adjusted the others in the same fashion.  We dared not look at each other, and each assumed a manner as if attired in the court costume of the country; but I venture to say that more grotesque, ridiculous creatures never went out into the daylight, Cecilia, going first, wisely did not attempt to go through the door full front, and we sidled after her to avoid collision between our stiff sail-like trousers and the door-jambs.

We tried to believe that clothes do not make the woman,—­they do much toward it,—­and with an air of great dignity went into the face of that miscellaneous company, to be greeted with a terrific and tremendous shout of laughter.  A panic seized us, and I found myself standing stock still in the middle of the road, as if stage-struck, the others running like the wind.  It was for a moment only, and I followed, the laughter sounding more and more demoniacal to my ears.  I was impelled as never before in my life.  Was some one striking me from behind?  It was that diabolical leathern apron giving me a blow at every step, its violence increasing with my ever-accelerated speed.  How grateful the shelter of that cave-like aperture in the mountain, where stood the gentlemen similarly attired, the curate so absurd that we forgot all about his other “cloth” and laughed immoderately in his face.  Samayana was still picturesque.  Cecilia was in a rage.  “I’ll never cross that road again before those horrid people, if I stay here a thousand years!” she exclaimed, with flashing eyes; and Elise breathlessly gasped, “Oh-that-awful-apron!  It-beat-me-as-I-ran,-like-a-whip.  I-felt-like-a-donkey-pursued-by-the-donkey-boy!”

The guide lighted our lanterns, and, with a last hysterical laugh, we followed him into the earth, through long, narrow, humid passage-ways, the temperature not unpleasant, other passage-ways branching off and suggesting the labyrinth which we knew extended for a great distance in every direction.  We finally came to a lighted chamber, the entrance to the shaft.  The flickering lights showed us the end of a great, smooth, wooden beam, which, at an angle of forty-five degrees, seemed to be going down into darkness, ending nowhere, as far as we could see.  We had not been prepared in our minds for this descent or the manner in which it was to be made.  The miner placed himself astride the great beam, keeping his position by holding on to a rope.  He put Elise behind him, and, drawing her arms around his waist, clasped her hands in front of him.  The curate was then requested to mount the wooden horse and embrace Elise firmly.  He hesitated but a moment, and in another I found myself behind him, hanging for dear life on to the English shepherd, to be in turn encircled by Samayana, and last of all came Cecilia, doing her best to get her plump little arms around the Indian.  The darkness below was a trifle appalling.  We were cautioned not to unclasp our hands, lest we should lose them, and naturally we clung the closer to each other.