like hares and rabbits started out of the heaps of stones as I passed them, but the very presence of this wild animal life amidst the ruins made me more lonely, causing me to wonder where I could be, and to consider why such a fair and lovely district should apparently be destitute of the human race. I went on wondering what had caused this devastation. Had there been an earthquake? Had the people been stricken down by a plague? Had the country been invaded by a foreign foe, who without mercy slew man, woman, and child, leaving no one to perpetuate the race that must have existed years ago? Yes, a nation that had erected all these great buildings that now were mere heaps of ruins overgrown by the vegetation of ages, must surely have some descendants if they were not annihilated. As I got nearer and nearer to the city, my astonishment became more and more intense. I suddenly came upon the remains of a great bridge, the piers of which were of enormous dimensions, and must have been formed of
