t leads to "Washington." Grip-til-lah says we
shall sight it to-morrow. The river is a dirty color.

_3d July_

We see ahead of us the ruins of a great dome, also a very high shaft.
Probably they belong to the city we seek.

[Illustration: "We see ahead of us the ruins of a great dome, also a
very high shaft."]

_4th July_

A date we shall not forget!

Little did I realize this morning when we left the _Zlotuhb_ in such
hilarious mood what dire events awaited us. I landed about noon,
accompanied by Nofuhl, Lev-el-Hedyd, Bhoz-ja-khaz, Ad-el-pate,
Kuzundam the first mate, Tik'l-palyt the cook, Fattan-laiz-eh, and
two sailors. Our march had scarce begun when a startling discovery
caused great commotion in our minds. We had halted at Nofuhl's
request, to decipher the inscription upon a stone, when Lev-el-Hedyd,
who had started on, stopped short with a sudden exclamation. We
hastened to him, and there, in the soft earth, was the imprint of
human feet!

I cannot describe our surprise. We decided to follow the footprints,
and soon found they were leading us toward the great dome more
directly than we could have gone ourselves. Our excitement was beyond
words. Those of us who had weapons carried them in readiness. The path
was little used, but clearly marked. It wound about among fallen
fragments and crumbling statues, and took us along a wide avenue
between buildings of vast size and solidity, far superior to any we
had seen in Nhu-Yok. It seemed a city of monuments.

[Illustration: Through the Streets of "Washington."]

As we ascended the hill to the great temple and saw it through the
trees rising high above us, we were much impressed by its vast size
and beauty. Our eyes wandered in admiration over the massive columns,
each hewn from a single block, still white and fresh as if newly
quarried. The path took us under one of the lower arches of the
building, and we emerged upon the other side. This front we found even
more beautiful than the one facing the city. At the centre was a
flight of steps of magnificent proportions, now falling asunder and
overgrown in many places with grass and flowers.

[Illustration: The Ruins of the Great Temple]

These steps we ascended. As I climbed silently up, the others
following, I saw two human feet, the soles toward us, resting upon the
balustrade above. With a gesture I directed Nofuhl's attention to
them, and the old man's eyes twinkled with delight. Wa