find any pyramids in
Mexico."

"The pyramid-temple of Cholulu," went on the delighted drummer, "is the
largest and best known. It makes the pyramids of Egypt look like
thirty cents in comparison, for it is nearly fifteen hundred feet on
each side and almost two hundred feet high. Gizeh, the big Egyptian
pyramid, is only 763 feet along the sides, but it has the Mexican one
beaten in height, it being over five hundred feet high. Perhaps you
fellows will wake up, directly, and find out what a wonderful country
you are in."

"Who built this pyramid-temple?" asked Jimmie.

"No one knows," was the reply. "Whoever did it had correct ideas of
architecture and knew lots about decoration. The ruined city of
Palenque had temples, palaces, baths, and aqueducts. It was twenty
miles long, and must have had an enormous population. It is said that
there is not a record left. Cortes and his gang took care of what the
Toltecs and Aztecs left."

"It is a wonderful country." Nestor said, "but it needs stability in
population. Just now, however, we need rest. It is evident that the
outlaws are headed for the plain below, and we must catch up with them
when they camp for the night."

"I wonder what Fremont will think?" observed Jimmie. "I'll bet he's
thinkin', right now, that we've gone back on him."

"There is no other way," explained Nestor. "It would be folly to
attempt rescue now, and worse folly to attempt to follow the party down
this slope, in the broad light of day. Did any of you boys notice a
square package I had on a shoulder-strap as I came up? I laid it down
somewhere. It contained a dozen egg and ham sandwiches," he added,
with a provoking smile.

"Great Scott!" cried Frank Shaw, springing straight up in the air, like
a rubber ball. "Holy smoke! You haven't lost it, have you?"

Nestor sat back and laughed at the hungry boy's antics and then brought
forth the precious packet. The boys gathered around him, but he
motioned them away.

"I'm not going to open it here," he said. "What until we find a place
where we can rest a bit. There must be a cliff-hole over there
somewhere."

Disappointed, and making wry faces, the boys followed Nestor to the
south until they came to a shelf of rock which faced the east. The
ridge above sheltered the spot from the hot sun, and there was a cavity
in the cliff which promised a secure resting place. As he stepped out
on the shelf Nestor paused and pointed to a col