Swiss Family Robinson

steed; and he was quickly followed by the rest of our party in the cart.
    All were in the highest state of excitement. Jack had stowed in the cart all the candles he could find, and we now, lighting these, shouldered our arms and entered. I led the way, sounding the ground as I advanced with a long pole, that we might not fall unexpectedly into any great hole or chasm.
    Silently we marched--my wife, the boys, and even the dogs seeming overawed with the grandeur and beauty of the scene We were in a grotto of diamonds--a vast cave of glittering crystal; the candles reflected on the walls a golden light, bright as the stars of Heaven, while great crystal pillars rose from the floor like mighty trees, mingling their branches high above us and drooping in hundreds of stalactites, which sparkled and glittered with all the colours of the rainbow.
    The floor of this magnificent palace was formed of hard, dry sand, so dry that I saw at once that we might safely take up our abode therein, without the slightest fear of danger from damp.
    From the appearance of the brilliant crystals round about us, I suspected their nature. I tasted a piece. This was a cavern of rock-salt. There was no doubt about it--here was an unlimited supply of the best and purest salt!
    But one thing detracted from my entire satisfaction and delight--large crystals lay scattered here and there, which, detached from the roof, had fallen to the ground; this, if apt to recur, would keep us in constant peril. I examined some of the masses and discovered that they had been all recently separated, and therefore concluded that the concussion of the air, occasioned by the rockets, had caused their fall. To satisfy ourselves, however, that there were no more pieces tottering above us, we discharged our guns from the entrance, and watched the effect.
    Nothing more fell--our magnificent abode was safe. We returned to Falconhurst with minds full of wonder at our new discovery, and plans for turning it to the best possible advantage.
    Nothing was now talked of but the new house, how it should be arranged, how it should be fitted up. The safety and comfort of Falconhurst , which had at first seemed so great, now dwindled away in our opinion to nothing; it should be kept up we decided merely as a summer residence, while our cave should be formed into a winter house and impregnable castle.
    Our attention was now fully occupied with this new house. Light and air were to be admitted, so we hewed a row of windows in the rock, where we fitted the window-cases we had brought from the officers' cabins.
    We brought the door, too, from Falconhurst , and fitted it in the aperture we had made. The opening in the trunk of the tree I determined to conceal with bark, as less likely to attract the notice of wild beasts or savages should they approach during our absence.
    The cave itself we divided into four parts: in front, a large compartment into which the door opened, subdivided into our sitting, eating and sleeping apartments; the right-hand division, containing our kitchen and workshop, and the left our stables; behind all this, in the dark recess of the cave, was our storehouse and powder-magazine.
    Having already undergone one rainy reason, we knew well its discomforts, and thought of many useful arrangements in the laying-out of our dwelling. We did not intend to be again smoke-dried; we, therefore, contrived a properly built fireplace and chimney; our stable arrangements, too, were better, and plenty of space was left in our workshop that we should not be hampered in even the most extensive operations.
    Our frequent residence at Tentholm revealed to us several important advantages which we had not foreseen. Numbers of splendid turtles often came ashore to deposit their eggs in the sand, and their delicious flesh afforded us many a sumptuous meal. When more than one of these creatures appeared at a time, we used to cut off their retreat to the sea, and, turning them on their backs, fasten them to a stake, driven in close by the water's edge, by a cord passed through a hole in their shell. We thus had fresh turtle continually within our reach; for the animals throve well thus secured, and appeared in as good condition, after having been kept thus for several weeks, as others when freshly caught. Lobsters, crabs and mussels also abounded on the shore. But this was not all; an additional surprise awaited us.
    As we were one morning approaching Tentholm , we were attracted by a