“On the opposite side of the room from which you enter there is a hole or opening in the wall.  It is large enough to go through but it goes into the great dark room on the other side of the Throne.  An abyss confronts you, a sheer precipice which descends for many feet, perhaps hundreds.  No man knows.  This outer room of Blondy’s Throne has been named the Chamber of the Fairies.  Leaving it and continuing the ascent, the top of the Throne is soon reached and is about twenty feet across; and from several points still higher, rise stalagmitic spires.

“The actual height of Blondy’s Throne is not known, but is probably about one hundred feet.  Again look upwards for the ceiling from the dizzy height on top of the Throne; you cannot see it.  Burn magnesium ribbon and look up, and you see a white ceiling spangled with groups of stalactites.  It is surely one hundred feet away.  Then look off into the unknown room which is called the Great Beyond.  No human being has ever explored or even entered it, but fire balls thrown in reveal the fact that it is of great extent; and part of the bottom water and part land.  No way of getting into it has ever yet been found, so its mysteries, lessons and revelations are still safe from human intrusion.  How far it goes, where it stops, and what it leads to, are facts for some future explorer to discover.  Bats and white salamanders are found in Blondy’s Throne Room, and some larger animals have been heard to jump into the water and escape on the approach of man, but their species is not known.

“The arched passage of Mystic River has been followed up for a journey of an hour, but further than that its extent is unknown.  It was hoped that a way would be thus found into the Great Beyond, but it did not prove successful.  A well equipped party could find there a chance for some grand discoveries, and it would be one of the notable pleasures of the life of the writer to be one of such a party.

“The exit from Blondy’s Throne Room is always made with deep regret that the waning lights and meager supplies will not allow a longer stay.  The long crawl, the mud and the water are all forgotten, and notwithstanding the terror of the trip one feels well repaid.”

We thank Mr. Powell for a charming journey without its discomfort and danger, and resume our travels at the Waterfall.

From the foot of the Waterfall we returned again to the Auditorium, in time to enjoy a sight such as we supposed could exist only in a brilliant imagination; and the return at that hour was not a lucky accident of fate, but the result of careful attention to a prearranged design that we should not fail to witness a marvelous display never surpassed by lavish Nature.  The day outside was one of cloudless summer sunshine.

[Illustration:  Blondy’s Throne Room.  Page 50.]

[Illustration:  Foot of Waterfall.  Page 50.]

Our eyes having grown accustomed to the dim light of candles in passages where absolute darkness, unrelieved by the stars of midnight, always reigns, the great Auditorium appeared before us softly flooded with daylight diffused from a broad white beam slanting down in long straight lines from the entrance as from a rift in heavy clouds; only this rift displayed around its edges a brilliant border of vegetation that the rough rocks cherish with tender care.