After this we come to the "Gothic Avenue," which would be a very
interesting place to us if we but had a little more time; but we hurry
through it, for the next room we are to visit is called the "Haunted
Chamber!" Every one of us must be very anxious to see anything of that
kind. When we get into it, however, we are very much disappointed. It
is not half so gloomy and dark as the rest of the cave, for here we
are pretty sure to find people, and lights, and signs of life.
Here you may sometimes buy gingerbread and bottled beer, from women
who have stands here for that purpose. It is expected that when
visitors get this far they will be hungry. Sometimes, too, there are
persons who live down here, and spend most of their time in this
chamber. These are invalid people with weak lungs, who think that the
air of the cave is good for them. I do not know whether they are right
or not, but I am sure that they take very gloomy medicine. The only
reason for calling this room the Haunted Chamber is, that the first
explorers of the cave found mummies here.
Who these were when they were alive, no man can say. If they were
Indians, they were very different Indians from those who have lived in
this country since its discovery.
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