CHAPTER XIII.
THE PUNCH-BOWLS AND CAVERNS OF KENTUCKY.--"INTO THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY."
"This part of Kentucky borders a field of caverns that reaches from nearthe State of Tennessee to the Ohio River, and from the mouth of theCumberland, eastward to and beyond the center of the State. This greatarea is of irregular outline, and as yet has been little explored.Underneath the surface are layers of limestone and sandstone rock, thedeposits ranging from ten to one hundred and fifty feet in thickness,and often great masses of conglomerate appear. This conglomeratesometimes caps the ridges, and varies in thickness from a few feet only,to sixty, or even a hundred, feet. It is of a diversified character,sometimes largely composed of pebbles cemented together by iron ore intocompact beds, while again it passes abruptly into gritty sandstone, or afine-grained compact rock destitute of pebbles. Sometimes theconglomerate rests directly on the limestone, but in the section aboutus, more often argillaceous shales or veins of coal intervene, andoccasionally inferior and superior layers of conglomerate are separatedby a bed of coal. In addition, lead-bearing veins now and then crop up,the crystals of galena being disseminated through masses of fluor-spar,calc-spar, limestone and clay, which fill fissures between tilted wallsof limestone and hard quartzose sandstone. Valleys, hills, andmountains, grow out of this remarkable crust. Rivers and creeks flowthrough and under it in crevices, either directly upon the bedstone orover deposits of clay which underlie it. In some places, beds of coal orslate alternate with layers of the lime rock; in others, the interspaceis clay and sand. Sometimes the depth of the several limestone andconglomerate deposits is great, and they are often honeycombed byinnumerable transverse and diagonal spaces. Water drips have here andthere washed out the more friable earth and stone, forming grottoeswhich are as yet unknown to men, but which will be discovered to bewonderful and fantastic beyond anything of a like nature now familiar.In other places cavities exist between shelves of rock that lie oneabove the other--monstrous openings caused by the erosive action ofrivers now lost, but that have flowed during unnumbered ages past; greatparallel valleys and gigantic chambers, one over the other, remaining totell the story of these former torrents. Occasionally the weight of aportion of the disintegrating rock above becomes too great for itstensile strength and the material crumbles and falls, producing cavernssometimes reaching so near to the earth's surface, as to cause sinks inits crust. These sinks, when first formed, as a rule, present clear rockfractures, and immediately after their formation there is usually awater-way beneath. In the course of time soil collects on their sides,they become cone-shaped hollows from the down-slidings of earth, andthen vegetation appears on the living soil; trees grow within them, andin many places the sloping sides of great earth bowls of this natureare, after untold years, covered with the virgin forest; magnificenttimber trees growing on soil that has been stratified over and upondecayed monarchs of the forest whose remains, imbedded in the earth,speak of the ages that have passed since the convulsions that made thedepressions which, notwithstanding the accumulated debris, are still ahundred feet or more in depth. If the drain or exit at the vortex of oneof these sinks becomes clogged, which often occurs, the entire cavityfills with water, and a pond results. Again, a slight orifice reachingfar beneath the earth's surface may permit the soil to be graduallywashed into a subterranean creek, and thus are formed great bowls, likefunnels sunk in the earth--Kentucky punch-bowls.
"Take the country about us, especially towards the Mammoth Cave, and formiles beyond, the landscape in certain localities is pitted with thisdescription of sinks, some recent, others very old. Many are small, butdeep; others are large and shallow. Ponds often of great depth,curiously enough overflowing and giving rise to a creek, are to be foundon a ridge, telling of underground supply springs, not outlets, beneath.Chains of such sinks, like a row of huge funnels, often appear; the soilbetween them is slowly washed through their exit into the river,flowing in the depths below, and as the earth that separates them iscarried away by the subterranean streams, the bowls coalesce and aravine, closed at both ends, results. Along the bottom of such a ravine,a creek may flow, rushing from its natural tunnel at one end of theline, and disappearing in a gulf at the other. The stream begins inmystery, and ends in unfathomed darkness. Near Marion, Hurricane Creekthus disappears, and, so far as men know, is lost to sight forever. NearCridersville, in this neighborhood, a valley such as I have described,takes in the surface floods of a large tract of country. The waters thatrun down its sides, during a storm form a torrent, and fence-rails,timbers, and other objects are gulped into the chasm where the creekplunges into the earth, and they never appear again. This part ofKentucky is the most remarkable portion of the known world, and althoughnow neglected, in a time to come is surely destined to an extendeddistinction. I have referred only to the surface, the skin formation ofthis honeycombed labyrinth, the entrance to the future wonderland of theworld. Portions of such a superficial cavern maze have been traversed byman in the ramifications known as the Mammoth Cave, but deeper than manhas yet explored, the subcutaneous structure of that series of cavernsis yet to be investigated. The Mammoth Cave as now traversed is simply asuperficial series of grottoes and passages overlying the deeper cavernfield that I have described. The explored chain of passages is of greatinterest to men, it is true, but of minor importance compared to othersyet unknown, being in fact, the result of mere surface erosion. Theriver that bisects the cave, just beneath the surface of the earth, andknown as Echo River, is a miniature stream: there are others moremagnificent that flow majestically far, far beneath it. As we descendinto the earth in that locality, caverns multiply in number and increasein size, retaining the general configuration of those I have described.The layers of rock are thicker, the intervening spaces broader; and thespaces stretch in increasingly expanded chambers for miles, while highabove each series of caverns the solid ceilings of stone arch andinterarch. Sheltered under these subterrene alcoves are streams, lakes,rivers and water-falls. Near the surface of the earth such waters oftenteem with aquatic life, and some of the caves are inhabited by speciesof birds, reptiles and mammals as yet unknown to men, creaturespossessed of senses and organs that are different from any we find withsurface animals, and also apparently defective in particulars that wouldstartle persons acquainted only with creatures that live in thesunshine. It is a world beneath a world, a world within a world--" Myguide abruptly stopped.
