"At home? No," cried Sir Humphrey: "those are the ruins of some extremely ancient rock city. Look, Brace. Use your glass. It is the work of centuries. I should say every place has been cut and carved out of the solid rock by some industrious race; but it is quite deserted now save by birds." "Then we've made a find," said Briscoe excitedly. "I say, I wonder whether this is the great Golden City, captain?" "No, sir," said the captain gruffly; "don't you see it's all stone?" "Yes, but--look, Brace. Those places farther on look more regular-- there where the trees are growing out of the cracks and the creepers are hanging down like curtains. I can't make 'em out very well with the naked eye, but those windows seem to have carving sculpt about them, and underneath seems to be like a stone colonnade and terrace." "And a great central doorway," said Brace eagerly. "Yes, you are right: the walls are covered with curious figures and ornamentations. It must be either a great temple or the Inca's palace." "Inca?" said Briscoe. "Yes--why not? Yes; I suppose it would be an Inca, something of the same kind as the Peruvians. But, I say, look here: these must have been something of the same sort of race as the Peruvians." "No doubt," said Sir Humphrey. "And the Peruvians were out and outers for getting gold." "Look here!" cried the captain, banging his hand down upon the edge of the boat: "if you say gold again, Mr Briscoe, you and me's going to have a regular row." "Then I won't say it," said the American good-humouredly. "I promised you that I would hold myself in; but recollect what I said to you last night about these cliffs. I felt sure that they contained--ahem!" "Shall we row close up to the bank where those fires are, sir?" said the captain, turning his back upon Briscoe. "If you think there is no risk of any Indians lying in ambush among those rock-chambers," Sir Humphrey replied. "I think the place is quite deserted, sir," replied the captain, "and that if there had been any Indians on shore they would have bolted when these chaps yelled." "Yes; that's right enough," said Briscoe. "They're canoe-folk, and there's no sign of a single person anywhere along the landing-place. You may depend upon it this is a good fishing-station, and they come up here to camp, and we've frightened them away. It's safe enough."