gorge was too wide for climbing, but we found a footing on the -rocks in the bed, then squirmed through a narrow fissure, and began to -descend the potholes. These were deep basins, with high walls on the -upper side where the stream poured in, and the other side broken down -by the force of the torrent. Below them lay the second water-chute, -a big fall pitching into a hole underneath a low arch, and sliding -out into a turbulent pool. It was a sort of culvert, with very little -head-room above the water. Had we not come through so many tribulations -already, and had we not known of the glories that awaited us in the -great stalactite chamber beyond this last trial, we should certainly -have been turned back by this obstacle. After some little hesitation -we resolved to attempt it, and went back to the head of the Well for -our companions. One of the cameras had already been left behind; it was -decided to leave the other here. The leader went down the water-chute -on his back; the rest adopted all the other attitudes possible short -of a complete header. But it made little difference; all got a most -effectual drenching. - -Running the gauntlet beneath another tributary, which came swishing -in just over our heads, we pushed on into a high and ample chamber, -where in times gone by a volume of water had accumulated in a sort of -gigantic cistern. The rocky roof was flat and smooth, its cracks and -fissures fringed with meandering lacework of stalactite. In front, -the rocky mole that once held up the reservoir was cloven into a -series of Limestone seracs, between which the stream found its way -down into the remoter cavities. Masses of clay, some 15 feet thick, -deposited by the ancient waters, still flanked this rugged portal -into the unknown. Bones of sheep, cattle, horses, and lesser mammals -lay about in profusion, enough to reconstruct whole skeletons; with -them were the relics of animals now extinct on Mendip, deer and other -creatures. Higher up sherds of Samian pottery had been found, brought -down by the stream from the rubbish heaps of long ago. What struck the -imagination as still more wonderful was that in this sunless spot, 300 -feet below the surface, there were creatures that lived. Empty snail -shells were abundant, but yet more plentiful were tiny snails that were -actually crawling over the clay, feeding, no doubt, on water-borne -vegetable matter. Gossamer-like webs stretched across many chinks in -the Limestone, but the microscopic spiders we could not see. What flies -did they live on? Surely not the caddis, whose corpses lay about in -plenty on every shoal. - -From this chamber the stream quickly descends into the great Water -Rift, one of the most wonderful things in the whole cavern. It is but -a few feet wide, but its height is enormous. The walls go up like -mountain cliffs, but are lost in gloom instead of mist. Here tremendous -changes had taken place since the former exploration. At that time -the rift was blocked up in one place by a vast barrage of rock and -stalagmite, that came down to the stream and forbade human progress -save by one strait and difficult way. At a height above the water a -hole ascended seven feet into the barrier, its orifice all but closed -by a fringe of stalactites. Contriving to enter, the explorers crept -up this pipe, and down a corresponding one on the other side, coming -out on a cliff face overhanging the continuation of the Water Rift, to -attain the bottom of which was an abstruse gymnastic problem. A little -farther on they reached the utmost limit of their journey, where the -stream beats violently against the termination of the rift, is hurled -sideways, and finds an outlet through a low crevice, whence it tumbles -in a 40-foot cataract into an unknown pool. Our main object to-day had -been to descend this 40-foot pitch; that was the reason why we had -encumbered ourselves with two long ropes. But now all was different. -In the short interval that had elapsed since the former visit, the -strength of the ungovernable torrent had swept away the whole of this -vast structure, the work of thousands of ages--for the Pyramids are -recent erections compared with these products of unimaginably slow -crystallisation. Hardly a vestige remained; and now the current dashed -unimpeded from end to end of the Water Rift, and the incessant thunder -of the cataract deafened ears already attuned to the noise of the -higher falls and canyons. Probably the removal of stones and dams by -the former party, in making their way down, had contributed largely to -this extraordinary event. - -Nothing could be done in the face of such a volume of water. We turned, -accordingly, out of the main passage into a lofty gallery or transept -that branches off to the west, the general direction of the cavern -being due south. To say it branches off is slightly incorrect, for it -is really the course of a tributary brook, and quite possibly may have -been in remote times the channel of the main stream. At all events -its shape and magnitude indicate that it was once a very important -section of the cavern. Scrambling cautiously along the sides of the -toppling fragments of the mole, we crossed a deep gap and entered the -gallery. At the portal a great hollow corbel of stalactite stood out -from the wall, like an enormous stoup, its huge rims curved over like -the petals of a flower. It stood there in solitary grandeur, but it was -a token of transcendent glories beyond. A few more steps, and we saw -that we were on the threshold of a fane more beautiful than any made -with hands. The rocks to right and left were sheeted with crystalline -enamel, its surface powdered thickly with a minute splash deposit, so -frail that it gave one a twinge to crush the lovely efflorescence as -we moved. One could not go a step without destroying hundreds of these -delicate spicules, the work of untold ages of water action. More great -corbels stood out from the walls as we advanced; they were richly -moulded with concentric rings of stalagmite, and these again were -carved and chased with wonderful reliefs. From the corbels sprang huge -pillars right to the roof, pillars 40 feet in height; and from their -capitals shining curtains hung down in ample folds, heavy as Parian -marble, and as lovely in hue. One would have called them white, had -we not seen, hanging from a cleft high up in the lofty walls, a mass -of curtains as white as arragonite, the whitest thing there is. So -dazzling was their immaculate purity that the rich creamy surface of -the other incrustations showed dusky in comparison. We were veteran -cave explorers, yet it seemed to us that all the caves we had ever -seen in Britain could no more vie with this than parish churches -with cathedrals. At each turn there was a new and more enthralling -vista: more pillars, ampler curtains, piers and arches of Oriental -magnificence, fluted and moulded into wildest fantasies. It struck one -with a curious wonder to think that all these splendours had lain here -unbeheld by living eye, untouched by a gleam of light, until one casual -year in the twentieth century. - -But the photographer was exercised by other feelings. He was here, but -where was his camera? It had seemed a Herculean labour to bring that -much-enduring instrument down to the 300-foot level, but he declared -that the task was not superhuman, and, furthermore, he was determined -to do it. He could not do it alone, however; that was obvious. The -expedition, therefore, came down out of the stalactite gallery. Two -went through the water-chute, two remained just outside it, to assist -in the last and most dangerous stage of the transportation. We waited -a long time; in fact, we had leisure enough to explore an interesting -side gallery whilst the others made their way to and from the head -of the Well. At last their welcome shout was heard. Standing in the -water, with light held low under the arch, we caught sight of a hand, -and then of a wading and much-crumpled-up man, lugging the camera, -which he kept out of the foaming water with admirable skill. We grabbed -it, and put the precious instrument in a place of safety; ten minutes -later the flashlight was at work, taking our breath away with its -gorgeous revelations. The photographer had his troubles even here, -though not such as to be compared with those of the water caverns -we had recently traversed, where at this moment two of our party, -following us down, were engaged in photographing the canyons and the -falls, under difficulties that few cameras have ever been confronted -with. Here there was no marble pavement suitable to the splendours -of the walls; nothing for the camera to stand on but an inch or two -of slippery ledge, with a depth of mud in the middle that none of us -cared to fathom. The only place that could be found at one spot for the -flashlight was the top of my unfortunate head, which I generously put -at the photographer's disposal. On it was laid a piece of stone, on -which the gun-cotton was spread and sprinkled with the powder, which, -when it went off, made me shut both eyes for fear of the shower of -sparks, and so I missed the glorious blaze of light that illumined the -cavern. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE OF STALACTITE CHAMBER, SWILDON'S HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: STALACTITE CURTAINS, SWILDON'S HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -These stately columns, soaring vaults, and sweeping marble draperies -were strangely out of proportion to the narrowness of the place. But -now the sinuous aisle broadened out, and the style of the architecture -was changed entirely. We were at the junction chamber where, in the -remote past, two big streams came down from the yawning passages to -the left and right, and met here, probably as the main stream of the -cavern. The roof is a spacious dome, hung with resplendent candelabra. -But the unique feature of the place, the thing that impresses itself on -the memory as one of the most dazzling creations of the wonder-working -calcite, is the stalagmite bridge. Bridge, I say, but it is more than -a bridge, for its complicated arches support a beautiful piazza, with -a huge array of dripstone terraces, crystal basins, massive pedestals, -and obelisks of stalagmite, which all but fills the chamber and extends -some distance up the alcoves behind. Standing on one of the great -hemispheres of dripstone, one could put one's head among the pendulous -shafts above, and see how each was marvellously twisted, moulded, and -fantastically embossed and gemmed with flashing crystals. The splash -formation covered everything beneath the roof, save portions of the -polished floor, with millions of tiny spicules. We had to move about -cautiously, not only for fear of doing damage, but to avoid gaping -pitfalls in the bridge, the surface of which was smooth as ice. - -[Illustration: STALACTITE CHAMBER, SWILDON'S HOLE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -Whilst we were at work photographing a distant shout was heard, and -soon the two men who had followed us down arrived at the big chamber. -But our party was again reduced to its original four by the departure -of two other members, who were to go back by the aquatic route in order -to pick up certain articles that had been deposited on the way down. We -ourselves hoped to get to the surface by another and a drier course. -At the previous exploration two men had missed the rest of the party, -and found their way, after divers adventures, through the ramifications -of the cavern, to what they described as a great stalactite chamber, -which was presumably our gallery. When they reached it, however, no -one was there, nor any trace of human presence; either the explorers -had finished their work and departed, or the pair had missed their way -altogether. It was believed that they had come down to this very spot -by the gallery joining this one on the north, and we purposed following -that passage out. But this, as we presently discovered, was all wrong. - -Two of us now went off on an exploring trip into the great passage -running west. At once we encountered a series of huge obstructions. -This passage was of the usual rift pattern, and, save for holes and -crevices between, was wholly blocked up by large masses of tumbled -rocks. One of us climbed to the top of the Cyclopean pile, whilst I -attempted to make my way along at the middle height, but eventually -found it easier to crawl through the culverts and water-gaps, -regardless of mud and wet. Even among the piled-up rocks there were -charming little nooks adorned with rich incrustations. When the rocks -ended the open tunnel began to ascend rapidly; then, after a while, we -came to another tunnel joining it on the north. This, though smaller, -was the more important passage; the other shortly came to an end in -a lofty grotto, bountifully tapestried with curtains and tassels of -stalactite. We climbed the northern passage, through several brilliant -displays of incrustation, and reached a level approximately 70 feet -below the surface, by aneroid; there we could get no farther. But, -unknown to ourselves, we had brought back important information. - -We had noticed mysterious bits of string at two points in this series. -When we reported the discovery to the two men left behind, they at once -saw its significance. The two men whose route down to the stalactite -chamber had caused so much perplexity had used a ball of string to mark -their way out--these were the relics. Our casual trip had, perhaps, -saved us from a night of blind wandering in the unknown branches of the -great tunnel on the north. All being in readiness for our departure, we -now proceeded to take up this providential thread. It was not an easy -task. Often not an inch of string remained undecayed for many hundreds -of feet together, and often we nosed the walls and floor, eagerly but -in vain, for droppings of candle grease left by our predecessors. -The way was dry, that was a relief, after six or seven hours in wet -clothes; but it was a tighter squeeze than the other, and the sharpness -of the turns was often aggravated by a portcullis of crystals on our -backs, and a _cheval de frise_ of stalagmite spear-heads against our -stomachs. All the while we wondered whether we should really find the -exit, or whether we should have to return and undertake the canyons -after all. Mr. Balch compared our task of finding the desired exit -to an attempt to ascend from the mouth of a river to some unknown -point upon one of its tributaries, with nothing to indicate which way -to take. This puts the position clearly enough, I think. There was -no string to be found in the higher parts. At last the man in front -disappeared feet foremost through the ugliest hole we had yet seen, out -of which the noise of waters sounded ominously. A cheering cry came -back to us; he had found the rift, where we had descended seven hours -ago into the route through the canyons. A few more yards of determined -wriggling, and the candle left by the other two men hove in sight. We -found they had got out two hours ago. The stars were shining from a -clear sky, and a keen frost was on the fields, but the excitement and -the success of our adventure were stimulant enough to keep out the cold. - - E. A. B. - - - - -THE GREAT CAVERN AT CHEDDAR - - -The ultimate goal of our researches at Cheddar has been the discovery -of the underground river-course. Not many yards below the entrance to -Gough's, or the Great Cavern, a large body of water wells up at the -foot of a cliff, spreading out into a beautiful mere, half encircled -by crags; flows on thence through the village, performing a great deal -of industrial work on its way; and, finally, proceeds a mile or two -farther as the Cheddar Water, to join its brother, the Axe, which has -a similar origin. But less is known about the darksome course of the -Cheddar Water than about the stream flowing out of Wookey Hole. With -its tributaries, it has doubtless been the principal agent in the -formation, not only of the caves, but also of the famous Cheddar gorge, -which bears every evidence of having been produced by the gradual -destruction of a series of caverns. Yet this important stream has -actually not been met with hitherto at any single point of its course -underground, and we have anything but complete information as to its -sources on the uplands of Mendip. The owners of the Great Cavern, the -Messrs. Gough Brothers, tell me that they intend to blast away about -10 feet of rock immediately overlying the exit of the river. When the -stream is very full, water often bursts forth here from cracks and -joints several feet above the normal level, and they imagine that -there must be a chamber of some height just within. This, however, -in my opinion, is not a necessary inference, since every cavity and -crevice behind the outlet would at such times be heavily charged with -water, under pressure, and the large cavities might be a long way back. -It is curious that the water in a low tunnel recently discovered in -Cox's Cavern, which lies some distance from Gough's, and at a lower -level, rises and falls in unison with the movements of the water-level -of the river outside, although that always remains 10 feet higher. -Cox's Cavern is occasionally flooded, yet the water never rises to a -point within 10 feet of the river level. Obviously the subterranean -connection must be of a complicated and roundabout form. - -At the time of my first serious attempt to explore the caves of -Cheddar, when our party contained Dr. Norman Sheldon, Mr. J. O. -Morland, and Mr. Harry Bamforth, two of whom have not since been able -to join us in Somerset, I had not the advantage of knowing Mr. H. E. -Balch, and we were utterly unaware of the great work he had been doing -in the cave region adjoining Wells. On the other hand, we received -invaluable assistance from the brothers Gough, who are not only -proprietors of show caves, but take a sincere interest in underground -exploration. Their father, who died in 1902, was the discoverer of the -caverns that bear his name, and was actively at work pushing his way -farther and farther into the rocky bosom of the hill up to the year of -his death, at a good old age. - -[Illustration: STALAGMITE PILLARS IN GOUGH'S GREAT CAVERN. - -_Photo by Gough, Cheddar._] - -[Illustration: THE PILLARS OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, GOUGH'S CAVES, CHEDDAR. - -_Photo by Gough, Cheddar._] - -The Great Cavern was discovered in 1898. The parts open to visitors -extend in a generally easterly direction for some 600 yards, and -consist of natural chambers and passages, connected here and there -by artificial tunnels. We began work early in the morning, carrying -into the cavern a large quantity of ropes, ladders of wood and rope, -and plenty of illuminants, including a 2000-candle-power limelight, -which with its lens or condenser is one of the most valuable aids in -subterranean work. Many openings are seen overhead and in the walls -of the cavern as the visitor advances, some of which end abruptly, -whilst others lead into small grottos and galleries. One of the most -conspicuous chimneys, or perpendicular caves, has at its base a -peculiar staircase of stalagmitic basins, formed by the deposits of -a calcareous spring that is now dried up. These basins are known as -the "Fonts." Our conductors had been in the habit of climbing about -50 feet up this lofty chasm, over the crust of stalagmite, and a wire -rope had been fixed to assist visitors in ascending to a broad, deep -ledge. Above this point the rocks were much steeper. No one had ever -succeeded in seeing the top, and at first we thought it would be -impossible to ascend any higher without some sort of apparatus. We sent -for a ladder, and meanwhile Dr. Sheldon and I tried to clamber over -the jutting arch of rock that formed the first obstacle--a cave-pitch -in a gully or chimney we should call it in climbing parlance. To our -surprise, we succeeded in reaching the continuous channel or gutter -above it, which ascended at a high angle, with sheer walls to right -and left, and the other side of the huge shaft overhanging it. The -holds were shallow and slippery, and with one hand grasping a candle we -found the ordinary difficulties of a rock-climb multiplied enormously. -Half-way up my candle went out, but my companion was now well ahead, -and I groped my way after him with confidence. When a shout from below -announced that the ladder had been hoisted up to the platform above the -"Fonts" we were within a few yards of the top. At a height of 120 feet -(by the aneroid) above this platform and of 170 feet above the floor -of the cavern we found the shaft completely blocked up with débris and -clay. We were in a subterranean pot, or swallet, of large dimensions, -formed in remote ages by a big stream, which had worked through its -Limestone bed, and continued its path at a deeper level. Whether this -was the main stream that now flows in an unknown course hundreds of -feet below, or only a tributary, it is at present impossible to tell. -Mr. Bamforth's limelight was now projected up the chasm, revealing -grand masses of superincumbent rock on the farther side, whilst the -view downwards, past our friends into the dark bottom of the pit, was -very curious. Roping ourselves together for the descent, we kept near -each other for fear of a slip, and took the utmost precautions not to -dislodge any stones on the heads of those underneath. The limelight -was a great advantage, although many dark reaches had to be carefully -inspected with a taper before we could secure foothold. When we got to -the critical bit at the bottom we found the ladder placed ready for us. - -Not far from the entrance to the "Fonts" is the mouth of a low passage -on the other side, with a hole at the far end of it, that our guides -thought must communicate with the underground river which, they -conjecture, has its channel not far below this spot. We crawled into -this burrow and fixed ourselves in the confined space round the black -pit, which we found, by throwing in stones, had water in it. With a -rope round my waist I climbed down the fissure, whose sides were of -sharply corrugated rock though they looked like wet clay. About 30 feet -down the hole grew so narrow that I could not turn round; I could just -reach the water with my foot, but