I would think that most of the warriors had said prayers the night before, asking the Great Spirits to protect them and make the white man’s bullets ineffective. It is a known fact that Chief Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Sioux, had a vision during a Sun Dance Ceremony that the warriors would be successful and the cavalry would fall. It is the medicine rattle that belonged to Sitting Bull, a shaman and a medicine man, that we were hoping to find. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture was eager to add such a sacred piece to it’s permanent display.
“Doctor Black. Doctor Black!! Where have you made off too??” my persistent aide Embry called. “Crap“ I said under my breath. I just wanted to spend a few moments drawing in the history of this location. Immersing myself in this place that was so significant to US history and to Native American history as well.
“Over here next to the site marker” I groused, still wanting to be alone for a little while longer.
“I have a fresh cup of coffee for you! And I am sure that Leah is just about done getting breakfast ready for the crew.” Embry stated with a wide grin on his face, handing me a steaming cup of coffee just the way I like it, one scoop of sugar and a splash of cream.
“Mmm this is good!” I said after taking a long draw from my cup while patting Embry on the shoulder. “Hey Em? How far down the creek bed did we plat out again? I was just thinking…” CRASH, BANG “What the hell? What just happened over there?” I yelled, feeling my heart beating in my throat at that very moment. Running over to the camp site were all of the members of my team were staying, I came across a very strange sight if I do say so myself.
There she was, Leah Clearwater, the cook for the archeology team, on top of one of the tables with a frying pan in her hands with sheer fear in her eyes. Several other pots and pans were strewn about the dining area, biscuits and gravy spilled everywhere.
“I asked what the hell happened!?!”
“I….uhhh….I….ummm…. I had a mouse run across my foot and I, umm….I got startled.” Leah said with a bit of embarrassment laced into her voice.
“A Mouse?”
“Yeah, a mouse!” That came out a bit on the angry side even for Leah.
The entire team had arrived to find out what the commotion was all about. We all had a blank look on our face for what felt like minutes when in reality it was only seconds. All of a sudden, everyone broke out laughing. Everyone except Leah.
Leah can be a force to be reckoned with when need be. She sat there for a moment or two taking in the humor at her expense and then let everyone know her mind.
“Enough!!” she let out with an undeniable authority.
Silence filled the air again save the crickets chirping in the background somewhere.
“Just because I had a bit of a …ummm… start, does NOT mean you have my permission to make fun of me.” waving and pointing the frying pan at each of people in the tent. “I will have you know that I can shave the whiskers off of a sleeping cat with this”, indicating the pan in her hand, “and not even disturb it’s nap!” she said still palpably angry at the situation, squinting her eyes as if there was anybody who would dare to say different.
I snickered to myself briefly, knowing Leah is the only woman that I know who can make a room full of grown men squirm in their shoes if they say or do something not to her liking.
“Well don’t just stand there and stare. Help me clean up this mess or there will be no breakfast for anyone.”
Like someone flipped a switch, all four members of my dig team, Embry, Quil, Paul and myself, started to pick up the pots and pans and we wiped up the breakfast that was spilled everywhere. Once the kitchen was back in working order, I quietly walked over to Leah as she was making a fresh batch of biscuits to replace those that were wasted, and I asked as gently as possible, “a mouse?”
If looks could kill, I would be six feet under.
“Yeah, a mouse.” she stated, a little more reserved this time. “Indy, you know that not much scares me out there, but mice…” she took in and released a long sighing breath, “mice I just can’t get used to. Blech! The way they scurry around with those beady little eyes, twitching noses and sharp, pointy teeth. Dirty little vermin they are! Yuck!!”
“Don’t worry Leah, your secret is safe with me.” giving her a quick squeeze around the shoulders, trying to be as reassuring as possible but I wasn’t sure if I was or not.
She just gave me a small, half smile and then handed me a platter loaded with the ‘fresh out of the oven’ biscuits to take to the table while she carried the pot with the sausage gravy. Nothing like a big, hearty breakfast to start out a day of digging.
I sat next to Leah while we ate and she asked me, “Isn’t there anything out there that frightens you?” I replied as convincingly as I could, “Nope. Nothing at all.” Hopefully she didn’t pick up on the fact that I couldn’t look her in the eye.
We had been excavating well into the hot afternoon when Quil came over to me with some artifacts in his hands. “What’cha got there?”
“Mostly just pieces of things. Some pottery shards. Some pieces of woven baskets and an arrowhead or two. To be honest Indy, Em and I think this area has been dug before.”
“That can’t be so. Not according to the charts and maps that the museum gave me.”
“Maybe not by those charts but I’m sure you are aware that there would be others looking for Sitting Bull’s medicine rattle as well as us, right?”
“What do you mean?” I was confused. I had been assured by Sam Uley, the museum curator, that this area had not been excavated before.
“Haven’t you heard Indy? The Queen has taken a keen interest into Native American rituals and totems. She has dispatched many groups of archeologists worldwide to try and locate sacred pieces from as many tribes as she can. She wants to have the largest collection around.”
“The Queen!?! Of England!?!” shaking my head back and forth, disbelieving my ears.
“Not the Queen of England, the Queen of Switzerland.” Quil said matter of factly.
“Queen of Switzerland!?!? Really!?!”
“Yeah. Word has it that she’s not just into cheese anymore. You know, broadening her interests and hobbies.” Quil looks at me like I should know this information already. “I suspect that she already had a crew come through here poaching whatever they could.”
“Who do you think has been through here then?” I queried, starting to get angry.
“Our best guess, Em’s and mine, is more than likely Canadians.” “Canadians!?!” I was sure that my blood pressure was way too high by now.
“Yeah. We found these amongst the artifacts.” Quil hands me two ticket stubs for a Canucks game. All I could do was stare at the paper in my hand.
“Well this changes everything.” I ruminated for a moment or two. “Quil, I need you and the crew to stay and try to find that medicine rattle. Hopefully they haven’t found it yet. I must get back to the University to research this Queen. I need to try to figure out what she has been successful at locating and what she hasn’t yet.”
With that, I turned on my heel, pulled my fedora down snug on my head and headed for my truck.
