Копи царя Соломона
The Place of Death
Thattheprocess,inatleastoneinstance,wasincalculablyslow,thefollowingexamplewillsufficetoshow. Cutononeofthesepillarswediscoveredthecrudelikenessofamummy,bytheheadofwhichsatwhatappearedtobethefigureofanEgyptiangod, doubtlessthehandiworkofsomeold-worldlabourerinthemine. Thisworkofartwasexecutedatthenaturalheightatwhichanidlefellow,behePhoenicianworkmanorBritishcad,isinthehabitoftryingtoimmortalisehimselfattheexpenseofnature’smasterpieces,namely,aboutfivefeetfromtheground. Yetatthetimethatwesawit,whichmusthavebeennearlythreethousandyearsafterthedateoftheexecutionofthecarving,thecolumnwasonlyeightfeethigh,andwasstillinprocessofformation,whichgivesarateofgrowthofafoottoathousandyears,oraninchandafractiontoacentury. Thisweknewbecause,aswewerestandingbyit,weheardadropofwaterfall.
Sometimesthestalagmitestookstrangeforms,presumablywherethedroppingofthewaterhadnotalwaysbeenonthesamespot. Thus,onehugemass,whichmusthaveweighedahundredtonsorso,wasintheshapeofapulpit,beautifullyfrettedoveroutsidewithadesignthatlookedlikelace. Othersresembledstrangebeasts,andonthesidesofthecavewerefanlikeivorytracings,suchasthefrostleavesuponapane.
Outofthevastmainaislethereopenedhereandtheresmallercaves,exactly,SirHenrysaid,aschapelsopenoutofgreatcathedrals.
