These walls were those of their granaries, temples, and places of ceremonial, but, as I have told you, centuries ago an earthquake shattered them, leaving them as they are now.

Also, it broke down much of the cave itself, causing the roof to fall, so that there are many parts where it is not safe to enter.

Come now and see what is left." We followed her into the depth of the wonderful place, our lanterns and torches making little stars of light in that great blackness.

We saw the ruins of granaries still filled with the dust of what I suppose had once been corn, and came at length to a huge, roofless building of which the area was strewn with shattered columns, and among them overgrown statues, covered so thick by dust that we could only discover that most of them seemed to be shaped like sphinxes.
"If only Higgs were here," said Oliver with a sigh, and passed on to Maqueda, who was calling him to look at something else.
Leaving the temple in which it was unsafe to walk, she led us to where a strong spring, the water supply of the place, bubbled up into a rock basin, and overflowing thence through prepared openings, ran away we knew not whither.
"Look, this fountain is very ancient," said Maqueda, pointing to the lip of the basin that was worn away to the depth of several inches where those who drew water had for many generations rested their hands upon the hard rock.
"How did they light so vast a cavern ?" asked Oliver.
"We do not know," she answered, "since lamps would scarcely have served them.

It is a secret of the past which none of the Abati have cared to recover, and another is how the air is always kept fresh so deep in the bowels of the mountain.