儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lost Village CHAPTER 5 Snooping at the Dig

“I can’t believe it’s gone,” Violet said softly to Mrs. Lightfeather a few minutes later. “Who would take it?”



“Someone must have stolen it,” Joe said. “Maybe they thought it was valuable.” All the children had gathered in the kitchen once they heard what had happened.



“But no one else knows about the bowl,” Violet pointed 1 out. “No one else even knows about the dig.”



“That’s not really true,” Henry interrupted. “What about Rita Neville? And Ted 2 Clark? We’ve run into both of them wandering around in the woods.”



“I knew there was something suspicious about Ted Clark!” Amy blurted 3 out. “He says he’s part Navajo, Mom, but he didn’t know what turquoise 4 looks like. And he said his relatives are from New England!”



Mrs. Lightfeather looked serious. “I met him yesterday, searching through the council records. If he told you he’s from New England, he’s way off base. All the Navajo tribes are right here in the Southwest,” she said.



“Maybe he was watching from the woods when you found the bowl,” Jessie suggested. “And maybe he saw you put it in the tool shed.”



“Maybe,” Violet said reluctantly. She couldn’t believe that someone would steal something she’d worked so hard to find. Yet someone had taken it. Why?



The next morning was bright and sunny, and the children arrived at the dig after breakfast.



“Just as I thought!” Jessie said. She pointed to a square on the left side of the dig. “Someone’s been here during the night.”



“How do you know?” Benny asked.



“Because I laid a little trap for them.” Jessie squatted 5 on her heels and peered at the dirt. “I left two twigs 6 here yesterday afternoon. I crossed them so they formed an X. And now look — they’ve been pushed aside.”



“I think someone’s been snooping around my square, too,” Henry said, frowning. “The hole is much deeper, and you can see red clay. I know I didn’t dig down that far yesterday.”



“Who do you think is doing it?” Violet asked. She shivered a little even though the day was warm.



“Probably the same person who took your bowl,” Amy said quietly. “And that person could be watching us from the woods right this minute.”



“Good morning!” A cheerful voice made the children all turn in surprise. It was Michael Running Deer. He was standing 7 in the center of the path, setting up a metal pole.



“What are you doing?” Benny piped up.



“I’m surveying,” Michael answered. “We’ll be moving those bulldozers in pretty soon, and I need to get some preliminary work done.” He unrolled some blueprints 8 from his back pocket and looked over the dig. “There are always a few last-minute measurements to take before we get the heavy equipment in.”



“I’m going to miss the woods,” Amy said sadly. “I can’t believe all these trees will be cut down in a few weeks.”



Michael looked solemn. “I guess you kids have really enjoyed playing here.” He stared at the huge tree that towered over them. The sky was bright blue, and the forest had never looked more beautiful.



“It’s more than playing,” Benny told him. “We’re finding things.”



“What sort of things?” Michael asked.



“Arrowheads, pieces of pottery 9,” Benny said. “And Violet found a bowl.”



“It makes you think about the people who lived here a long time ago, doesn’t it?” Michael said. He lifted his binoculars 10 and scanned the forest. “I often wonder about them.” He put down his binoculars and his expression was very serious. “But you can’t stop progress. Pretty soon, this whole forest will be full of roads and homes.” He wiped his face with a bandanna 11. “Well, I’d better get back to work now.”



The children returned to the dig, and Violet looked thoughtful. “It seemed as if something was bothering him,” she whispered to Amy.



Amy nodded. “It did. I wonder what?” She crouched 12 over her square at the dig and picked up a trowel.



By mid-afternoon, everyone was tired and thirsty. “I’m ready to take a break,” Joe said. “Why don’t we go into town for a cold drink?”



“Good idea!” Violet said, scrambling 13 to her feet. She had just packed her trowel in her knapsack when Benny let out a whoop 14.



“I’ve found something!” Benny was so excited he was digging in the earth with his bare hands. “It’s some kind of bone!”



“Really?” Joe dropped down beside him. “Be careful you don’t damage it.” He helped Benny smooth away the top layers of soil from his find.



“Here it is,” Benny said. He held up a large bone with a big knob at one end. “What is it?” he asked. “Do you think it came from a buffalo 15?”



Amy leaned closer and started to laugh. “I’m afraid not, Benny. That bone belongs to Honey. She’s a cocker spaniel who lives next door to us.”



“Honey?” Benny’s face fell. “You mean this is a dog bone?”



“I’m afraid so,” Joe said. “She loves to bury things and then dig them up. If you look at it carefully, you’ll see it’s not even a real bone, Benny. It’s made out of rawhide 16.” Benny started to toss the bone back into the hole, but Joe stopped him. “Put it in your pocket, Benny. We’ll give it to Honey when we get back home.”



Half an hour later, all six children trooped into Cranston’s, the general store.



“This is my favorite place in town,” Amy confided 17. “They sell everything from saddles to sunflower seeds. And they make fresh lemonade with crushed ice.”



