The Hohokam Dig

by Theodore Pratt

the tent where he wastaking down Huk's story. "George! He's just told me why the cliff peopleleft! And why the desert people will have to leave in time. It's areason we never thought of! It's because--"

  Just then a big multi-engined plane came over, drowning out his words.The Indians stared skyward, now in great alarm. They looked about for aplace to run and hide, but there was none. They held their hands overtheir ears and glanced fearfully at the TV which now spluttered, itspicture and sound thrown off by the plane. Awesomely, they waited untilthe plane went over.

  "We fly now in machines with wings," George explained.

  "To make such a noise in the air," Moon Water said, "is wicked,destroying all peace."

  "I'll agree with you there," said George.

  "You have this," Good Fox observed, indicating the TV, which was nowback to normal, "and you send the other through the sky to make itcrazier than before." He shook his head, not comprehending.

  George shut off the TV. He took up a camera of the kind thatautomatically finishes a picture in a minute's time. Grouping Good Fox,Moon Water and the other warriors, he took their picture, waited, thenpulled it out and showed it to them.

  They cried out, one man shouting in fear, "It is great magic!"

  George took a number of photographs, including several of Huk as he sattalking with Sidney. No matter what happened he would have this recordas Sidney would have that he was taking down on the typewriter.

  Next he showed them a pair of binoculars, teaching them how to lookthrough them. They exclaimed and Good Fox said, "With this we could seeour enemies before they see us."

  "You have enemies?" George asked.

  "The Apache," Good Fox said fiercely.

  George handed him the binoculars. "It is yours to use against theApache."

  Solemnly the young chief answered, "The man with white skin is thanked.The red man gives in return his atlatl and lances." He held out histhrowing stick and unslung his quiver of lances. George accepted themwith thanks; they would be museum pieces.

  Finally George showed them a rifle. He looked about for game and aftersome searching saw a rabbit sitting on a mound in the excavations. Ashe took aim Good Fox asked, "You would hunt it with your stick?"

  George nodded.

  "This cannot be done from here," stated one warrior.

  George squeezed the trigger. Instantaneously with the explosion of theshell the rabbit jumped high and then came down, limp and dead. TheIndians yelled with fright and ran off in all directions. Huk jumped upfrom the table. Then all stopped and cautiously returned. One went tothe rabbit and picked it up, bringing it back. All, including Huk wholeft the table, stared with fright at it and at the rifle.

  Moon Water expressed their opinion of it. "The thunder of the killingstick is evil."

  "Moon Water speaks the truth," said Huk.

  "It would make hunting easy," said Good Fox, "but we do not want it evenif given to us."

  He drew back from the rifle, and the others edged away from it.

  George put it down.

  Sidney held up a sheaf of papers. "I've got it all, George," he saidexultantly in English, "right here! I asked Huk if they can stay with usin our time, at least for a while. We can study them more, maybe eventake them back to show the world."

  "What did he say?"

  "He didn't have a chance to reply when you shot the rifle."

  George put it formally to the Indians, addressing Huk, Good Fox, MoonWater and the rest. "You have seen something of the modern world. Wewould like you to stay in it if it is your wish. I don't know how longyou could stay in Huk's vision, but if you can remain here permanentlyand not go back to your time and--well, not being alive there anymore--we hope you will consider this."

  Huk replied, "It is possible that we could stay in your time, at leastas long as my vision lasts, which might be for as long as I lived." Heglanced at Good Fox.

  The young chief in turn looked at Moon Water. Her gaze went to thestation wagon, to the TV, then up at the sky where the plane hadappeared, at the rifle, the camera, the thermos, and all else of thewhite man. She seemed to weigh their values and disadvantages, lookingdubious and doubtful.

  Good Fox announced, "We will hold a council about it. As is our custom,all have words to say about such a thing."

  Abruptly he led his people away, into the excavations and over a slightrise of ground, behind which they disappeared.

  Sidney murmured, "I don't like that so much."

  "They must do as they want." George led the way to the card table andthey sat there. On it rested Huk's aspergill.

  "He gave it to me," Sidney explained.

  George placed Good Fox's netted clay water jug and his atlatl and furredquiver of lances on the table, together with the pictures he had takenof the ancient Indians. They waited.

  Sidney, glancing at the low hill behind which the Indians had gone,said, "What they're doing is choosing between living in moderncivilization and remaining dead. What do you think they'll do?"

  "I don't know," said George. "They didn't think so much of us."

  "But they couldn't choose death and complete oblivion!"

  "We'll see."

  They waited some more.

  "At least," said Sidney, indicating the articles on the table, "we'llhave these for evidence." He held up the sheaf of papers containingHuk's story. "And this, giving the real reason the cliff dwellers left.I haven't told you what it was, George. It's so simple that--"

  He didn't complete his sentence, for just then Huk, Good Fox, MoonWater, and the other warriors made their choice. It was announceddramatically.

  The water jug, the aspergill, and the atlatl and quiver of lancesdisappeared from the table. In their places, suddenly, there were thethermos and the binoculars.

  Sidney stared stupidly at them.

  George said quietly, "They've gone back."

  "But they can't do this!" George protested.

  "They have."

  Sidney's hand shook as he picked up the sheaf of papers holding Huk'sstory. Indicating it and the photographs, he said, "Well, they haven'ttaken these away."

  "Haven't they?" asked George. He picked up some of the pictures. "Look."

  Sidney looked and saw that the pictures were now blank. His glance wentquickly to the typewritten sheets of paper in his hands. He cried outand then shuffled them frantically.

  They, too, were blank.

  Sidney jumped up. "I don't care!" he exclaimed. "He told me and I've gotit here!" He pointed to his head. "I can remember it, anyway."

  "Can you?" asked George.

  "Why, certainly I can," Sidney asserted confidently. "The reason thecliff dwellers left, George, was that they ..." Sidney stopped.

  "What's the matter, Sid?"

  "Well, I--it--I guess it just slipped my mind for a second." His browpuckered. He looked acutely upset and mystified. "Huk told me," hefaltered. "Just a minute ago I was thinking of it when I started to tellyou. Now ... I can't remember."

  "That's gone, too."

  "I'll get it!" Sidney declared. "I've just forgotten it for a minute.I'll remember!"

  "No," said George, "you won't."

  Sidney looked around. "There must be something left." He thought. "Theatlatl lances they shot at us!" He looked at the U-Haul-It. The lancesno longer stuck in its side. Nor were those that had fallen to theground to be seen.

  Sidney sat down again, heavily. "We had it all," he moaned. "Everythingwe'd been working for. And now ..."

  "Now we'll have to dig for it again," said George. "Do it the hard way.We'll start tomorrow when the workmen come."

  Sidney looked up. "There's one thing!" he cried. "The dent in the carmade by the lance! It's still there, George! However everything elseworked, that was forgotten. It's still there!"

  George glanced at the dent in the side panel of the station wagon. "It'sstill there," he agreed. "But only to tell us this wasn't a dream. Noone else would believe it wasn't caused by a rock."

  George groaned.
He stared at the rise of ground behind which the Indianshad disappeared. "Huk," he pleaded. "Good Fox. Moon Water. The others.Come back, come back ..."

  No one appeared over the rise of ground as the cool desert night beganto close in.

  Transcriber's Note:

  This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ November 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.