ing at one time, years and years ago," Charley said,
"see, there is an ironwood stump there that still shows the signs of an
axe. It takes generations and generations for one of those stumps to
rot."

"Look, Charley," cried his chum who had pushed a little ahead, "just
see this."

A couple of strides brought Charley to his side, "A road," he cried in
amazement.

Straight as an arrow, it extended before them into the depth of the
forest. So well and carefully had its smooth surface been laid that
even the assaults of time and the forest had been unable to dislodge
the great blocks of stone of which it was composed. Vines and creepers
had grown over its surface and the forest trees had met in solid mass
above it, but still it lay intact, a triumph of road building, as solid
and strong as when built.

With a feeling of awe, the boys moved forward over its hard surface.
They had to stoop continually to avoid branches and the tangled vines
and briers had often to be cut away, but their progress was easier and
far more rapid than it would have been through the forest itself.

They had proceeded perhaps a quarter of a mile when the road ended
suddenly at the base of another wall. A break in the wall told of an
ancient gateway but the gate itself was gone, probably rotted into dust
by the passage of time.

The boys pushed through the gap and stopped short with a cry of wonder.
Before them lay an inclosure of perhaps two acres, and in its center
stood a half dozen buildings of stone, all in a fair state of
preservation. Near the building closest to the boys, a sparkling
little spring gushed forth and flowed away down a gentle incline
towards a corner of the wall.

"Someone must be living here," Walter cried, "see, there are no trees
or vines growing here."

But Charley stooped and scratched away the dead leaves blown in from
the trees of the forest. "As I suspected," he said, after a moment's
inspection, "this enclosure is paved like the road. My, what workmen
those fellows that did this job must have been for their work to
continue so perfect down to this day! I tell you this thing makes me
feel creepy, Walt."

"And me too," agreed his chum. "Instead of solving a mystery, we have
discovered a greater one."

But the young hunters were not the kind of boys to remain long under a
superstitious dread, and they were soon approaching the buildings
before them.

The first building was the largest of the group.