Finders Keepers (5 page)

Bent double, the two boys fled through the entrance, turned across a small patch of gravel, and dived into a dark doorway. Holding their breath, they flattened themselves against a split log wall and listened—nothing.

Carefully Danny peered back the way they came. There was no one around. He drew in his head and gave the thumbs-up sign.

“Hwee.” Joshua let out his breath and relaxed. “That was risky.”

“Only when we crossed the gravel. Anyway, she'll never catch us now.” Danny grinned cockily. “I know all the hiding places in this fort, and there's lots.”

Joshua tapped his head pityingly. “You're nuts. For someone who doesn't like being yelled at, you sure do some dumb things.” He looked around with interest. Cracks of light came through the walls of the wooden shelter and made distracting patterns on the dirt floor. Joshua peered beyond them into the shadows. He could see some stairs. “What is this place anyway?”

“A corner turret in the walls of the fort. If we climb the stairs we can see the whole fort from the lookout room.”

They crept up. “Hey, this place is neat.” Joshua gazed
out of a window and looked at the fort spread below. “I've only seen the outside. I didn't know all this stuff was here.” He surveyed the white gravel parade ground edged with long low wooden buildings around all four sides. “So this is where all the North West Mounted Police stayed.” He looked at the high wooden stockades, the lookout towers and the cannon, and started to laugh.

Danny, puzzled, looked out of the window then back at Joshua. “What's so funny?”

Joshua waved his hand around. “All this.” He looked solemnly at Danny. “You guys must have been terrified of us First Nations to build stockades like this, and you know what…?”

Danny shook his head.

Joshua started to grin again. “We never attacked a fort in the whole of Alberta. The only attack this fort has seen is me.” Both boys started to laugh.

“Yup,” Joshua continued, “and it's some fort when you can just kick open the gate and bust in.”

“OK, Big Chief,” Danny chuckled, “let's see how far the invasion can get.” He pointed to a building on the other side of the square. “That's where the Indian Exhibit is. If we are careful we can get there by the walkway along the top of the walls.”

Joshua walked to the lookout's doorway and considered the narrow boardwalk running along the three sides of the stockade. It connected with a turret room in each corner. There was a fence on the drop side, but it wasn't solid, just a couple of sturdy rails. “Someone will see us.”

“Only if we walk around,” Danny pointed out. Then he grinned and nudged Joshua in the ribs. “But we're Indians, right?” He dropped to the floor and slithered out on his belly across the boards.

Joshua rolled his eyes skyward, sighed, then dropped to the floor and followed close on Danny's heels. “I've read about this in books,” he grumbled in a whisper as they paused halfway to the next turret, and rubbed aching elbows and scraped knees. “I reckon it was invented by a white man.”

It took ages, but eventually they wriggled into the last turret without incident and thankfully stood up inside.

They tiptoed silently down the steps and hid in the shadows again, holding their breath and listening.

Faint snatches of conversation drifted from one of the buildings.

Danny nodded with satisfaction. “They're cleaning the chapel block,” he whispered to Joshua. “Sounds as though the Indian Exhibit hall is empty.”

Joshua looked curiously at him. “Why are you so keen to get to that exhibit?”

“To check out the arrowheads,” Danny explained.

“Look.” He pulled out the wad of tissues from his back pocket. “I found this, yesterday. On the reserve, just after I'd left you.” He unwound the wrappings and placed the point in Joshua's outstretched palm.

Joshua sucked in his breath with admiration. “Oooh,” he breathed, “It's a beaut.” He looked up at Danny. “What are you going to do with it?”

Danny stared in surprise. “Keep it, of course. It's lucky.”

Silently Joshua handed the point back.

“What's the matter?” Danny asked, puzzled at the sudden feeling of tension between them. “Is something wrong?”

Joshua shrugged. “Guess not. You found it.” He walked to a chink in the wall and peered through it. “By the way,” he threw over his shoulder, “it's a lance point, not an arrowhead.”

“You know about this stuff?” asked Danny eagerly as he rewrapped the point and thrust it in his pocket. “Great, maybe we can make bows, or lances, or whatever, and play at being Indians.”

“I don't have to play at being 'Indian,'” said Joshua stiffly. “I'm Peigan.”

Danny stared enviously at Joshua's back. “I wish I was,” he said.

Joshua turned round and looked at Danny for a long time. “No you don't,” he said seriously. “Most people hate us.”

Danny looked back equally seriously. “Most people hate me. They think I'm the original Ukrainian joke.”

The boys stared at each other.

Suddenly Joshua stuck out his hand. “Give me five,” he said.

“Give me ten,” Danny instantly reacted by slapping his palm firmly on top of Joshua's. Then they thumped each other on the back until they were breathless and coughing.

“Shhh,” Danny gasped, “someone will hear us.” He poked his head out of the doorway and looked around. “Come on. If we're going to do this let's get on with it.”

Joshua nodded and sidled up behind him. “OK” he whispered. “Say when.”

Danny paused and listened again. “Now!”

The boys crept carefully around the corner of the exhibit building and and then raced up to the front door. Danny lifted the old latch. The door opened and they slid silently inside.

“It's spooky here,” whispered Joshua.

A dim red light from the EXIT sign above the door cast an eerie glow on their faces and hands, and made everything else dissolve into dark mysterious shadows.

Unexpectedly Danny gave a low chuckle. “Hey, did you watch that green slime movie last night?”

Joshua nodded. “Yup. Why?”

“Well, here comes the Red Slime!” Danny raised his arms above his head and advanced monster fashion towards Joshua.

