The Mystery of the Lost Village Read Free Page A

said happily.
    â€œIt just looks like a plain old stone,” Jessie looked disappointed.
    â€œSomeone spent a long time making it,” Joe told her. He turned it over in his palm. “See all those little chips along the sides? You make those with a pointed hammer. Every time you hit the edge, a tiny flake flies off. And you have to make sure each little chip touches the next.”
    Jessie ran her finger carefully along the edge, and drew back. “It’s really sharp.”
    â€œLook,” Benny said excitedly, a little while later. “I found something!” He plucked a piece of bright orange pottery out of the dirt. “I think it’s part of a plate, or maybe a bowl.”
    â€œIt has a Navajo design on it,” Amy said. “See those two tents put together to form a diamond? That stands for north, south, east and west. The four points of the compass.”
    â€œI bet we’re standing right over the lost village!” Benny said, reaching for the trowel. “I want to keep working all day.”
    Amy laughed. “Don’t you want to take a break for lunch? We packed chicken sandwiches, and I have a thermos of lemonade.”
    Benny looked up with interest. “Maybe a quick break,” he said eagerly.
    It was late afternoon when the children returned to the Lightfeather home. Amy raced into the kitchen to show her mother their treasures.
    â€œJessie found an arrowhead, and Benny found some pottery,” she exclaimed. “I think we’re really on the trail of the ancient village, Mom.”
    Mrs. Lightfeather gave a sad smile. “I’m happy that you enjoyed your dig, but I’m afraid your days there are numbered.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” Amy asked.
    â€œWe had a council meeting this morning, and it seems that a real estate developer is trying to take over the forest. He wants to build vacation homes there.”
    â€œHe’s going to chop down all those trees?” Joe asked.
    â€œThat’s right, if he gets a permit from the local government.” Mrs. Lightfeather poured tall glasses of juice for everyone. “So enjoy the forest while you can. There will be bulldozers there in a couple of weeks.”
    â€œIsn’t there anything we can do to stop them?” Henry asked.
    Mrs. Lightfeather looked thoughtful. “Well, if there’s really a village buried on that land, the real estate developer would have to stop, and archaeologists would excavate the site. That’s the law. But first you’d have to prove it’s really a historic site.”
    â€œThen we’ll have to work harder than ever,” Amy promised. She looked at her new friends, the Aldens. “Let’s go to the dig every single day,” she said.
    â€œCount us in,” Henry told her. “If there really is a lost village, we’ve got two weeks to find it.”

CHAPTER 3
    Working at the Dig
    â€œI s everybody ready for another day at the dig?” Amy asked at breakfast the next morning.
    â€œWe’re all set,” Henry said, finishing a big plate of bacon and eggs.
    â€œBenny helped me pack sandwiches and a thermos of cider,” Joe added, pointing to a picnic basket. “We can work until sundown, if we want to.”
    The six children were just heading out the front door when they nearly collided with a young man dressed in jeans and denim.
    â€œIs Mrs. Lightfeather at home?” he asked politely. “I’m Michael Running Deer.”
    â€œYou must be new on the reservation,” Amy said, staring at the stranger.
    â€œHe’s not from the reservation,” Mrs. Lightfeather said, suddenly appearing in the front hall. “You didn’t waste any time,” she said, handing him a batch of official-looking papers. “This will show you the exact boundaries of the reservation.”
    â€œThanks,” the young man said, tucking the papers under his arm. “The bulldozers will