“Certainly no part of it has seen the light of day for many centuries. It shall be our pleasure to uncover it, if possible, and secure the idol of gold.”
“How long ago do you think the city was buried?” asked Tom.
“It would be hard to say. From the carvings and hieroglyphics I have studied it would seem that the Mayan civilization lasted about five hundred years, and that it began perhaps in the year A. D. five hundred.”
“That would mean,” said Mr. Damon, “that the ancient cities were in ruins, buried, perhaps, long before Columbus discovered the new world.”
“Yes,” assented the professor. “Probably Kurzon, which we now seek, was buried deep for nearly five hundred years before Columbus landed
–––––––––––––––––––
-146—
at San Salvadore. The specimens of writing and architecture heretofore disclosed indicate that. But, as a matter of fact, it is very hard to decipher the Mayan pictographs. So far, little but the ability to read their calendars and numerical system is possessed by us, though we are gradually making headway.
“Now this is the map of the district, and by the markings you can see where I hope to find what I seek. We shall begin digging here,” and he made a small mark with a pencil on the map.
“Of course,” the professor explained, “I may be wrong, and it will take some time to discover the error if we make one. When a city is buried thirty or forty feet deep beneath earth and great trees have grown over it, it is not easy to dig down to it.”
“How do you ever expect to find it?” asked Ned.