The Mystery of the Lost Village Read online

  “I think I have something!” Joe shouted. He threw down his trowel and began digging with his bare hands.

  “What is it?” Amy said excitedly.

  “It’s some kind of a basket …” He lifted out a coiled basket that was lopsided. “It’s heavy,” he said, setting it down next to him.

  “How come it’s all black inside?” Benny asked, rushing over to take a look at it.

  “That’s pitch,” Joe explained. “This is a cooking basket, right, Amy?”

  Amy knelt down to examine it. “Yes, it is.” She ran her hand around the smooth black interior. “This is the nicest one I’ve seen.”

  “How can you cook anything in a basket?” Violet asked.

  “It’s not an ordinary basket,” Amy said. “The pitch makes the basket watertight. All you have to do is fill the basket with water and drop a heated stone in it. Once the water gets hot, you add the food.”

  After everyone had a look at the basket, Joe stood up and stretched. The sun was setting and a cool breeze had sprung up. “I think we should call it a day,” he said. “It’s almost dinnertime, and everybody’s tired.”

  “And hungry!” Benny added, rubbing his legs. He felt cramped from squatting in one position so long.

  Later that evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lightfeather gathered in the dining room to admire the treasures.

  “Do you think we have enough to convince people that there really is an ancient village?” Joe asked his mother.

  “I think we have a good chance.” She smiled and gave him a hug. “I still can’t believe how much you children found today.”

  “What’s going to happen next?” Violet asked.

  “I think it’s time to talk to the council,” Mr. Lightfeather said. “In fact, we should call an emergency meeting.”

  “I’ll speak to Kinowok soon,” Mrs. Lightfeather offered. “Probably the best time to do it will be after the Pow-Wow.”

  “The Pow-Wow!” Benny said excitedly. “I almost forgot!”

  “It’s tomorrow,” Joe reminded him. “Are you finished with your belt?”

  “Almost,” Benny said. “I just have three more rows of beads to do.”

  “We need to practice for the dance,” Amy reminded Jessie. She glanced at her watch. “Do you want to work on it right now?”

  “Yes, let’s get started.” Amy had promised her that the steps were simple, but Jessie still felt a little nervous about dancing in front of a lot of people.

  “You’ll see a lot of complicated dances at the Pow-Wow,” Amy said a few minutes later. “But I’ve chosen an easy one for us to do.” They were in Amy’s bedroom, and a drumbeat was playing on a cassette deck.

  “What do I do?” Jessie asked. She was standing self-consciously in the center of the room.

  “Just close your eyes for a minute and listen to the rhythm,” Amy told her.

  Jessie shut her eyes and listened. The drum beat was interesting and unusual. THUMP … thump, thump, thump. There seemed to be four beats and the first one was the loudest. She was surprised to find herself swaying to the music.

  “Good,” Amy said approvingly. “Now I’ll show you how to do the Swan Dance.” She opened her dresser drawer and pulled out two bright orange shawls. She handed one to Jessie. “Step side to side, and raise and lower the shawl. Do it really slowly so the shawl drifts in the air for a moment.”

  Amy and Jessie stood side by side, moving to the music. Jessie was so interested she forgot to be nervous. “Bow your head a little when the shawl comes down,” Amy added. Jessie followed her movements and, when the song ended, Amy applauded. “You dance just like a Navajo girl,” she said happily.

  It was almost nine o’clock when Mr. Lightfeather summoned Joe and Henry. “How about a hand with these boxes?” he asked. “I’ve packed all the artifacts you found at the dig. I think we should put everything in the basement for safekeeping.”

  “I’ll help!” Benny offered.

  “I think you need to finish your belt,” Joe said gently. “You still have one more row of beads to do.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Benny wanted to take a last look at the tomahawk, but he knew it was more important to finish his belt.

  Joe and Henry carried six sturdy cardboard boxes downstairs, and Mr. Lightfeather unlocked a green metal storage container. After they arranged the boxes on the shelves, Mr. Lightfeather closed the sliding door and snapped the padlock shut. The noise echoed in the dimly lit cellar. “At least we know they’ll be safe in here,” Joe said.

