An inner court of the building is now used by the Indian shepherds as an enclosure for their sheep at night, and when Frank and Fred entered it one of the guardians of the flock was driving his charges out to pasture. According to tradition, this court-yard was the corral where the sacred llamas and vicunas were kept in the days of the Incas; from their wool the royal garments and the hangings of the temple were made, by the women who inhabited the palace near by. The temple is elevated some distance above the lake; between the temple and the edge of the water the ground slopes off in a series of terraces carefully built of stone. Each terrace has a wall about breast-high around its edge, and a person walking there ran no risk of falling down the declivity. From one terrace to another there is a series of stone steps, so that the ascent and descent were easy. Sitting on the front of the upper terrace the travellers mused upon the scenes of the past, and endeavored to picture the appearance of the island in the days when the Incas were in the height of their power, and the temples were crowded with pilgrims from all parts of the empire. "These temples and palaces," said the Doctor, "are by no means the finest monuments of the ancient Peruvians in the Titicaca basin. A little beyond the southern extremity of the lake is the village of Tiahuanaco, where the ruins are far more extensive than on either of the islands." "Mr. Squier calls Tiahuanaco the Baalbec of America," said Fred. "To judge by his description of the remains he found there, the name is well merited." Frank had not yet read the account which Mr. Squier gives of his visit to the spot. At his request Fred made a brief synopsis of the story. "On his arrival," said Fred, "he was impressed with the great number of finely cut stones that were built into the rudest edifices, or were used for pavements. The church is mainly constructed of them, and the cross in front of it stands on an ancient stone pedestal, which far surpasses it in the excellence of its workmanship. On all sides are the relics of antiquity adapted to the uses of the present time; Tiahuanaco has been used as a quarry, from whence have been taken the finely cut and polished stones for building all the churches and villages of the valley, and even for the roads and bridges. [Illustration: INDIANS CELEBRATING THE CHUNO, OR POTATO FESTIVAL.]