tinVS . PRvdES
MAgg. THIB.
which may thus be rendered: ‘In the year of the Consuls Gentianus and Bassus (A.D. 211), the 7th of the Ides of May, Caius Julius Frontinianus and Modestinus, Magistrates of Thibilis, offered sacrifice to the august Bacax.’ One is commemorative of two brothers, who strayed into the cavern and were lost there, an accident which might very easily happen at the present day, and which probably would happen to anyone entering without experienced Arab guides. The god Bacax is unknown to history; probably he was one of the local deities adopted by the Romans.
On leaving the passage containing the inscriptions, the cave descends at an angle of not less than 45 degrees; the ground is covered with a thick layer of loose stones, which roll down with alarming velocity at almost every step made in advance. Great care should be taken to keep well to the right hand, as on the left there is an abyss which has never been explored, but which must be of great depth, and nearly vertical. This is the most alarming part of the whole descent, and one lady of the party found herself unable to face it, and returned. The two others were made of sterner stuff, and proved themselves the best acrobats of the party.
From the foot of this ramp the cave extends, with many accidents of level, to nearly three quarters of a mile in length and a thousand feet in vertical depth. The descent is difficult, and even dangerous throughout, as deep holes occur at numerous places, in which an unwary explorer might easily be engulfed. Sometimes we had to drop down steep precipices, by the aid of projecting stalagmites, at others to slide down muddy gradients, now to creep through small holes and narrow passages, and again to wade through pools of liquid mud. We traversed vast halls, intricate labyrinths, passages, and chambers of every size and form. Groves of stalactites and stalagmites adorn the sides, while the lofty vaults are hung with the most exquisite fret-work, like the roof of a Gothic cathedral. The finest of all is the great domed chamber, at the bottom, which gives to the cave its Arab name, Ghar el-Djamäa (Cave of the Mosque); it is an immense, nearly circular, cavity, with domed roof; from the ground rise magnificent stalagmites, like the trunks of palm trees, and in the centre is a huge block of stone, which M. Bourguignat imagines to have been an altar to Bacax. It may have been so; we certainly observed marks of fire and fragments of blackened Roman pottery upon it, but it must have been a matter of no small difficulty to convey animals for sacrifice to it.
One of the most exquisite spots in the cave was a long, narrow passage, which, our guides assured us, they had never observed before. It was not convenient to enter, as we had to creep on our hands and knees in water, and could in no place sit upright, but the effect was very beautiful; the walls were of dazzling whiteness, and the floor a series of cells, like a honeycomb, filled with beautifully pure water. We christened this hall ‘Salle Cobden,’ after our companions. I inscribed the name with the smoke of my lamp, on the roof, and I record the fact in order that future generations may know the meaning of the inscription, and not puzzle themselves as much over it as we did over Bacax.
We had an abundant supply of blue lights and red fire, and one of the grandest effects was produced by sending Arabs with these to illuminate distant caves and galleries, while we remained in the darkness of some central hall.
A comparatively small portion of the cave has been explored. The Arabs say that there is no end to it. We spent more than five hours there, and I am sure that we did not see half its beauties. When we did emerge into the light of day, I leave the reader to imagine our condition; I certainly shall not venture to describe it. Luckily there was abundance of hot water awaiting us, and gradually we returned to our normal condition.
In visiting this cave a few precautions are absolutely necessary.
1. The traveller should provide himself with a tent.