  “That’s right, son,” his father agreed. “And as soon as the Pow-Wow is over, we’ll present them to the tribal council. Once they see the artifacts, the council will stop the developers in their tracks!”

  CHAPTER 8

  Benny’s Discovery

  It was nearly midnight when Benny came to a decision — he just had to take one last look at the treasures from the dig. After making sure that Joe and Henry were sound asleep, he crept out of the bedroom and headed downstairs. He groped his way in the dark to the kitchen, and was just about to open the basement door when he heard a loud CLUNK. Someone was in the basement! His heart racing, he cracked open the door and peeked downstairs. A shadowy figure was standing in front of a storage cabinet, fumbling with a padlock. Benny craned his neck for a better view and suddenly realized who it was — Rita Neville!

  Had she spotted him? Benny closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, too scared to breathe. Then he tiptoed out of the kitchen, being careful not to bump into anything. He hurried upstairs and burst into his bedroom.

  “Henry! Wake up!” He shook his brother’s arm and Henry sat up slowly.

  “What’s wrong?” Joe called from the next bunk. His voice was groggy with sleep.

  “Rita Neville! She broke into the house. She’s downstairs in the basement… stealing our stuff from the dig!”

  Instantly awake, Henry bounded out of bed, as Joe flipped on the light. “I’ll wake up my parents,” Joe said quietly.

  “And I’ll go tell the girls,” Henry added. “Benny, you’d better come with me.”

  Henry and Benny padded quietly down the hall into the girls’ room. He had just finished telling them what was happening when Mrs. Lightfeather appeared with Joe. She closed the door and locked it, then turned to face the children. “We have to be very quiet,” she said. Her voice was low and urgent. “My husband’s calling the police right now. He wants us to stay in here until they arrive.”

  “How many burglars are there?” Violet asked. She shivered a little and pulled her bathrobe tightly around her.

  “Ms. Neville’s the only one I saw,” Benny said. “But there might be more.” He edged closer to Jessie. “They could be sneaking around the rest of the house right now. They could be coming to get us!”

  Jessie pulled him close to her. “I think it’s the artifacts they want. Not us.”

  They huddled silently together for the next few minutes, and then suddenly Benny heard a car drive up behind the house. He pulled away and dashed to the bedroom window. “It’s the police!”

  “They didn’t use the siren or the lights,” Jessie said, joining him. “I bet they don’t want to scare anybody off.”

  Everyone watched as three uniformed officers got out of the car and approached the house. They saw Mr. Lightfeather talking to them in the backyard, and then two of the officers trooped inside with him. The third one was shining his flashlight into the bushes around the garden.

  “I wonder what — ” Violet began.

  “Put your hands up, and keep them up!” someone shouted from downstairs.

  “Wow — they’re arresting somebody!” Benny said. He was just about to ask if he could go take a peek, when Mr. Lightfeather called through the door into the bedroom. “Everyone okay in here?”

  “We’re fine,” Mrs. Lightfeather assured him, opening the door. “But what’s happening down there?”

  “It was Rita Neville,” Mr. Lightfeather said. His hair was
rumpled and he was wearing jeans and a pajama top. “And they got her.” He put his arm around Benny’s shoulders. “It’s a good thing you decided to go down to the basement when you did, son. She was all set to walk off with everything.”

  “What happens now?” Henry asked.

  “We have to give a statement to the police,” Mr. Lightfeather said.

  Everyone followed Mr. Lightfeather downstairs, where one of the officers was speaking into a walkie-talkie. Ms. Neville was already in the squad car.

  “Why don’t we sit at the dining-room table?” Mr. Lightfeather suggested.

  The officer joined them at the table and flipped open a notebook. Suddenly, his walkie-talkie squawked. “Excuse me,” he said, lifting it to his ear. He listened intently for a few minutes, with a grim look on his face. “Another one! Well, bring him in,” he ordered.

  “What’s wrong?” Mr. Lightfeather asked.