I sat entranced, marveling at the young-old adept's knowledge, admiringhis accomplishments. I gazed into the cavity that yawned beneath me, andimagined its possible but to me invisible secrets, enraptured with thethought of searching into them. Who would not feel elated at theprospect of an exploration, such as I foresaw might be pursued in myimmediate future? I had often been charmed with narrative descriptionsof discoveries, and book accounts of scientific investigations, but Ihad never pictured myself as a participant in such fascinatingenterprises.
"Indeed, indeed," I cried exultingly; "lead me to this Wonderland, showme the entrance to this Subterranean World, and I promise willingly todo as you bid."
"Bravo!" he replied, "your heart is right, your courage sufficient; Ihave not disclosed a thousandth part of the wonders which I haveknowledge of, and which await your research, and probably I have notgained even an insight into the mysteries that, if your courage permits,you will be privileged to comprehend. Your destiny lies beyond, farbeyond that which I have pictured or experienced; and I, notwithstandingmy opportunities, have no conception of its end, for at the criticalmoment my heart faltered--I can therefore only describe the beginning."
Thus at the lower extremity of Biswell's Hill, I was made aware of thefact that, within a short time, I should be separated from mysympathetic guide, and that it was to be my duty to explore alone, or inother company, some portion of these Kentucky cavern deeps, and I longedfor the beginning of my underground journey. Heavens! how differentwould have been my future life could I then have realized my position!Would that I could ha
ve seen the end. After a few days of uneventfultravel, we rested, one afternoon, in a hilly country that before usappeared to be more rugged, even mountainous. We had wandered leisurely,and were now at a considerable distance from the Cumberland River, theaim of my guide being, as I surmised, to evade a direct approach to someobject of interest which I must not locate exactly, and yet which Ishall try to describe accurately enough for identification by a personfamiliar with the topography of that section. We stood on the side of astony, sloping hill, back of which spread a wooded, undulating valley.
"I remember to have passed along a creek in that valley," I remarked,looking back over our pathway. "It appeared to rise from this direction,but the source ends abruptly in this chain of hills."
"The stream is beneath us," he answered. Advancing a few paces, hebrought to my attention, on the hillside, an opening in the earth. Thisaperture was irregular in form, about the diameter of a well, anddescended perpendicularly into the stony crust. I leaned far over theorifice, and heard the gurgle of rushing water beneath. The guidedropped a heavy stone into the gloomy shaft, and in some seconds a dullsplash announced its plunge into underground water. Then he leaned overthe stony edge, and--could I be mistaken?--seemed to signal to some onebeneath; but it must be imagination on my part, I argued to myself, evenagainst my very sense of sight. Rising, and taking me by the hand, myguardian spoke:
"Brother, we approach the spot where you and I must separate. I serve mymasters and am destined to go where I shall next be commanded; you willdescend into the earth, as you have recently desired to do. Here wepart, most likely forever. This rocky fissure will admit the last ray ofsunlight on your path."
My heart failed. How often are we courageous in daylight and timid bynight? Men unflinchingly face in sunshine dangers at which they shudderin the darkness.
"How am I to descend into that abyss?" I gasped. "The sides areperpendicular, the depth is unknown!" Then I cried in alarm, the senseof distrust deepening: "Do you mean to drown me; is it for this you haveled me away from my native State, from friends, home and kindred? Youhave enticed me into this wilderness. I have been decoyed, and, like afoolish child, have willingly accompanied my destroyer. You feared tomurder me in my distant home; the earth could not have hidden me;Niagara even might have given up my body to dismay the murderers! Inthis underground river in the wilds of Kentucky, all trace of myexistence will disappear forever."
