We were now opposite a portion of the island where the ruins assumed something of the appearance of a city. An open roadway between buildings indicated that this had been one of the principal streets in the olden time. The Silver King rounded to and made fast to a well preserved dock which forcibly called to my mind the great docks of New York, Liverpool and other seaport cities of the outer world.
We disembarked and found the first restrictions on our movements that we had met in Altruria except the entrances to private apartments. Those who desired to visit the ruins on the island were required to register their names and accept an escort to see that nothing was displaced or carried away from the chief points of interest.
These preliminaries arranged, the gates were opened and accompanied by our escort, we proceeded up the well-worn roadway towards what had doubtless been the chief center of wealth and power. On either side were huge masses of debris, and falling walls of what had once marked the site of lofty structures. Briers and brambles grew in the accumulated dust of ages which now covered the well-paved streets and marble sidewalks. Wild vines clambered over the shattered walls and not unfrequently tall trees grew through the tops of buildings where the walls still stood firm. We were in the midst of a deep tangled wildwood, where on every side could be seen indisputable evidence that this had once been a great center of population, wealth and luxury. Ruined churches and marble halls where once had gathered the elite of a city, the opulence of which had been the wonder of the world, now afforded a nesting place for wild fowl.
My heart grew faint and my head dizzy as I pondered upon the wonderful lesson spread out before me. Here had been a city, no less magnificent in its prime than New York, the great metropolis of America, and I asked myself the question, Could this ever be the fate of my native city? Captain Battell, who was walking by my side, broke in upon my meditations by asking:
"What do you think of it, Jack? I never saw you so absorbed."
And Yankee like I said:
"I reply by asking, what do you think, Captain? Surely you cannot be indifferent to scenes like this when you reflect that we are natives of New York City!"
"I am not indifferent," said Battell, "but I have had the advantage of former visits and hence am better prepared for it. The part of the city we are now approaching has been kept in a tolerable state of repair, to make the lessons taught by these ruins more impressive. This visit has been arranged for your especial benefit, as you are the recognized historian of the Ice King. Polaris and Dione showed Huston and myself through these ruins as soon as we reached the continent, which led me to infer that they had learned enough of our money system from MacNair to understand that we needed the lesson."
"Then you are not a total stranger to these scenes?" I said.