Entrance to the Grotto of La Balme.
As long ago as the time of Francis I. of France, who reigned in the sixteenth century, two criminals condemned to death, were, by order of the King, offered their lives if they explored the Grotto of La Balme to its extreme limits. No record seems to have been kept whether they accepted the offer. Possibly they preferred a certain and speedy form of death to long sufferings in the darkness and terrors of the gloomy cavern.
"Some Yamên runners rushed out and seized them."
AFLOAT ON THE DOGGER BANK.
A Story of Adventure on the North Sea and in China.