Desert Passage (16 page)

Brain didn't respond. He was busy typing into his computer. His fingers moved at a rapid pace and his concentration was intensely focused on his project.

Dr. Shaw had finished eating and was looking in the direction of the three white trailers. He thought of the conversation he'd had just a few minutes before they started to eat dinner. Dr. García was not pleased that a body had been found at the dig site. The archaeological expedition was planned for research only and not for excavation. The team had just arrived two days earlier and now that an important discovery had been made, Dr. García would have to acquire new permission from the Native American people that they had been working with. It was their land and one of their ancestor's physical remains had been unearthed. Dr. Shaw looked into the campfire and thought of the responsibility that they all shared to respect the history of the land and the importance of scientific research.

“Greg,” Scott shouted, “what do you think of the mummy we found?”

Ramón felt a shiver go down his spine. The thought of a mummy was even more exciting than a dead body.

“We just don't know what else is down there, Scott. Tomorrow we'll learn more,” Greg said, still concerned with Dr. García's reaction.

Ramón had been quiet but eventually blurted out, “So is the mummy all wrapped up like they do in Egypt?”

Greg looked up from his thoughts and answered Ramón's question.

“Every civilization has a different method of burying their dead. We can learn a lot about a culture's beliefs and customs by examining the remains.” He stopped for a moment then added, “Why don't you and Miguel come along tomorrow?”

Ramón's heart raced at the thought of participating in a real expedition that searched for mummies and old relics. He quickly replied, “Yeah, that would be cool!”

After his hasty response, Ramón considered that he and Miguel needed to continue their drive to Santa Fe. He looked at Miguel and thought of the opportunity for adventure, an opportunity that might never come again. Taking the last bite of spaghetti on his plate, he decided they would stay. The thought of hidden treasures in the desert was too great a temptation to resist.

 
Chapter 32
 

T
he morning came quickly and before Miguel or Ramón could fully open their eyes Randy was at their tent telling them that they had five minutes to pack up for the hike into the canyon gorge. Miguel adjusted his T-shirt and put on his jacket. The morning air felt cool and there was a slight breeze blowing against the flimsy tent walls. Ramón was slower to wake up. He had slept deeply and didn't remember where he was. They both laughed at Ramón's confusion and picked up their backpacks to join the expedition team. All the guys were standing around the morning campfire drinking coffee and eating bread rolls with sandwich meat.

“You boys drink coffee?” asked Greg, holding out a cup of steaming dark liquid to Miguel.

“Okay,” Miguel said, accepting the coffee. He wasn't used to the taste of coffee but it felt good to drink something hot.

Greg gave the boys two of the sandwiches and told them of the precautions they would need to take that day. “It's important you stick with one of us at all times for the entire day. We can't watch out for you and get our work done at the same time, so stay close. Remember, safety first.”

Miguel and Ramón nodded their heads in acknowledgment of the rules and finished their coffee and sandwiches quickly.

The sun was just appearing over the distant mountains and the desert glowed with new life. Small colorful flowers opened as the sunlight began to spread upon the open plain and the creatures that had roamed freely during the blackness of the night buried themselves in safe places. The
emptiness of the desert was an illusion. Life existed in all forms and in the aged depths of time ancient civilizations breathed. The desert was a place full of history and remembrance.

Miguel zipped up his jacket and adjusted his backpack. It felt lighter since they had consumed all of their food and water. Greg gave the two boys several bottles of water for the day and reassured them that they would eat lunch. Miguel thought about the snake meat in the spaghetti and wondered if Scott cooked all the meals.

Ramón followed behind Miguel as the long hike commenced. They would have to walk half a mile to the entrance of the canyon, then make the deep descent into the gorge. The team's dig site where the mummy had been found was a considerable distance from the canyon entrance. Ramón walked quickly in line with the team of explorers and listened to their conversations with rapt attention.

“On a hunt through Yellowstone, my brother and I ran into the biggest grizzly you have ever seen. You know that bear that they use in all those movies? Well, our grizzly was twice as big, and boy when he saw us, I thought we were done for.” Scott had begun his story after being asked about bears in his home state of Wyoming.

“He came running after us with amazing speed. You can't imagine how fast they are! He was like a massive truck barreling downhill at us!” Scott exclaimed.

