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儿童英语读物 The Mystery of the Lost Village CHAPTER 4 Footprints

时间:2017-08-01 06:18来源:互联网 提供网友:qing   字体: [ ]
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It was two days later when Henry realized that something strange was going on at the dig. “I just don’t get it.” He nudged the soft earth with the toe of his shoe. “I worked all yesterday afternoon on this square, and now it’s filled in with dirt.”

“Maybe you were working on the square next to it,” Jessie offered. “It’s easy to get confused.”

“No, I know it was this one,” Henry insisted. “I had gotten through all the topsoil, and I was just starting to find some bits of pottery2. Now I’ve got to start all over!”

Joe squatted3 back on his heels. “Somebody filled in my square, too,” he said quietly. “And take a look at these tracks.” He pointed4 to a trail of tiny round holes that led around the edge of his dig.

“What kind of tracks? Deer tracks?” Benny jumped up. He thought it would be a lot of fun to be able to identify animal tracks, like Joe and Amy could.

Joe laughed. “I’m afraid not, Benny. These are human tracks.”

“They don’t look like footprints,” Violet said. “Some of them are too little and round.”

“That’s because they’re made from a woman’s high-heeled shoes,” Amy explained.

“Ms. Neville!” Henry exclaimed. “Remember the day she came to the dig in those high heels and nearly tripped?”

Joe nodded. “She must have come back to take another look around.”

“But why would she want to wander around the dig at night? And why would she fill in the holes we made?” Jessie wondered.

Henry shook his head. “I have no idea. But I think we’d better get back to work.”

They were busy with their trowels when something shiny in the dirt caught Benny’s eye. Maybe it was a glass bead5 or part of a hunting knife! “Oh shucks,” he said, when he bent6 down for a closer look. “It’s just an old key ring. And there aren’t even any keys on it.”

“Let’s have a look.” Henry examined the small red square dangling7 from a tarnished8 chain. The letter M was emblazoned on it. “Here, Benny,” he said, returning it. “Keep it safe. Maybe we’ll find the owner.”

“And maybe we’ll find out who’s been sneaking9 around the dig,” Jessie added.

The sun was setting when the children left the dig and made their way through the forest. A sudden cracking sound from the forest made them jump, and Violet spun10 around in surprise.

“Sorry to frighten you,” Ted1 Clark said, emerging from behind a tree. He rubbed his ankle and winced11. “I’m afraid I tripped over a fallen branch.”

“What were you doing in the middle of the forest?” Benny asked curiously12.

“Just taking a look around.” He paused, glancing at Henry’s knapsack. “Are you kids on a hike or something?”

“No, we’ve just been — ” Violet stopped suddenly. Something in Jessie’s expression made her cautious. “Playing,” she added firmly.

“There’s not much place to play around here,” Ted said, glancing at the dense13 forest. He gestured in the direction of the dig. “What’s over that way? Anything worth looking at?”

“Just a lot of poison ivy,” Joe spoke14 up. “But if you head over that way” — he pointed away from the dig — “there are some pretty nice trails.”

After Ted left, Benny edged closer to Violet. “At least we know that’s not his key ring. I wish we could find out who ‘M’ is!”

Violet took his hand. “Me, too.”

After dinner that night, Amy and Jessie went upstairs to begin working on their outfits15 for the Pow-Wow dance.

“We need to make a buckskin dress for you,” Amy said. “My mom said you could use this.” She opened a cardboard box and laid two sheets of tan buckskin across her bed.

“It’s beautiful material,” Jessie said. “But how can we make a dress out of it?”

Amy pulled a simple Navajo dress out of her closet. “It’s really easy to do. You use one sheet for the front, and one for the back, and then you attach them at the shoulders.”

“What do we do about the sides?” Jessie asked.

“That part’s easy. We just lace up the sides.” She smiled at Jessie’s puzzled look. “Don’t worry. If we’re the same size, we can use my dress as a pattern.”

Amy held her dress up to Jessie and nodded. “Just what I thought. This will fit you perfectly16.” She handed Jessie a pair of scissors and both girls sat on the bed. Amy laid her dress over the buckskin and trimmed the material to match it. “Now all we have to do is make a lot of little cuts down each side.”

“Fringe!” Jessie said, pleased.

“Exactly,” Amy answered.

At last they were finished. Amy stood up. “Time to try it on,” she said. A buckskin thong18 on each shoulder held the dress together. Amy worked quickly, lacing up the sides while Jessie stood still.