  “It looks like there was someone else involved. Officer Davis found a man hiding in your backyard.”

  “So Rita Neville had a partner, after all,” Henry said thoughtfully.

  “But who?” Violet asked.

  “Ted Clark,” a voice said loudly behind her. “At least that’s what he says his name is.” Everyone turned around to see Ted Clark, in handcuffs, standing next to a young police officer.

  Benny could hardly believe it. Two criminals had been caught just because he had started down to the basement!

  “He told us he was researching his roots,” Amy said. “He said he was part Navajo, but I never really believed him.”

  Suddenly Violet noticed something suspicious. There was red clay all over Ted’s shoes and trousers — the same kind of clay they had found in the forest!

  Joe noticed it at the same time. “You must have been sneaking around the dig,” he said accusingly.

  “The dig?” The officer looked puzzled.

  “Our archaeological dig,” Henry explained. “That’s where we found all the artifacts.”

  “Well, that explains why he was carrying a shovel when we spotted him,” the policeman said. “When he and Rita Neville didn’t find anything left at your dig, they must have decided to check out the house.”

  “I don’t understand,” Henry said slowly. “What do you have to do with Rita Neville?”

  “We’re married,” Ted Clark said. “We’ve been looking all over for artifacts. We’d heard about the lost village.”

  “They’re wanted for grand theft,” the policeman said. “They work together.”

  “So that’s why you were hanging around the dig and asking questions,” Jessie said. “You hoped we’d find something valuable.”

  “And Rita Neville isn’t really a television producer, is she?” Amy said.

  “Take him into town and book him,” the officer at the table said to his young partner. “And Rita, too. She’s in the squad car.”

  “Wait,” Jessie said suddenly. “There’s something I have to know.” She walked over to Ted Clark. “One night we saw a glowing rock in the woods, just like the legend said. We never saw it again. Did you and Rita have something to do with that?”

  “Oh, yeah, the glowing rock,” Ted said. “She figured you’d fall for that. We wanted to throw you off the track, so we could work at the dig in peace.”

  “There really was a glowing rock?” Benny asked.

  “Sure there was,” Ted said. “Thanks to a little iridescent nail polish.”

  “The nail polish!” Suddenly Jessie remembered how upset Rita Neville had been when Jessie had found her purse. And that explained why the bottle was empty. Rita had used it all up, painting the rock!

  “You and Rita were in the woods that night,” Amy said. “You tried to scare us off.”

  “Sure we were,” Ted told her. “We were trying to uncover some things at the dig. I thought the glowing rock would lead you off in the wrong direction, but when you started to get too close to the dig, we began howling.”

  “Those were the sounds we heard!” Benny said.

  It was another hour before the police finished interviewing the Lightfeathers and the Aldens. Benny was yawning, but he felt tired and excited all at the same time. So much had happened!

  And the next day was the Pow-Wow!

  CHAPTER 9

  The Pow-Wow

  “I hope you made plenty of fried bread,” Joe said to his mother a few hours later. The family had gathered in the kitchen for a quick breakfast before the Pow-Wow.

  “We made five baskets to bring with us,” Violet said, “and we saved some just for you.” She pointed to the heavy cast-iron skillet where squares of bread dough were sizzling to a rich golden brown.

  “May I try some?” Benny asked. With tongs, Violet carefully lifted a square of bread out of the pan. Then she dipped it in powdered sugar and handed it to him on a napkin.

  “Maybe you’d better take it with you, son,” Mr. Lightfeather said, glancing at his watch. “It’s getting late, and we don’t want to miss the opening ceremony.”

  They quickly loaded the van, and Benny made a dash upstairs for his belt. He wanted to display it at the Pow-Wow, but he knew he’d never sell it. It meant too much to him.

  When everyone was finally settled in the van, Benny realized that Jessie and Amy were wearing their buckskin dresses. “Wow, you’ve got real Navajo costumes,” he said admiringly.

  “We call it regalia,” Amy corrected him gently. “Jessie and I will be dancing right after the Grand Entry.”