found that it was quite a small pool. -Another "well," nearer the cave mouth, was explored after our further -operations had been carried out. It was situated at the extremity of -another burrow, but was much larger in circumference. Steadied by the -rope, I climbed to the bottom and found a large pool of great depth -about 30 feet below the edge. No current was perceptible, and its -connection with running water is hardly probable. Some years later, -a perfect skeleton of a man was exhumed from the clay beneath the -stalagmite in this burrow; accompanying it were numerous flint flakes. -Some peculiarities indicate that the find was that of a man of early -Neolithic age. It is shown by the Gough Brothers at the entrance of -their cave. - -While some of the party were photographing the "show place," a lofty -dome-shaped cavern with its sheet of stalagmite poured over the cliff -like a petrified waterfall, two of us retraced our steps from "St. -Paul's," as this beautiful sight is nicknamed, to the branch leading to -the other principal shows. "Solomon's Temple" is a wonderful grotto, -walled, roofed, and floored with gleaming white and ivory calcite, and -set at the top of another great fall of stalagmite which has flowed -on and on in a gentle stream and covered the floor of a lofty cavern -with dimpling waves of crystal. Nor are these all its attractions, for -on turning round the spectator sees on the opposite cliff a broad and -voluminous sheet of stalagmite, rippling down, spouting and foaming -over the rocks like a waterfall, but still as marble and white as -frozen snow. We had seen all these things before, however, and were -anxious to move on to new ground again. - -[Illustration: ORGAN PIPES, GOUGH'S CAVES, CHEDDAR. - -_Photo by Gough, Cheddar._] - -[Illustration: A STALAGMITE FALL, GOUGH'S CAVE, CHEDDAR. - -_Photo by M. Martel._] - -In the fork between the main passage and this big cavern is a large -irregular opening, with disorderly blocks of Limestone heaped up on -its floor. We picked our way across these, and at a height of 40 feet -reached the edge of an abrupt rock some four yards high. We dropped -over on to an earthy floor, and going a little farther found ourselves -in a domical chamber with three low exits. First of all exploring -that on our left, we had a look at a slanting shaft filled with a -"ruckle" of big shattered blocks wedged insecurely, above which are -two small chambers incrusted with stalagmite, but with no apparent -exit. We climbed down again, and tried the third opening. It led -through a series of caves and narrow clefts into a larger chamber, -all maintaining the same easterly direction, and there we found two -possible ways onward. The first of these brought us in a few moments -to the brink of a steep cliff, which seemed to be one wall of a -considerable cavern. We preferred to wait for the limelight before -venturing to let a man down into this unknown abyss, and meanwhile -to examine the other passage. A few minutes' crawling brought us to -a great pit, which sounded very deep when we threw in some fragments -of rock. Apparently it was the chasm that had been described to us as -300 feet deep by one of our guides who had descended part of the way. -We approached the edge with respect, and as a preliminary step let -down a rope ladder into the upper part, which is strangely twisted. At -a depth of 20 feet I found a possible landing-place; the second man -joined me, and by dint of careful manoeuvring the third got down to -the same spot. With an 80-foot rope tied on, I now explored the next -section of the chasm, and was delighted to find that there was just -enough rope to reach a slope of big rocks at the bottom. A little more -scrambling brought me into a vast chamber, the floor of which was piled -up with enormous blocks, while the lowest part seemed to offer two -possible routes onwards. One of these proved to be a mere hollow, but -the other was evidently the channel of a stream, and apparently led -onwards into further caves. But the roof was extremely low, and it was -quite impossible to wriggle through. One of my companions, who had now -joined me, also failed to squeeze through the opening, and we decided -to leave it until the hole could be enlarged with pick and shovel. -The alleged 300 feet was found by aneroid to be exactly 100 feet. In -a corner of this lofty cavern was a steep fissure which seemed to be -well worth exploring. The bottom half of it was completely walled in -by an enormous flake of Limestone that had come down from the roof, -and looked as if a touch would send it tumbling on the heaps of rock -at the bottom of the cave. We scrambled up the fissure at the back of -this, and reached a promising gallery; but, to our disgust, this was -entirely blocked up with clay and mud at the top, and it was impossible -to proceed. Gaining the summit of the huge Limestone flake, we lit up -the cave with magnesium wire, and were deeply impressed by its height -and the grandeur of the shattered crags bristling on walls, roof, -and floor. Everything was black, save one long, dripping cascade of -stalagmite on the wall over against us; its unsullied whiteness shone -weirdly out of the gloom as the fierce light fell on it. Just at that -moment voices were heard, and from a rent in the rocky wall in front -the intolerable beam of the searchlight came right in our faces. The -remainder of the party had followed us up, and reached the spot where -we had first looked over into the deep chasm. Revealed in all its -extent by this penetrating light, the cave reminded us strongly of -the enormous chamber that we had explored a few months earlier in the -lowest part of the Blue John Mine in Derbyshire. On the way back one of -the acetylene lamps fell down the pit by which we had entered, and was -completely smashed. With no other mishap, we made our way through the -tortuous passages and amongst the chaos of tumbled rock masses back to -the cavern under "Solomon's Temple." - -Two of us explored the openings above "St. Paul's" a few days later. A -30-foot ladder was placed against the corner of the stalagmite fall, -and a yard or two of scrambling took us to the top. On the left was an -ascending vault, with openings to right and left. Taking the latter -to begin with, we found it gradually trend downhill and dwindle away -into a series of holes scarcely big enough to let a human body pass. -Squeezing through with a good deal of trouble, I reached a flattish -cave with a floor of rock and stalagmite all cracked and fissured. -The whole of this part seemed to have been shivered by some large -movement of the rocky strata. One of the fissures gave entrance to a -passage underneath the floor; but this speedily narrowed, and when -it was impossible to get farther I found myself right underneath my -companion, who was holding my rope and paying it out as I advanced -from his original position in the outer passage. No other exit being -discoverable on this side, we crossed to the passage on the right, and -after a few yards of crawling under a depressed roof we found ourselves -on the largest expanse of stalagmite either of us had ever met with. -It had flowed down from fissures high up on our left and spread over -a wide, rocky slope; it had then contracted and poured over a cliff -immediately on our right. We still kept the rope taut, and moved about -cautiously, for the crystalline floor was extremely slippery, and the -cliff immediately beneath us would have made the slightest accident -serious. A broad flat roof of rock overhung the floor of stalagmite -closely, and was covered with thin pipes and reeds of stalactite. We -soon ascertained that we had returned by a different route to the crown -of the petrified cascade in "St. Paul's," although a craggy partition -separated us from our route up the ladder. We explored the edges of -this huge surface of stalagmite, which we could not measure, having no -better light to guide us than a few tapers, but which could not be much -less than 100 feet wide. Where the deposits came down through crevices -at the top they had settled in jewelled and diapered masses of the most -fantastic patterns. Our situation was, however, too precarious for -lingering in this strange spot, and without another man to back one up -it was impossible to explore the hole at the top. We gave up our quest -reluctantly and returned towards our ladder, incrusted from head to -foot with the thick, plastic clay. A convenient knob of stalagmite -enabled us to give the rope a hitch whilst we scrambled down to the top -of our ladder. - -One other passage from the main cavern was explored, with a curious -cluster of vertical cavities near its extremity. The end of the -passage was coated in every direction with tinted deposits, among -which we noticed beautiful specimens of the branching stalactites -that were called _anemolites_ by the explorers of the Blue John -caverns, who thought they had acquired their abnormal shapes through -the irregularity of evaporation caused by air currents. I climbed 30 -or 40 feet up one of the openings in the roof, whilst Dr. Sheldon -explored another. At the top we found no exits big enough to afford -a man passage. A wider cavity in the middle of the roof looked more -promising. A ladder was adjusted, but fell short; but my companion, -with considerable risk of a dangerous fall, clambered up to the rocky -slope and over the piles of jagged blocks that well-nigh filled it. -This too failed to afford us a passage, and the daring climber had -great difficulty in coming down, being forced to thread the rope and -let himself down on it to the ladder. During the operation a flake of -rock came hurtling down and hit the ladder, but luckily did nothing -worse than smash a rung. These cavities in the roof were extremely -interesting, and no doubt are connected together and have a common -origin in some neighbouring fissure or waterway. - - - - -FIVE CAVERNS AT CHEDDAR - - -The Cheddar gorge, which is the deepest and narrowest defile, and -on its south side presents the loftiest face of absolutely vertical -rock in England, is not dissimilar, though far superior in height -and grandeur, to the Winnats pass in Derbyshire. The huge chasm runs -east-north-east across the dip of the Limestone beds, which are tilted -up towards the saddle of Mendip; one of its sides, consequently, is -formed mainly of shelving rock, and the other is almost continuously -precipitous. If, as may be assumed with confidence, the original -cause of the ravine was a stream or streams flowing through a chain -of caverns, one would naturally expect to find openings on the abrupt -side through which the underground waters were successively tapped, -and followed the trend of the strata to a lower level. This view is -confirmed by observation. Except at the jaws of the defile, where -both sides are equally high and precipitous, there are no caves on -the northern side, but on the south openings both large and small -are frequent, some narrow and lofty--"slitters," they are called -locally--the others low and wide, according as they originated in a -vertical joint or a bedding plane. They occur at various levels, some -on inaccessible shelves high up in the cliffs, others along the base. -But the larger number of these openings have in the lapse of time -become silted up with clay and débris, so that the entrance is either -completely masked or it is impossible to penetrate far without toilsome -work with pick and shovel. - -After exploring the Great Cavern our party of four devoted some time -to an examination of these openings, so far as could be done without -excavating. There are three important caverns in close proximity to -the Great Cavern, or Gough's. The best known is Cox's, a small but -exceedingly beautiful stalactite cavern (see frontispiece). No one -interested in caves would think of visiting Cheddar without seeing -the Great Cavern, nor would any such person dream of missing Cox's. -Each is the complement of the other as a piece of underground scenery. -The spacious vaults and vast stalagmite falls of the one fill one -with a sense of power and majesty; the other is a gem of fantastic -architecture, embellished with the most lawless and fairy-like designs -of the subterranean artificer, and unique in one respect--the wealth -and diversity of the mineral deposits that have dyed its multiform -incrustations with luminous tints. No sane man, however, would attempt -to describe Cox's Cavern in detail, and a photograph can give only -colourless glimpses of its kaleidoscopic beauties. The cavern seems, -at first sight, to be a solitary freak of nature, having no connection -with the general system of caves and streams. But since the visit just -referred to, several new passages have been opened, among them the -interesting water-tunnel with its ebb and flow corresponding to the -movements of the Cheddar Water outside, which, as already described, -flows at a higher level. Of three other good-sized fissures or ancient -channels radiating from the same large chamber, two after a while -dwindle away almost to nothing, but the third has indications of a -channel striking downwards, which it might be worth while to clear of -rubbish. All these passages were choked with clay until quite recently. - -[Illustration: IN COX'S CAVERN AT CHEDDAR. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: GREAT RIFT CAVERN, CHEDDAR GORGE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -The next cave also is of minor interest to the speleologist, although -it contains many curious sights. It is called "Gough's Old Cavern," -and its entrance is close to the mouth of the Great Cavern. It is an -ascending cleft, apparently not linked at present with the other caves, -although it was once probably a sloping aven draining into the big -series of caverns that have been gradually cut back by the falling in -of the defile. Whoever likes such things may find here plenty of those -freaks and alleged similitudes that puzzle and delight the ordinary -sightseer. On a stalagmite excrescence nicknamed the "Ribs of Beef" we -had the luck to see a far more interesting phenomenon. The calcite mass -was clustered over with a number of motionless black objects, which -we found to be roosting bats, hanging head downwards by their claws. -They were not disturbed in the least by our presence, and one that -was lifted off gently just showed his teeth and claws, and clung on -again as fast as ever when replaced on the rock to resume his patient -sleep. A photograph of this curious sight was obtained by means of the -flashlight. At the head of the cave are several incrusted grottoes, -where the process of deposition is still going on, roof and walls -streaming with moisture. This part is not unlike the show places in the -Bagshawe Cavern in the Peak of Derbyshire. - -In many respects the Roman Cave is much more interesting. Its mouth is -situated about 150 feet up the cliffs, almost immediately over the cave -just described. Quantities of Roman pottery, coins, bones, and other -remains, have been discovered there, showing it to be one of the places -that sheltered fugitives after the evacuation of Britain by the Roman -legions. The entrance is a broad anticlinal arch, and the main passage, -high-roofed and ascending gradually, runs east for perhaps a furlong. -Then the floor, which has been covered with earth and stones, becomes -rugged and rock-strewn, and suddenly we creep through a lowly portal -into a high and gloomy chamber, the shadowy corners of whose roof -our lights are too feeble to explore. To all appearances this was the -end of the cavern; but we had been told that the passage takes a turn -here and goes on nearly a quarter of a mile farther. We scanned every -part of the walls as far up as we could see, but no accessible opening -disclosed itself. In a recess on one side a number of fallen rocks -were piled up and wedged between the converging walls. To examine the -cavity from a vantage spot, we climbed with a good deal of difficulty -to the top of these, and there, to our astonishment, a wide passage -sloped up at right angles to the one we had entered by. A curious slit -in the wall opened into a perpendicular fissure that was situated right -in the roof of the latter, and through the hole we caught a glimpse of -our friends following us up. Three men now pushed on up the new passage -and entered a chamber whose sole exit was a small and uninviting hole. -We crawled and scraped through, and on over sharp stones till at last -we could get no farther. We had evidently doubled back over the main -cavern, and that we could not be far from the open air was shown by -the presence of a bewildered bat, who flew to and fro in the confined -space and hit us in the face several times. And in the extreme recess -of this narrow branch a steady draught of air blew in through a crevice -and nearly put the lights out. Through an oversight we found ourselves -at this point reduced to two tapers and a bit, and to economise we -kept only one alight at a time, so as to have enough for the return -journey. All went well, however, and the sole difficulty we met with -was in getting down over the wedged blocks in the big chamber, a climb -that proved extremely awkward when taken the reverse way. In many -parts of this cavern we noticed prodigious quantities of moths on the -walls, as well as many huge spiders. But a more interesting thing was -the vegetation naturalised in the caves, examples of which we found -in other Mendip caverns as well. It will be advisable to have them -examined by a botanical specialist. All I can say about them now is -that they consist of extremely slender branching tendrils, some white -and translucent, others brownish, thin as cotton. - -It was late in the afternoon when we entered the Roman Cavern; it -was dark now, and the stars were out. Returning in advance of the -others, I sat down just within the majestic gateway of the cavern, a -flattened arch about 100 feet wide resting on enormous rocky jambs, and -looked out across the deep wooded abyss where Cheddar lay, its lights -reflected here and there by the dark waters of the mere, towards the -craggy heights of Mendip opposite, just sinking down towards Sedgemoor. -The Great Bear was shining brightly right in front--it almost spanned -the breadth of the cave mouth; and the solemnity of the place and -the hour could not but bring to mind the miserable fugitives who sat -in this forlorn asylum, hemmed in by foes, and looked out on the -same giant constellation thrice five hundred years ago. The place is -admirably adapted for defence. A rear attack was of course impossible, -whilst a frontal attack by way of the cliffs would be easily repelled; -and a tolerable water-supply was to be found inside the cavern. The -huge natural glacis of the fortress is covered to-day with a dense -tangle of ivy and other climbers, through which we made our way -heedfully, for a slip would have been easy in the dark, and a terrible -fall the consequence. - -Next morning we strolled up the defile and looked at the mouths of -several caves that are now choked up. Two furlongs above its entrance -the ravine makes a double curve like a gigantic figure three. The -two crescents of beetling Limestone, with their jutting horns, that -appear to the astonished beholder underneath like towering pyramids -and slim aiguilles, rise to a vertical height of 430 feet, and, -being absolutely unassailable, they fill a crag climber's mind with -admiration tempered by regret. What enhances their grandeur, while it -softens the savage aspect of the sheer and ledgeless precipice, is the -bountiful vegetation clinging wherever it can find a hold, dark shrouds -of ivy and darker masses of yew standing out against the grey rock in -beautiful relief. Would the indomitable scramblers who haunt Lakeland -at Easter, we asked ourselves, have forced a way up these tremendous -"chimneys" if the Cheddar cliffs had been pitched somewhere in the -latitude of Wastdale? We went so far as to reconnoitre one alluring -fissure, 200 feet or more in length, but the gap between its base and -the first feasible lodgment was insuperable. Not far away a long talus -of scree marks the foot of an easy though rather sensational way to -the cliff top. Passing it by, we stopped at the mouth of a vertical -fissure that opens on to the roadway. It expands slightly inside, and -the roof soars higher and higher; then the floor breaks away, and the -two men who descended the next 80 feet had to be steadied by the rope. -The walls were wet and soft, being incrusted with a sticky calcareous -substance. At the bottom of the precipitous slope the magnesium ribbon -revealed the enormously lofty walls of a narrow chamber, whose farther -extent was blocked up by an accumulation of rocks and débris. - -Returning to the open air, we ascended to the cliff top, and, skirting -each promontory and rounding the edge of every bay, proceeded towards -the mouth of the defile on the lookout for openings. Not far from the -highest point we had noticed from the road a series of dark cavities. -One man scrambled along a ledge to the uppermost of these, and found -that it was merely a shallow niche, and another, on a ledge some 50 -feet lower, proved to be only 20 feet deep. He made a determined effort -to reach another fissure on the same level as the last but sundered -from it by a wide space of cliff which was covered with dense brambles. -Holding on to the prickly stems, and fighting his way through, he got -near enough to see into the fissure, but was quite unable to enter -it for a closer examination. An opening in the cliffs at a lower -point, but still some 200 feet above the road, led a long way into the -recesses of the Limestone strata, making two wide curves to the right, -but maintaining a generally easterly direction. The passages were very -low, narrow, and awkwardly shaped, involving a great deal of unpleasant -crawling; and when we reached the stalagmite grotto at the end we -found that it had been pillaged of every bit of calcite that could be -removed. This cavern, the "Long Hole," must have been the channel of a -stream that once flowed from somewhere on the other side of the gorge, -through the mass of rock that has now been swept away by the forces of -disintegration. Though several hundred feet long, it is but the tail -end of the cavern that once existed. - -The remainder of our