There was a clang and a rattle and the sound of something slithering across the floor.

Both boys gasped and grabbed each other.

“What was that?” asked Danny.

“How would I know?” Joshua's voice wobbled.

“I think I'd better find the light switch,” said Danny nervously. “I know I kicked a pail, but that slithering sound…. it was like something alive.”

Joshua stood very still while Danny shuffled backwards towards the wall.

There was a sudden intake of breath.

“What's up now?” asked Joshua panicking.

“I stepped on something.” Danny's voice was high and squeaky. “Something soft… I think it's dead.”

Joshua groaned. “Geez, get a light on.”

Danny's movements echoed uncertainly in the big room. He stretched out his hands and felt down the wall beside the door. Was the light switch on the right side or the left side of the door frame? He couldn't remember and started to feel panicky inside. Somehow this escapade wasn't fun any more. He ran his hands rapidly over the walls on both sides of the door until he felt the switch plate. “Got it!” he cried in relief.

Several fluorescent tubes flickered, then sprang to life, revealing a squashed floor cloth, an upturned pail and a slimy trail ending in a damp bar of soap.

“If it wasn't dead before, it certainly is now,” said a relieved Joshua, poking the cloth with his foot.

Danny picked up the cloth and soap and dumped them in the pail. “Come on, let's check out the lance points before someone comes to pick this up.” He led the way through the exhibits to the far end of the room.

They wound past cases of North West Mounted Police uniforms, and models wearing First Nations clothing. Joshua stopped and looked at them.

“Come on slowpoke.” Danny grabbed his arm. “You've seen all this Indian stuff before.”

Joshua shook his head. “No I haven't. I've never been here before. These clothes aren't Peigan.”

Danny peered at the elaborately beaded shirt, breeches and moccasins. “Guess it's Cree. Their designs are flowers and things.” He looked at Joshua for corroboration. “Don't Peigans do Blackfoot designs, patterns with squares and triangles?”

Joshua nodded, looking at Danny with interest. “How come you know that?”

“I told you I wanted to be Indian. I spent a lot of time in here last summer.”

Danny headed down between the cases. “Come and look at this,” he called. “It's the best thing in the whole
place.” And he pointed to a photo on the wall.

It was a blown up copy of a stark black and white photo showing a group of First Nations people standing in a circle, intently watching a young warrior. The young man, a dazed look on his face, was straining against two ropes tied around the top of a central pole. The end of each rope was threaded through the skin on the two fleshy parts of his chest.

“See,” said Danny eagerly. “He's being tortured. They are making him pull the ropes out through his skin.” He pointed to the young warrior's chest. “Do you reckon that's blood?”

Joshua glanced at the photo and turned away. “That shouldn't be here,” he said flatly.

“What do you mean?” said Danny. “It's just an old photo.”

“It's sacred.” Joshua turned and looked at Danny. “That's the Sundance,” he said fiercely. “No one's torturing him. It's a sacred ceremony.” Joshua turned away again. “It's just that you people don't understand. My grandfather says the Sundance should never have been photographed.”

Feeling the tension between them, Danny grappled to understand. “Sacred? You mean like in church?” he asked hesitantly.

Joshua nodded. “It's a sacred ritual. It isn't talked about and it shouldn't be photographed. Even the Sundance lodges are kept secret and are only used once.”

“The lodges?” questioned Danny.

“Trees are cut and made into a circular frame, like a giant wheel. The Sundance is held inside them. Then that's the sacred site.” Joshua swung around urgently to Danny. “Look, this stuff's secret. I'm only explaining so you understand. You are not to ask me anything more. OK?”

Danny nodded. “OK, but…” He hesitated. “You mean it's still going on?”

Joshua walked away.

Baffled, but not wanting to wreck his new friendship,
Danny followed Joshua. But now he wasn't sure about the stone points. Maybe Joshua would get mad when he saw them. Danny stopped in front of the case where they were displayed. “Are these sacred too?” he asked hesitantly.

Joshua walked over and looked at the display. The arrowheads and lance tips were arranged in two circles, with a couple of stone hammer heads in the middle. “Don't think so,” he said, then grinned. “I don't think you'll learn anything new here. There's no information. The points have just been set out in a pretty pattern.”

Danny looked critically at the display. “You're right. There's not even any dates telling how old they are.” He pointed to the lower circle of arrowheads. “It doesn't even say which are arrowheads and which are lance points. Do you know?”

Joshua peered carefully through the glass. “I can tell those are lance points.” He pointed to some elegant long tips arranged at the top of the circle. “The arrowheads are the small ones.” He pointed to some very small tips at the bottom of the circle. “But I don't know enough to guess about the in-between sizes, they could be either. Let's see yours again.”

Danny pulled out the lance tip from his pocket and the boys compared it with the ones in on display.

“It doesn't look like any here,” said Danny doubtfully. “I guess it's an in-between size. Where will I find out?”

Joshua looked thoughtfully at Danny. “Have you ever been to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump? To the Interpretive Centre?”

Danny shook his head. “I wanted to go last summer,” he said sadly, “but we couldn't. There were so many tourists in town we all had to work in the store.”

“Could you get a lift out there next weekend?”

“I might be able to, why?”

“My grandfather and my mom work there,” said Joshua proudly. “My mom will know about the lance point.”

“OK, I'll try and come. Saturday or Sunday?”

“Saturday,” replied Joshua. “I'll be there all day.” He
looked around uneasily. “I heard something. Come on, let's get out of here before someone comes.”

Too late. The door at the far end opened.

“Darn,” said a voice. “I thought I'd switched those off.”