healthy like the regions from which he came north of
the Rio Grande. Every nerve quivered.

Then he did the bravest thing that one could do in such a position,
forcing his will to win a victory over weirdness and superstition. He
crossed the shallow river and advanced boldly toward the Pyramid of the
Sun. His reason told him that there were no such things as ghosts, but
it told him also that Mexican peons were likely to believe in them.
Hence it was probable that he would be safer about the Pyramid than far
from it. The country bade fair to become too rough for night traveling
and he would stop there a while, refreshing his strength.

Although the sun was setting, the color of the skies promised a bright
night, and Ned approached boldly. As usual his superstitious fears
became weaker as he approached the objects that had called them into
existence. But before he reached the pyramids he found that he was among
many ruins. They stood all about him, stone fragments of ancient walls,
black basalt or lava, and, unless the twilight deceived him, there were
also traces of ancient streets. He saw, too, south of the larger
pyramids a great earthwork or citadel thirty or forty feet high
enclosing a square in which stood a small pyramid. The walls of the
earthwork were enormously thick, three hundred feet Ned reckoned, and
upon it at regular intervals stood other small pyramids fourteen in
number.

Scattered all about, alone or in groups, were tumuli, and leading away
from the largest group of tumuli Ned saw a street or causeway, which,
passing by the Pyramid of the Sun, ended in front of the Pyramid of the
Moon, where it widened out into a great circle, with a tumulus standing
in the center.

Despite all the courage that he had shown Ned felt a superstitious
thrill as he looked at these ancient and solemn ruins. He and they were
absolutely alone. Antiquity looked down upon him. The sun was gone now
and the moon was coming out, touching pyramids and tumuli, earthworks
and causeway with ghostly silver, deepening the effect of loneliness and
far-off time.

While Ned was looking at these majestic remains he heard the sound of
voices, and then the rattle of weapons. He saw through the twilight the
glitter of uniforms and of swords and sabers. A company of Mexican
soldiers, at least a hundred in number, had come into the ancient city
and, no doubt, intended to camp there. Being so absorbed in the strange
ruins he had not noticed