I concluded that it was very ancient.
"I should explain, gentlemen, that this ascending tunnel
zigzagged in a peculiar fashion, which may have been due to the
natural formation of the volcanic rock, or may have been part of
the design of the original builder. I had ascended more than five
hundred steps, and felt that a rest would shortly be necessary,
when I reached a sort of cavern, or interior platform, from which
seven corridors branched out like the spokes of a wheel. The top
of this place was lost in shadows, which the ray of my torch
failed to penetrate; and here I paused, setting down my bundle
and wondering what my next move should be.
"To the damp coolness of the lower stairs an oppressive heat had
now succeeded, and I became aware of a continuous roaring sound,
which I found myself unable to explain.
"Attached to a belt beneath my native dress I carried a Colt
revolver; and therefore, leaving my rifle and bundle in a corner
of the cavern, I selected one of these corridors more or less at
random, and set out to explore. This corridor proved to slope
very gently upward from the platform, and I could not fail to
notice that at every step the heat grew greater and greater. A
suffocating, sulphurous smell became perceptible also, and the
roaring sound grew almost deafening. It became possible to
discern the walls of the corridor ahead because of a sort of
eerie bluish light which had now become visible.
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