“Look!” he exclaimed, running over to the wall. “The Martians had a Michelangelo too! Those pictures seem to tell a story! Say, do you suppose this mural shows the history of the Martian race and what happened to them?”
“I don’t care what they show, Ted!” Jill retorted. “All I want to do is get out of here before our air is gone!”
Ted saw the wisdom of her remark and gave up an impulse to look over the exciting story in pictures. Another flight of stairs was the only way out of the shrine, and without delay the three hurried up. They made a final turn on the stairs and then the subdued glare of Martian sunlight struck their faces. They were finally above ground.
They appeared to have walked into a sporting arena which was surrounded by tiers of stone seats, much in the manner of the ancient Roman Coliseum. As the three of them crossed it through deep powdery dust, they found bones of strange animals scattered over the whole area. There were also the remains of curved swords and scarred shields.
“Ugh!” Jill shuddered. “There’s no telling what terrible things took place on this very spot we’re walking over!”
“There’s an opening over there on the other side,” Randy indicated.
“Let’s go to it,” Ted suggested. “I can’t wait to get off this gruesome field either!”
They moved across the arena briskly, yet not too fast. They headed directly for the opening in the high stone wall that encircled the ancient field of contest. When they reached the entranceway, they passed through and found themselves at the fringe of a forest. A few dozen paces carried them through green corkscrew trees to an open plain.
“I guess the trees around here kept this place from being discovered before now,” Ted said.
“Which way do we go now?” Jill moaned. “We’ve got to find that cave where our air tanks are!”