The Aldens were settled with tall glasses of lemonade at a small table in the back of the store when they spotted 18 Rita Neville at the counter.



“She must still be looking for locations for that television show,” Violet whispered to Amy.



When Jessie got up to get everyone refills a few minutes later, Ms. Neville was sipping 19 a soft drink. She glanced at Jessie’s stained overalls 20 and shook her head.



“I bet you’ve been playing in the forest today,” she said in a friendly way. “Looks like you’ve been rolling in the dirt.”



“We haven’t been playing, we’ve been working,” Benny said, suddenly popping up behind Jessie. “We’re … excavating 21.”



“Oh, and what are you excavating?” Ms. Neville sounded as though she were joking.



“All sorts of things,” Jessie said vaguely 22.



“Violet found a really pretty dish, except now it’s gone!” Benny piped up.



“That’s too bad. Maybe you can buy another one,” Rita Neville said.



“This was a special dish,” Benny insisted. Jessie tried to catch Benny’s eye to make him stop talking, but he ignored her.



Ms. Neville pushed away her drink and looked interested. “Have you found anything else? Any wood carvings 23? Any silver or turquoise?”



“I don’t think so,” Benny shrugged 24.



“Our drinks are ready,” Jessie said. She nudged her brother, glad that they had an excuse to escape from Ms. Neville.



“Well, have you or haven’t you?” Ms. Neville repeated.



“I told you I don’t know,” Benny said, putting the drinks on a cardboard tray. “Anyway, I wasn’t very lucky today. The only thing I found was an old bone.”



“A bone!” Ms. Neville slid off the stool and knelt down so she could talk to Benny eye to eye. “Tell me about it. What did it look like?”



“It was big, and it had a knob at one end — ”



“Benny,” Jessie interrupted. “I can’t carry all these drinks by myself.”



“Where did you find the bone? The same place you were digging the other day?”



Benny opened his mouth to answer when Jessie said, “Benny!”



“Okay, okay,” he said, picking up the tray. He couldn’t understand why Ms. Neville was so interested in a dumb old dog bone. “That’s right. I found it in the forest,” he said over his shoulder to Ms. Neville.



She started to follow Jessie and Benny back to their seats, and then changed her mind. Throwing a dollar bill on the counter, she hurried out of the store.



“She sure was interested in that bone,” Benny said when they sat down.



“I wish we could find out what happened to my bowl,” Violet said. “It was so pretty, with the bird on one side, and the snake on the other.”



“By the way,” Jessie said. “Why are there so many snakes on Indian pottery?”



Amy looked up from her lemonade. “That’s because snakes, or serpents, have a special meaning for us.”



“I understand why you like birds,” Violet said. “But why snakes?”



“We respect them both.” Amy looked around the table at her friends. “Birds can soar high into the sky, but snakes are powerful, too. They can shed their skin. Now that’s a real mystery!”



“I never thought of it that way,” Violet told her.



“Can we stop at the stables on the way home?” Jessie asked. “I’d like to see Thunder again.”



“Sure,” Amy agreed.



When they stepped outside Cranston’s, they spotted Ted Clark, chatting with one of the elders of the tribe.



“Hi, kids,” he greeted them. To their surprise, he fell into step with them as they headed to the stables. “I’ve been doing some research,” he said, patting a thick manila folder 25 under his arm.



“What have you learned?” Amy asked.



“Well, I’ve come across something interesting,” he told her. “Did you know that some tribes use a stone to mark buried treasure?”



Amy looked doubtful. “You don’t have to be a Navajo to use a stone as a marker.”



“Oh, but this isn’t an ordinary stone.” Ted Clark lowered his voice as if he were telling an important secret. “It’s a special stone. It’s shaped like a triangle and glows in the dark.”



“I’ve never heard of that,” Joe spoke 26 up. “And Kinowok talks about Indian customs all the time.”



“It’s true,” Ted Clark insisted. “Maybe not many people know about it, but it’s true.”



He said good-bye at the end of the street, and the children headed for the stables. As they rounded the corner, Violet caught a glimpse of Rita Neville. She had been walking behind them the whole time! Was she spying on them?



“Amy,” Violet asked when they were inside the stable, “do you believe what Ted said about the stone that glows in the dark?”



Amy shrugged. “I never heard of it before, but it could be true, I guess.” She greeted Thunder, who whinnied softly when he saw them.



“If we could find a stone like that at the dig, it would save us a lot of time.” Jessie paused. “We could go look for it tonight.”



Meanwhile, the boys refilled Thunder’s trough with fresh hay. “So what did you think about the glowing-rock story?” Joe asked.



“I think he made it up,” Henry said flatly.



“Me, too,” Benny chimed in. “Why would a rock glow in the dark?”



Violet and Amy exchanged a look, and then Amy leaned close to whisper in Amy’s ear. “If we go, let’s go without the boys. Just us girls.”