time was devoted to two of the Burrington caverns, -on the opposite side of the Mendip Hills, and to a fruitless search -for a large chasm or swallet hole into which the drainage from the now -abandoned lead mines on the top of Mendip used to fall and ultimately -find its way to Cheddar, where it poisoned the trout stream. A score -or more of years ago I saw these mines, still in working order; but -now the dried-up pools and the wilderness of refuse, with fragments of -ruined buildings, look as old almost as the remains of the Roman mines. -Of the important opening that we sought there is now no trace; it may -have been filled up intentionally and the stream allowed to revert -to its old channel, whence it had been turned artificially. Hard by, -in the Long Wood near Charterhouse, and elsewhere, there are smaller -swallets that we were already acquainted with; and there are others at -Priddy, the waters of which find an exit farther to the east. - -The ground we were on is well known to readers of Walter Raymond's -romances, and we were much interested when it was pointed out that the -lonely house facing us was the actual Ubley Farm that figures in _Two -Men o' Mendip_. - - E. A. B. - - - - -THE BURRINGTON CAVERNS - - -Burrington Combe is a smaller Limestone defile on the north side of -Mendip--that is to say, the opposite side to that of Cheddar. It is -smaller, and because of its proximity to Cheddar it has to suffer -disadvantageous comparisons. Anywhere else the grandeur of Burrington -Combe, the magnificence of its crags, with dark, heather-clad Black -Down lowering behind them, and the beauty of the copses that lurk in -its corners and clamber up its precipices, would excite the admiration -of guide-books and attract crowds of tourists. Like the Cheddar defile, -Burrington Combe was doubtless formed by the gradual destruction of a -series of caverns, and there remains of that series a number of caves -or openings of blocked-up caves on either side of the ravine. Of these -the most important and the only one well known to speleologists is -Goatchurch Cavern, which was explored by Professor Boyd Dawkins in -1864. The next in importance is Aveline's Hole, discovered in 1796, -but not explored till 1820, when about fifty human skeletons were -found lying side by side with their weapons, a stalagmitic crust -sealing bones and implements to the floor. This cavern has since had -its mouth silted up by drainage from the road, so that troublesome -excavation will have to be undertaken before it can be entered again. -It would well repay a thorough exploration, for it is reported that -a natural pit, covered by a slab, has never yet been descended, and -leads probably into important cavities. Foxe's Hole is interesting for -its curious bosses of tufaceous stalactite. A nearly vertical cave, -Plumley's Den, has been stopped up with a plug of timber and stones -at the depth of 80 feet, in consequence of a fatal accident to a man -who tried to descend it in 1875. At a level probably a few feet below -that of the caves whose destruction was the origin of the Combe, a good -road with a grassy margin now ascends towards the top of Mendip, where -it joins the old Roman road that runs from "Severn Sea" to Old Sarum, -along the crown of the ridge. - -Our waggonette when we left the Bath Arms at Cheddar was piled up with -ropes, cameras, gas cylinders, condensers for the searchlight, and an -incredible amount of needful and superfluous things, for we were quite -unable to say what would be wanted. Climbing to the miniature mountain -pass across Mendip at Shipham was hard work for the horse, and we -walked up the hill. Dr. Sheldon and Mr. Bamforth were my companions. -Our clothes, still richly daubed with the clay and mire of the Cheddar -caverns, made our appearance both business-like and picturesque. The -north side of the Mendips is very different from the bleak and craggy -slopes on the south. From the broad bare top of the hills down to the -valley stretches, almost continuously, a deep mass of trees that looks -in the distance like a wall of dusky verdure. We drove between orchards -where great bushes of mistletoe grew on nearly every tree, till we -were within a few hundred yards of Burrington village; then, turning -towards Mendip, we drove through more orchards, till suddenly the rocky -entrance of the Combe appeared and we heard the clink of pick and -crowbar in the Limestone quarry not far from Plumley's Den. Half-way up -the gorge makes a sudden bend towards the east, a little below which -point a shallower ravine comes in on the other side. About 120 feet -above the bed of this dry ravine is the entrance to Goatchurch Cavern. -We coaxed the horse over the stony turf and up the ravine till the -roughness of the ground and the thickness of the bramble bushes stopped -him. At this point we were met by the lord of the manor, Mr. James -Gibson of Langford, who is the owner of the Burrington caves. His men -assisted us to get our apparatus up to the cave mouth, and afterwards -convoyed us and the luggage throughout the less difficult parts of the -cavern. - -A few years ago the entrance to Goatchurch Cavern was an insignificant -hole, through which adventurous boys used to crawl as far as the -first considerable chamber, where Professor Boyd Dawkins found a few -remains of extinct animals. Owing to the depredations which were made -by neighbouring villagers in search of specimens of calcite, Mr. -Gibson recently had the entrance enlarged and closed with a padlocked -gate, the public being admitted only on certain days of the week or -by appointment. It is a pity this step was not taken before many of -the finer stalactites had been carried away. In this long chamber, -the floor of which is covered with sheets and bosses of dripstone, we -entered some of the funnel-shaped openings in the roof by means of a -ladder, but soon perceived that no discoveries were to be made that -way. At the end of the chamber a precipitous hole goes down to the -left, and fixed ropes are used for getting into the lower galleries. -We found ourselves at once entering on a maze of passages, where -the presence of our guides saved valuable time. So intricate and -bewildering are these ramifications that Mr. Balch tells me that he -discovered a passage some years ago that led him eventually to a much -deeper part of the cavern than had ever been reached before, but every -attempt to rediscover the passage since has failed. In spite of our -efforts to examine every branch of the various passages, we also missed -this important link. It would seem that the solid mass of the hill has -been shivered here into vast, roughly cubical fragments, between which -lie the irregular passages and narrow chambers of the cavern. Many -tempting galleries lead the explorer on and on till they dwindle to a -mere rabbit hole, or till he finds himself wedged in the cleft between -two enormous surfaces of rock. Disorderly accumulations of boulders -and splinters cover the floor; there is hardly a level spot anywhere, -and it is desirable to explore every yard carefully with a taper or a -lantern to avoid the consequences of a rash step. We crawled on hands -and knees and wormed along through insignificant holes, making our way -into spots that had probably not been inspected before; but we always -came back to the main channel, where our guides were waiting, having -made no noteworthy find. - -Assembling again in a more roomy chamber, about 140 feet below the -entrance, we all proceeded along a tunnel that showed evident traces of -the action of a stream to another chamber, where the sound of running -water came up from a grim-looking chasm. Only two of us went beyond -this point. The rest secured the rope, whilst we climbed down the -steep hole into a large cavern through which the stream runs from the -swallet hole in the ravine outside on its way to Rickford Rising, where -it issues in considerable volume. The stream has a somewhat puzzling -course after leaving the cavern, for it runs underground athwart -Burrington Combe and through the solid hill opposite, Burrington Ham. -This stream, as Professor Boyd Dawkins pointed out, was doubtless the -originating cause of Goatchurch Cavern, running in at the present -mouth, which is now dry. The ravine outside has since been hollowed -out to a further depth of 120 feet, and the stream finds its way in at -a lower level. The Professor also describes a very pretty experiment. -Having taken the temperature of the stream before it enters the cave, -he tested it again after it had run some distance underground, finding -that it was here several degrees cooler. It is obvious that a colder -stream must have joined it at some unknown point midway. - -The nethermost series of chambers and passages are not very different -from those above, their shape rugged and irregular, and their floor -heaped up with fragments of all sizes. We reached no lower point than -that attained by previous explorers--that is, 220 feet below the -entrance, as measured by aneroid. Squeezing with difficulty through -the deepest fissure, I found myself in a small cave, whence, turning -round, I only perceived one exit. It looked and felt so small that I -despaired of pushing through and turned to go back, when it suddenly -occurred to me that this was the hole I had come in by, and there was -no other way out. Such little incidents often happen in cave work, -but most often in such a complicated network of tunnels and fissures -as the Goatchurch Cavern, where we were quite convinced that an -important passage ran due east until the compass assured us that the -direction was west. Clambering up a steep bank of stiff clay out of the -lowest cave, we reached a vaulted grotto with a cascade of stalagmite -flowing down one side. On the edge of this a sloping passage disclosed -itself, lined with stalagmite, and we ascended it in the expectation -of finding something new. It brought us by an easy scramble back to -the upper cave, whence we had descended on the rope; and with little -more deviation from the main passages we made our way back to the cave -mouth, where a well-earned lunch was waiting. - -But little time was wasted in examining the silted-up entrance to -Aveline's Hole and another cave mouth, and the next halt was made at -Plumley's Den. Tying two Alpine ropes together, a pair of us descended -this ancient pothole as far as the artificial pile of débris that -blocks it up. One man was hit rather severely by a dislodged stone--a -serious danger in caves of this sort--and in returning he dropped and -smashed his acetylene lamp. The hole is effectually plugged, a tree and -a quantity of stone having been flung in after Plumley's fatal mishap; -and until Mr. Gibson carries out his proposal to remove the stones that -block it, the 200 feet which are said, on doubtful authority, to lie -beyond can never be explored. Mr. Gibson also proposes to bore a new -entrance from the Combe into the lower series of caves at Goatchurch. -Above Plumley's Den a magnificent rib of Limestone, like those at -Matlock, springs nearly to the hilltop; and over the way a picturesque -pile of crag comes out to meet it, and is known as the "Rock of Ages," -from the tradition that Toplady, the divine, taking shelter under it -from a storm, composed his famous hymn there. - -Still piloted by our kind host, we walked across Burrington Ham and saw -the brook which we had heard babbling amid the silence of Goatchurch -Cavern flowing out, a strong body of water, at Rickford Rising, after -a subterranean course of about two miles from its sources high up on -Black Down. - -Rickford Rising is in the Secondary beds, but a short mile up the -beautiful Combe at whose outlet it lies, a Limestone ridge comes down -to the road. Hard by the extremity is a hole in the rocky ground, now -almost entirely choked with stones, but not so many years ago an open -pit. It is known as the "Squire's Well." Here, in times of continuous -rain, a body of water issues forth, often flooding the road. It seems -to be connected with the water-channels that feed Rickford Rising, to -which it acts as a safety valve. To open it would not be a very serious -affair, and might discover something interesting. - -At the back of Mendip Lodge, on the hill immediately west of Burrington -Combe, the hilltop is cut up by innumerable ravines ending in -swallets, the water of which comes to light again in a large stream -in the Yeo valley near Upper Langford, about a mile away. Several of -these swallets look as if they would repay the trouble of a little -excavation; and the size of the stream at the point of issue indicates -the existence of large cavities in the line of its subterranean course. - - E. A. B. - - - - -THE CORAL CAVE AT COMPTON BISHOP - - -A cave just discovered near Compton Bishop, on the skirts of Mendip, -furnishes valuable evidence in corroboration of the theory that the -Limestone caverns of this region were formed at a period enormously -anterior to that generally accepted. It is situated a little way up the -slope of Wavering Down, only a short distance above the upper limit -of the red marl laid down in the Triassic age, unconformably on the -denuded edges of the Carboniferous Limestone. - -We had been engaged in some exploring work in the Cheddar caves, the -results of which were of a negative kind, but none the less important, -as modifying the lines of costly excavation. Accompanied by the Messrs. -Gough, the proprietors of the great cave at Cheddar, we proceeded late -in the day to Axbridge, where Mr. Balch joined the party. Our goal was -a certain cavern, explored about a century ago, and described by the -antiquary Phelps, but now little known. This purpose was, however, -not carried out that day, for in making inquiries about the cave as -we passed through the village of Cross, we got wind of a cavern that -had never yet been explored, and was therefore treasure-trove to such -ardent cave workers. Two years ago, in blasting for stone to line a -drinking-place for cattle, a farmer had blown a hole into the top of -a subterranean cavity. Two 30-rung ladders were lashed together, so -we learned, and a bold countryman, secured by a cart-rope, descended -into the mysterious hollow, alighting on a slope of shifting stones -and earth, whence he could see a second chasm, black as Tophet and of -unknown profundity, yawning beneath him. No one would venture on this -further descent; a rock was rolled against the opening to prevent sheep -or incautious persons from tumbling in, and there for the time being -was an end of the matter. - -Our first task was to withdraw this formidable plug. It was a sound, -unfissured block of Mountain Limestone, weighing perhaps half a ton. We -thought that six men with a rope ought to move it easily; but we could -not make it budge. A spade and a crowbar were fetched, with which we -laboured diligently for an hour; but the only effect was to drop the -stone deeper into the hole. A sledgehammer was now obtained from the -nearest smithy, and one after another we attacked the foe with might -and main. At length it yielded. Pieces flaked off, and at last it -split; the fragments tumbled into the chasm, and the rock, diminished -to half its former size, was rolled away. The job had taken two hours -and a half, and it was now dark. - -Mr. Balch and I cast lots for the honour of the first descent: it fell -to me. An Alpine Club rope was tied on as life-line, whilst a 70-foot -cotton rope was to be used for lowering and lifting. Slung in a bight -of the latter, I was carefully let down over the cliff-like face below -the entrance. The cavity formed part of a huge choked swallet, which -extended up into the hill above the point where we had been working, -and ran away obliquely underneath, so that I was coming down from a -hole perforating one corner of the roof. Over against the hole was -the steep slope of earth and scree already mentioned, steep almost -as a wall, and the scree so loose that it seemed to be in a state -of suspended animation. As soon as one came into contact with the -treacherous stuff, an avalanche of stones was launched, and I sought -in vain for a spot where it would be safe to unrope and await the next -man. The cliff down which I had been lowered was undercut by a wide -archway, through which I looked into a black, forbidding pit gaping at -the bottom. With nowhere to rest, and with the risk of falling stones, -it was obviously wiser to finish the descent before another man started. - -Tying the loose rope round me (for it was necessary to swing out under -the arch), I was let down slowly, and began to slip over a smooth, -greasy rock-face into the unknown cavity. At 60 feet from the ground -I alighted at the top of a slope of stones, and was able to remove -the ropes and scramble to the bottom. Lighting some magnesium wire, -I found myself in a bell-shaped chamber about 65 feet high, opening -above by the precipitous archway into the upper cavity, and on the -other side into an ascending vault running north-west. All around -were the indelible marks of water action in the remote past. On the -upper side the rocks were carved and pitted as by the swirling of a -violent torrent. But there was now no sign of running water, only the -drip, drip from the moist roof; and the outlet of the ancient stream -at the bottom of the cavern was blocked up by a deep accumulation of -débris. Among the countless fragments strewn all over the floor I found -a large stone covered with a mass of dog-tooth crystals, clear as -diamonds and large as walnuts. But at the very bottom of the place was -something even more lovely, myriads upon myriads of exquisite spicules -of carbonate, some little more than specks of red, orange, and amber, -but thousands like wee tendrils of coral three-eighths of an inch -in length. They were the growth, through age after age, of a splash -deposit from the roof or from the stream that had disappeared. Such a -formation is not rare in water caverns; but in such beauty of shape and -hue it is rare indeed, for these tender little crystal flowers took -all manner of forms, blossoming ofttimes into wreaths and clusters -like a miniature coral. One of the most exquisite and most puzzling -features was that the dots and spicules were often arranged in set -patterns, symmetrical and even geometrical, in tiny circles, squares, -and triangles, by the rhythmic action of the waters that had left this -beautiful record of their passage. We named the cave the Coral Cavern. - -As the descent had not been direct, and there might be difficulty in -recovering the ropes if once let go, it seemed most prudent that no -one should follow me down for the present. Climbing the slopes of -rocks and scree that led up through a lofty vault to the north-west, -I reached a height of considerably more than 100 feet above the floor -of the Coral Cavern, the present floor of which is 90 feet below the -point of entrance. The open way then came to an end abruptly, in a tiny -grotto, at a distance of 240 feet from that point. But hard by there -were funnel-like cavities penetrating the roof, and hinting at the -proximity of a Secondary swallet hole on the hillside close overhead. -Evidently, when the cave was in working order, in times of indefinable -remoteness, a big stream had run down this steep vaulted passage, and -united with the main stream at the bottom, both then pursuing their way -into the fissures of the rock, and ultimately finding an exit into the -open air at some point now buried under Triassic deposits. Enormous -slabs of Limestone, smooth, and fitting close over each other like -boiler-plates, formed the sloping floor of this tunnel on one side. -These too were a conspicuous testimony to powerful water action. - -At present the red marl of the Trias comes nearly up to the artificial -entrance of the cavity. It is obvious that when the cave was occupied -by a stream, its waters must have found a vent some distance below the -upper limit of the marl; whence it necessarily follows that the marl -has been laid down here since that period. Much evidence has been -gathered in the course of our cave work in the Mendips to show that -many of the caverns are older than the vast accumulations of Dolomitic -Conglomerate and other deposits of Triassic age, but nowhere is the -proof put so clearly and concisely as by the new cave at Compton Bishop. - -My stay underground was cut short by the fear that the others would -grow impatient. I was hauled up without mishap, save that at one point -the cotton rope stuck fast in a cleft, and I had to pull myself up hand -over hand on the life-line. Two men then went down, with the result we -had dreaded--the rope could not be got back to the last man without -extreme difficulty. Only after tying on stone after stone, and making -many a cast in vain, did we ultimately restore communication. He came -up; the guardian block was pushed back into its place; and at a late -hour we struck down the hillside home. - -A day or two later we set out once more to find Phelps's Cavern. It -opens on the very crest of the ridge leading up to Crook Hill, or, as -it is more commonly known to-day, Crook's Peak, a sharp Limestone spur, -running south-east from the western extremity of Wavering Down. At the -foot of the hill, near the road, we came across a small cave, called -the Fox's Hole, which we searched thoroughly for any continuation -upwards or downwards, but in vain. After a great deal of jamming and -squeezing, we got in to a distance of 50 feet, where a low chamber -has holes between wall and floor that had acted as a water-sink to -some ancient system of cavities. But the floor was heaped with stones, -and in spite of our efforts to clear these out, we did not discover a -single hole big enough to enter. This small cave is, doubtless, but the -tail end of the cavern that once existed here; and, indeed, the large -cavern at the hilltop must be little more than a fragment of what it -was. Crook's Peak seems to be the mere skeleton of a hill. To account -for the presence of such a cavern at the summit, one must postulate -a large drainage area in days gone by, and a general configuration -entirely opposite to the present. The higher part of the hill is but a -Limestone shell enclosing these ancient, and now waterless, caverns. - -The big cavern is known as Denny's Hole. Descending the sloping side -of an open pit, we found