This we
did in order to let our eyes become accustomed to the obscurity. Then,
when we could see sufficiently, we swam to a shelving rock, and landed
in safety. Having wrung the water from our trousers, and dried
ourselves as well as we could under the circumstances, we proceeded to
ignite the torch. This we accomplished without difficulty in a few
minutes; and no sooner did it flare up than we were struck dumb with
the wonderful objects that were revealed to our gaze. The roof of the
cabin just above us seemed to be about ten feet high, but grew higher
as it receded into the distance, until it was lost in darkness. It
seemed to be made of coral, and was supported by massive columns of the
same material. Immense icicles (as they appeared to us) hung from it in
various places. These, however, were formed not of ice, but of a
species of limestone, which seemed to flow in a liquid form towards the
point of each, where it became solid. A good many drops fell, however,
to the rock below, and these formed little cones, which rose to meet
the points above. Some of them had already met, and thus we saw how the
pillars were formed, which at first seemed to us as if they had been
placed there by some human architect to support the roof. As we
advanced farther in, we saw that the floor was composed of the same
material as the pillars; and it presented the curious appearance of
ripples such as are formed on water when gently ruffled by the wind.
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