  The area chosen for the Pow-Wow was in a clearing at the edge of the forest. Joe had explained to the Aldens that one special area was roped off in a circle. It was holy ground and had been blessed by the elders of the tribe. All the dancing and ceremonial rites would be held there.

  Mr. Lightfeather parked the van in a field, and the children jumped out excitedly. “Look how many cars there are,” Amy said to Joe. “It looks like the whole town has turned out for the Pow-Wow.”

  The Aldens helped the Lightfeathers set up a folding table and arrange the trays of traditional Navajo dishes — corn bread, chili fritters, and stuffed sweet peppers.

  “We’d better hurry,” Mrs. Lightfeather said. “It’s almost time for the Grand Entry.” After making a final check of the table, everyone headed for the roped-off area, passing dozens of booths filled with Navajo jewelry and pottery.

  “Look, there’s Kinowok,” Henry pointed out. He spotted the elderly leader in full regalia, leading a group of men and women toward the circle.

  “He’ll say the opening blessing,” Joe explained. “Then we’ll have the inter-tribal dances.”

  Jessie felt a little nervous when she heard the drumbeat, but Amy squeezed her hand reassuringly. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We’re the last ones on the schedule.”

  “That gives me more time to worry,” Jessie whispered back.

  Amy laughed. “Just enjoy watching the dancers. And when it’s our turn, forget the crowd and pretend you’re back in my room.”

  The people bowed their heads for the blessing, and then four spirited young men performed the Snake Dance in the center of the ring. The drumbeat became faster as they advanced and retreated to the edge of the ropes.

  “The Snake Dance is my favorite part of the Pow-Wow,” Joe confided to Henry.

  “Why would anyone want to dance like a snake?” Benny asked.

  “The snake is very important to us because he lives close to the ground,” Amy told him. “Whenever the soil is dry and parched, he can send a message to the gods.” She smiled. “At least, that’s what our ancestors thought.”

  The Aldens watched the dancing for over an hour, and then Jessie heard the Swan Dance being announced over a loudspeaker.

  “That’s us,” Amy said, tugging at her arm. “Don’t forget your shawl,” she added as she ducked under the rope and into the ring.

  She and Jessie stood perfectly still, waiting until the drum began beating a familiar rhythm. Then, right on cue, both girls swaye
d back and forth, the fringe on their outfits floating on the crisp breeze. Jessie moved through the steps easily, and was so caught up in the music, she forgot to be nervous. When the song was over, she was startled by the burst of applause.

  “You were great!” Amy whispered, as they rejoined the family.

  “What’s next?” Benny said. He liked watching the dances, especially the ones with spears and shields, but he was hungry.

  “How about an early lunch?” Mrs. Lightfeather suggested.

  “C’mon,” Joe offered. “I’ll take you on a tour of the food booths.”

  “Can we start over there? Whatever he’s making sure smells good.” Benny pointed to a man cooking over an open fire.

  Joe looked over his shoulder and nodded. “That’s Bobbie Redbird from the Ute tribe. And you’ll never guess what he’s cooking — tortillas!”

  “Let’s go!” Benny yelled, scampering away.

  “Mom, would you like to walk around with Dad for a while?” Amy offered. She glanced at her friends. “Jessie and Violet and I can take care of our booth.”

  “That would be nice,” Mrs. Lightfeather said, linking her arm through her husband’s. “We only get to see some of our friends once a year at the Pow-Wow.”

  After lunch, all the children visited a craft booth, and Henry picked up a strange-looking object. It was a round wooden hoop with gauzy threads woven back and forth through the center. “What’s this?” he asked, puzzled.

  “Oh, that’s a dream catcher,” Joe said. “We always kept one in our bedrooms when we were little.”

  “But what’s it for?”

  Joe grinned. “It lets the good dreams in and keeps the bad ones out.”

  “I think I’ll buy one,” Benny said. “Then I’ll never get nightmares again.”

  “Let’s all buy one,” Jessie suggested. She was looking over the selection when Kinowok and Michael Running Deer approached them. Jessie noticed that Michael was wearing a beaded necklace with his denim shirt.