ourselves under an arch of mighty span, the -crown of which was formed by the rock-wall on the other side. Under -this arch the floor sloped precipitously into the jaws of the cavern; -then the roof came close down, and the farther passages wound onwards -as low tunnels, descending steeply into the entrails of the hill. It -is easy enough to get to a considerable depth and distance in the -largest of these, but the journey is not specially interesting, for the -place has been looted by adventurous rustics, and serious exploration -is at present brought to a standstill by the enormous quantities of -loose stones filling every cavity in the floor. Coming back to the -cave mouth, we were struck by the grandeur of the vestibule, which has -every appearance of being the remains of a great subterranean chamber, -the pit-like entrance, through which we look up to the sky and the -sunshine, being the remnant of a cave-tunnel, once perhaps of very -considerable length. - -Phelps had alluded to another chamber, of some beauty, to be attained, -at the expense of divers wrenches and abrasions, by a certain tortuous -passage leading out of the vestibule. After diligent search we found a -hole in the floor at one corner, but it seemed to be only a foot or two -deep. Kicking about for some time, with body half in and half out of -the hole, I managed to shift some loose stones, and felt space below. -But the space proved, on experiment, at least as excellent a place of -torment as Phelps's description had been able to do justice to. The -passage doubled back upon itself at once, and twisted here and there -like a corkscrew. Only by obstinate wriggling were we able to worm a -way down to the low cavity at the bottom. Two blind passages started -therefrom, and in one wall was a long, horizontal slit, with some big -place beyond, as we judged from the sound of the stones we threw in. -In various cautious attitudes we inserted ourselves into the slit. The -drop inside, though fearful to anticipate, was a matter of only a few -feet. - -The cave we found ourselves in was a sort of double chamber, with -vestiges of a partition across the middle; the whole was some 40 feet -in length. At one end was a pool of water, stagnant at present, or -nearly so. Close by, a low fissure sloped downwards to a vertical hole -or pot that sounded deep; but we could not get near it for the spikes -of stalactite that guarded it on all sides. This chamber, which we -thought must communicate with the series reached by the main passage -from the vestibule, seems to have been hardly ever visited. We heard -a story of a lady's pet dog that had been lost here for a week, and -was not found, although a tempting reward was offered, until a farmer, -who told us the story, explored the corkscrew tunnel leading to this -cave. He found the poor beast shivering on the edge of the slit we -had come in by, afraid to jump. Even the farmer, who thought he knew -all the ramifications of this perplexing cavern, did not seem to have -reached this chamber, the natural ornaments of which showed no trace of -specimen-hunting. - -Returning to daylight, we examined a cave vent in the ground hard by, -where a vapour was steaming up into the chilly air. The penetrable -portion was just big enough to accommodate the six feet two of our -tallest man. With some time left on our hands, we decided now to walk -on to Loxton, the next village, where another cave was situated on -a Limestone hilltop. There were only two miles to walk, so we did -not think it worth while to doff our cave panoply. Great was the -speculation that our unexampled appearance excited in the people we -met. We could not be tramps--in fact, we hardly looked respectable -enough; and yet our rucksacks, ropes, and cameras gave us an air of -distinction that was puzzling in the extreme. Faces crowded to the -windows at every house we passed, and at Loxton we had to run the -gauntlet of satiric observation. As we asked our way to the quarry at -Loxton, the general conclusion was that we were in quest of a job there. - -This cave must have been a very interesting one long ago, but now it -is like those at Compton Bishop, only a remnant; and besides what has -been destroyed by natural denudation, a great deal has been damaged by -the gradual approaches of a Limestone quarry on the side of the hill. -This has exposed the outlets of several passages. A labyrinth of low -galleries remains, with a few larger hollows here and there; but of -whatever beauty they once possessed they have long been denuded by -the devastating village boy, who has found the intricacies of Loxton -Cavern a perfect paradise. It does not follow that the cave would -necessarily not pay for a thorough exploration. If some of the lower -reaches were carefully examined, entrances would very likely be found -into still nether caverns, of which these dry channels were at one time -the feeders. But the work would be peculiarly difficult on account of -the smallness of the open spaces, and the result uncertain. Yet the -Limestone of the Mendips is so thick--the thickest in England--and the -parts that have been explored are so honeycombed with cavities and -passages, that every gateway into this strange underworld promises -more or less reward. It is somewhere in the neighbourhood of Loxton -and Banwell that the famous "Gulf" was discovered in the days of the -old lead miners. In driving an extensive level through a hill, at a -point 80 fathoms below the summit, they came upon a gigantic rift. A -man was let down on a long rope--so tradition reports--and when he had -descended to the full extent of it he was unable to see either walls -or bottom of the tremendous abyss. We are probably on the track of -this monster cavity, an exploration of which will entail labour and -fortitude. That and the exploration of the swallet at Hillgrove, when -it is opened, are the two most fascinating problems awaiting us in the -immediate future. - - E. A. B. - - - - -LAMB'S LAIR - - -A few years ago the Great Western opened what they called the Wrington -Vale Light Railway up the valley of the Yeo, which borders Mendip -on the north. A few miles beyond its present terminus lie the two -Harptrees, in the heart of a sequestered countryside of great pastoral -beauty. Here, where nowadays all the pursuits are agricultural, a great -deal of mining was carried on in years gone by, the relics of which are -still visible in the surface workings, grown over with grass. In the -upland ravines of Lamb's Bottom, near the top of the Mendip plateau, -these are very numerous, and seem to be the work of both lead miners -and searchers for black oxide of manganese. Early in the eighteenth -century a cavern of prodigious size and beauty was discovered in this -locality; but, by one of those curious accidents which are by no -means infrequent in the history of caves, it was lost, and its site -remained unknown for a hundred and twenty years. Its fame, however, -was cherished by the country folk, and the tradition of its fabulous -wonders induced a lord of the manor, a quarter of a century ago, to -offer a heavy monetary reward, which led to its rediscovery in the -year 1880. This new exploration made some noise at the time, and a -fair number of people ventured on a descent. The difficulties were -smoothed down considerably. Ladders were fixed in the shaft, which was -strengthened by timber supports, and in difficult parts of the lower -galleries; solid beds of arragonite were cut through, and a heavy -structure of timber, carrying a windlass, was built out on the verge -of an abyss, to make accessible the floor of the Great Chamber. Lamb's -Lair is even alluded to, though incorrectly, in the fourth edition of -Murray's Guide--that for 1882--and, for a while, great was the renown -of its unparalleled beauties. Then, as usually happens with cave -scenery when there is any difficulty or any peril involved, the novelty -and the popularity of Lamb's Lair waned; and now for a long period the -cave has been derelict, the timber erections have become rotten and -dangerous, and the only visit during many years previous to the one I -am about to describe nearly resulted in a catastrophe. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO LAMB'S LAIR, HARPTREE. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: PLAN AND SECTION OF THE GREAT CAVERN OF LAMB'S LAIR.] - -Our party of four had been engaged in some arduous work near Wells, and -a descent into Lamb's Lair meant a long drive across Mendip, nearly to -East Harptree. We were dropped by our waggonette, with a great pile of -apparatus, at a gate into a field. The field was part of the Lamb's -Bottom ravine, and we had some difficulty in locating the entrance to -our cavern among the innumerable workings and natural depressions that -cut up the surface. At length we caught sight of the end of a ladder -sticking out from a hole that was buried in brushwood, and straightway -we found ourselves on the brink of the 60-foot shaft. The uppermost -ladder was broken six feet from the top, and so was the second; neither -was fit to be trusted. We supported the broken part of the top ladder -with a forked branch, and I took up my station on a ledge 15 feet -down, to steady the things as they were lowered. Each man was roped -for the descent, for the crazy ladders, the decayed woodwork, and the -loose stones in the shaft all threatened disaster. At last all our -paraphernalia was safe at the bottom, and now a muddy progress began -through a narrow, dripping cleft into a low tunnel, that brought us, -after many windings, to the top of a fourth ladder. This one was not -so high, but it was quite as shaky as the others, and a member of the -party got a nasty blow on the shoulder from a beam connected with it, -that gave way whilst we were passing the luggage from hand to hand. - -Descending still through an irregular passage, we suddenly entered a -roomy vault with stalactites on the roof. Here the glories of Lamb's -Lair begin. In a few moments we shall be at the threshold of the -incomparable Beehive Chamber, and thence, to a point far beyond what -we can attain to-day, the poetry and witchery of cave scenery are -at their finest. Stumbling over the irregularities of the crystal -floor, we see dimly, by the light of our candles, great luminous arcs -bending over our heads; and then, catching sight of a regularly shaped -hemisphere rising out of the darkness and dwarfing the cave with its -enormous proportions, we realise that this is the Beehive Chamber. When -the limelight is brought in, and its fierce beams play upon the wild -arcades and groining of this fantastic vault, we are astounded by the -wealth and brilliance and extraordinary variety of the incrustations: -not a rib, not a corner of bare rock remains visible; every inch of -floor and walls and roof has been thickly coated with the calcareous -enamel. The Beehive itself, 12 feet high and enormous in girth, is not -more astonishing for its size than for the regularity of its shape. It -is probably the largest boss of stalagmite in England. The sides are -streaked with white and yellow bands, which enhance the weird symmetry -and polish of its appearance; and, on the summit, wide enough for a man -to walk about, we noticed that a number of stalactites, fallen from the -vault above, had become embedded in its mass, and were slowly being -crusted over with the ceaseless deposits. All over the chamber there -is a continuous patter of water-drops, carrying on the work of the -ages, and laying film after film of lustre on the imageries of this -hidden shrine, which man has visited so rarely. To right and left of -the Beehive the uneven floor descends into deep recesses--which we see -as we draw nigh to be rocky porches adorned with the most magnificent -incrustations--leading into two passages. These two porches, the arch -by which we have entered, and the wild vaulting that rises to an apex -over our heads amid a profusion of glistening stalactites, are the -dominant features of this piece of fairy architecture. But who can -count or describe the gleaming volutes and scrolls that wind over the -walls in brilliant confusion, the clustered corbels whence random ribs -spring towards the roof, the lace-like fringe of delicate stalactites -that hangs from every ridge, or the gnome-like fingers and ghoulish -faces, staring and pointing downwards, that one seems to discern amid -the disordered sculpture of roof and walls? - -A broken bottle of paraffin and some pieces of cotton-waste, evidently -the relics of the last party who had used them to light up the Beehive -Chamber years ago, were lying in a corner just as they were left. In -one of the galleries I noticed the marks of fingers and the impress of -the clothes of a man who had crawled along the clay floor--as fresh as -if he had been there an hour ago. This changelessness of everything -fills one with a certain awe; but what impresses one as still more -wonderful is that all this consummate beauty and grandeur should lie -concealed and unknown in the midst of modern England, only a few miles -away from important cities, but unvisited by a soul for long periods -of years, while the country people seem hardly aware of the cave's -existence. Were the cave easily accessible, one can hardly question -that crowds of sightseers would be attracted, and much of the charm -would be dispelled, even if its treasures were not ransacked. For the -present these are perfectly safe. - -[Illustration: THE "BEEHIVE" CHAMBER, LAMB'S LAIR. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: STALACTITE WALL, LAMB'S LAIR. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -From the Beehive Chamber a passage winds downward under one of the -glorious porches already described, and on and on between walls of -calcspar and arragonite, toward the chief wonder of Lamb's Lair, the -Great Chamber. The original passage was low and difficult, and early -explorers cut a deeper way through solid beds of arragonite, whose -miraculous whiteness glistens on every side as we advance. So enormous -is the thickness of this compact and fine-grained variety of the -calcium carbonate, with its delicate lines of crystallisation showing -transparently where it is shattered, that fully three and a half feet -are shown in section, a wall of snowy brilliance; and one cannot judge -how much more is hidden. The tunnel widens into an arch of reddish -rock, covered with sparry reliefs; then suddenly we find ourselves -stepping on a plank, and out of the darkness ahead starts up the gaunt -shape of a windlass. We have reached the spot where the gallery breaks -into the upper part of the Great Chamber; under our feet is a black -void, and further progress is forbidden. The gallery ends on a sloping -bevel, 10 feet wide, that dips steeply into the chasm. On this bevel, -which overhangs by many feet the receding wall of the Great Chamber, a -timber platform was erected a quarter of a century ago. It is a sort of -cantilever, with the windlass resting on the long arms. We moved here -with utmost caution, hardly venturing to place a foot on the time-worn -structure without holding on to the rocks at the side. On the last -occasion that the cavern was visited, some years ago, a fatal accident -was averted almost by a miracle. The rope broke while Mr. Balch was -descending; he fell about 60 feet, on to the broken rocks beneath, -checking his fall by catching at a tangle of line that was hanging -near. His hands were cut to the bone, and he lay at the bottom stunned -for a quarter of an hour, and has hardly ceased to feel the effects -of the shaking. Naturally, he now felt little inclination to venture -another descent, especially as he told us that the rickety state of the -platform has filled him with grave doubts as to its safety if weight -were put on it. - -At present, beyond the stark shape of the windlass, darkness reigned. -We flung blocks of arragonite out into the void. There was an interval -of silence, then a crash on the hard floor, and the missile burst -into fragments. When the ray of our 2000-candle-power searchlight -flashed across the abyss, we found ourselves looking into a chamber -whose weird majesty held us spellbound. Its height is 110 feet, and -the walls curve gradually over in an irregular dome. Hardly a square -foot of this mighty wall-space is blank. Stripes and reticulations -and pendulous lacework run all over it in enchanting disorder. Here a -snow-white flood of calcite drops from an unseen cleft, there a cascade -of many colours ripples down from roof to floor. There are great sheets -of opaline enamel, curtains drooping in massy folds, silken fabrics -wrinkled over the face of the rock, all giving one the sense of motion -suddenly arrested, and of light and colour captured from the rainbow -and sleeping here in the darkness, waiting year after year for our lamp -to awaken it to life and beauty. - -[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO GREAT CHAMBER, LAMB'S LAIR. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - -[Illustration: LARGEST CHAMBER IN SOMERSET, LAMB'S LAIR, HARPTREE. - -_From Sketch by H. E. Balch._] - -The cylinder of oxygen and the ether saturator were pushed out as far -as we dared, and the camera was set up on the edge of the platform, -to secure at least a glimpse of this hall of wonders. We were told -what lay beyond. Another gallery, begemmed as richly as the one behind -us, leads on and on, until a high chamber is reached, into which -water pours over a sheet of snowy stalagmite, 60 feet high. We could -not descend into the Great Chamber, but we intended to light it up. -A tinful of Bengal fire was put into an iron saucer, hanging from -a string by iron wires; and this with a light attached was lowered -through the hole in the platform, whereon we lay extended at full -length looking over into the gulf. There was a fizz, and then the -fierce radiance swept from side to side of the huge vault, staining the -sheets and curtains and cascades of white a splendid crimson. The walls -sparkled blood-red as if set with rubies, and the blue-black sheets of -calcite marked by oxide of manganese were empurpled by the glow. We -fled before the pungent clouds of smoke that rose into our gallery, -back to the Beehive Chamber, leaving that glorious hall once more to -solitude and silence. - -The only other part we explored was the winding tunnel that begins -under the second porch in the Beehive Chamber. It goes far away down, -and is knee-deep in mire for a considerable distance. At last, when it -seems as if the Great Chamber itself cannot be far away, the passage -ends in a choke. We had been in the cavern about five hours, when, -after much hard work, we got our apparatus back to the foot of the -shaft. Climbing ahead up the rickety ladders, the broken rungs of which -were caked with mud and clay, and keeping hold of the life-line all -the while, I found our driver waiting for us at the top, for we were -an hour late. Several dangerous stones were shifted in pulling up the -luggage, and one man below not only received a nasty blow, but narrowly -escaped destruction by another stone that he just succeeded in warding -off his face. - -We have since regretted that we did not test the platform and windlass -by a rough-and-ready method, and then descend by a long Alpine rope. -The sharp ledges underneath might, however, have rendered this -dangerous. We had not seen everything, but we had seen enough to -recompense us abundantly for the toil, the slight risk, and the dirt. -Murray says that Lamb's Lair is the finest cave in Somerset; I would -confidently venture further, and say that for transcendent beauty it -has not its equal in England.