ning the smile
with something of dubiety, for he was not quite sure that his host was
in earnest.

"Follow me," said the hermit, leading the way down a narrow well-worn
path which seemed to lose itself in profound darkness. After being a
few minutes within the cavern, however, Nigel's eyes became accustomed
to the dim light, and he perceived that the roof rapidly lowered, while
its walls narrowed until they reached a spot which was not much wider
than an ordinary corridor. Here, however, it was so dark that it was
barely possible to see a small door in the right-hand wall before which
they halted. Lifting a latch the hermit threw the door wide open, and a
glare of dazzling light almost blinded the visitor.

Passing through the entrance, Nigel followed his guide, and the negro
let the heavy door shut behind him with a clang that was depressingly
suggestive of a prison.

"Again I bid you welcome to my home," said the hermit, turning round and
extending his hand, which Nigel mechanically took and pressed, but
without very well knowing what he did, for he was almost dumfounded by
what he saw, and for some minutes gazed in silence around him.

And, truly, there was ground for surprise. The visitor found himself in
a small but immensely high and brilliantly lighted cavern or natural
chamber, the walls of which were adorned with drawings of scenery and
trees and specimens of plants, while on various shelves stood
innumerable stuffed birds, and shells, and other specimens of natural
history.

A table and two chairs stood at one end of the cave, and, strangest of
all, a small but well-filled book-case ornamented the other end.

"Arabian Nights!" thought Nigel. "I _must_ be dreaming."

His wandering eyes travelled slowly round the cavern until they rested
at last on the door by which they had entered, beside which stood the
negro with a broad grin on his sable visage.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

WONDERS OF THE HERMIT'S CAVE AND ISLAND.

The thing that perhaps surprised Nigel most in this strange cavern was
the blaze of light with which it was filled, for it came down direct
through a funnel-shaped hole in the high roof and bore a marvellous
resemblance to natural sunshine. He was well aware that unless the sun
were shining absolutely in the zenith, the laws of light forbade the
entrance of a _direct_ ray into such a place, yet there were the
positive rays, although the sun was not yet high in the heavens,
blinding him