George—You, madame, have been informed that certain Spirits being aware that you possessed such qualities as gave promise of a peculiar phase of mediumship, suited to a special purpose, have since your birth, been endeavoring to prepare you for it. With measureless patience and loving care they have guarded and guided you, sometimes by straight, ofttimes through devious ways, but ever toward a definite end. Finally it became possible to control you for our purpose and I, with Von Humboldt, Darwin, Agassiz, Bulwer Lytton, Giordano Bruno and others of our band traversed Ento, with the purpose of arranging a programme against the time when we should have you with us. As unfavoring events may oblige us to accommodate our movements to such circumstances as may occur, we do not anticipate that our programme will, in its entirety, be carried to its conclusion, but to that end we all will do our utmost, and we feel assured that Divine influences will aid us in our mission which, as yet, you but slightly comprehend, but which in time will unfold itself.
One purpose we have in view is to show you much that will be of interest to you, through whom we hope to bring to the peoples of our Planet the positive knowledge that the neighboring world, about which they are so curious, has much in common with Earth.
Yes, it is matter for regret, that much concerning our journeys and mission must be left unsaid and that necessarily the written account of our experiences must be somewhat sketchy, otherwise it would be too voluminous for the average reader's patient perusal.
Through some Ento spirits we learned of the existence of these great caverns and of a very unique spectacle which, presently, we will observe. This one is much larger than any of those we have examined and, as you perceive, it contains no formation to break its immensity. We are about eleven miles distant from the outer entrance and quite one thousand feet below its level. A half mile further on will reveal the cause of this continuous vibration and the tumultuous detonations which resemble the discharge of artillery. Thanks to our spirit condition, we are invulnerable to the condition existing here, else we would not dare to approach the fiery horror we are nearing.
The roaring of ocean's storm-tossed waves is as nothing to the sounds breaking upon the stillness of these cavernous depths; but fear not, madame, for with safety you may, with us, approach a scene so grand, so appalling that you are not likely to ever forget it.
We now are in another great cavern whose floor slopes abruptly to this precipitous elevation and, standing on its edge, we look down upon a very hell of tumultuous flames. Yes, lacking a stirring feature or two, it easily might hold its own against Dante's "Inferno."
Look, now, away toward the left where is bursting forth a huge column of flame. Up, up, toward the vaulted roof it climbs, twisting, curving, writhing like a gigantic serpent; now it slowly sinks downward and is engulfed. Now in the distance a storm is raging. See how the fiery billows are rising; higher, higher, leaping and curving their angry crests they madly rush toward us as though they would overwhelm us and as they burst against this precipice, involuntarily one shrinks back from their hot, mephitic breath.
Observe that pyramidal fountain near the centre. Is not it grandly, wonderfully beautiful? See how it forms itself into a rose shape, while from its heart numerous jets shoot upward. A moment and it is gone and all over the surface of the fiery lake myriad fantastic shapes of many hued flames are glowing, scintillating and projecting themselves toward the lofty roof, forming a magnificent pyrotechnic display.
The noise is indeed deafening and the ever changing spectacle so awe inspiring that words cannot adequately describe its terrible, but wondrous beauty. Truly, silence is at times golden.
Medium—Still, I should like some one to break the silence by an explanation of this, to me, strange phenomenon. Is it volcanic?