[4] - - E. A. B. - - - [4] Mr. James McMurtrie, then manager of Earl Waldegrave's estates, - was responsible for the exploration of this cavern after its - rediscovery in 1880. He had it surveyed and plans made; he had the - windlass erected, but went down himself before it was fixed. Very - great credit is due to him for this valuable work, which it is hoped - will not be rendered less valuable by allowing the artificial shaft - as well as the windlass to be permanently destroyed through neglect - and decay. The plan and section contained here were the result of - independent measurements, which fully confirmed the results of his - previous survey. - -[Illustration: STALACTITES IN ENTRANCE GALLERY, LAMB'S LAIR. - -_Photo by Bamforth, Holmfirth._] - - - - -A CAVE IN THE QUANTOCKS - - -At Bridgewater, where we had arrived one winter morning at sunrise, -after a melancholious journey in unwarmed carriages across the flooded -moors beyond Glastonbury, not a person had heard tell of a cave in the -Quantocks. But the information we relied on, though a century old, was -definite enough to warrant the hire of a trap to convey us and our -apparatus to a certain lonely cross-road, seven miles away, in a corner -of the broad parish of Bloomfield. Climbing steadily through Enmore, -we found the cross-road on a hilltop 800 feet above the sea, hard by -a homely tavern, where we got cider for ourselves and feed for the -horse. To our west was the Beacon on Cotherstone Hill, and two miles -farther the Fire Signal Pits on Will's Neck (1261 feet), the highest -of the Quantock Hills. But of the red-deer country that lay around us -we saw little, and less as the day wore on, for a cold sea-mist came -rolling up from the Bristol Channel, and would have given us trouble -in finding our cave, had not a guide appeared providentially. It was a -tattered and weather-beaten countryman, who emerged from the tap-room -and announced that he was the only person who knew anything about -the cave. He dilated in glowing terms on its beauties--"It be very -ornamental, sur, very ornamental." Fox by name and fox by nature, so he -described himself--for he was both garrulous and egotistical--he was -fond of burrowing into holes. That he was a poacher to boot, we had no -reason to disbelieve after a few minutes' conversation. He led us by -a veritable fox's path over fields and hedges, through a mist-drenched -spinney, down to a dingle, where beetle-browed rocks overhung the -entrance to the cave. A rusty iron gate barred the way, and was -padlocked. Reynard proposed to make a journey of several miles, at our -expense, to procure the key; but a broken link in the chain saved us -time and cider. - -There is not much Limestone on the Quantocks, and caves are a rarity. -At this spot an outlier of Carboniferous Limestone lies in close -contact with beds of Greywacke Slate--a very unusual conjunction, -which prepared us for something new and strange in the way of -crystallisations. Descending a few yards beyond the entrance, the main -passage rises a little, and then drops gradually towards a stagnant -pool, beyond which it is impossible to get. The length of this portion -is only 140 feet, and the direction from north-east to south-west. -Certain narrow passages, however, bore into the Limestone on the north, -and extend their ramifications much farther. Only one of these seems -to have been known before our visit. In the main passage, near the -pool, is seen the special wonder of Holwell Cave, a brilliant display -of arragonite crystals all over the roof. Arragonite usually occurs -in massive deposits of satin spar, distinguished by a perfection of -whiteness when newly split, a whiteness that grows dingy very soon if -you try to keep specimens. Here it occurs in quite another form--the -coralloid, known as flos ferri; thousands of filaments or spicules -ramifying from centres, and looking as soft as cobweb, though as -brittle as blown glass. This delicate product is often tinged with a -pink stain like that of fluor-spar. Andrew Crosse, the electrician, -who was carrying on his researches in the neighbourhood when Holwell -Cavern was found about 1800, thought that the crystal might have been -distorted by slow degrees into these fanciful shapes "through the -invisible action of electric energy," an agent to which most mysterious -natural processes have been attributed some time or another; but the -fibrous arragonite, scientists tell us, is by no means abnormal. It all -lies on the Greywacke part of the roof; the adjoining Limestone has -no arragonite, but is incrusted with the usual sheets and bosses of -calcite, mutilated somewhat by visitors who have taken away mementos. - -"Ain't it ornamental, sur?" said our conductor; but his exclamations -were still more enthusiastic when the magnesium ribbon lit up the -millions of arragonite crystals that covered the roof with a glistering -efflorescence. Then the flashlight blazed out, as our camera got into -action, and the old man was speechless with amazement. He had known the -cave, boy and man, all his life, but never before had he, or anyone -else for that matter, gazed upon all its beauties. Several photographs -were secured--among them the portrait of a sleeping bat clinging to the -groining of calcite--and then the cave grew too smoky for further work. -So we went off to explore. - -First we climbed into an opening high up in the north wall. It seemed -to run parallel with the main passage, and soon we beheld daylight in -front. Ere we reached the open air, however, we came to a steep drop, -and found that the branch had simply brought us back to the vestibule -of the cavern. Another opening, near the entrance, running due north, -proved more interesting, leading eventually to a bell chamber, floored, -walled, and roofed with polished carbonate. Someone had reached this -point twenty years ago, so dates and initials testified; but there were -virgin passages branching off to left and right for us to investigate, -as far as bodies of speleological slimness were admissible. - -A squeeze through a crevice in the east wall led into a parallel -tunnel, depressingly low and painfully narrow, which seemed to run on -indefinitely to the north. The soft clay floor showed it was at times -the path of a heavy stream. Northward, it shrank to a mere drain-pipe; -southward it led by one joint and culvert to another, all at right -angles, into other straight channels, all going in the same general -direction. My companion stuck fast a little way beyond the first -tunnel; I pushed on like a weevil into the maze of perforations, but -met the same fate at last, not giving in, however, until I had been -held as in a vice at one point for a good five minutes, with boot -jammed, candle out, and no room to get my hand to the pocket where the -waterproof matches were safely stowed away. - -It was still possible to see a long way ahead, by candlelight and -magnesium; and we made out that north of the known cave lies a whole -network of dry waterways, the principal channels running due north, -roughly parallel to the Limestone escarpment in which the cave mouth -opens, and all connected together by rectangular branches. One channel -brought us within view of daylight; but the crevice was too small for -anything but a rabbit, and we had to return by the same arduous and -abrading passages we had come by. As old Fox would have said, the -things we saw were "very handsome," but we could not tempt him to enter -this uncomfortable region. - - E. A. B. - - - - -CAVE EXPLORING AT ABERGELE - - -Travellers on the North-Western to Holyhead or Snowdonia are familiar -with several cave mouths that form a prominent feature in the Limestone -cliffs above Lord Dundonald's castle, near the station of Llandulas. -The most conspicuous is a vast antre near the cliff-top; and legend -has it that this opens into passages running for great distances, -and eventually descending beneath the sea. (Welsh cave-myths are not -less extravagant than those of Derbyshire and Somerset, where stories -of dogs, geese, and other animals that have made long pilgrimages -underground and come into daylight again divested of feathers or hair, -are still piously cherished by the credulous.) The name attached to -this group of caves, Tanyrogo--"under the cave"--is derived from -the Celtic ogo or ogof, a cavern, and is almost identical with the -original name of Wookey Hole in Somerset. A party of explorers from -Liverpool and Colwyn Bay have recently carried out some researches in -the Tanyrogo caves, and in those at St. George, on the other side of -Abergele; and while verifying their disbelief in the supposed extent of -the subterranean galleries, have ascertained many interesting facts as -to the formation and the geological history of both series. - -A grassy terrace runs along the cliff face to the gaping portal of -the Ogo, the biggest of the Tanyrogo caves, which looks seaward and -commands a magnificent view over the coast and the Irish sea. The -prehistoric men who doubtless lived here once showed not only good -taste in the choice of a site for their residence, but a judicious eye -for military possibilities; the place is all but impregnable, save by -starvation, the only access being by this narrow ledge, which a handful -of men could defend against an army. Spanned by a noble arch is a -colossal vestibule, rock-floored and dry. But this imposing entrance -is a deception--there is nothing beyond to compare with its shape and -magnitude. We swerved to the left, and at once found ourselves treading -a floor of wet clay, which began to ascend, and soon steepened into -a high bank leading up towards the roof. Creeping under an arch, we -found ourselves in a transverse fissure that may have run as far as the -legends pleased, but grew too narrow in a few feet for any human being -to penetrate farther. A few rudimentary stalactites and a crust of pure -white calcite adorned one small grotto; the rest was bare rock walls -and rugged arches, springing here and there high into the darkness, -in fissures that must reach very nearly to the summit of the cliff. A -branch passage dwindled away still more quickly, and so did a minor -opening that looks like a side door to the main entrance. - -The rock structure of the cave arches is displayed in very beautiful -ways in this cavern, but the most interesting feature is the remnant -of an old cave floor. The cavern was evidently formed in pre-Glacial -times, and the vast quantities of clay that plug it up almost entirely -now must have been carried in by the ice. After the glaciers had -receded, the normal agencies began their work again; a stalagmite floor -was formed by the drip of water from the roof, depositing a layer of -calcite; this in the course of time was broken down again, and now -leaves a kind of high-water mark all round the walls of the cavity. - -[Illustration: THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -[Illustration: INSIDE THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -The line of the fissure creating the upward chasms inside the cave -can be traced in the external configuration of the cliff; in sundry -vertical openings in the face, and in the clean-cut walls, where -sheer masses have fallen away, broken at the joints. Similar joints -and fissures played a part in the formation of a lower tier of caves, -which we explored next. The first was only a yard or two wide, but very -lofty, and its floor was composed of a level bed of sand and clay. -This gradually rose as we walked into the darkness, until the cave -ended more abruptly even than the last. We noticed pebbles of Bunter -sandstone in the floor, and the next cave produced many more examples -of the same stone, which must have been brought from a long distance, -the nearest strata corresponding to it being in Wirral. At the back of -this next cave a bank of cave earth and boulder clay was piled right -up to the roof, so steeply that it was not too easy a climb to the -summit. Arrived there, we found no possible egress; but a horizontal -tunnel, a sort of squint or hagioscope probably more than forty feet -long, gave us a peep through the rocky cliff out to the sunlight. We -set out forthwith to discover the outside orifice of this curious hole, -and found it came out on a ledge in the face of the cliff, hard by an -open platform which had a very queer look about it. On examination -this proved to be the floor of an old cave that had been destroyed by -the quarrymen. Half-embedded in thick clay were a number of stalagmite -pedestals, and a floor of stalagmite underneath several feet in depth, -surmounting a thick bed of boulder clay stuck full of Bunter pebbles. -It was obvious that the quarrymen, coming across this mass of useless -material, had not troubled to attack the solid layer of stalagmite -above it. The remains of stalactites and stalagmite curtains still -adhered to the neighbouring cliff. - -The spot is well worth visiting, if only to see this remarkable -illustration of several consecutive chapters in the history of a -cavern. The destructive work of the Limestone quarry, having been -checked at this particular point, exposes the whole thing as in a -diagram; and the actual evidences are there just as they were produced -by the forces acting in successive epochs--the mouth of the original -cave, formed perhaps in pre-Triassic times; the masses of drift -thrust in by the glaciers; and the new cave floor, with its growth of -stalagmites. Since the caves lie at a height of several hundred feet -above sea-level, it is fairly certain that the moving glaciers exerted -an upward as well as a horizontal force, shoving the plastic masses -of clay and débris into the ascending passages, and caulking up, no -doubt, a good many tributary galleries that are now unknown. The caves -look north, and the material pushed into them must have come from -seaward; there is, furthermore, no rock in the adjoining districts -that could have yielded this kind of pebbles: so that it appears the -stream of glaciers which flowed across from Lancashire and Cheshire, -impinging against the contrary flow of ice from Snowdonia, must be -held responsible for the presence of these dense deposits. All along -the meadow-lands between the Limestone hills and the sea a series of -risings or big springs are noticeable from the railway, forming large -pools. These are the outlets of the drainage that has been absorbed by -the Limestone strata, through which the water has found its way until, -meeting with an impermeable layer of rock, or reaching the plane of -saturation at sea-level, it has been forced to the surface. - -[Illustration: IN THE OGO, NEAR ABERGELE. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -The St. George's Caves are situated on and about a wooded hill of -Limestone near the village, which adjoins the low-lying lands of Morfa -Rhuddlan, the scene of a murderous battle in the year 795. The Celt, -with his strong historical imagination, such a factor in national -solidarity, still remembers, though confusedly perhaps, some incidents -of that calamitous fight. The old woman who pointed out the situation -of the caves drew our attention to the ditch and rampart which run -round the hillcrest, where it is not protected by cliffs. There, she -said, the routed Welsh tribes had entrenched themselves and fought -desperately on until every man was put to the sword. The wood on the -hilltop is full of graves, she told us, and weapons often come to light -there. - -A great master-joint or fissure runs across the hill towards the -battlefield, and in it lie the caves, or rather the cave, for so far -as we could make out they are all parts of one stream-channel. At the -top of a cliff that is now being worked for lime is a small orifice, a -mere fox's hole, blocked up against Master Reynard or the badgers that -often find a home in these small caves. A hundred feet beneath it is a -larger opening, which is said to give entrance into several good-sized -chambers; but that also has been carefully built up with fragments of -Limestone by the quarrymen. We were driven accordingly to seek the -outlet of the cave, and this we found by following the smooth, straight -escarpment, produced by the fault, in a wood close to the mainroad. -A large stream once issued from the cave mouth, but has since become -engulfed in some internal swallet, and emerges a few yards lower down, -welling out from a funnel of crystal water some 15 feet deep. The cave -itself discharges a stream only in flood-time. There, too, we were -stopped from penetrating far by the beds of clay that gradually rose -to the cave roof; but in this instance the deposits had been made by -the stream, and were not the results of glacial action pushing upwards. -In fact, this is a cave with quite a modern history, one still in -working order, and used as a waterway at the proper times and seasons -by the stream that made it. The Tanyrogo Caves, on the other hand, -have ceased for untold ages to be actual water-channels, having been -deprived long ago by denudation above and behind them of the greater -part of their drainage area. And since that remote epoch they have gone -through the series of vicissitudes so plainly recorded in their present -physiognomy. - -[Illustration: A PRE-GLACIAL CAVE, LLANDULAS. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - - - - -CAVE DISCOVERIES ON THE WELSH BORDER - - -The other day, a Liverpool friend, who has a bungalow in the Ceiriog -Valley, close to Offa's Dyke, told me he had found a cave there, which -had never been explored, but was reputed to go six miles underground, -to the neighbourhood of Oswestry. He invited me to come down and -explore it, and I readily agreed, on the condition that he was to seize -the opportunity to make his début as a cave explorer. On the side of -the valley where the cave lies the hill falls steeply to the Ceiriog, -and the densely-wooded cliff of Limestone that bathes its foot in the -river is like a bit of Dovedale. Not so the other side of the valley, -where different strata crop out, and the hills, with all their trees, -rise more gently to the brow overlooking Llangollen. - -The cave mouth is about 20 feet above the river, in a cliff facing due -north, in which the Limestone is tilted at an angle of 45 degrees. -It is recessed within a lofty arch, but the entrance itself is low, -compelling us to creep for the first few yards. After two or three -bends, the roof as well as the floor rises, and the passage opens into -a chamber whose floor is heaped up to a height of 10 feet with fallen -débris, thickly plastered with mud. At first the cave runs due south, -but the main axis of this chamber, which is lofty and measures about -20 feet by 20, runs east-south-east. The roof rises about 20 feet -higher than the central heap of débris. Water drips occasionally, but -there are no stalactites. At the far end the passage turns south-east, -and, though lofty, is narrow, the walls being parallel, and tilted at -an angle of 20 degrees from the perpendicular. Then a second chamber -widens out, 50 feet long by 6 feet broad, as muddy as the former. -Rising 10 feet, the passage continues to the east-south-east, but -the walls converge for a time, forcing us to crawl, extended on our -sides. Then it opens out again, and we climb over more heaps of débris -littering the floor, and all bedaubed with thick, tenacious clay. - -Now the passage becomes loftier but narrower, and progress has to be -made by keeping near the roof, the walls sloping at an angle of 30 -degrees from the vertical, opening at one point into a small chamber -with a false floor of jammed rocks, then immediately closing again, and -so continuing for a distance of 60 feet. The narrowness is so great -that one goes ahead only by dint of a continuous struggle against -friction. Up to this, my friend had kept close at my heels, followed by -his man. But here the only way visible was down a still narrower rift -bending off to the left, and the latter found his own diameter greater -than that of the cave. We left him, and pushed obstinately forward, -though we had not seen a sign of any person's former presence for a -long distance. Nearer the cave mouth matches and candle-grease and the -marks of crawling had been plentiful, local adventurers having got in -nearly 100 feet. - -[Illustration: ON THE CEIRIOG. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -[Illustration: UPPER CEIRIOG CAVE. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -Already we had struck the water in two or three places, but had not -found it in the main passage. Now we crossed a long pool or runnel of -stagnant water, which came in from under the rocks to the south-east, -and climbed into a tight little curving tunnel that led back to it in -a semi-circle. Beyond it, I found myself in a rift chamber, with the -water coming in from under the rocks at one end, and flowing out in -like manner at the other. There seemed to be no egress, till suddenly -I noticed that the niche in which I was sitting was the end of a small -horizontal hole or dry water-pipe, striking off at right angles. But -my companion had found the tunnel too much for him. The sides bristled -with points of rock, and pressed in so close that one could only -wriggle through by fractions of an inch, stretched at full length on -the left side. Now he made a stout attempt to get through underneath, -in the water tunnel. I heard the sound of wallowing, and then my -friend's head and shoulders came splashing in at the bottom of the -cave, his body dragging after through water and mud. But again he stuck -fast, and announced that he would give the thing up. - -It was not wise to go on far alone, for fear of being left by any -accident without a light; but in order to make a reconnaissance -for future work I pushed through the water-pipe, and to my delight -found myself in another horizontal tunnel running parallel to the -main chamber. Crawling ahead, first over a clay-lined floor, and -then over splinters of Limestone mixed with stalagmites, I emerged -presently into an open passage, 25 or 30 feet high, with the stream -peacefully reposing in one long pool at the bottom. It appeared to go -on indefinitely, and I might have gone farther, but for the present -determined to leave off the exploration at this point. The parallel -tunnel seemed to be going straight back towards the cave mouth, and -it looked as though it might form a short cut home. As a matter of -fact, this was a right branch striking off from the point where our -man had stuck fast. By crawling in his direction and shouting, I made -him hear, and at last saw his light through a chink only three inches -wide. Fallen blocks of Limestone choked the tunnel at his end, where -it leaves the main passage near the roof, and in its present state -this branch of the cave was practically invisible. We shifted several -big stones, however, and in a few minutes my friend joined me, pleased -enough to find a way out that saved the discomforts of his recent -journey. He had had the misfortune to array himself in white flannels, -and now the state of his garments was so deplorable that he straightway -hid himself in the river, like the pseudo Marquis of Carabas, until -more presentable clothing could be fetched. - -[Illustration: LOWER CEIRIOG CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -A veteran cave-hunter from Liverpool gladly joined me in a second -visit to the Ceiriog Cavern. Our host could not be with us, but sent -a village youth as his substitute. This young man was very keen -and plucky, and, as things turned out, saved the situation, for my -speleological friend, to his intense chagrin, failed to get through the -narrow entrance to the parallel tunnel, and the two of us had to finish -the job by ourselves. Climbing along the walls of the water-rift, -we soon found it best to wade straight through the stream bed, and -finally, when the space grew more and more restricted, to crawl through -the water. Toward the end of the rift a small tunnel broke away to the -left, and the water disturbed by our advance flowed into it and away -down a small swallet. Wriggling through, heedless of a wetting, we -came into a small chamber with four exits, each of which we explored, -marking off each with a cross or arrow to prevent our losing the route -back. Every branch led eventually to other points of divergence, and -ultimately to small tunnels or pipes, through which the water flows -in rainy weather into the head of the cavern. Having conscientiously -examined every one, without finding the mythical passage to Oswestry, -we returned to the tunnel of the swallet. One of the bifurcations, it -was interesting to discover, led back unexpectedly into the water-rift. -There were numberless chinks and fissures, and holes in the roof, -leading into this network of passages, all very interesting as a -concise example of the whole history of the formation of a cave; but -the farthest point reached was, by measurement, only a little more than -500 feet from the entrance. Only in places were there stalactites, and -those small ones. There were stalagmite curtains