“Now all we need is a cape19, and that’s really easy.” She reached into the box and pulled out a piece of rectangular buckskin with a hole in the center. “Just slip this over your head.”

“It feels so soft,” Jessie said, running her hand over the smooth skin.

“You’ll need these, too.” Amy handed her a pair of leggings and moccasins. “I hope we wear the same shoe size,” she said.

“They’re just right,” Jessie said, slipping her feet into the soft red moccasins. “They feel like slippers20.”

Amy smiled. “Take a look in the mirror, Jessie. With some jewelry21 and a pouch22, you’ll look just like a Navajo girl.”

“I love it!” Jessie said.

“A Navajo girl would probably sew a lot of pretty beads23 on her regalia, but we don’t have time for that, since we have to practice the dance. We’ll just add a necklace and a few bracelets24 and you’ll be all set.”

Meanwhile, Henry and Benny were downstairs admiring Joe’s hand-cut leather belts.

“Wow, these are neat,” Benny said. He picked up a slender belt of fine tanned leather. “Do you think my eagle will fit on this one, Joe?”

Joe eyed the eagle that Benny had drawn25 on his graph paper. “I think you need a wider one,” he said. “If you know what colors you want to use, you can start doing the beadwork right now.”

“How do we get started?” Benny ran his fingers through the dishes of colored beads on the dining-room table.

Joe handed Benny two small blocks of wood and a flat board. “First we have to make the loom26, Benny. We’re going to nail a block on each end of the board, and then hammer in a row of eight nails across the top and bottom.”

“This part is fun,” Benny said, as he and Joe worked. When they had finished, Benny looked up expectantly. “Now what?”

“Now cut eight pieces of string. Make sure they’re long enough so that you can string them from the top to the bottom of the loom. Once they’re fastened good and tight, you can thread a needle and start making rows of beads.”

“Okay!” Benny said happily.

“I’ll help you thread the needle,” Henry said to Benny.

“And I’ll help you string the loom,” Joe said.

When they had finished, Joe said, “Nice work,” examining the homemade loom.

“Thanks. What do I do next?” Benny asked.

“This is the part I like most of all.” Joe pointed to the bowls of beads in the center of the table. “Look at your design, and see what color beads you need for each row.”

Benny squinted27 at the graph paper and then burst into a smile. “It’s easy,” he said proudly. “All I have to do is count the little squares. I need three blue beads, four black beads, and three more blue ones. That will be for the sky and the top of the eagle’s head.”

“Very good,” Joe said. “Just make sure you thread the beads in exactly that order.”

Downstairs, Violet was measuring molasses for the Indian pudding. The kitchen was already filled with the rich smells of cinnamon and vanilla28.

“This is a very old recipe,” Mrs. Lightfeather told her. “My great-grandmother gave it to me.” She laughed. “Of course, in the old days, the women would grind their own cornmeal.” She reached for a box of cornmeal in the pantry. “Now we can do it the easy way.”

“How did your great-grandmother cook?” Violet asked. “She didn’t have a stove, did she?”

“No, but she had a campfire. And lots of stoneware pots.”

“Like the one I found at the dig!” Violet said.

“Yes, exactly.”

Violet was puzzled. “But you said the pot I found was made out of clay. Wouldn’t it break if you put it over the fire?”

“Yes, it would,” Mrs. Lightfeather said. “So the Navajos had to think of another way of heating their food. And do you know what they did?” When Violet shook her head, she went on: “They heated a stone over the fire and filled the clay pot with water. Then they dropped the stone into the water.”

“So the stone made the water hot,” Violet said quickly, “and they could cook some of their food that way.”

“Exactly.” Mrs. Lightfeather sat down at the kitchen table while Violet mixed ingredients in a sky-blue bowl. “You know, Violet,” she said, “now that there are two of us doing the cooking, I could probably try a few more recipes to exhibit at the Pow-Wow. Would you like that?”

“I’d like that a lot,” Violet told her. She was really enjoying herself at the Lightfeathers.’ Joe and Amy were so friendly, and she liked learning new things. “I just realized that there’s a design on the bottom of the bowl,” she said, lifting the wooden spoon out for a moment.

“That’s my grandmother’s bowl,” Mrs. Lightfeather told her. “It has a thunderbird on the bottom.”

“I’ve never heard of that kind of bird,” Violet said, surprised.

“It’s not a real bird, but it’s a very important symbol to our people. The Navajos used to believe that the thunderbird made thunder by flapping his wings. And when he opened and closed his eyes, lightning flashed across the sky.”

