leaves.”
Kate laughed. “All right, come on. I want to introduce you to some friends.” She led them around the boulder and into a beehive of activity.
Lisa pulled Chocolate to a halt, staring with wonder at the sight in front of her.
Much of the floor of the canyon had been roped off into small sections. There were people everywhere. Some were pushing what appeared to be wheelbarrows full of dirt from place to place; others were meticulously sifting the soil through large screens. A few individuals were simply crouching in place, staring fixedly at the ground. Lisa could even see distant figures standing on a scaffold suspended high up on the canyon wall.
“What on earth is going on here?” Lisa asked. “Are they building something?”
“This looks like an archaeological dig,” Carole said almost breathlessly.
Kate clucked Stewball forward. “That’s exactly what it is. Can you believe our luck? The university has started a dinosaur dig practically in the Bar None’s backyard!”
Lisa was enthralled. She had always wanted to see a real dig in action. In her fantasies it had always been somewhere in Egypt, with pyramids and mummies scattered around, but dinosaurs were even better. “When did they get here?”
“At the beginning of summer. I was going to tell you over the phone, but then I decided to make it a surprise. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Professor Jackson. He’s the paleontologist in charge of the whole thing.”
“He won’t mind our being here?” Lisa asked.
“Naw, I’ve been down here lots of times. He said I could come by whenever I want. I think he’s hoping to recruit me as another worker,” she laughed.
“What a great opportunity,” Lisa said enthusiastically, hurrying to catch up.
Kate led the way toward a small group of tents nestled against the valley wall. As the girls movedthrough the dig, she called and waved to several of the workers, who smiled and waved back. “There he is,” she said, pointing to a short, skinny man bending over a folding table. His clothes were dusty and rumpled, and he was mopping his face with a faded red handkerchief. He removed his hat, revealing a nearly bald head with unruly tufts of white fluff.
“Doesn’t look much like Indiana Jones, does he?” Carole giggled.
“He’s the real thing,” Kate told her seriously. “Professor Jackson is very distinguished in his field. A private museum is paying a lot of money to have him head this dig for them.”
Lisa considered that. “I didn’t realize there was a lot of money to be made in archaeology.”
The girls dismounted and Kate led them up to the table. “Hi, Professor. I brought my friends to meet you.”
Professor Jackson looked up. “Ah, Kate, my dear. Welcome.” He swept a pair of wire-rimmed glasses off his nose and perched them jauntily on his head. “Brought me a few diggers, have you?”
Kate nodded. “That’s me, Slaves-R-Us. Their folks will never miss them, but make sure the money is in my bank account by sundown.”
Professor Jackson clucked his tongue. “First we’ll have to see how good they are.”
“This is Lisa and Carole,” said Kate, making the introductions. “They’re from Willow Creek, near Washington, D.C.”
“Is that so? I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of working in your part of the country.”
“We only have a rock quarry,” Lisa said, then felt herself redden.
What a goofy thing to say.
The professor smiled at her. “Some interesting things have turned up in rock quarries, my dear. But this part of the country does seem to have more than its fair share of artifacts. Who knows? This canyon may prove to be as famous as Dinosaur National Monument when we’re finished.”
“Dinosaur what?” Carole asked.
The professor looked surprised. “You’ve never heard of it?”
Lisa and Carole shook their heads.
“It’s an area covering about three hundred and thirty square miles in northwest Colorado and Utah. It’s
Kate laughed. “All right, come on. I want to introduce you to some friends.” She led them around the boulder and into a beehive of activity.
Lisa pulled Chocolate to a halt, staring with wonder at the sight in front of her.
Much of the floor of the canyon had been roped off into small sections. There were people everywhere. Some were pushing what appeared to be wheelbarrows full of dirt from place to place; others were meticulously sifting the soil through large screens. A few individuals were simply crouching in place, staring fixedly at the ground. Lisa could even see distant figures standing on a scaffold suspended high up on the canyon wall.
“What on earth is going on here?” Lisa asked. “Are they building something?”
“This looks like an archaeological dig,” Carole said almost breathlessly.
Kate clucked Stewball forward. “That’s exactly what it is. Can you believe our luck? The university has started a dinosaur dig practically in the Bar None’s backyard!”
Lisa was enthralled. She had always wanted to see a real dig in action. In her fantasies it had always been somewhere in Egypt, with pyramids and mummies scattered around, but dinosaurs were even better. “When did they get here?”
“At the beginning of summer. I was going to tell you over the phone, but then I decided to make it a surprise. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Professor Jackson. He’s the paleontologist in charge of the whole thing.”
“He won’t mind our being here?” Lisa asked.
“Naw, I’ve been down here lots of times. He said I could come by whenever I want. I think he’s hoping to recruit me as another worker,” she laughed.
“What a great opportunity,” Lisa said enthusiastically, hurrying to catch up.
Kate led the way toward a small group of tents nestled against the valley wall. As the girls movedthrough the dig, she called and waved to several of the workers, who smiled and waved back. “There he is,” she said, pointing to a short, skinny man bending over a folding table. His clothes were dusty and rumpled, and he was mopping his face with a faded red handkerchief. He removed his hat, revealing a nearly bald head with unruly tufts of white fluff.
“Doesn’t look much like Indiana Jones, does he?” Carole giggled.
“He’s the real thing,” Kate told her seriously. “Professor Jackson is very distinguished in his field. A private museum is paying a lot of money to have him head this dig for them.”
Lisa considered that. “I didn’t realize there was a lot of money to be made in archaeology.”
The girls dismounted and Kate led them up to the table. “Hi, Professor. I brought my friends to meet you.”
Professor Jackson looked up. “Ah, Kate, my dear. Welcome.” He swept a pair of wire-rimmed glasses off his nose and perched them jauntily on his head. “Brought me a few diggers, have you?”
Kate nodded. “That’s me, Slaves-R-Us. Their folks will never miss them, but make sure the money is in my bank account by sundown.”
Professor Jackson clucked his tongue. “First we’ll have to see how good they are.”
“This is Lisa and Carole,” said Kate, making the introductions. “They’re from Willow Creek, near Washington, D.C.”
“Is that so? I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure of working in your part of the country.”
“We only have a rock quarry,” Lisa said, then felt herself redden.
What a goofy thing to say.
The professor smiled at her. “Some interesting things have turned up in rock quarries, my dear. But this part of the country does seem to have more than its fair share of artifacts. Who knows? This canyon may prove to be as famous as Dinosaur National Monument when we’re finished.”
“Dinosaur what?” Carole asked.
The professor looked surprised. “You’ve never heard of it?”
Lisa and Carole shook their heads.
“It’s an area covering about three hundred and thirty square miles in northwest Colorado and Utah. It’s
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