in times of heavy rains, so that it shall not inundate the plain.
Probably, these strange fruit trees are the seed of some brought here
from other regions by those builders which have planted themselves,
flourished, grown, and outlived all the changes that time has wrought."

"My forefathers have a tradition that it was a strong people that built
these things, more cunning and powerful than the white man, until the
Great Spirit became angry with them, and then they dried up like the
grass on the prairie when there is no rain; for, who is there that dare
brave him without being consumed with his anger?"

"We will go down to that copse yonder," said the trapper. "If I am not
mistaken, there is more than trees there."

"An herd of deer, perhaps," said the chief, preparing his bow for
action.

"I think not, unless deer are grey, and of inordinate proportions. From
here, it looks like piles of stone. Perhaps more of the work of those
who curbed these waters," said Howe.

As they drew near, large blocks of stone, squared and smoothly hewn,
lay in their path, and covered the ground around them. Crossing over
these, they came to a range of grey stone, that had the appearance of
once having been a high building, but which was now thrown down, and
tumbled into a shapeless mass. To the right of these stones they saw a
small square enclosure, strongly built of grey hewn stone, and the
joints fitted with a precision that would do credit to a stone-cutter
in our day. Every layer was strongly cemented with a composition that
seemed to have amalgamated with the stone, for on striking it with the
tomahawk, it did not even chip off, but gave back a ringing sound, like
the hardest granite. One thing they noticed was very singular, both in
the wall of this enclosure and in that by the river. The cement in
which it was laid was much darker than the stone, being almost black,
while the fallen building which they first came to was laid in a white
cement, quite like, in appearance, our own.

Going around this enclosure they were astonished to find that they were
in a city in ruins. Before them lay whole squares of shapeless masses,
overgrown with trees and shrubs, but the perfect regularity of the form
and finish of the blocks of stone, of which they had been composed,
with the mortar in which they had been laid still clinging to them,
were sufficient to convince them that they had once been buildings of
more than ordinary proportions