Although the sun was setting, the color of the skies promised a bright night, and Ned approached boldly.  As usual his superstitious fears became weaker as he approached the objects that had called them into existence.  But before he reached the pyramids he found that he was among many ruins.  They stood all about him, stone fragments of ancient walls, black basalt or lava, and, unless the twilight deceived him, there were also traces of ancient streets.  He saw, too, south of the larger pyramids a great earthwork or citadel thirty or forty feet high enclosing a square in which stood a small pyramid.  The walls of the earthwork were enormously thick, three hundred feet Ned reckoned, and upon it at regular intervals stood other small pyramids fourteen in number.

Scattered all about, alone or in groups, were tumuli, and leading away from the largest group of tumuli Ned saw a street or causeway, which, passing by the Pyramid of the Sun, ended in front of the Pyramid of the Moon, where it widened out into a great circle, with a tumulus standing in the center.

Despite all the courage that he had shown Ned felt a superstitious thrill as he looked at these ancient and solemn ruins.  He and they were absolutely alone.  Antiquity looked down upon him.  The sun was gone now and the moon was coming out, touching pyramids and tumuli, earthworks and causeway with ghostly silver, deepening the effect of loneliness and far-off time.

While Ned was looking at these majestic remains he heard the sound of voices, and then the rattle of weapons.  He saw through the twilight the glitter of uniforms and of swords and sabers.  A company of Mexican soldiers, at least a hundred in number, had come into the ancient city and, no doubt, intended to camp there.  Being so absorbed in the strange ruins he had not noticed them sooner.

As the men were already scattering in search of firewood or other needs of the camp Ned saw that he was in great danger.  He hid behind a tumulus, half covered by the vegetation that had grown from its crevices.  He was glad that his serape was of a modest brown, instead of the bright colors that most of the Mexicans loved.  A soldier passed within ten feet of him, but in the twilight did not notice him.  It was enough to make one quiver.  Another passed a little later, and he, too, failed to see the fugitive.  But a third, if he came, would probably see, and leaving the tumulus Ned ran to another where he hid again for a few minutes.

It was the boy’s object to make off through the neighboring forest after passing from tumulus to tumulus, but he found soon that another body of soldiers was camping upon the far side of the ruined city.  He might or might not run the gauntlet in the darkness.  The probabilities were that he would not, and hiding behind a tumulus almost midway between the two forces he took thought of his next step.