I am a native of _____, in the United States of America. My
ancestors migrated from England in the reign of Charles II.; and my
grandfather was not undistinguished in the War of Independence. My
family, therefore, enjoyed a somewhat high social position in right
of birth; and being also opulent, they were considered disqualified
for the public service. My father once ran for Congress, but was
signally defeated by his tailor. After that event he interfered
little in politics, and lived much in his library. I was the eldest
of three sons, and sent at the age of sixteen to the old country,
partly to complete my literary education, partly to commence my
commercial training in a mercantile firm at Liverpool. My father
died shortly after I was twenty–one; and being left well off, and
having a taste for travel and adventure, I resigned, for a time,
all pursuit of the almighty dollar, and became a desultory wanderer
over the face of the earth.
In the year 18_ , happening to be
in ___ , I was invited by a
professional engineer, with whom I had made acquaintance, to visit
the recesses of the _______ mine, upon which he
was employed.
The reader will understand, ere he close this narrative, my
reason for concealing all clue to the district of which I write,
and will perhaps thank me for refraining from any description that
may tend to its discovery.
Let me say, then, as briefly as possible, that I accompanied
the engineer into the interior of the mine, and became so strangely
fascinated by its gloomy wonders, and so interested in my friend's
explorations, that I prolonged my stay in the neighbourhood, and
descended daily, for some weeks, into the vaults and galleries
hollowed by nature and art beneath the surface of the earth. The
engineer was persuaded that far richer deposits of mineral wealth
than had yet been detected, would be found in a new shaft that had
been commenced under his operations. In piercing this shaft we came
one day upon a chasm jagged and seemingly charred at the sides, as
if burst asunder at some distant period by volcanic fires. Down
this chasm my friend caused himself to be lowered in a 'cage,'
having first tested the atmosphere by the safety–lamp. He remained
nearly an hour in the abyss. When he returned he was very pale, and
with an anxious, thoughtful expression of face, very different from
its ordinary character, which was open, cheerful, and
fearless.
He said briefly that the descent appeared to him unsafe, and
leading to no result; and, suspending further operations in the
shaft, we returned to the more familiar parts of the
mine.
All the rest of that day the engineer seemed preoccupied by
some absorbing thought. He was unusually taciturn, and there was a
scared, bewildered look in his eyes, as that of a man who has seen
a ghost. At night, as we two were sitting alone in the lodging we
shared together near the mouth of the mine, I said to my
friend,—
"Tell me frankly what you saw in that chasm: I am sure it was
something strange and terrible. Whatever it be, it has left your
mind in a state of doubt. In such a case two heads are better than
one. Confide in me."
The engineer long endeavoured to evade my inquiries; but as,
while he spoke, he helped himself unconsciously out of the
brandy–flask to a degree to which he was wholly unaccustomed, for
he was a very temperate man, his reserve gradually melted away. He
who would keep himself to himself should imitate the dumb animals,
and drink water. At last he said, "I will tell you all. When the
cage stopped, I found myself on a ridge of rock; and below me, the
chasm, taking a slanting direction, shot down to a considerable
depth, the darkness of which my lamp could not have penetrated. But
through it, to my infinite surprise, streamed upward a steady
brilliant light. Could it be any volcanic fire? In that case,
surely I should have felt the heat. Still, if on this there was
doubt, it was of the utmost importance to our common safety to
clear it up. I examined the sides of the descent, and found that I
could venture to trust myself to the irregular projection of
ledges, at least for some way. I left the cage and clambered down.
As I drew nearer and nearer to the light, the chasm became wider,
and at last I saw, to my unspeakable amaze, a broad level road at
the bottom of the abyss, illumined as far as the eye could reach by
what seemed artificial gas–lamps placed at regular intervals, as in
the thoroughfare of a great city; and I heard confusedly at a
distance a hum as of human voices. I know, of course, that no rival
miners are at work in this district. Whose could be those voices?
What human hands could have levelled that road and marshalled those
lamps?
"The superstitious belief, common to miners, that gnomes or
fiends dwell within the bowels of the earth, began to seize me. I
shuddered at the thought of descending further and braving the
inhabitants of this nether valley. Nor indeed could I have done so
without ropes, as from the spot I had reached to the bottom of the
chasm the sides of the rock sank down abrupt, smooth, and sheer. I
retraced my steps with some difficulty. Now I have told you
all."
"You will descend again?"
"I ought, yet I feel as if I durst not."
"A trusty companion halves the journey and doubles the
courage. I will go with you. We will provide ourselves with ropes
of suitable length and strength—and—pardon me—you must not drink
more to–night, our hands and feet must be steady and firm
tomorrow."