As to the so-called 'road,' it was really but a pathway; and, in places, almost a kind of tunnel. The great trees of this primæval forest were so high and dense that but little daylight penetrated to the ground beneath; and on all sides the undergrowth was so thick and tangled that almost every foot had to be cut out with the axe. Here and there one could see for a few yards between the giant trunks, and at these spots the path had been made wider. One curious thing Jack noted: the path did not start from that part of the wood opposite to 'Monella Lodge'; nor even from the margin of the wood itself. Asked why this was, Monella thus made answer: "If in our absence others should come here, they might hunt up and down for the path a long time before they hit upon it--and very likely never find it. On this stony ground the tracks we leave are very slight and difficult to trace." "But," said Jack, "your Indians know the way." Monella smiled. "Not one of them would ever show another man the way," he replied, "let him offer what he might." "But why all these precautions?" "Later you will understand." But, when Jack came to look round, his heart sank within him. "I should not care to have a few miles of railway to cut through wood like this," he said. "It's the worst I ever saw. I do not wonder you have found it more than you could manage--only yourself and these Indians--and it's a wonder you ever got them to join at all, considering all the circumstances." "Yes; that's where it is," Monella answered. "Many men would have despaired, I think. We have had trouble, too. Two Indians met with accidents and were badly hurt; though now they are recovering. Then, some of the small streams that issue from the mountain became suddenly swollen once or twice, and washed away the rough bridges we had made across them; and we have met with many unexpected obstacles, such as great masses of rock, or a fallen tree, some giant of the forest that was so big it was easier to go round it than to cut through it." That evening, Monella explained his project, and showed the young men the plans and diagrams Dr. Lorien had spoken of, and then went on to say, "If you decide to join me, you ought to know something of the language in which these old documents are written. I both read and write it, and I speak it too. You will find it interesting to decipher them, and an occupation for the evenings." Jack was not enthusiastic at this suggestion; but Leonard cordially embraced it. "To learn the language of an unknown nation that has passed away will be curious and _very_ interesting," he declared, "and will, as you say, help to pass the time. You may as well learn it too, Jack. You speak the Indian--why not learn this? Then we can talk together in a tongue that no one but ourselves and our friend here can understand." "And where did these ancient people 'hang out'?" asked Jack irreverently.