From a bend in the road on, Orghana noticed that the downward slope was steeper, and that the tunnel was penetrating more rapidly into the bowels of the mountain. Also the signs of water erosion were more evident, possibly because as it rolled down more quickly, the water pierced the stone with more intensity. Suddenly stalactites and stalagmites began to appear, those thin cones of material that hang from the ceiling of the caverns or rise from the ground, a product of the drops of water that fall from above on the cavernous floor, loaded with dissolved salts from the walls and roof. At the same time, the lady felt a gentle breeze blowing on her cheeks, the source of which she did not know. She wondered how the deeper the cave got, the more air circulated through it, and she supposed there should be some natural explanation further down the path.