Ramón thought of the big-rig trucks on the interstate and imagined the gigantic bear roaring down the highway chasing them on the scooter.

“Thank God Kevin was a good shot. The bear tumbled over himself and landed just five feet in front of us!” he added.

“The velocity of a moving object at full speed, once adjusted for the weight … ” Brain was busy calculating the
weight of the grizzly based on the distance of the brothers and the incline of the hill. He did the calculation in his head and soon arrived at an impossibly correct estimation. “That bear was approximately twelve hundred pounds!” he proudly announced.

“At least that, maybe more,” Scott bragged.

Miguel looked at Scott and asked candidly, “Weren't you scared? I mean, did you think you were gonna die?”

“We all gotta go sometime,” Scott quipped bravely. Then, in an instant, his expression changed from braggart to quiet grief. He lowered the brim of his cowboy hat over his eyes and walked looking down at the desert floor, adding only a few more words, “You never know what's going to happen. If I had known … ”

Miguel noticed the change in the cowboy's voice and didn't ask more questions. He turned to Greg who had been on the phone with Dr. García, “How many digs have you been on?”

Dr. Shaw folded up the cell phone and attached it to the clip on his khaki pants. Dr. García was joining the team after lunch. He was meeting with the tribal chief to inform him of the previous day's discovery and to ask for permission to continue with the excavation. Dr. Shaw hoped that the team could continue with their research. He was eager to make a name for himself and to be respected in the field like Dr. García was. He turned to Miguel and replied, “This is my fourth dig in the southwest desert, but I've also been on expeditions to Mexico and South America.”

Miguel was impressed. Dr. Shaw was a real explorer, traveling the world looking for important discoveries. “So how long did you go to college to become a doctor?” he asked.

“Well, first I finished my undergraduate work, then I enrolled for my graduate studies. In total about eight years,” Dr. Shaw said casually.

“Wow, that long? Did you always want to be an archaeologist?” Miguel added.

“Well, actually I consider myself a scientist, sometimes an anthropologist. I study people, how they lived, their customs,” he answered, reflecting on his own self image. “I was always interested in history and people in ancient civilizations. When I saw pictures of ancient Egypt and the ancient Meso-American cultures, I could imagine myself back in time, living like they did.”

Miguel had never seriously considered the daily customs and rituals of ancient cultures before. He had been a good student at school and his history classes had interested him the most, but the last few years had been different. School wasn't exciting anymore. He didn't enjoy reading the outdated textbooks and listening to hours of memorized lectures. His grades were below average, and it worried him. He knew that he couldn't play soccer if he didn't maintain good grades.

“Why couldn't school be exciting like this?” he thought to himself. He then decided he would tell his next history teacher that the class should take a field trip through the desert to see what he saw, history before his eyes.

The team of explorers and scientists continued their walk through the desert terrain toward the canyon.

 
Chapter 33
 

T
he rim of the canyon was not visible until the team had crossed over the last small ridge that ran through the desert floor. Greg led the team down the narrow descent into the canyon gorge, slowly pacing the others and bracing himself against the strong rock formations which had formed walls on each side of the climb. Miguel and Ramón kept their eyes on the stone steps and always had at least one hand on a stone wall. As the rocky staircase widened toward the bottom of the gorge, the walls opened up and a valley full of green foliage was displayed. Short leafy trees grew in groups and a steady stream of mountain water ran through the valley floor. The team continued their hike past the verdant valley and began a short climb that led into a rock wall.

Greg noticed a figure waving from the top of a cliff they were approaching and commented, “That must be Eric. I see he survived the night up here.”

“He's never been the same since the Nepal expedition,” observed Scott, adjusting his daypack and fastening a hunting knife to his thick leather belt. “He's always meditating. What happened up on that trip, anyway?” he questioned Brain, who was walking last in the group.

Brain didn't respond. He was too busy calculating the changes in desert temperatures for the last three centuries.

Eric walked easily from his superior position on the cliff and quickly joined the others. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved white T-shirt. He slung a daypack from one shoulder and a strange drum-like instrument from the other. His hair was raven black and hung loose over his shoulders.
As he walked toward the team of young men, his tanned face held an expression of quiet contentment and peace.