I was growing furious. My frenzied eyes searched the ground for somemissile of defense. By strange chance some one had left, on thatsolitary spot, a rude weapon, providentially dropped for my use, Ithought. It was a small iron bolt or bar, somewhat rusted. I threwmyself upon the earth, and, as I did so, picked this up quickly, andsecreted it within my bosom. Then I arose and resumed my stormydenunciation:
"You have played your part well, you have led your unresisting victim tothe sacrifice, but if I am compelled to plunge into this black grave,you shall go with me!" I shrieked in desperation, and suddenly threw myarms around the gentle adept, intending to hurl him into the chasm. Atthis point I felt my hands seized from behind in a cold, clammy,irresistible embrace, my fingers were loosed by a strong grasp, and Iturned, to find myself confronted by a singular looking being, whoquietly said:
"You are not to be destroyed; we wish only to do your bidding."
The speaker stood in a stooping position, with his face towards theearth as if to shelter it from the sunshine. He was less than five feetin height. His arms and legs were bare, and his skin, the color of lightblue putty, glistened in the sunlight like the slimy hide of a waterdog. He raised his head, and I shuddered in affright as I beheld thathis face was not that of a human. His forehead extended in an unbrokenplane from crown to cheek bone, and the chubby tip of an abortive nosewithout nostrils formed a short projection near the center of the levelridge which represented a countenance. There was no semblance of an eye,for there were no sockets. Yet his voice was singularly perfect. Hisface, if face it could be called, was wet, and water dripped from allparts of his slippery person. Yet, repulsive as he looked, I shudderedmore at the remembrance of the touch of that cold, clammy hand than atthe sight of his figure, for a dead man could not have chilled me as hehad done, with his sappy skin, from which the moisture seemed to ooze asfrom the hide of a water lizard.
"CONFRONTED BY A SINGULAR LOOKING BEING."]
Turning to my guide, this freak of nature said, softly:
"I have come in obedience to the signal."
I realized at once that alone with these two I was powerless, and thatto resist would be suicidal. Instantly my effervescing passion subsided,and I expressed no further surprise at this sudden and remarkableapparition, but mentally acquiesced. I was alone and helpless; rage gaveplace to inertia in the despondency that followed the realization of myhopeless condition. The grotesque newcomer who, though sightless,possessed a strange instinct, led us to the base of the hill a fewhundred feet away, and there, gushing into the light from the rockybluff, I saw a magnificent stream issuing many feet in width. This wasthe head-waters of the mysterious brook that I had previously noticed.It flowed from an archway in the solid stone, springing directly out ofthe rock-bound cliff; beautiful and picturesque in its surroundings. Thelimpid water, clear and sparkling, issued from the unknown source thatwas typical of darkness, but the brook of crystal leaped into a world ofsunshine, light and freedom.
"Brother," said my companion, "this spring emerging from this prison ofearth images to us what humanity will be when the prisoning walls ofignorance that now enthrall him are removed. Man has heretofore reliedchiefly for his advancement, both mental and physical, on knowledgegained from so-called scientific explorations and researches withmatter, from material studies rather than spiritual, all hisinvestigations having been confined to the crude, coarse substance ofthe surface of the globe. Spiritualistic investigations, unfortunately,are considered by scientific men too often as reaching backward only.The religions of the world clasp hands with, and lean upon, the deadpast, it is true, but point to a living future. Man must yet search bythe agency of senses and spirit, the unfathomed mysteries that liebeneath his feet and over his head, and he who refuses to bow to theCreator and honor his handiwork discredits himself. When this work isaccomplished, as it yet will be, the future man, able then to comprehendthe problem of life in its broader significance, drawing from alldirections the facts necessary to his mental advancement, will havereached a state in which he can enjoy bodily comfort and supremespiritual perfection, while he is yet an earth-bound mortal. Inhastening this consummation, it is necessary that an occasional humanlife should be lost to the world, but such sacrifices are noble--yes,sublime, because contributing to the future exaltation of our race. Thesecret workers in the sacred order of which you are still a member, haveever taken an important part in furthering such a system of evolution.This feature of our work is unknown to brethren of the ordinaryfraternity, and the individual research of each secret messenger isunguessed, by the craft at large. Hence it is that the open workers ofour order, those initiated by degrees only, who in lodge rooms carry ontheir beneficent labors among men, have had no hand other than as agentsin your removal, and no knowledge of your present or future movements.Their function is to keep together our organization on earth, and fromthem only an occasional member is selected, as you have been, to performspecial duties in certain adventurous studies. Are you willing to go onthis journey of exploration? and are you brave enough to meet the trialsyou have invited?"
Again my enthusiasm arose, and I felt the thrill experienced by aninvestigator who stands on the brink of an important discovery, andneeds but courage to advance, and I answered, "Yes."
"Then, farewell; this archway is the entrance that will admit you intoyour arcanum of usefulness. This mystic Brother, though a stranger toyou, has long been apprised of our coming, and it was he who sped me onmy journey to seek you, and who has since been waiting for us, and is tobe your guide during the first stages of your subterrene progress.
He isa Friend, and, if you trust him, will protect you from harm. You willfind the necessaries of life supplied, for I have traversed part of yourcoming road; that part I therefore know, but, as I have said, you are togo deeper into the unexplored,--yes, into and beyond the Beyond, untilfinally you will come to the gateway that leads into the 'UnknownCountry.'"