on the walls at one or -two spots, and patches of very white amorphous tufa. Curious filaments -of cave-weed, white and brown, without a vestige of leaves, abounded -throughout the cavern. Not far above the cave mouth I came across the -exit of the water, a beautiful spring, pouring down into the Ceiriog, a -few yards away. - -On the top of the hill, in a disused Limestone quarry, there were -traditions of a cave opening that had been covered by a landslip for -some thirty years. A man was set to work digging it out, and a small -fissure was disclosed, the old channel of a tributary leading into -the middle of a cave running north-north-east and south-south-west. -The total length was 172 feet. The water apparently entered at the -top of the left passage and ran away into a low bedding cave to the -right. The floor is wet clay at present, but there are traces of large -stalagmites, including one handsome "beehive"; and the roof is covered -with beautiful white and amber stalactites. Our further attempts to -uncover openings into the Limestone only brought us down to the solid -rock, and we found nothing to confirm the rumour that a cave exists -which carried a stream down to the Ceiriog, 800 feet below. - - - - -THE EXPLORATION OF STUMP CROSS CAVERN - - -The explorers who have done so much work in Derbyshire and -Somersetshire have also carried out extended explorations in some -of the more remote caves of Yorkshire. Recently a party carried out -farther investigations than any previous explorers in Stump Cross -Cavern, on the moors between Wharfedale and Nidderdale. This cavern, -which is named after the ancient boundary mark of Knaresborough -Forest, and is situated near the summit of the moors, 1326 feet above -sea-level, 4-1/2 miles from Pateley Bridge and 11-1/2 from Skipton, -was discovered in 1843 by miners searching for lead, as was the case -with several of the Derbyshire caverns. The Greenhow lead mines are -not far off, and the ground in many parts hereabouts is riddled with -old workings. No place could look more unlikely for caves than the -flat field on the top of the hill, where a few steps lead down to a -doorway into the ground, close to the rough road to Grassington and -Appletreewick. - -The party of five, besides myself, Messrs. B. and F. Wightman, J. -W. Puttrell, J. Croft, and H. Bamforth (all members of the Kyndwr -Club), drove up from Bolton Abbey Station by way of Burnsall, and -through various delays did not reach the cave mouth till nine o'clock -on Saturday evening. With our photographic and other apparatus we -descended at once to a level gallery 50 feet or so below the surface, -whence several passages branch off, and there we made a halt. To -give a clear general idea of the structure of this cavern is not -easy. It consists of a number of galleries running in different -directions at different levels, with a few intercommunications, and -many continuations that have gradually become choked with clay and -stalagmite and have for ages been impassable. Descending the steep -stairway in a northerly direction one soon reaches the first of the -natural passages, which bears to the west. A gallery goes off to the -right, west-south-west, and bifurcates, but is uninteresting, the earth -and clay that show its proximity to the surface rendering it very -dirty. In the opposite direction, east-north-east, the corridor where -we had placed the luggage and made our general rendezvous continues to -a distance of 120 feet, and then dwindles away into a low stalactite -grotto. Being so inaccessible and so little known, the various chambers -have never yet been christened, except with the vague and general -names of Upper Caverns and Lower Caverns, which have little meaning -owing to the intricate conformation of the series. From our rendezvous -two important tunnels, called the Lower Caverns, go off in a westerly -direction from the bottom of a natural shaft 20 feet deep. These were -left for the present whilst we went into the Middle Caverns, which -strike off to the north from the same spot, and after many turns and -twists approach the surface in the ravine of Dry Gill, south-east -from the entrance to the caves. Many chambers and passages open out -from this series, the largest and most beautiful being called, very -inappropriately, the Top Cavern. As it leads eventually to a charming -piece of cave scenery that we agreed to call the "Bowling Alley," it -might well be named after this. - -[Illustration: IN STUMP CROSS CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -[Illustration: THE PILLAR, STUMP CROSS CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -I will now, as clearly as I can, follow the steps of the party in -their exploration of these Middle Caverns, and proceed afterwards with -them into the other series. Descending gradually, and passing many -nooks and corners where exquisite recesses are wreathed about by the -ivory-white incrustations on wall, roof, and floor, we stayed to drink -a ceremonious glass from the icy waters of Jacob's Well, a crystal -pool curtained in with masses of stalactite, and then passed on to one -of the chief show places seen by the public, bearing the modest name -of the Chapel. Its great attraction is the series of massive pillars -of translucent white that seem to uphold the arching roof. In few of -the caverns that I have explored is there anything to compare with the -stateliness of this pure colonnade, the cylindrical shafts of which -are a good deal longer than a man's height, and modelled fantastically -by the irregular deposit of the calc spar. One column in this part of -the cave measured three feet in circumference. A peculiar beauty was -the transparency of the material, a pure glassy white through which -the light of a candle shone clearly, whilst a light inside converted -the hanging folds and clusters of stalactites into a beautiful species -of lantern. On the walls were folds and ridges of snowy stalagmite, -and from the roof hung stalactites of all shapes and sizes, myriads -of threadlike growths hanging in a lacy fringe. Onwards the arcading -and the array of pillars extended into a roomy vault, the end of which -struck upwards, as already explained, south-eastwards, toward Dry -Gill. Though a perceptible draught comes through from the open air, -and the heaps of clay-coated blocks show that a swallet is not far -off above, no way can be forced through without excavation. Augmented -by the arrival of two or three local friends, the party descended, -after lunch, into the Lower Caverns. Unlike the other passages, with -their continual windings and perplexing branches, these two series -of large vaults, narrow tunnels, and almost impracticable crevices -maintain a westerly direction throughout, and the few branches strike -off decisively to the right or to the left. Two of us, being delayed -by some trifling accident, missed the others at the bottom of the -short vertical descent, and, unaware that there were two series of -passages, crept on along the first that opened. This had the appearance -of an old stream-bed, the ground being littered in places with blocks -of Limestone, in others clayey, and in some parts smoothed down by -the rush of a torrent. High in places, it often dwindled to a very -low passage, through which we crept and wriggled after the manner of -the serpent, ofttimes exerting no little strength to push beneath -the projections overhead. Here a shaft of glassy stalagmite, uniting -floor and roof, tried to bar the way, and there it was impossible to -advance without scraping against the vitreous threads that hung like -hairs from the dripping rocks. We shouted to the others who we thought -were ahead of us, but got no reply, and after twenty minutes of this -painful progression began to think of returning. Noticing a hollow -in the right wall, I asked my comrade to wait while I examined it. -Inside was a blind passage and the round orifice of a small tunnel, -into which I thrust my head and shoulders and then crawled forward. -It was not an inviting hole, being wet and an exceedingly tight fit, -and I was on the point of returning when a voice was heard faintly in -the distance. Listening intently and creeping on again, I heard the -voice more distinctly, and shouted. The voice replied from below. I -quickly realised that we two had missed the others, who were following -a lower series of passages somewhere beneath us. Unable to turn round, -and too far advanced to return up this slippery tunnel, I saw there -was nothing for it but to push on, head downwards. In a yard or two, -to my unspeakable relief, the hole grew big enough to turn round in, -just before I got to the end of it, and saw Messrs. Croft and Puttrell, -12 feet below me, holding out their hands and inviting me to drop. -The leap was a little sensational, but I had my turn of enjoyment in -witnessing the grace with which my comrade from above, who was now -courteously invited to follow me through the water-pipe, took the jump -on to the clay floor of the lower tunnel. - -We returned later to the other westerly passage, at the top of the -water-pipe. Examining every opening carefully, we noticed many similar -communications between the two series, evidently proving that the upper -was a very ancient stream course that had been tapped successively -until the lower tunnel superseded it as a waterway. Pushing ahead, we -soon realised that we had arrived at the richest part of the whole -cavern, though also the most inaccessible. The roof came down bristling -with spikes and shafts of the purest calcite; the floor was one mass -of crystallisation, ridged all over with the rippling lines that form -as the crust grows under water. This exquisite scene was continued -for hundreds of feet, various and indescribable as a dream, whilst -our march onward over the sharp crystals of the floor and through the -portcullis that closed every chamber was as painful as a nightmare. -Loveliest of all was a long tunnel that once held many pools of water, -half-encrusted over with a film of carbonate. Only one of these lucid -mirrors remained, but the dried-up basins were as beautiful now as -ever, with the bottom and sides covered by a coraline growth delicate -in colour as in form. At the end was a small dome-like chamber, where -we extended ourselves for a hard-earned rest before facing the toils -and tribulations of the journey back. - -[Illustration: THE CHAPEL: STUMP CROSS CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -We thought this expedition to the lower series had exhausted the -principal beauties of Stump Cross Cavern, but we were wrong. On our way -to rejoin the other men in the Middle Cavern we were much impressed by -two large curtains of stalactite, one of them folded and wrinkled, -and the other hanging straight down without a curve, but both striped -with deep bands of crimson, orange, and golden yellow when a piece -of magnesium was burnt behind them. These were equal in extent and -brilliance to anything I have ever seen, even in Cox's Cavern at -Cheddar. A round tunnel, ribbed and groined with glistening dripstone, -and a broad low arch set with pillars and string-like stalactites -stretched from top to bottom, led into the long, wide chamber that we -dubbed the "Bowling Alley," on account of the stumps and pedestals of -stalagmite that stud the floor between the pillars. Beyond it a short -passage leads into a grotto to the right, and a very difficult one -continues some distance to the left. - -It was now past three in the morning. Tired and battered to the point -of exhaustion, but delighted with an exploration that far exceeded -in interest all we had looked for, we returned to the cave mouth. An -unpleasant-looking bull which had with great suspicion watched us -make our nocturnal entry into the regions below had, greatly to our -relief, got tired of waiting, and the coast was clear. Out of the -everlasting silence and the shadows, lit so rarely by the glare of the -magnesium and the beams of the limelight, we returned again, with the -surprise that never fails, to the light of the heavens. Dusk was on -the far-extending moors and hills, daylight was creeping on over the -sky, a pair of larks saluted us with a hilarious song. Our driver was -soon awake at the little inn, two furlongs away, and in the freshness -of the morning we crawled down the break-neck road to Appletreewick, -Bolton Woods and the Wharfe growing in light before us; and then at an -exhilarating pace rolled up the dale to the Red Lion at Burnsall. - - - - -SWALLET-HUNTING IN DERBYSHIRE - -"GIANT'S HOLE" AND "MANIFOLD" - - -Between Sparrowpit and the head of the Winnats the old road from -Chapel-en-le-Frith to Castleton skirts what is, geologically, one of -the most important localities in Derbyshire. It runs along the side -of a shallow upland valley, about 1200 feet above tide-level and two -miles long, which is bounded on two sides by the curve of Rushup Edge -and on the other two by Elden Hill, Windy Knoll, and other Limestone -acclivities. One of the great faults of the Pennine chain traverses -this valley longitudinally, the Yoredale strata having been thrown -down to the level of the Limestone, so that the middle of the valley -is the boundary between the Yoredale rocks, shale grits, and milestone -grit on the north, and the Limestone plateau of Mid-Derbyshire on the -south. The valley is completely encircled by higher ground; there -is no egress for streams on the surface. Accordingly other modes -of drainage are to be looked for, and they will be discovered in a -numerous series of swallets situated along the line of the fault, the -water that runs over the impervious shales perforating the Limestone -as soon as it comes in contact with it. This shallow valley, in fact, -is the gathering ground for the waters that pour into the abyss of -the Speedwell Cavern, traverse Peak Cavern, and make their way to the -open air at Russet Well and other springs at Castleton. That such is -the case has long been proved by observations of the temperature and -colour of the waters, and by tracing chaff and other things thrown into -the upland streams. But there exist hardly enough data to establish the -theory of the French speleologist, M. Martel, that Peak's Hole Water -comes from Perryfoot, and the water of Russet Well from Coalpit Mine, -near Sparrowpit. All that is definitely known is that these waters run -through the massive Limestone for distances varying from two to three -miles and reappear in Castleton, 600 feet beneath. Whether they unite -into one or two large streams, which form considerable chambers and -caverns in the inaccessible region beyond the farthest known parts of -Speedwell and Peak Caverns, is an interesting question, that tempts one -to answer boldly in the affirmative, since the action of underground -streams in Somerset and Yorkshire seems to justify the assumption, if -we take into account the extent of the vertical joints eaten away by -the water in its descent of 600 feet, and the effects of periodical -floods. In Somerset, in a situation exactly similar, two caves of 600 -feet fall and 2000 feet horizontal measurement have recently been -discovered by opening similar swallet-holes. Is there any hope of -finding such hypothetical cavern or caverns here by exploring, and if -necessary opening artificially, any of the swallets between Perryfoot -and Giant's Hole? The investigations recently carried out by a friend -and myself do not make us hopeful that if there are such caverns they -will ever be made accessible. - -We began our work at Giant's Hole, which opens in the bottom of a -little gorge between Peak's Hill and Middle Hill. The brooklet that -runs in at the cave mouth was very low, and we passed almost dryshod -over the rough stones that cover the stream-bed for some 60 feet. -Giant's Hole has an arched entrance about seven feet high, and the -first part of the cave retains the same form. Then the walls contract, -and the cave takes the shape of a deep and narrow canyon, cut through -solid rock, with the stream coursing along at the bottom over little -falls and waterslides and through pools that are not easy to pass -without a wetting. One hundred and fifty feet from the entrance to the -cave is a lofty rift, near the top of which an upper gallery turns -west, the general direction of the main passage being southerly. -Passing this, we followed the stream downhill for another fifty or -sixty yards, and were then brought to a standstill by a partial choke. -At this point a quantity of stones and gravel comes within two feet of -the roof, and the water is dammed back in a pool a foot deep, so that -there is barely a foot of clear space between water and roof. - -Returning to the steep climb to the upper gallery, we scaled the wet -and slippery rocks, and found ourselves on a shelf over the canyon. -The shelf gave ingress to the gallery, which rose gently in a westerly -direction, with frequent twists and turns, and then turned north. In -150 feet it divided. We scrambled on; but all the branches evidently -approached the surface of the ground, becoming earthy, and we soon -found it impossible to get any farther. This upper level, which for -our purposes was of less interest than the lower, is incrusted with -deposits throughout its length of 80 or 90 yards. There are stalagmite -curtains and sheets of tufa on the walls, the older rocks on the floor -are cemented together with a crust of polished stalagmite, and some -of the boulders are covered with shining enamel. We found it best to -use an Alpine rope in getting back to the lower level, the ledges -underneath not being easy to find by candlelight. Outside the sun was -shining brightly, and the light that streamed in at the cave mouth, -through the ferns and flowers and grasses that encircled it, was -stained a fairy-like green. - -Continuing our way through the gorge between the sharp Limestone -knoll of Peak's Hill and the bulkier Middle Hill, we followed a stream -that comes down from Rushup Edge, perforates the Limestone base of -Peak's Hill, and comes out on the other side at a small cave. In three -furlongs this stream is swallowed under a cliff some 20 feet high, the -ingress at present being through a series of holes, where the water -makes an intermittent roaring, almost like the throb of a hydraulic -ram, as if a siphon were momentarily discharging. Older rifts are -seen in the same line of cliffs, and can be penetrated for 30 feet, -but are now deserted by the water save at flood-time. Farther on is -a deep depression in the hillside, big enough to engulf a house. It -is supposed locally to have been produced by the falling in of a cave -roof, but it is more probably an independent swallet, one of a series, -nearly all funnel-shaped and long out of working order, that lie along -a higher level in the Limestone than those that occupy the line of -demarcation from the shales. The biggest of them is Bull Pit, which -we come to later. Next to the last pair of large openings into which -streams are running, and which may be called the Peak's Hill Swallets, -since their waters rise out of Peak's Hill, we come to a large -irregular series of trough-shaped hollows converging on another swallet -at this same geological border-line. The openings here are all little -ones. But the next swallet has a cave above it, into which we entered. -It does not go far, but it has two ascending branches that can be -traced to two small depressions in the Limestone where tiny affluents -have percolated and cut for themselves little tunnels in the rock. -The next swallet beyond this has but a small opening, although the -hollow cut out by its rivulets through the shales is hundreds of square -yards in area. An abrupt cliff walls in the hollow on the Limestone -side, only a few paces from which are naked patches of Yoredale rocks, -clearly defining the boundary of the two series. - -We now came to one of the most interesting openings that we have met -with. It lies about 200 yards north of Bull Pit. As often happens, -immediately above the swallet, in the Limestone, is a deep chasm almost -perforating the escarpment. At the base of the escarpment is a rounded -archway with a turbulent stream running in. After securing a photograph -we enter, and make our way down stream easily for a little distance; -then the cave twists and narrows, and at a distance of 40 feet or so -we are disappointed to find the channel too confined for us to force -our way farther. Outside we had observed that the basin-shaped area -had been flooded not long ago, and inside the vegetable débris that -was plastered over the walls and roof showed that the swallet must -have been completely choked during the recent wet weather. But the -peculiarity of this swallet was that the solid mass of rock through -which the stream had carved its way was not ordinary Limestone, but -beautifully veined and crystalline like marble, and its surface smooth -and polished. It had very much the same appearance as the marmorised -Limestone found in the neighbourhood of intrusive lavas, such as those -near Tideswell. By the action of the water it had been sculptured into -fantastic shapes; in one place a corner had been cut through and a -small pillar left, joined to the rock at top and bottom. We scrambled -with some difficulty into the chasm behind the swallet. At the bottom, -on the same side as the existing swallet, was the broad and lofty arch -of a cave, which went only a few yards in, otherwise it would have -broken through the escarpment. Right above the keystone of the arch was -a weathered group of stalactites hanging from a ledge, and under them -the broken stalagmite floor of a tiny grotto. It is a rare thing to -find such deposits in the open air, and doubtless it indicates that the -chasm was formed by the destruction of a larger cave. A thick deposit -of earthy mud covered the floor, and at one side a big hole penetrated -this to a depth of six feet, the work of a stream that had perhaps not -run for ages. This deposit, though dry, was so soft that I nearly sank -through into the hole. We found four birds' nests in this cave mouth, -with eggs and young in them, and were disappointed not to come across -the egg of a cuckoo that flew out the moment before we entered. In the -wiry grass not far away from the top of the cavity we discovered a -lark's nest with two eggs in it. - -Bull Pit lies in the wood just above this