later the ancient doll had been repaired.
Nancy had been looking on. Now she said, “Since the doll was not buried very deep, it probably belongs to the fourth, or top, layer of civilization here—the people who lived in pit houses.”
Wanna nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. Bess, you may have the honor of presenting it to the museum. The curator and the state will certainly be thrilled.”
Bess would have liked to keep her interesting souvenir, but she knew this was against the rules. She must turn it in.
Meanwhile the other searchers had been concentrating on digging straight down, with the hope of eventually finding the underground river. By now the hole was fairly deep.
Nancy looked at her watch. “Time for a mid-morning snack,” she called out.
Everyone was glad to stop work in the terrific heat. At that moment Ned and Burt, suspended on ropes, were down in the hole, working.
“It’s much cooler down here,” Ned called up. “How about sending something down?”
“No,” Nancy said. “Our instructions were to stop work at a certain time. We must eat and rest a while.”
Reluctantly the two boys pulled themselves up. Everyone sat down while Nancy passed around the food the chef had packed for them.
George served the cold drinks. As she walked around, she began chanting:
Time to rest and eat
In 102 degrees,
Oh where is there a place
Where I can slowly freeze?
The others laughed, and Burt suggested that the next archaeological dig she went on had better be at the North Pole.
All of them found that the ground was getting hotter, and they wondered how long they could stand it. While they were discussing this, the group suddenly became aware of a low roaring sound.
“What is that?” Bess asked quickly. It was evident she was nervous.
The sound grew louder. Then, before anyone had a chance to run, a geyser of water gushed from the hole where the boys had been digging! The force of the water soaked the young people and knocked some of them down. The others scattered.
The water continued to squirt from the hole. Everyone was wet but uninjured.
As suddenly as it had shot up, the stream subsided. Not another drop came from the big hole.
“Thank goodness Nancy made us come topside,” Ned remarked to Burt.
“Yes, we’d have shot into the air like a couple of rubber clowns,” Burt replied.
“That geyser was the strangest thing I ever saw,” George commented. “Wanna, what’s the explanation for such a phenomenon?”
The geologist said there could be several explanations, but the one she favored was that the geyser had come from the underground river. Something had given it great impetus. The stream must have found an opening, and the force behind it had sent the water shooting into the air.
“Now that force is gone,” she said. “It’s my guess the river is continuing to run along peacefully.”
Nancy wondered if such a geyser had ever erupted down at the water hole. Perhaps this was how it had been formed in the first place. Everyone in the group continued to talk for some time about the strange phenomenon.
Then George remarked, “You know I was singing about giving me a place to freeze. That geyser was like ice water, but it sure felt good.”
In the heat not only their clothes but the terrain dried up in a very short time.
“I’d like to go down to the bottom of that hole and investigate,” Ned said.
There was a short discussion about this. Some thought it was too dangerous. There might be a cave-in, or another geyser might shoot up.
Ned laughed. “Let’s take a vote! Everybody in favor of my going, put up a hand!”
Bess and Dave did not raise theirs, but they were the only ones who were opposed. Ned was tied securely, and the other boys held the rope to help him descend slowly. George grabbed the end of it to lend extra strength if necessary.
Ned reported that while the sides of the hole were muddy and it grew narrower, he could see the bottom with his strong
Nancy had been looking on. Now she said, “Since the doll was not buried very deep, it probably belongs to the fourth, or top, layer of civilization here—the people who lived in pit houses.”
Wanna nodded. “I’m sure you’re right. Bess, you may have the honor of presenting it to the museum. The curator and the state will certainly be thrilled.”
Bess would have liked to keep her interesting souvenir, but she knew this was against the rules. She must turn it in.
Meanwhile the other searchers had been concentrating on digging straight down, with the hope of eventually finding the underground river. By now the hole was fairly deep.
Nancy looked at her watch. “Time for a mid-morning snack,” she called out.
Everyone was glad to stop work in the terrific heat. At that moment Ned and Burt, suspended on ropes, were down in the hole, working.
“It’s much cooler down here,” Ned called up. “How about sending something down?”
“No,” Nancy said. “Our instructions were to stop work at a certain time. We must eat and rest a while.”
Reluctantly the two boys pulled themselves up. Everyone sat down while Nancy passed around the food the chef had packed for them.
George served the cold drinks. As she walked around, she began chanting:
Time to rest and eat
In 102 degrees,
Oh where is there a place
Where I can slowly freeze?
The others laughed, and Burt suggested that the next archaeological dig she went on had better be at the North Pole.
All of them found that the ground was getting hotter, and they wondered how long they could stand it. While they were discussing this, the group suddenly became aware of a low roaring sound.
“What is that?” Bess asked quickly. It was evident she was nervous.
The sound grew louder. Then, before anyone had a chance to run, a geyser of water gushed from the hole where the boys had been digging! The force of the water soaked the young people and knocked some of them down. The others scattered.
The water continued to squirt from the hole. Everyone was wet but uninjured.
As suddenly as it had shot up, the stream subsided. Not another drop came from the big hole.
“Thank goodness Nancy made us come topside,” Ned remarked to Burt.
“Yes, we’d have shot into the air like a couple of rubber clowns,” Burt replied.
“That geyser was the strangest thing I ever saw,” George commented. “Wanna, what’s the explanation for such a phenomenon?”
The geologist said there could be several explanations, but the one she favored was that the geyser had come from the underground river. Something had given it great impetus. The stream must have found an opening, and the force behind it had sent the water shooting into the air.
“Now that force is gone,” she said. “It’s my guess the river is continuing to run along peacefully.”
Nancy wondered if such a geyser had ever erupted down at the water hole. Perhaps this was how it had been formed in the first place. Everyone in the group continued to talk for some time about the strange phenomenon.
Then George remarked, “You know I was singing about giving me a place to freeze. That geyser was like ice water, but it sure felt good.”
In the heat not only their clothes but the terrain dried up in a very short time.
“I’d like to go down to the bottom of that hole and investigate,” Ned said.
There was a short discussion about this. Some thought it was too dangerous. There might be a cave-in, or another geyser might shoot up.
Ned laughed. “Let’s take a vote! Everybody in favor of my going, put up a hand!”
Bess and Dave did not raise theirs, but they were the only ones who were opposed. Ned was tied securely, and the other boys held the rope to help him descend slowly. George grabbed the end of it to lend extra strength if necessary.
Ned reported that while the sides of the hole were muddy and it grew narrower, he could see the bottom with his strong
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