Thirty-five feet in depth. The bottom of it ⟨appeared⟩ to be flat, without any vegetation, and a few ⟨large⟩ stones scattered here and there. The ⟨attention⟩ of the party was immediately attracted to the ⟨number⟩ of skeletons of human beings, tigers, boars, ⟨deer⟩, and all sorts of birds and wild animals, which ⟨lay⟩ about in profusion. It was now proposed to ⟨enter⟩ it, and each of the party having lit a cigar, ⟨managed⟩ to get within twenty feet of the bottom, ⟨where⟩ a sickening nauseous smell was experienced, ⟨without⟩ any difficulty in breathing. A dog was ⟨fastened⟩ at the end of a bamboo and thrust to the ⟨bottom⟩ of the valley, while some of the party, with ⟨their⟩ watches in their hands, observed the effects. ⟨At⟩ the expiration of fourteen seconds the dog fell ⟨off⟩ his legs, without moving or looking round, and ⟨continued⟩ alive only eighteen minutes. The other ⟨dog⟩ now left the party and went to his companion; ⟨on⟩ reaching him he was observed to stand quite ⟨motionless⟩, and at the end of ten seconds fell down; ⟨he⟩ never moved his limbs after, and lived only ⟨seven⟩ minutes. A fowl was now thrown in which ⟨died⟩ in a minute and a half, and another which was ⟨thrown⟩ after it, died in the space of a minute and ⟨a⟩ half. A heavy shower of rain fell during the ⟨time⟩ that these experiments were going forward, ⟨which⟩, from the interesting nature of the ⟨experiments⟩, was quite disregarded. On the opposite ⟨side⟩ of the valley to that which was visited, lay a ⟨human⟩ skeleton, the head resting on the right arm. ⟨The⟩ effects of the weather had bleached the bones ⟨as⟩ white as ivory. Two hours were passed in this ⟨valley⟩ of death, and the party had some difficulty