opening, nearer the road. -It is a great open abyss, walled on three sides by crags of Limestone -nearly a hundred feet high, and with trees growing all round the -edges. This, no doubt, is a very ancient swallet that has not been -in operation for ages--belongs, perhaps, to the same period as Elden -Hole, which opens 200 or 300 feet higher, a mile away, on Elden Hill. A -little way on, near Perryfoot, we come in sight of another very ancient -cavity, on the side of Gautries Hill. It is a gaping pit about 70 feet -deep, with a noble arch inside, spanning the entrance to a broad cave. -At present the cave mouth is silted up with sand and clay. All these -rocky openings are the lurking-places of beautiful ferns and mosses; -the feathery fronds of the Limestone polypody, the late primroses, -various saxifrages, and the delicate foliage of herb robert making a -brave show. The wilder birds take refuge there. A crow flew out of the -hole on Gautries Hill, and one day on approaching Elden Hole I was -startled by a dense cloud of jackdaws, more than a hundred, suddenly -rushing out. Farther down, from 50 to 100 feet lower, a host of -starlings had built their nests on the walls of the chasm. Disturbed, -they came flying up in twos and threes, beating the air in painful -efforts to wing their way straight up and out of the hole. - -At Perryfoot a stream is engulfed which M. Martel considers to be -the source of Peak's Hole Water, and to be identical with the stream -that flows through the inmost passages of Peak Cavern. It now runs -into a cleft that is too small to be explored. But at a comparatively -recent date it was swallowed in a number of large fissures in a -crescent-shaped wall of Limestone 100 yards away. Most of these -openings are impracticable, but at the extreme east I had already -reconnoitred a promising cleft which we now proceeded to examine -thoroughly. This complicated swallet, with the passages behind it, -is known locally as "Manifold." Going east for 35 feet, the fissure -divides, one passage striking up towards the surface and the other -turning south. We soon had to crawl, the passage being very low, -narrow, and lined with objectionable stones. After 30 feet more we -came to a wider place, with a sort of chimney on one side. Here was -the sole mark of humanity that we found in this cave, a stake that had -apparently been used to climb into the chimney. Nothing was gained -by climbing it, so we squeezed our way along the main passage. Now -the tunnel grew into a high but narrow canyon where we could stand -upright, then it dwindled to a tunnel again, generally descending, but -occasionally rising in what was once a siphon. We passed one or two -branches, at the most important of which the principal tunnel curved -to the left and descended a little more steeply over some small ledges -and basins brimming with water. We began to feel sanguine about the -wished-for cavern, but presently the diameter of the tunnel grew so -small that we could not advance another yard. My companion was some -distance behind with his candle out, and I would not make a move until -he had got it relighted, the consequences of both candles going out at -once being unpleasant and possibly dangerous. For a long way we could -not turn round, and had to crawl feet foremost. Just after repassing -the junction my companion shouted that we were going wrong. He did -not recognise the passage. I remained at the junction whilst he went -farther and ascertained that it was the right channel after all. Then -I examined the branch. It ascended 20 feet and then divided, the left -branch, which was earthy, plainly striking up to the surface, the right -branch going back towards the swallet. Undoubtedly there must be quite -a labyrinth of dry water channels to correspond with the numerous -series of openings in the cliff, but the one we explored seemed to be -the largest and most practicable. Very tired and hot, not to mention -the dirt, we made our way back to the exit, glad to feel that our day's -work was done. - -The one thing that had impressed us most during our explorations was -that all these swallets and water channels are cut through solid rock. -Only when the rocks are shattered or disintegrated, as in the cases -alluded to in Somerset, would there be any possibility of enlarging a -swallet artificially. And though we had penetrated to a distance of -400 feet at Manifold we had not found the passages growing more roomy -nor enlarged by the accession of tributaries. So far, the prospect -of opening up the large fissures and chambers that must surely exist -deeper in the rock seems unfavourable, unless the main channel of -Giant's Hole can be unblocked. - - E. A. B. - - - - -EXPLORING NEW CAVES IN DERBYSHIRE - - -The new and exciting game of cave-exploring has been pursued so -strenuously during the last four years that one would almost think -the possibilities of fresh discoveries had been exhausted. When a -little while ago, therefore, rumours came in of a big cavern in -Lathkill Dale, so big that people were said to have been lost in its -recesses, they were received not a little incredulously. But after -the usual allowances had been made for exaggeration and myth, and -the alleged casualties reduced to the misfortunes of a sheep-dog who -spent fourteen days in the cavern, probably rock-bound on a ledge, it -still appeared that there was something worth exploring. Accordingly -two friends, Messrs. W. H. and G. D. Williams, who were residing near -Matlock, kindly undertook to find the cave or caves, and see what was -to be done; and a native of Middleton was commissioned to make further -inquiries. First, a letter arrived with the disappointing intelligence -that there was no cave on the Lathkill, nothing but old mine workings: -but hard on its heels came a wire to say that a cave had been located -and was being explored tentatively. Then further messages arrived with -mention of another opening, but which was the reputed great cavern was -a question to be settled only by a regular exploration. - -A day was fixed for the campaign, and my section of the party drove -up early in the morning from Bakewell Station on the Midland. Our -friends were waiting at the head of Ricklow Dale, a mile below the -little village of Thornyash, and we proceeded without delay down that -streamless canyon, first over smooth greensward between the grim -Limestone walls, then hopping from point to point of huge, close-packed -fragments, until we reached the uppermost cave mouth. It has a very -imposing entrance, solid piers supporting a massive lintel, about 20 -feet wide. It opens in the west cliff of Ricklow Dale, at a height -of 690 feet above sea-level, and is evidently the source at times of -a large stream. Ricklow Dale is really the upper part of Lathkill -Dale, above the junction with Cales Dale, and the head streams of the -Lathkill originally flowed down it from the neighbourhood of Monyash. -But at a later period, seemingly, the stream betook itself to an -underground course, until it emerged into the open from this cave. -At the present time the cave is swept by water only when the deeper -cavities of the rock overflow. This happened, for instance, a few weeks -ago, when the cave discharged a considerable stream, and was for the -time being quite impenetrable to man. As the Messrs. Williams had been -into this cavern a day or two before, we left it for the present, in -order to try some unexplored openings farther down the dale. - -On the same side of the dale they had detected the entrance to -something, whether cave or mine they knew not, covered in by stones and -earth. With pick and crowbar an entrance was soon exposed, not much -larger than a badger's hole, and we crept through. At once it became -evident that the hole was not a natural one; it was no "self-cave," -as the country people say, but an ordinary level or a sough draining -a lead mine. A pool of water filled the tunnel from side to side, -stretching away into the distance; and as we preferred, if wading were -necessary, to postpone it as long as we could, we left this alone for -the present, and went on with our quest at two other spots in the -entrance to Cales Dale. Needless to say, we had missed no opportunity -of cross-examining the inhabitants of the district, but the results -had been absurdly inaccurate and conflicting. Already a crowd of -rustic onlookers had gathered round, but the only individual among -them who knew anything about the region inside was the afore-mentioned -sheep-dog, who could tell us nothing. He, too, was the only one who -showed any inclination to join our underground party. In the upper -Cales Dale Cavern, as we named it, he actually went ahead of us, and -put our candles in jeopardy with the spirited wagging of his tail. - -This cave is doubtless a very ancient channel of the Cales Dale Water, -which now runs through hidden crevices till it meets the Lathkill; -the span of its antiquity may be gauged by the fact that Cales Dale -has been cut 200 feet deeper, and the cave left high and dry, since -it was a regular stream-course. I say dry in a comparative sense, for -we quickly found ourselves confronted by a short passage of extreme -dampness. The main channel runs west for 150 feet, and then divides, -both branches dwindling rapidly to mere water-pipes. But near the -entrance a branch strikes off to the right. Although the roof came -down on our backs as we crawled, we managed to keep just above the -surface of a shallow pool that lay in the middle: but a second pool was -almost entirely mopped up by our journey to and fro. The passage ended -in a chamber where two can stand upright. Every bit of this little -nook is covered with a creamy-white and brownish coating of amorphous -carbonate. It is like a small empty shrine, with heavy curtains flowing -over its walls, their folds and ridges flecked with innumerable scaly -projections, like some delicate frilling. The rest of the cave is -devoid of charm, though there are interesting masses of white tufa on -the walls, as soft as putty. - -At the bottom of the dale, almost exactly under and parallel to this -upper cave, is a larger one, which we called the Lower Cales Dale -Cavern. It is entirely concealed by bushes and nettles, and we had -to remove a mass of blocks and detritus before we laid bare the two -entrances. Even then, room could not be made for the broad-shouldered -member of the party to get in. At the end of 15 feet of very tight -wriggling there was more head room. We were in a straight tunnel, -arched as evenly as a culvert, the floor covered with the gravelly -deposits of a stream. Evidently it is a channel still used frequently -by the Cales Dale Water. It ran due west for 300 feet, with room in -most places for us to crawl on hands and knees: then it bent one -point to the north. Here the stream had thrown up a low dam, behind -which it had bored a series of holes on the south side, through which -most of it gets away. Soon a wall of rock, shaped like the steps of -a weir, confronted us, at the top of which we found ourselves in a -wide, irregular chamber, the height of whose roof varied from 6 feet -to 18 feet. We called it the Pot Hole Cavern, because of the number -of water-worn cavities in the roof. The biggest of these cavities -appearing to give entrance to an upper gallery, I climbed into it with -the aid of a comrade's shoulder. It contained a pretty grotto, lined -with incrustations, but led to nothing. Deep horizontal fissures yawned -on every side of the Pot Hole Chamber, and vertical joints split the -interposing strata. All the exits, however, came to an end speedily -except two, one extending a point east of south, the other a point east -of north. I explored the northern branch before my friends arrived. It -had several short ramifications, in some of which there were trails of -rabbits, and other evidences of a communication with the surface, such -as pieces of sodden wood and deposits of soil; but it gave ingress for -barely 50 feet. The other branch seemed more important, and as we were -tired out and hungry, we left it until we had returned to the dale for -rest and lunch, a waste of time, unfortunately, for it ran only for 100 -feet farther. - -[Illustration: RICKLOW CAVE IN FLOOD. - -_Photo by G. D. Williams._] - -We crept over a pavement of fractured blocks, into a broad, low passage -that seemed to have been hewn by giants out of the solid Limestone. -All around were the marks of a powerful, swirling current, that had -split and torn the rocks asunder, and bored its way through their -joints; yet not a grain of sand or a speck of mud was visible on their -cleaned and polished surface. Fissures and passages twisted away at the -side, but returned in a few yards to the main corridor. In the roof -were discernible the clean-cut hollows whence slabs of Limestone had -fallen that still cumbered the floor. The large chamber that we reached -finally was bestrewn and heaped up with such masses, and all the ways -of egress save one were entirely blocked up. This very soon came to an -abrupt termination in a bell-shaped cavity, floored with a crust of -stalagmite. But there were narrow fissures, a few inches only in width, -running away in many directions; a strong draught made the candles -gutter; and the occasional presence of great volumes of water was made -evident by the damage done to some of the incrustations. There was no -sign or sound of flowing water now; the silence was as profound and -impressive as the darkness. Yet this rock-strewn chamber was once the -birthplace of a river. Hither, from countless fissures, the streamlets -gathered together and poured through the hidden places of the hill, now -in a rippling brook, and now in a torrent, crashing and rending. At -present the Cales Dale stream finds its way to the Lathkill river by -still more secret channels. But at no infrequent times, even yet, the -torrent thunders over the waterfall in the Pot Hole Cavern, the swallet -is inundated, and a flood pours on through the long tunnel, and so into -the open stream-course in the dale, now dried up and covered with -vegetation. Proofs of this were legible all around us. - -Returning up the dale, we closed the mouth of the artificial level, and -went back to the Ricklow Cavern. Although the portal is so majestic, -the passage becomes anything but commodious at the end of a few paces. -Once more we had to crawl over hard, water-worn rock, deeply fissured -and thrown out of the horizontal; our galled knees and elbows could -scarcely be induced to go at all, and the pace was miserably slow. -Then the roof came down so close in a horizontal fissure of huge -extent, that there was nothing for it but to wriggle. My friends had -ascertained that 280 feet of this work leads into a lofty chamber. It -is one of those long, vertical fissures, not wide but enormously high, -that are common in the Castleton caves. There were indications of -galleries overhead, but we were too much exhausted to attempt climbing -without a ladder. Only one exit was practicable, which led in 20 feet -into just such another hollow, but still wider and uglier of aspect. -Filling the cavity to a height of 30 feet was a mountain of shattered -rocks, flung together pell-mell and wedged loosely. When we climbed -it, the light of our candles showed that the structure was hollow, and -hardly more durable in appearance than a house of cards. Some of the -rocks were held by points and corners, swinging on their long axes; a -touch sent others clattering down, as we crept with the utmost caution -up the adjoining wall. It was as if the interior of the hill had been -rent apart by an earthquake, and the headlong stream of rocks caught -suddenly and held by the closing in of the fracture. We clambered to -the summit of this hollow mass of ruin, and lit some magnesium wire. -The formless walls went up into a dark void above us, their ledges -fringed with glistening spikes and tendrils of transparent stalactite, -revealed by the glare. There had been visitors here before. Scratched -on the walls, but partially coated over by a crystalline enamel, were -the initials "H. B.--R. A.," and the date 1817; other scrawls were -indecipherable. No doubt this was the cave whose legendary renown had -reached our ears. Getting down our shattered staircase was a more -formidable job than the ascent. One stone, as big as a table, rocked -like a see-saw when we set foot on it. - -Stalactites were not numerous in these caves, which are not only very -humid, but continually swept by water. Animal remains were plentiful, -all recent, bones being carried in by beasts of prey and deposited -by floods. As this process must have been going on for ages, the two -Cales Dale caverns would probably yield good results to palæontological -research. - -A comic incident cheered my fatigued comrades when we regained the -open air. In the morning I had brought my family up from Bakewell -Station for a day in the country, a work of supererogation that now -placed me in a curious predicament. The waggonette had gone off to -pick them up for the early train, and, to my distress, I found the -driver had relieved us of all the luggage, including the rücksack -which held my clothes, not to mention boots, pipe, and railway ticket. -The alternative stared me in the face of proceeding to town in slimy -overalls or in attire of dangerous slightness. But the broad-shouldered -friend came to the rescue with his cave jacket, a garment that fell -about me like a baggy greatcoat, hiding the worst deformities, and with -battered hobnailers at one extremity, and a cap that had more stiff -clay than cloth in it at the other, I made the best of my way home -under the cover of darkness. - - - - -A VISIT TO MITCHELSTOWN CAVE - - -Mitchelstown Cave, the largest ever discovered in the British Isles, -is not situated at the town of that name, in county Cork, but 10 miles -away, in Tipperary, on the road to Cahir. Its entrance is in a small -Limestone hill in the broad vale of the Blackwater, midway between the -Knockmealdown Mountains and the Sandstone ridges and tables of the -Galtees. The cave was laid open in the course of quarrying operations -in 1833, from which time to the present the work of exploration has -gone on progressively, if at long intervals, and may, perhaps, continue -until the extent of the passages known is considerably enlarged. It -seems now to be entirely forgotten that the spot has been famous from -time immemorial for a wonderful stalactite cavern. In October 1777, -Arthur Young was taken into a cave, known as Skeheenarinky, after the -townland, but the old Irish name of which was Oonakareaglisha. "The -opening," he says, "is a cleft of rock in a Limestone hill, so narrow -as to be difficult to get into it. I descended by a ladder of about -twenty steps, and then found myself in a vault of 100 feet long and -50 or 60 high: a small hole, on the left, leads from this a winding -course of, I believe, not less than half an Irish mile." He goes on to -describe the beautiful scenery of the cave, which, he says, is much -superior to the Peak Cavern in Derbyshire, "and Lord Kingsborough, who -has viewed the Grot d'Aucel in Burgundy, says that it is not to be -compared with it."[5] The odd thing is that the very existence of this -cavern seems to have been forgotten since the discovery of its much -finer neighbour. Yet the trees and brushwood guarding its mouth are in -full view of the well-frequented entrance to the other cave; and Dr. -Lyster Jameson, who was with Monsieur Martel on his visit in 1895, told -me some years ago that an opening had been pointed out to him into a -lower series of caves, which I have little hesitation in identifying -with Young's cavern and the cave mouth I allude to. - - [5] Arthur Young's _Tour in Ireland_; ed. by A. W. Hutton. 