ried away by giving off a harsh, dull,
rattling sound with its quivering tail.

A careful examination was made to the left without effect, and another
to the right, but everywhere they were faced by the precipitous wall of
cliff, carved-out and terraced, and here and there offering facilities
for climbing up more or less high, the stones from above having fallen
from the weakening and decay of time till a glacis-like slope had been
formed; but after the reptiles that had been started in the less likely
places, there was no present temptation for ascending the stony slopes,
bathed in the hot sunshine and looking thoroughly suited for the home of
the dangerous creatures.

This exploration of the lower part of the amphitheatre, ravine, or
depression tempted farther search, the party riding on, and after
examining cautiously the sides, visiting the upper portion near the
zigzag gorge by which they had entered; but only to find that there was
no other means of access to the city unless by a descent from the
tableland in which the place seemed to be formed.

"And snakes seem to be the only inhabitants," said Chris to his
companion. "Why, Griggs, we can't stop here."

"Not unless we can find water," said the American.

"And not even then," replied the boy, "with the risk of getting bitten."

"If there are no more than we started we're not going to give up for
that," said Griggs coolly. "Why, they're quite scarce."

"But we haven't been upward on those terraces. They may be swarming
there," cried Chris.

"Yes, and there may be none. We don't want to go up there to-day. What
we want is water. Now, where is it?"

"Nowhere, seemingly."

"Oh, that notion won't do," said the American. "Here, it is plain
enough that once upon a time this was a big place with no end of people
living in it."

"Yes; so my father thought."

"Very well, then; I dare say it was just such a dry, hot place as it is
now, and they must have had water close at hand, or they wouldn't have
settled here."

"They got it out of the gully through which we came."

"No, that won't do," cried Griggs. "This was the old people's
stronghold, where they could be safe and set all their enemies at
defiance. Everything points to that. Don't it?"

"I think so," said Chris grudgingly.

"Well, then, it isn't likely that they would depend on a fall of water
from which the first enemies who attacked them could cut them off and
leave them to die of thi