sitting on his haunches, looking into the
burial. He gave Sally an annoyed look as if to say,
Don't encourage Thomas. "There is no way to know,"
he said. "The only thing we can say is that he did have
a high status"
"Or she," said Sally.
"It will be a he," said Frank.
"It looks like a she. Look at the brow ridge."
"I think when you uncover the pelvis, you'll find it
is a he," said Frank.
Lindsay looked up to see the sheriff and Derrick
peering into the burial along with everyone else.
"Found something special?" he asked.
Lindsay and Frank stood up to greet him. "Looks
like we uncovered a VIP," said Frank. "At least he has
quite a collection of grave goods"
"And an atlatl," Thomas boasted. "You don't find
too many of them because they are made of wood.
Being next to the copper preserved it."
Lindsay rolled her eyes upward.
"Atlatl?" asked the sheriff.
"Throwing stick," said Lindsay. "You use it with a
spear to give extra leverage when you throw. But this
is the breast bone."
"Well, look at this!" shouted Thomas. "Tell me it's
not a banner stone." He picked up a smooth stone and
handed it to Frank.
"A banner stone is used to weight an atlatl," Derrick explained for the sheriff's benefit.
They looked up at Lindsay and grinned, as if suddenly the great Lindsay could be mistaken, humbled
by the likes of Thomas. Derrick, however, winked his
"I'm with you, kid" wink at her. The sheriff grinned
as if he were witnessing a contest.
Lindsay could see this was becoming a matter of
face. "That's most likely the head of a club, not a
banner stone"
"Don't some people think that's what a banner
stone is really for, to make it double as a war club?"
asked Thomas.
"We'll see when it gets uncovered," Frank said,
smiling at Lindsay. Turning to the sheriff, he said,
"Is this social or business?"
"Business, but it can wait for the outcome of the
controversy here. I'd just as soon wait."
"We can't take it up until it's photographed, and
the preparation for that will take a while," said Frank.
"We can go have a Coke and talk if you want."
"Lindsay better come, too," he said. They walked
over to the eating area, which was out of the sun and
out of hearing distance.
"Don't you all get so excited that you rip out all the
artifacts before they're recorded," Frank shouted back
at the crew.
They sat at the table, and Derrick reached into the
cooler and pulled out bottles of soda for everyone .
"Ah, this is good," said the sheriff. "It still has ice in it." He allowed everyone to take a few sips of drink
before he said anything else. Then he told them, "Derrick found more bones."
Lindsay was silent for a moment, then realized he
meant bones of another child. "Oh, no," she whispered.
"I know," said the sheriff. "I'm keeping it quiet until
we can identify them. I thought you might go back
with me and take a look."
They drank their drinks in silence. Lindsay sipped
slowly so she would not finish too soon. After a while
Sally shouted and waved for them to come over.
Thomas and Sally had cleaned the dirt from the
chest area of the burial. A series of green copper plates
covered most of the front of the rib cage. A long bone
or wooden looking object lay in the center of the chest,
surrounded and half covered by the copper. Sally said,
"I think you can see something now, Lindsay."
Lindsay reached down with a tongue depressor and
gently tried to lift a plate. The copper was fused to the
underlying bone. "I'm afraid the answer may have to
wait until the burial is finished and photographed,"
she said. She tried the uppermost plate. It came loose,
and she could see the shape of the object in question
and how it had been articulated to the now-vanished
costal cartilage. "The sternum," she said.
"Are you sure?" said Thomas with great disappointment but no chagrin in his voice.
Lindsay thought that Ned looked even more disappointed than Thomas.
"Yes. Take a look."
"Looks like a sternum to
burial. He gave Sally an annoyed look as if to say,
Don't encourage Thomas. "There is no way to know,"
he said. "The only thing we can say is that he did have
a high status"
"Or she," said Sally.
"It will be a he," said Frank.
"It looks like a she. Look at the brow ridge."
"I think when you uncover the pelvis, you'll find it
is a he," said Frank.
Lindsay looked up to see the sheriff and Derrick
peering into the burial along with everyone else.
"Found something special?" he asked.
Lindsay and Frank stood up to greet him. "Looks
like we uncovered a VIP," said Frank. "At least he has
quite a collection of grave goods"
"And an atlatl," Thomas boasted. "You don't find
too many of them because they are made of wood.
Being next to the copper preserved it."
Lindsay rolled her eyes upward.
"Atlatl?" asked the sheriff.
"Throwing stick," said Lindsay. "You use it with a
spear to give extra leverage when you throw. But this
is the breast bone."
"Well, look at this!" shouted Thomas. "Tell me it's
not a banner stone." He picked up a smooth stone and
handed it to Frank.
"A banner stone is used to weight an atlatl," Derrick explained for the sheriff's benefit.
They looked up at Lindsay and grinned, as if suddenly the great Lindsay could be mistaken, humbled
by the likes of Thomas. Derrick, however, winked his
"I'm with you, kid" wink at her. The sheriff grinned
as if he were witnessing a contest.
Lindsay could see this was becoming a matter of
face. "That's most likely the head of a club, not a
banner stone"
"Don't some people think that's what a banner
stone is really for, to make it double as a war club?"
asked Thomas.
"We'll see when it gets uncovered," Frank said,
smiling at Lindsay. Turning to the sheriff, he said,
"Is this social or business?"
"Business, but it can wait for the outcome of the
controversy here. I'd just as soon wait."
"We can't take it up until it's photographed, and
the preparation for that will take a while," said Frank.
"We can go have a Coke and talk if you want."
"Lindsay better come, too," he said. They walked
over to the eating area, which was out of the sun and
out of hearing distance.
"Don't you all get so excited that you rip out all the
artifacts before they're recorded," Frank shouted back
at the crew.
They sat at the table, and Derrick reached into the
cooler and pulled out bottles of soda for everyone .
"Ah, this is good," said the sheriff. "It still has ice in it." He allowed everyone to take a few sips of drink
before he said anything else. Then he told them, "Derrick found more bones."
Lindsay was silent for a moment, then realized he
meant bones of another child. "Oh, no," she whispered.
"I know," said the sheriff. "I'm keeping it quiet until
we can identify them. I thought you might go back
with me and take a look."
They drank their drinks in silence. Lindsay sipped
slowly so she would not finish too soon. After a while
Sally shouted and waved for them to come over.
Thomas and Sally had cleaned the dirt from the
chest area of the burial. A series of green copper plates
covered most of the front of the rib cage. A long bone
or wooden looking object lay in the center of the chest,
surrounded and half covered by the copper. Sally said,
"I think you can see something now, Lindsay."
Lindsay reached down with a tongue depressor and
gently tried to lift a plate. The copper was fused to the
underlying bone. "I'm afraid the answer may have to
wait until the burial is finished and photographed,"
she said. She tried the uppermost plate. It came loose,
and she could see the shape of the object in question
and how it had been articulated to the now-vanished
costal cartilage. "The sternum," she said.
"Are you sure?" said Thomas with great disappointment but no chagrin in his voice.
Lindsay thought that Ned looked even more disappointed than Thomas.
"Yes. Take a look."
"Looks like a sternum to
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