The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-29
CHAPTER TX

Small logs had been used in building the ceilings of Defiance Castle. Most of them had crumbled and routed, but pr, Barry was able to get Q fairly solid cross section oi one. He studied 1t intently.
 "As near as I can tell, study in= the rings with his pocket glass, this thing dates back about 1900 years" he told the others well take 1t in for detailed an- alysls."
 Tt all seems osrt of sacred, doesn't it?" Lissa was impressed with the old clan house and fort ress. "Just imagine the people that were once here, the busy days, the happiness, and every thingw
 Twelve hundred years That would be nearly 800 before Co., lumbus discovered America. What manner of men could have ln- habited the arid southwest then? What language had they2 What dress, customs, mannersp What color? Whence came they, and where did they go2
 Archaeology may be dead science from the schoolroom view point: 1t may lack adventure in the library. But 1t lacks nothing in the field. Even Hades Jones and the muscular Hoffman, un- educated in the scholastic sense felt the spell of exploration and helped with the preliminary meas urements and surveys. No actua, digging was attempted the first day, but when the party descended toward nightfall, everyone was fatigued.
 Scott Hoffman, remembering his bargain with Honey Bee, made m opportunity to begin his love campaign. He stayed near Mary Melissa on the walk to camp, managed to separate the two Of ttem from the others.
 swell, 'Lissa, how did you Ike tf.e cliff house2" He began with high confidence, :.
 'Lissa, astonished, wondered If she heard him correctly. She had been civil to the man heretofore, j,,gt as she would have been to Q ianitor or gardener in New York. She had been impressed on her iiMt day in Blanco Canyon, when Hciliman rode the bucking horse, but he was hired as a workman
 All at once, though, a new thought struck her. Was Hoffman, after all, e mere" workmanp Was nt he hired rather to be one Of 0 scientific party. on an equal foot ing with the others? Was 1t fair to expect Dr. Barry to maintain town standards of employers and serv- ants? Hades Jones had been ac- ccpted as 0 social equal surely. And the West Is famous for 1t democ- racy, she knew.
 Hoffman mistook her pause for Shyness, and thought she was pleased at the compliment.
 Any time you want anything, Lissa, you just ask me. huhP" Hoffman was growing more con- fidential, assuming genuine inti- macy.
 ,Lissa was furious. instantly. She would have turned to slap him, and doubtless MT. Hoffman would have received Q classic bawling out from . lady with an excellent If refined choice of words. But Bob Barry chose that moment to turn back and call to her.
 "That hammer still has me wor- fied," Bob repeated, waiting for Melissa and Hoffman to catch up with him. T can't imagine why the rawhide strip wasn't disinte- grated, gone, with all the years. It couldn't be more than Q hun dred or so."
 Maybe Indians explored the cave, and dropped It."
 Mary Melissa forced herself to be calm. She welcomed the in- terruption, really, until she could have time to think. After all, this party of Ave persons had to live together for some weeks.
 "No," Bob answered, "1t's not Indian make. Not like the wea- pons of any tribes in the past few centuries, I'm sure. They had definite pattern for stone ham, mers, tomahawks and the like. The groves in this one. which hei dthe rawhide. were different.