"How did they do it?" he said to Dolores, as they painfully climbed up the superb stair; "they must have known a lot about engineering, those Toltecs. To swing these blocks into their places must have taken derricks and complicated machinery. A wonderful work; a wonderful race. How Philip would enjoy this!" "I think Señor Felipe would rather be where he is--in Tlatonac," replied Dolores, wearily. "I would I were in the Casa Maraquando." "Cheer up, my heart! We will be there in a few days. Will I carry you, cara?" "Dios, no! You are already laden!" "But you are as light as a feather." "Eh, Juanito. You would not find that after carrying me for an hour or so. No; I am still able to walk. I am stronger than you think." They steadily climbed up the staircase, and at length entered the narrow gorge described by Cocom. Here Jack made the girl sit down and drink some wine, which did her so much good that in a few minutes she declared herself ready to resume the journey. Thus fortified, they entered the gorge, and, cautiously following its windings, at length emerged suddenly into a circular space. So unexpectedly did they enter that, as passages opened out in all directions, they could not tell by which way they had come. This pit--for it was little else, hewn out of the rock--was fifty or sixty feet in depth, and must have represented years of toil. On all sides, innumerable passages darted out like rays, and it was this thought that caused Jack to exclaim-- "It is like the opal, Dolores. This space is the stone, those passages the rays; so it serves a double purpose--to mislead the runaway, and yet be a symbol of the Chalchuih Tlatonac." Fortune favoured the fugitives, for the moon, directly overhead, sent down her full glory into the pit. Had they arrived later, they would probably have had to wait till dawn, as the blackness would have been too intense to permit them to find the true outlet. But the moonlight, by happy chance, was so strong that, after carefully examining the sides of several entrances, Jack at length hit on the sign. A huge crimson blot, with scarlet rays, blazed on a passage to the right. "Here we are, Dolores," cried Duval, joyfully, "this is the right way; but we must be careful, and not risk a snare; one can never tell what these infernal Indians are up to." With great caution they entered the tunnel indicated by the sign, and feeling every step before them, for the whole place was intensely dark, moved onward at a snail's pace. The tunnel wound hither and thither, until they felt quite bewildered. For a time the passage was level, but after a series of turnings it began to slope gently downwards, and so continued to the entrance. "I hope to Heaven there are no branch tunnels," said Jack, anxiously, "we could easily go off the main track in this gloom."