robably came
here to study, or perhaps to carry out some of their rites. Of
course it's only guesswork, but it seems true to me."

"I believe you're right, Tom," said Mr. Damon.

As our friends walked about they saw that the city, while smaller
than they had at first supposed, was laid out with regular streets.
Each one was straight, and at certain places in the stone pavement
plates of gold were set, so that literally the streets were paved
with gold. There were houses or buildings on each side of the
streets, and most of these were open at the doors or windows, for
there was no need of heat in that buried city.

All about were the golden images such as they had seen in the
Mexican's house, and like the one in far off Africa. Some of the
images were almost life size, and others were only an inch or two
inches in height. Not a house but had half a dozen or more in
various places, and there were also the images on golden pedestals
about the streets.

"This must have been their chief god, or else a representation of
some great personage to whom they paid the highest honor," said Mr.
Damon. "Perhaps he was the reigning king or ruler, and he, himself,
might have ordered the images made out of vanity, like some men of
to-day."

The boys agreed that this was a natural theory. As for Eradicate he
was busy collecting numbers of the small golden statues, and
stuffing them in his pockets.

"Why don't you take bigger ones, and not so many of them?" asked
Tom.

"'Case as how I doan't want all mah eggs in one basket," replied the
colored man. "I kin carry mo' ob de little fellers," and he
persisted in this plan.

They found in some of the houses utensils of solid gold, but there
appeared to be no way of cooking food, and that was probably done
outside, or in the great temple. In many houses were articles
evidently used in the sacrificial rites or in worship of strange
gods. They did not stay to half examine the wonderful city of gold,
for it would have taken several days. But on Tom's advice, they took
up a considerable quantity of the precious metal in the most
convenient form to carry, including a number of the statues and art
objects and started back along the tunnel.

"We'll rig up some sort of lamps," Tom explained, "and come back to
make a thorough examination of this place. I think the scientific
men and historians will be glad to know about this city, and I'm
going to make some notes about it."

They soon cam