In and Out of—Hell.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 267, 20 November 1901, Page 4

In and Out of—Hell.

(By J. S. J. PK.N'iiELLIiY.') I looked into :i huge cavern, the bottom of which no man knoweth. Piercing erics issued lroru it, intermingled with songs oi music. During a recent visit to Wonderland, I, with a gentleman from Auckland, visited the Tarawera ruins. The awful destruction wrought at that place, in one night, will not easily be erased from the. minds of those who were associated with the great eruption, and the appalling loss of life. Accompanied by two guides, v.'e descended into the valley of desolation. The earth having been broken asunder, in many places there are such caverns | worthy of inspection. One in particular is net generally known, except to a few explorers who were bent on entering a narrow crater ; but only descended about 25 feet. Now, a depth of 35 feet can be safely inspected. Dopes were attached to the surface- in order to gain our entrance and exit, and, following outguides we both crept into this weird mouth. Traversing a narrow pathway, and creeping through window-like holes and then on to ledges, from which we broke the crystallised formation surrounding us, we gradually pierced our way into a subterranean passage, which opened out broady, shewing a huge gulf ahead of boiling, surging waters. On either side the walls were beautifully ornamented by stucco work, as though designed for a a specific purposo. At one place faced us a true likeness of a great warrior, then a repulsive looking female. As we cautiously wended a serpentine course, gradually nearing what appeared to be a huge lake, scenos of horror opened up. Unheeding the grimness of the surroundings, and being urged to follow, we suddenly j faced a tierco and roaring tire. This was . our limit or destination, and here we. sat j for awhile. Then turning slightly to the j left, a place called “ Heaven's Portal,” we j listened to sounds such as music from j a distant laud. The raging waters j lashed into a foam, dashed against , the great walls, and threw volumes of spray. Then a pause, a calm, | and the roaring fierceness came j again, and greater and greater was its anger. Cautiously' wo approached the great cistern or cavity, and, lying down, we looked into a fearful sea of fire, the fumes of which issued in great volumes as though coming from enormously-heated furnaces. There was no pathway to it. We lie over this huge precipice, and hearken unto the various sounds—sounds such as only human throats can convey. At times, one might imagine the fearful agony of the dying, then a long moaning noise, intermingled with a laugh of pleasure. Through the haze or -vapor of sulphur, forms seemed to dance merrily before us, but these were not in the flesh. It was only a reflection of the great pillars, forming a background to the great cauldrons. We neither spoke a word; we simply gazed into the awful abyss in fear. ' Silence was broken by a guide calling our attention to a huge aperture almost level with us, across the great gulf from which wo were separated, and over which no man ever passed. “That,” he said, “we fear will destroy us; for that, gentlemen, is the over-works of the underground god. His schemes are deeply laid, fn the bowels of the earth, while his manifestations appear before all men. That, gentlemen, is his figure before you. It is revealed, and stands as a lesson to all that, at a time when no man knoweth, his works on earth will suddenly call us to 'account for such works as we indulge in, whether they bo good or bad.” I was amazed at the language from this Maori prophet, and turned my head in order to see whether the speaker were really in the flesh. “Hark,” said the other guide; “do you hear voices? I do, plainly. Tis those who have lauded safely over yon eternal gulf, and giving praise for a safe deliverance.” Yes, we certainly heard musical sounds, and as the roaring torrents waxed warmer we could imagine white forms, which the foam in its anger pictured to us. It was a great contrast —■ a wonderful picture. On our right was this great valley flooded with boiling, bubbling waters, and to our left an enormous lire. What can we imagine better than the tales wo once heard of Heaven and Hell 2 Tho one of water is represented as tho Sea of Galilee, and tho other, that of fire Hell. Adding greater to tho horrors of the scene before us is the poetical language, scriptural, so to speak, of our <>uides. It almost made us feel that wo were in the pi-esGUfe of both places, and hesitating as to which was tho better. The great lire gave us light sufficient to watch the various forms the lurid glare t shadowed before us, at times truly grue- [ some and sufficient to make . tho most timid tremble in fear. It- is in looking upon such scenes as those that man should be able to form some idea of himself, and then consider the future. If it can have no other effect upon him, it certainly must impress him with tho fact that a greater power than himself controls the universe. This huge aperture, referred to by our guide, was not unlike a marble archway, from which seothing waters rushed in anu out into a broad stream or lake, then lashing in fury in tho wider stream receded into the archway, and from this aperture came the sounds resembling many voices. It is called the overhead works, and is supposed, by Maori tradition, to be somewhat identified or connected with that which goes on below. At any rate, there was only a great yawning precipice dividing us from it, and to reach the top of the arch there appeared to be no path. As we lay in breathless silence wo could imagine all sorts of objects, both in fire and water, and sounds we could really interpret. For fully 00 minutes we looked intently upon the wonderful scone, perhaps unique in the world’s history, and then we desired to leave. When I stood erect I felt faint, owing to the fumes and the intensity of what was staring at us. Itetracing our steps we were carefully led, by means I of ropes, to the mouth of the pit, from which 1 almost jumped with delight. Enter that place again? No, thanks. I was curious to view the wonders going on in the bowels of the Earth, and my curiosity is forever appeased. I can now follow Kider Haggard in all his peregrinations, and with him enjoy the great scenes which some of these bottomless pits exhibit to tbe wanderer; but no man ever gazed f upon a greater panorama than that I have attempted to describe, and no man can possibly ever see such a sight except at that one particular unfrequented spot. What I should glory in is to reach the archway, and there must bo some means of so doing judging by what I saw “ on the other shore.” The only difficulty I could see was in getting in and out of heil first. This attempt would certainly terminate with disaster, Even to cross what is called Heaven seemed to me equally as bad, for hero are tearing torrents of angry waters, boiling and hissing continuously. I cannot conceive how tho name originated. Of the former I have had that painted vividly before mo in tho days of my youth. Gaining, as I say, the surface we visited the surrounding country, gathered fruit, and occasionally stayed to view some small vent in our pathway which will yet develop into a large cauldron; but let tbe reader view personally the scene under notice and the conclusion must be arrived at that ’tis better to be out of Hell than in it.