The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-07-01

Egypt, we followed our guide, who, sometimes
missing his way, with constant and vigorous
use Of his machete, conducted US through the
thick forest. among buried fragments, 10
fourteen monuments of the same character and
appearance, some with more elegant designs,
and some in workmanship equal to the hnest
monuments of the Egyptians; one displaced
from its pedestal by enormous roots; another
locked in the close embrace of branches OF trees,
and almost lifted out of the earth; another
hurled 10 the ground, and bound down by hug,
vines and creepers and one standing, with ITS
altar before Il, in a grove OF trees which grew
around il, seemingly 10 shade and shroud II as
sacred thing in the solemn stiffness OF the
woods, Il seemed divinity mourning over iai-
len people. The only sounds that disturbed The
quiet OF this buried city were the noise oil mon
keys moving among the tops OF the uees, ana
tire cracking of dry branches broken by their
weight They moved over our heads IN long
and swift professions, forty or fifty al Tune
some with little ones wound in their long arms,
walking out TO the end of boughs, and holding
on with their hind feet or curl OF the tail,
sprang TO branch Of the next tree, and with
noise like current of wind, passed on into The
depths of the forest. 1t was the first time we
had seen these mockedes OF humanity, and,
with the strange monuments around US, they
seemed like wandering spirits OF The departed
race guarding the ruins Of their former hablta-
tons.
We returned to the base of the pyramidal
structure, and ascended by regular stone steps,
in some places forced apart by bushes and sap
lings and in others thrown down by growth OF
large trees, while some remained entire. In
parts they were ornamenled with scuptured IL
CURES and rows of deaths heads. Climbing
over the ruined top, we reached the terrace over
grown with trees, and, crossing H. descended by
stone steps into an area covered with trees
that at first we could not make out its form, but
which, on clearing the way with the machete,
we ascertained 10 be a square, and with steps on
all the sides almost perfect as those OF the 10
man amphitheatre The steps were ornament
ed with scul pture, and on the south side, about
half way up, forced out offs place by roots, was
colossal head. evidently a portrait. We as
cended the steps, and reached broad terrace
hundred feet high overlooking the river and sup
ported by the wall we had seen from the oppo-
site bank. The whole terrace was covered with
trees, and even at this height from the ground
were two gigantic Ceibas, or wild colton-tree OF
India, above twenty feet in circumference, ex-
tending their half-naked roots fifty or hundred
feet around, binding down the ruins, and shading
them with their wlde-spreadng branches. We
satdown on the very edge of the wall, and s,rove
in vain TO penetrate the mystery by which We
were surrounded. Who were the people that
built this city? In the ruined cities of Egypt,
even in the long-lost Petra, the stranger knows
the story of the people whose vestiees are around
him. America, say historians, was peopled by
savages; but savages never reared these struc-
lures, sayages never carved these stones. We
asked the Indians who made Them and their
dull answer was ''Quien sabe ~ who knows.