Page:Monthly scrap book, for March.pdf/17

Rh Thirty-five feet in depth. The bottom of it to be flat, without any vegetation, and a few  stones scattered here and there. The of the party was immediately attracted to the  of skeletons of human beings, tigers, boars,, and all sorts of birds and wild animals, which  about in profusion. It was now proposed to it, and each of the party having lit a cigar,  to get within twenty feet of the bottom,  a sickening nauseous smell was experienced,  any difficulty in breathing. A dog was at the end of a bamboo and thrust to the  of the valley, while some of the party, with  watches in their hands, observed the effects. the expiration of fourteen seconds the dog fell his legs, without moving or looking round, and  alive only eighteen minutes. The other now left the party and went to his companion;  reaching him he was observed to stand quite, and at the end of ten seconds fell down;  never moved his limbs after, and lived only  minutes. A fowl was now thrown in which in a minute and a half, and another which was  after it, died in the space of a minute and  half. A heavy shower of rain fell during the that these experiments were going forward,, from the interesting nature of the , was quite disregarded. On the opposite of the valley to that which was visited, lay a  skeleton, the head resting on the right arm. effects of the weather had bleached the bones white as ivory. Two hours were passed in this of death, and the party had some difficulty