The first room is a small one at the junction of the natural and
artificial entrances, from which we go upstairs to the Resting Room, in
the highest level of the cave, and perfectly dry but otherwise of no
special interest. After a short rest here we went down stairs at the
side opposite that on which we entered, into a passage leading to the
cave's first beauty, the Red Room. As the name indicates, the walls are
vividly colored and represent the uncertain line which separates the
Carboniferous strata from the Triassic rocks. The color is handsomely
brought out here in contrast with masses of calcite crystal, so as to
present by the combination a charmingly beautiful room, from which we
retired, feet first, down a "squeeze" to the Bridal Chamber, where we
found ourselves perched on an irregular narrow ledge, high up on the
wall, and cherishing a private conviction that exploration had met a
checkmate; but the guide reached the floor and my nephew, Herbert,
scrambled down with as much ease as the chipmunk he had chased to the
house top a while before; so a little application settled the difficulty
and re-united the party. The room is an artistic study in red, and the
only reason for its being called the Bridal Chamber is that the way out
is decidedly more rough and difficult than that by which the entrance is
effected; this, however, is an observation not based on official
information.
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