"Then it certainly is our secret city," said Ned.
As he said this he was busy with his knife, digging at the
glistening white bits with which the column was coated. Finally one
came off. It fell into his hand and the back of it came into view.
The two boys broke out in an exclamation of delight. The protected
portion of the piece was a deep sky blue.
"The Turquoise Temple!" they both cried together. "Hurrah!"
When night came again Ned and Alan were almost too excited for rest
or sleep. Nor did they taste food again until the dust of the ruins
warned them temporarily to abandon their search. To walk into a
treasure house that the daring adventurers of two races had
overlooked for three hundred years was enough to turn the heads of
any two boys.
The "Doorway of the Sun" as Alan called it, led into a chamber about
fifteen feet square. The walls of this were lined with smooth clay
squares of black tile, undecorated. Eight feet above the floor,
which was also of clay tile and half buried under sand, rose a
ceiling of arched stones. There was no opening in this, but steps
on the outside of the temple and in the rear led to a chamber above,
in the front of which, and also facing the sun, was another opening
about two feet from the floor.
Pages:
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225