they had accidentally dropped their torches in a puddle of water, but exhorted us to crawl forward, and told us there was no danger. I was, indeed, astonished at the courage of these men in a place where I thought four of them had already perished; but as I thought it impossible for any of us to escape from our present situation, I determined to lie down and die where I was. One of the guides, however, immediately came up to me, and clapping his hand firmly on my eyes, dragged me a few paces forward. Whilst I was in this strange situation, expecting death in a thousand shapes, and trembling at the rough behaviour of my conductor, he suddenly lifted me over a great stone, set me on my feet, and removed his hands from my eyes. But what language can express my transport and astonishment at that moment, when, instead of darkness and despair, all was splendour and magnificence before me! My friends all appeared about me; the place was illuminated with fifty torches, and all the guides welcomed me into the Grotto of Antiparos. I now found that the four men whom I had deemed lost, had given us the slip in order to get the torches lighted before we came; and the other two had wilfully put out their lights that we might enter out of utter darkness into this pavilion of splendour and glory. "The grotto in which we now were is 120 yards wide, and 113 long, and about 60 yards high. The dimensions are somewhat different from those which travellers have generally presented to the public, but they are certainly accurate, for I took them with my own hand. Imagine, then, an immense arch like this, lined with crystalized white marble, and illuminated by fifty torches, and you will have some idea of the place in which I spent three hours. "The roof, which is a fine vaulted arch, is hung all over with icicles of white marble, some of them ten feet long, and as thick as a man's waist: and from these depend a thousand festoons of leaves and flowers of the same substance, but so extremely glittering, that it is impossible to look upon them without dazzling one's eyes. The sides of the arch seem planted with trees of white marble, rising in rows above each other; from these are hung beautiful festoons, tied, as it were, from one to another, in prodigious quantities; and in some places there actually seem to be rivers of marble, winding in a thousand elegant meanders. All these things have been made, in a long course of years, by the dropping of water, but they really look like trees and brooks transformed to marble. "The floor was rough and uneven, with red, blue, green, and yellow crystals growing out of it in an irregular manner: these were all shaped like pieces of saltpetre, but so hard that they cut our shoes; and among them are placed icicles, or small pillars of white shining marble, to each of which our guides fastened two or three torches. All round the sides of the arch are white masses of marble, in the shape of oak trees, and sufficiently large, in many places, to enclose a piece of ground big enough for a bedchamber. One of these chambers has a beautiful curtain, whiter than satin, of the same marble, stretching entirely over the front, on which we all cut our names, and the date of our visit, as many other persons had done before us. "Most of the columns thus formed in the grotto of Antiparos have been injured by the indiscreet curiosity of travellers, either for the purpose of examining their internal organization, or of enriching their cabinets. But new ones would continually be completed, were the portions approaching towards each other left untouched. "In the midst of what is called the hall, which is the greatest opening in the grotto, there is an immense stalagmite, about twenty feet in breadth, and twenty-four in height. This superb concretion has been denominated the altar, ever since the Marquis de Nointel visited the cavern in 1673; an event which is perpetuated by an inscription on a rock near its entrance, still entire. That nobleman, who was ambassador from Louis XIV., of France, to the Ottoman Porte, was attended by above 500 persons, consisting of those in his own train, merchants, corsairs, and the people of the country who followed him. Men were posted from the extremity to the entrance, who discharged their fire-arms, and sounded trumpets and other musical instruments, to render the visit more impressive. The grotto itself was illuminated by 100 large torches of yellow wax, and 400 lamps burned in it for three days and nights. "It is not absolutely certain whether the utmost extremity of the cavern has ever been attained. The inhabitants of Antiparos affirm that it reaches below the sea, and that a goat having accidentally wandered into it, was found in the island of Nio, between thirty and forty miles distant. But although this is most likely a fabulous report, it is not improbable that many recesses yet remain to be explored." earth there is no food so abundant as that which men love best, and which does them the most good, and of which they are never tired. In these parts of the world the corn of which we make bread, and in other parts rice, on which millions of people live alone, are most abundant. But our Heavenly Father has not confined us to the use of herbs bearing seed of which we make bread. He has caused many trees to yield fruits full of rich and pleasant-tasting juices, such as those you see in the picture-grapes, and apples, and pears, and peaches, and pine-apples, and so many more that their names only would fill a large book. All these are "good for food"-if we eat them at the right time—that is, when they are ripe. If any fruit is eaten before it is ripe it is always sure to do us harm, but it never does if eaten when fully ripe. Young people should remember this; for some are in such a hurry to eat fruits, that they have not patience to wait until they are ripe, and then they are often unwell, and sometimes die through eating them. And when you are eating rich ripe fruits, and tasting how nice they are, you should never forget who made them, and gave them that rich flavour which you enjoy so much. The great God might have made them without any flavour at all, or have made them all of the same flavour. But instead of that he has given to every different kind of fruit a different flavour, in order that we may enjoy them more. Did you ever think of this before? Perhaps you did not: well, I hope for the time to come you will never eat any of these pleasant ripe fruits without thanking your Heavenly Father for such good things. A HYMN OF THANKS. FATHER of earth and heaven, We praise the Power that made us, Thy gracious care confesses. |