Violet knew she had seen the symbol somewhere before, and she frowned, trying to remember. Suddenly it came to her. “Mrs. Lightfeather,” she said, “I think there was a thunderbird on the rim17 of the bowl I found at the dig.”

“Really?” Mrs. Lightfeather looked up from an old recipe file.

“A tiny one. And it had its wings outstretched just like this one.”

“Why don’t you get the bowl and we can look at it again?” Mrs. Lightfeather suggested. “I’ll finish the mixing.”

Violet raced outside to the patio29. After everyone had admired the bowl, she had carefully cleaned it and put it in a sturdy cardboard box in the utility shed. Now she opened the door to the shed, flipped30 on the light switch, and reeled back in shock. The box was gone!

Violet began searching the shelves, her heart pounding. Could someone have moved it? But who — and why? After a few minutes, she realized her search was hopeless. Her treasure was gone.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 ted 9gazhs     
vt.翻晒,撒,撒开
参考例句:
  • The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
  • She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。
2 pottery OPFxi     
n.陶器,陶器场
参考例句:
  • My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
  • The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。
3 squatted 45deb990f8c5186c854d710c535327b0     
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
参考例句:
  • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
5 bead hdbyl     
n.念珠;(pl.)珠子项链;水珠
参考例句:
  • She accidentally swallowed a glass bead.她不小心吞下了一颗玻璃珠。
  • She has a beautiful glass bead and a bracelet in the box.盒子里有一颗美丽的玻璃珠和手镯。
6 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
7 dangling 4930128e58930768b1c1c75026ebc649     
悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
参考例句:
  • The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果,那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
  • The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上,摇晃着他们的双腿。
8 tarnished e927ca787c87e80eddfcb63fbdfc8685     
(通常指金属)(使)失去光泽,(使)变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 ); 玷污,败坏
参考例句:
  • The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
  • His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨,败坏了学校的声誉。
9 sneaking iibzMu     
a.秘密的,不公开的
参考例句:
  • She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
  • She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走,躲开采访者。
10 spun kvjwT     
v.纺,杜撰,急转身
参考例句:
  • His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
  • Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。
11 winced 7be9a27cb0995f7f6019956af354c6e4     
赶紧避开,畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He winced as the dog nipped his ankle. 狗咬了他的脚腕子,疼得他龇牙咧嘴。
  • He winced as a sharp pain shot through his left leg. 他左腿一阵剧痛疼得他直龇牙咧嘴。
12 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
13 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
14 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
15 outfits ed01b85fb10ede2eb7d337e0ea2d0bb3     
n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 );一套服装;集体;组织v.装备,配置设备,供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
  • Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具,因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句
16 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
17 rim RXSxl     
n.(圆物的)边,轮缘;边界
参考例句:
  • The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
  • She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。
18 thong xqWyK     
n.皮带;皮鞭;v.装皮带
参考例句:
  • He fastened the dog to the post with a thong.他用一根皮带把狗拴到柱子上。
  • If I switch with Harry,do I have to wear a thong?如果我和哈里调换,我应该穿皮带吗?
19 cape ITEy6     
n.海角,岬;披肩,短披风
参考例句:
  • I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
  • She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
20 slippers oiPzHV     
n. 拖鞋
参考例句:
  • a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
  • He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋,倒在床上。
21 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
22 pouch Oi1y1     
n.小袋,小包,囊状袋;vt.装...入袋中,用袋运输;vi.用袋送信件
参考例句:
  • He was going to make a tobacco pouch out of them. 他要用它们缝制一个烟草袋。
  • The old man is always carrying a tobacco pouch with him.这老汉总是随身带着烟袋。
23 beads 894701f6859a9d5c3c045fd6f355dbf5     
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链
参考例句:
  • a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
  • Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。
24 bracelets 58df124ddcdc646ef29c1c5054d8043d     
n.手镯,臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
26 loom T8pzd     
n.织布机,织机;v.隐现,(危险、忧虑等)迫近
参考例句:
  • The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
  • The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。
27 squinted aaf7c56a51bf19a5f429b7a9ddca2e9b     
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句:
  • Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩,眯起眼睛瞄准。
  • I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。
28 vanilla EKNzT     
n.香子兰,香草
参考例句:
  • He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
  • I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。
29 patio gSdzr     
n.庭院,平台
参考例句:
  • Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子,我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
  • They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。
30 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 ); 按(开关); 快速翻转; 急挥
参考例句:
  • The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转,撞毁了。
  • The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。
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