Medium—De L'Ester, George, what a strange looking animal is emerging from that cleft in the mountain. What an ungainly, ugly creature and what vicious looking eyes it has.
De L'Ester—Really, the creature is as much a surprise to us as to you. As none of us have seen its like on Ento, we must conclude that it belongs to a nearly extinct species. That it is of the marsupial family is apparent. Its structural formation, hair and other characteristics are those of your American opossum, but its size is much greater than that of those creatures. I should say that it is quite two feet in height, four in length, and its weight not under one hundred pounds.
As it comes this way sniffing, grunting and rooting under the leaves for the fallen fruit of the Oonamosa tûla̤, it impresses one with the idea that it is an ill-tempered, pugnacious animal. When our Ento spirit friends join us we may learn its name, habits and so on.
HINIFRO ENORA̤
Although we twice have visited this canyon we have not, until now, seen in it an animal or bird of any kind, but we have been informed that during the mid-summer season of this latitude a species of water-fowl comes here for breeding purposes, but that as soon as their young are able to fly they migrate to other regions. We know that very recently they were here in considerable numbers, now not one remains. Earlier in the summer the canyon produces a harvest of wild grains, and those low growing shrubs bear an abundance of fruit which affords them subsistence.
Madame, you perceive that the mountain curves toward the east; now look quite to our left and you will observe a rift in it extending southward. Once when George with these and other friends were examining this region they discovered an opening in the rift, leading into a cavernous formation which they consider worthy of observation. As neither Inez nor I have yet seen it, we will share with you whatever of interest it may offer. George, you and Inez will lead the way, and I shall have the pleasure of assisting madame.
Yes, the entrance is somewhat forbidding. We will remain here while George lights up the interior. How? Through the ignition of elemental substances. Sooner or later all Spirits learn the laws of chemical affinities. It is a simple matter, the production of molecular combustion. We now will proceed.
This rather low and narrow passage widens as we descend, and now terminates in this vast chamber, which truly is wondrously beautiful. Stalactites depending from the lofty ceiling meet upspringing stalagmites, forming seemingly endless rows of columns, united by snowy arches so singularly perfect in their outlines as to present a spectacle strangely, weirdly, marvellously lovely. In this soft radiance columns, arches, and walls appear as though incrusted with countless, many colored jewels, whose splendor might bedim the rarest, costliest gems worn by Ento's or Earth's rulers.
We now will approach more nearly yonder grotesque formations, which certainly are very remarkable. Sufficiently so to suggest a sermon on what some learned persons might term unintelligent energy in unintelligent matter. Be not alarmed, friends, though in these peculiar formations there are many sermons of a nature to arouse earnest inquiry; at present I am not in a mood for sermonizing but I must say that they positively are startlingly strange. One readily can imagine them animal forms of some far away age whom suddenly death stilled into immobility, leaving to pitiful nature the kindly office of enveloping them in snowy winding sheets.