2 vols. - Bell, 1892. See pages 464-465, vol. i. - -[Illustration: A GREAT PILLAR: MITCHELSTOWN CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker._] - -[Illustration: A FAIRY LANTERN: MITCHELSTOWN CAVERN. - -_Photo by E. A. Baker_.] - -Dr. C. A. Hill and I visited the spot in August 1905, intending to -go through all the accessible parts of the huge series now known -collectively as Mitchelstown Cave, and also to examine the series -referred to by Dr. Jameson, who had been unable to undertake their -exploration. Our impression was that little or nothing was known of -the latter series, and it was not until after our return from Ireland -that we were startled and puzzled by turning up an account in _The -Postchaise Companion_ (1805 ed., pp. 301, 302) of a cave in this place -already known and celebrated thirty years before the discovery of the -Mitchelstown Cave. The explanation probably is that the guides find -one cave a more profitable investment than two. To show the second (or -rather the first, since the other is the usurper) would involve twice -as much labour, but would hardly bring in twice the income. Since 1833, -then, the original cavern has been suppressed, so successfully that -even the omniscient Baddeley never suspected that there are two series, -although he had read Young's description and confused it with the -other. Dr. Hill let me down a few feet into the old cave-mouth, just -such a narrow slit as Young depicts; but we found that the rock was cut -away immediately beneath, and without more hauling power, the only way -to get down was to use a long ladder, and this we could not obtain. -The guide told us that the hole led into nothing of any interest, and -that the entrance had been used as a receptacle for deceased dogs -and other excreta. This effectually took away any wish to pursue our -researches in that direction for the present. Still, the old cave ought -not to be lost sight of; and we propose, if no one else undertakes the -work, to explore the lower series on some future visit to Ireland. The -unscientific explorers of a hundred years ago may have left discoveries -to future workers as important as those which remained for so many -years after the early explorations in the neighbouring great cave. - -What was done in the latter during the first year after the discovery -may be read in an article by Dr. Apjohn in the _Dublin Penny Journal_ -for December 27, 1834, an article reproduced from the _Dublin -Geological Journal_, vol. i. Dr. Apjohn carried out a most elaborate -and painstaking survey to points considerably beyond the second -great cavity, now known as the "House of Lords," but failed to reach -"O'Leary's Cave," the key of the farther ramifications, or to explore -the tunnels connected with "The River." His plan, worked out to scale, -and showing the differences of level with great minuteness, remained -the only map of the cave until M. Martel's survey in 1895. Meanwhile -various adventurers had got to more distant points, particularly to -the long chain of caverns running east to Brogden's, at the end of -which M. Martel's chart stops. The French explorer does not seem to -have broken any fresh ground; but his plan, which appeared in _The -Irish Naturalist_ for April 1896, with an account of his visit, was a -brilliant achievement, especially when the short time at his disposal -is considered, six hours for the whole of the cavern. Parts of this -chart were only hastily sketched in, either from a rapid survey or -from information supplied by the guide, as M. Martel explained to me in -a conversation some time ago, and errors of detail were, under these -conditions, unavoidable. For instance, "O'Leary's Cave" is much larger -than appears on the plan, and the "Chimney" is not situated at the -far end of a passage, but actually opens in the floor of "O'Leary's -Cave." The caves running east, again--O'Callaghan's and Brogden's--are -not such a simple series of straight passages as they seem on the -chart; our guide had considerable difficulty in threading his way -among the various bifurcations. As will transpire later, there is a -mystery connected with the name of "Cust's Cave," the real Cust's being -in a totally different part of the series, and a different chamber -altogether in shape. Unfortunately we did not go prepared to carry out -any survey, believing that all this had been done; so that we can at -the most point out some places where the existing plans are at fault. -We were also unfortunate in not being prepared to take a large number -of photographs, the accounts we had read not leading us to anticipate -the actual grandeur and extent of the scenery. M. Martel compares the -Mitchelstown Cave with such famous continental caverns as those of -Adelsberg, Padirac, Dargilan, and Han-sur-Lesse, and it comes off but -poorly in such a comparison. I have seen his lantern slides of these -caves, and after exploring all the most beautiful caves discovered as -yet in England, I venture to say there is not one English cave that -would not come off badly if set beside any of these. Compared, however, -with other British caverns, that of Mitchelstown can hold its own -easily; though individual chambers may be surpassed, there is nothing -like the same extent of brilliant subterranean scenery anywhere else in -these islands. - -The tourist portion of the cavern, a fraction of the whole, but yet -a considerable extent of underground passages, is deservedly much -frequented. The spacious vault, nicknamed the "House of Commons," vies -in dimensions and dignity with those in the Peak of Derbyshire, but -it is far surpassed by the "House of Lords." Seventeen massy columns -of pure white stalactite, surmounting enormous cones of terraced -stalagmite, tower from floor to roof of this impressive dome, some -140 feet in span and 70 feet high. The grandeur of its height is lost -somewhat through the mountain of fallen blocks that rises from the -entrance almost to the apex of the roof. Behind this vast accumulation -a sort of ambulatory runs round under the walls, opening here and there -into side chapels and irregular cavities, all bountifully adorned with -the fairy-like work of the Limestone carbonate. The so-called "Tower of -Babel" is a majestic pillar rising from the summit of a pyramidal mass -of stalagmite, 40 feet in circumference, that being also the measure -of its total height. A crowd of other Limestone freaks, some aptly and -some incongruously nicknamed, and many extremely beautiful, are found -in this chamber. - -The cavities and passages that lie to the north-east of the first great -chamber are not often visited. They start from "Sadlier's Cave," which -is not large but bewilderingly picturesque, and contains a superb -pillar, "Lot's Wife," almost of the prodigious size of the "Tower." -The "Kingston Gallery" is a straight rift, nearly 300 feet long, but -only two or three feet wide, with sheets of snowy white sweeping down -the walls, and breaking into whole garlands of scrolls and pennons and -curtains, which in places have been thrown right across the gallery, -dividing it into lofty cells. Manholes, actually, had to be cut through -these diaphanous partitions to create a passage. From the cave at the -end, a lower passage, the Sand Cave, comes back in a parallel direction -to the point of junction, and from the quantities of fine sand on -its bed, was evidently an important stream-course after the Kingston -Gallery was drained of its waters. It has one unique feature, the -succession of parallel rifts, called the "Closets," which are connected -together by rents in their dividing walls. Some of these are extremely -narrow, and by candlelight it is impossible to see any limit to their -height, depth, or length. Similar widenings of the master joints and -degradation of the Limestone separating them, are a special feature of -the Mitchelstown Cave, and the key to its ground-plan, with its maze of -right-angles. - -The great eastern vault, the Garret, which is only 19 feet below the -level of the entrance, does not fall, as stated by M. Martel, towards a -series of choked swallets, that originally carried the waters farther -down, but rises towards inlets from the surface. Its fretted roof has -fallen in at the upper end. A little to the south is a nameless series -of charming vestibules, grottoes, and tunnels, meandering towards the -insignificant lakelet called the "River." Here we spent the whole of -our first day. It is possible, we learned, to reach the easternmost -series of caverns by this route, which also takes one into the square -cavity designated as "Cust's Cave" on M. Martel's chart. We chose the -other way, that is, through the passage from the "House of Lords" to -the "Cathedral." - -In the tangle of contrary passages into which this leads we lost -ourselves several times, in the absence of the guide, and only -recovered the thread by careful observation with the compass. -Eventually we found the way into "O'Leary's Cave," which struck us as -one of the most impressive chambers in the whole cavern. It is not -only much larger than is shown on the plan, but different in shape. -Apparently it is the most recent of all in formation, although this may -be only an appearance caused by the falling in of the roof. Unlike the -other parts, where every bit of débris is sealed down by a glistening -layer of stalagmite, this great cavity is heaped high with loose -fragments, as free from incrustation as if the ceiling had collapsed -yesterday. So wild and vast is the configuration of "O'Leary's Cave" -that, standing on the lower side and looking across a depression in -the middle to the ascending ground opposite, one fancied oneself, in -the dim candlelight, gazing across a valley to a range of hills in the -distance. We spent some time vainly searching for the horizontal tunnel -supposed to end at the "Chimney," and before the guide joined us were -lucky enough to hit upon a string of chambers that seem never to have -been entered before. These run, so far as we could make out without -actual measurement, right over the O'Callaghan series. In fact there -were openings in the floor which we might have explored but for the -aggressive and tenacious clay bedaubing everything, apparently leading -down to these nether passages. Brilliant draperies swept down to the -bold masses of stalagmite below the walls, and long crystalline wands -hung from the roof in thousands, so that we could not move without -committing havoc in this pendulous forest. - -Conducted by the guide, we now descended the "Chimney" into the -tortuous passages leading to the "Scotchman's Cave," which lies under -O'Leary's. It is a small but very beautiful chamber, giving one the -idea that it has been hollowed out in a mountain of Parian marble. Now -we struck into the long series running east through "O'Callaghan's -Cave" to the farthest point yet reached. This was one of the principal -channels by which the ancient waters descended, from openings now -unknown and inaccessible, to the labyrinth of forsaken waterways we -had left behind. Our guide, who astonished us by the rapidity with -which he got over difficult ground, was unable to make very speedy -progress here. The ramifications are extremely hard to unravel, and he -had only been in this part twice before, in 1895 with M. Martel, and -twenty-five years earlier, as a boy, with his father. Eventually, after -many wanderings, we reached "Brogden's Cave," where hitherto all direct -progress had stopped. On the south side (not on the north, as shown -in the chart) is the "Chapel," which M. Martel rightly described as -the most beautiful thing in the whole cavern. It is an arched recess, -canopied with stalagmite of the purest and most delicate lustre. - -Whilst my companion rested, I joined the guide, who was hunting for the -passage to a cave where his father had taken him thirty-five years ago. -We discovered the opening at last, and after wriggling and squirming -round innumerable twists and corners, we dropped over a low cliff, -beyond which a short wriggle brought us into a long and lofty cave, -magnificently walled and pillared with snowy calcite. Floor, walls, -and roof were a spotless white, wrought into intricate reliefs and -embroideries by the flow of the freakish stalagmite. The guide stated -that this was "Cust's Cave," and the one beyond, where our progress -stopped, he called the "Demon's Cave." M. Martel's chart shows a -"Cust's Cave" of a totally different shape and size, near the "River"; -and, as there is no mention extant of any cave beyond Brogden's, I take -it that this, the real Cust's, was unknown to him. Unfortunately I had -followed the guide without bringing the plan or a compass, unaware -that we were going so far from the known parts of the cavern; and -now, to my disgust, the guide was unable to find the way out. Twice -he descended into a hole at our end of the cave, and emerged with the -intelligence, "It's not there, sir." We ransacked every opening in -wall and floor, but failed to hit on any exit whatever. The guide grew -alarmed, and rushed off to the farther end of the cave, wondering if -we had completely lost our sense of direction. He tried whistling; but -the hundreds of feet of rock between us and our companion were well -able to guard their ancient silence. Tired with these exertions, he -next proposed that we should put out the lights and rest for a while. -Whether his idea was to husband the only provisions we had, I could not -say; but at any rate the situation did look serious, since rescuers -might have taken days to discover our position in this remote corridor, -of whose very existence, probably, our guide was the only man in -Ireland that knew anything. But where there is a way in, there is a way -out, as I very well knew from several similar experiences; and after a -pretty bad half-hour, we did manage to recover the trail, and got back -to our friend, who had been completely mystified by our disappearance, -and was almost as relieved as we by our return. After many hours of -fatiguing work, we were glad to follow our guide back through the -labyrinthine passages, by the most direct route to the open air. - -Our chief regret was that we had relied too much on the completeness of -previous surveys, and had not taken materials for correcting the map. -We had secured many photographs of the earlier chambers, but had not -taken the camera into the innermost cavities, where photography would -be most profitable. M. Martel's dictum can still be endorsed that there -is a great field for research in the Mitchelstown Cavern. - - - - - INDEX - - - Abergele, 123. - - _Abîmes, Les_, 34, 39. - - Adelsberg, 43, 162. - - Albanets of Couvin (Belgium), 31. - - Alfred (King), 3. - - Alps, 43. - - Anemolites, 90. - - _Angels and Men_ (quotation), 45. - - Antiquity of caverns, 18, 21, 25. - - Apjohn (Dr.), 161. - - Arragonite, 119, 124. - - Arthur (King), 2. - - Attrition, effect of, 29. - - Avalon, Isle of, 2. - - Aveline's Hole, 99, 103. - - Aven de Vigne Close (Ardèche), 37. - - Avignon, 33. - - Axbridge, 106. - - Axe, the river, 2, 3, 5, 7, 23, 25, 26, 27, 31, 36, 46, 57, - 70, 82. - - - Badger Hole, 13, 23. - - Bagshawe Cavern, 42, 93. - - Balch (Mr.), 31, 36, 37, 48, 61, 71, 83, 101. - - Bamforth (Mr. H.), 71, 83, 85, 100, 138. - - Banwell Cave, 22, 28, 113. - - Barnes (Mr.), 71. - - Bath, 10, 69. - - Bats, 54, 93, 125. - - Bear, 14, 23, 24. - - Beehive, 30. - - Beehive Chamber, Lamb's Lair, 117. - - Betsy Camel's Hole, 14. - - Bishop's Lot Swallet, 8. - - Bishop's Palace at Wells, 5. - - Bison, 23, 24. - - Blackdown, 3, 17, 99, 104. - - Blackwater, 159. - - Blue John Mine, 38, 88, 90. - - Bonheur (Gard), 39. - - Bos, 14. - - Boule (M.), 31. - - Bouvier (M.), 33. - - Bowling Alley, 139. - - Bramabiau (Gard), 39. - - Bristol, 1, 2, 69. - - Bristol Channel, 3. - - Brogden's Cave, 166. - - Brue, 2, 3. - - Buckland (Dean), 33. - - Bull Pit, 147, 148, 149. - - Bunter Sandstone, 129. - - Burrington, 17, 28, 42, 62, 97, 99, 102, 104. - - Buxton, 29. - - - Cadbury, 3. - - Calamine, 33. - - Cales Dale, 154, 155, 156. - - Camden's _Britannia_, 46. - - Camelot, 3. - - Canyon, 64, 65, 72, 73, 81, 150. - - Carbonic acid (action of), 4. - - Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 26, - 28, 29, 53, 106. - - Cascades, 6. - - Castle of Comfort, 17, 29. - - Castleton, 37, 144, 157. - - Causse de Gramat (Padirac), 40. - - Cave-earth, 21. - - _Cave Hunting_, 47. - - Cave Man of Cheddar, 85, 86. - - Ceiriog Valley, 133. - - Cevennes, 37. - - Chapel-en-le-Frith, 144. - - Charterhouse, 17, 27, 97. - - Cheddar, 3, 7, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 82, 96. - - Cheddar Water, 5, 82, 92. - - Chokes, 9, 34, 63. - - Clemens Alexandrinus, 45. - - Clevedon, 4. - - Coalpit Mine, 145. - - Compton Bishop, 28, 106, 113. - - Compton Martin, 25. - - Copper, 33. - - Coral Cave, 28, 105. - - Corridors, 9. - - Cotherstone Hill, 123. - - Cows hounded over cliff, 24. - - Cox's Cavern, 83, 92. - - Cox's Hole, 10, 11. - - Croft (Mr. J.), 138. - - Crook's Peak, 110, 111. - - Croscombe, 14. - - Cross, 106. - - Crosse (Andrew), 124. - - Cust's Cave, 162, 164, 166. - - - Dangers of exploration, 41, 43. - - Dargilan, 162. - - Dawkins (Prof. Boyd), 23, 31, 33, 46, 99, 101, 102. - - De Launey (M.), 31. - - Deer, 14, 23, 24, 74. - - Demon's Cave, 166. - - Denny's Hole, 111. - - Denudation, 2, 5. - - Derbyshire, 1, 29, 42, 43, 44, 91, 138. - - Devil's Hole, 47. - - Devil's Punchbowl, 29. - - Dinder Wood, 15. - - Dolomitic Conglomerate, 12, 13, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 48, - 53, 110. - - Dovedale, 133. - - Doveholes, 29. - - Downside Monastery, 12. - - Drayton, 47. - - Dulcote, 2, 14. - - - East Harptree, 116. - - Eastwater, 7, 8, 9, 30, 36, 37, 42, 48, 60, 70. - - Ebbor, 3, 7, 13, 17, 29. - - Elden Hill, 149. - - Elden Hole, 38, 149, 150. - - English Channel, 3. - - Enmore, 123. - - Eocene, 31. - - Exeter, 1. - - Exploration (dangers of), 41, 43, 72. - - Extinct animals, 22, 23, 34, 74. - - - Fairy Slats, 12. - - Fauna of caves, 33, 74. - - Fissures, 5, 12, 27, 33, 39, 66, 73, 85, 87, 89, 94. - - Flatholm, 4. - - Fluor-spar, 33. - - Fontaine de Vaucluse, 33. - - Foreland, 1. - - Foxe's Hole (Burrington), 99. - - Fox's Hole (Compton Bishop), 110. - - Frome, 1, 7, 27. - - Frost (action of), 6. - - - Galtees, 159. - - Gaping Ghyll, 35, 37. - - Gautries Hill, 149. - - Geological Survey, 25. - - Giant's Hole, 144, 145, 151. - - Gibson (Mr. James), 101, 104. - - Glacial drift, 29, 31. - - Glastonbury, 3. - - Goatchurch Cavern, 42, 62, 99, 100, 104. - - Golden Cap, 3. - - Gough (Messrs.), 16, 19, 28, 82, 93, 106. - - Grassington, 138. - - Gravel, 8. - - Great Cavern of Cheddar, 82, 83, 92. - - Great Chamber of Lamb's Lair, 116. - - Green How, 138. - - _Grotten und Höhlen von Adelsberg, Die_, 34. - - Gurney Slade, 27. - - Gypsum, 33. - - - Han-sur-Lesse, 162. - - Harptree, 18. - - Harrington (Dr.) of Bath, 46. - - Helln Pot, 37. - - Hiley (Mr.), 70. - - Hill (Dr.), 160. - - Hillgrove, 7, 61, 70, 114. - - Holwell, 27, 123, 124. - - Hope, Dale of, 37. - - Horse, 14. - - Hyæna, 23, 24, 46. - - Hyæna Den, 13, 22, 23, 24. - - Hydrology, 33. - - - Ingleborough Cave, 35, 37. - - Inscriptions, 22, 30. - - Irish Elk, 23, 24. - - _Irlande et Cavernes Anglaises_, 34. - - - Jackdaws, 54. - - Jacob's Well, 140. - - Jameson (Dr.), 160. - - Joints, 5, 11, 13, 71. - - - Katavothra, 33. - - Kent's Cavern, 30. - - Kentucky, 43. - - Keuper, 31. - - Knockmealdown Mountains, 159. - - Kyndwr Club, 138. - - - Labyrinths, 8, 9, 62. - - Laibach, 33. - - Lake village, 3. - - Lamb's Lair, 30, 39, 115. - - Lathkill Dale, 152, 153, 154. - - Lathkill River, 156. - - Lead, 33. - - Leland, 46. - - Lewsdon, 3. - - Lias, 27, 28, 29. - - Lion, 23, 24. - - Llangollen, 133. - - Long Hole, 19, 28, 97. - - Long Kin Hole, 37. - - Long Wood, 97. - - Lower Limestone Shales, 2, 4, 5. - - Loxton, 112, 113. - - - Mammoth, 23, 24. - - Manifold, 150, 151. - - Marble Arch, 42. - - Marshall (Mr.), 11, 13. - - Martel (Mons.), 17, 19, 30, 34, 37, 39, 57, 145, 160, 161, 164, - 165, 167. - - Master-joint, 34, 131. - - Matlock, 104. - - Mazauric (M.), 39. - - McMurtrie (Mr. J.), 122. - - Mendip plateau, 36. - - Middle Hill, 147. - - Mitchelstown Cave, 159. - - Monyash, 153. - - Morfa Rhuddlan, 131. - - Morland (Mr. J. O.), 83. - - Murray's Guide, 116, 122. - - - Natural wells, 18. - - Neolithic barrows, 3. - - Niagara (Gough's Caves), 30. - - Nidderdale, 138. - - North Hill, 3, 60. - - - O'Callaghan's Cave, 162, 165. - - Offa's Dyke, 133. - - Ogo, 45, 127. - - Ogof, 45, 127. - - Old Red Sandstone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 26, 53, 60. - - O'Leary's Cave, 161, 164. - - Ookey, 45. - - Oonakareaglisha, 159. - - Outfit, 41, 62. - - - Padirac, 162. - - Parrett, 3. - - Peace of Wedmore, 3. - - Peak, 34, 38, 39, 42, 47, 144, 159. - - Peak's Hill, 147. - - Peak's Hole, 145. - - Peak's Hole (source of water of), 150. - - Pen Hill, 2, 4, 60. - - Percolating water, 6. - - Percy's _Reliques_, 46. - - Perryfoot, 145, 150. - - Phelps, 106. - - Phosphorites, 31. - - Pilsdon, 3. - - Pleistocene gravel, 28. - - Pliocene, 29. - - Plumley's Den, 100, 103, 104. - - _Polyolbion_, 47. - - Pot, 34, 84. - - Pothole Cavern, 155, 156. - - Potholes, 6, 68, 72. - - Pottery, 21, 22, 58, 74. - - Priddy, 7, 8, 17, 48, 60, 61, 98. - - Primitive man, 13, 22, 24, 34, 47, 128. - - Puttrell (Mr. J. W.), 138. - - - Quantocks, 123. - - Quercy, 31. - - - Radstock, 27. - - Radstock Coalfield, 10. - - Rain (action of), 6. - - Rakes, 33, 38. - - Ravine formation, 19. - - Ravines, 6, 20, 23. - - Raymond, Walter, 98. - - Red Deer, 23, 24. - - Reindeer, 23. - - _Reliquiæ Diluvianæ_, 33. - - Revolving stones (action of), 6. - - Rhaetic, 27, 31. - - Rhinoceros, 24. - - Rickford, 28, 102, 104. - - Ricklow Cavern, 157. - - Ricklow Dale, 153. - - Risings (extent of flow), 17. - - "Rock of Ages," 104. - - Rock shelter, 15. - - Roman Cave of Cheddar, 93, 95. - - Roman mines, 97. - - Romano-British pottery, 21, 22, 58, 74. - - Rookham, 2, 28. - - Rowberrow Farm, 17. - - Rushup Edge, 144, 147. - - Russet Well, 144, 145. - - - "S" bends, 65, 68. - - St. Andrew's Well, 5, 28, 31. - - St. Dunstan's Well, 10, 11. - - St. George's Cave, 127, 130. - - "St. Paul's," 86, 88. - - St. Swithin's Hole, 7. - - "Salle à Manger," 38. - - Sand (action of), 6. - - Sand Pit Hole, 8. - - Schmidl (Dr. Adolph), 34. - - Scotchman's Cave, 165. - - Secondary Rocks, 5, 12, 18, 27, 28. - - Sedgemoor, 3. - - Severn, 4. - - Shakeholes, 29. - - Sheldon (Dr.), 83, 84, 90, 100. - - Sheldon (Mr., of Wells), 17. - - Shipham, 100. - - Silt, 10, 11. - - Siphons, 33, 34. - - Skeheenarinky, 159. - - Slater (Mr.), 71. - - Smith (W. W.), 45. - - Snowdonia, 130. - - Société de Spéléologie, 34. - - "Solomon's Temple," 86, 88. - - Somerville (A. F.), 14, 15. - - Sorgue, 33. - - Sparrowpit, 144, 145. - - Speedwell Mine, 38, 144. - - Speleology, 32. - - Spiders, 54. - - Springs, 5, 11. - - Spur and Wedge, 53, 56. - - Squire's Well, 104. - - Stalactites, 10, 76, 77, 80, 89, 118, 140, 142. - - Stalagmite bridges, 78. - - Steepholm, 4. - - Stoke Lane, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13. - - Stratton-on-the-Fosse, 11. - - Stump Cross Cavern, 138. - - Subterranean streams, 6, 7, 8, 72. - - Subterranean waterfalls, 72. - - Swallets, swallow-holes, 1, 5, 7, 8, 12, 26, 27, 34, 60, 61, 84, - 148. - - Swildon's Hole, 7, 8, 36, 48, 61, 70. - - - Tanyrogo, 127. - - Tennyson, 4. - - Thornyash, 153. - - Tideswell, 148. - - Tindoul de la Vayssière (Aveyron), 40. - - Tone, 3. - - Torquay, 30. - - Tower Rock, 14. - - Traps, 34, 65. - - Trias, 18, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 106, 109, 110, 130. - - Troup (Mr.), 21, 59, 70, 71. - - _Two Men o' Mendip_, 98. - - - Ubley Farm, 98. - - Undermining, 4, 6, 25. - - Upper Langford, 105. - - - Van den Broeck, 31. - - Vaucluse, 33. - - - Wastdale, 96. - - Wavering Down, 106, 110. - - Wedmore, 3. - - Well (in Swildon's Hole), 73, 77. - - Wells, 2, 5, 7, 8, 17, 26, 28, 29, 36, 83. - - Wells Museum, 14. - - West Riding, 34. - - Weston-super-Mare, 16. - - Wharfedale, 138. - - Wightman (Mr. F.), 138. - - Wild Boar, 23. - - Wild Goat, 23. - - Wild Horse, 23. - - Willcox (Mr.), 30. - - William of Worcester, 45. - - Williams, (W. H. and G. D.), 152. - - Wills Neck, 123. - - Wind (action of), 6. - - Winnats, 91, 144. - - Wirral, 129. - - Witch of Wookey, 46. - - Wolf, 23, 24. - - Wookey, 45. - - Wookey Hole, 5, 7, 13, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 30, 31, 36, 37, 42, - 43, 45, 52, 60, 70, 82, 127. - - Woolly Rhinoceros, 23. - - Wrington Vale, 115. - - - Yoredales, 144. - - Yorkshire, 1, 10, 29, 35, 44. - - Young's Cavern, 160. - - -_Printed by_ J. BAKER & SON, _Clifton_ - - - - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Otherwise, the author's -original spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been left intact. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Netherworld of Mendip, by -Ernest A. Baker and Herbert E. 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