p&c.thunderhead-第53部分

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d　pointed　his　trowel　tip　at　a　series　of　alternating　dark　and　light　bands。　Each　was　littered　with　distinct　layers　of　broken　pottery。　〃There　was　definitely　a　seasonal　occupation　of　the　site。　For　most　of　the　year；　there　were　not　many　people　in　residence；　I'd　guess　fifty　or　less。　And　then　there　was　a　large　influx　every　summer；　obviously　a　seasonal　pilgrimage；　but　on　a　far　vaster　scale　than　at　Chaco。　You　can　tell　by　the　volume　of　broken　pots　and　hearth　ashes。〃　
　A　seasonal　pilgrimage；　Nora　thought。　Sounds　like　Aragon's　ritual　journey　to　a　city　of　priests。　She　decided　not　to　antagonize　Black　by　saying　this　aloud。　〃How　can　you　tell　it　was　summertime？〃　she　asked　instead。　
　〃Pollen　counts；〃　Black　sniffed。　〃But　there's　more。　As　I　said；　we've　only　started　the　test　trench。　But　already　it's　clear　that　the　trash　mound　was　segregated。〃　
　Nora　stared　at　him　curiously。　〃Segregated？〃　
　〃Yes。　In　the　back　part　of　the　mound　there　are　fragments　of　beautiful　painted　pottery　and　the　bones　of　animals　used　for　food。　Turkeys；　deer；　elk；　bear。　There　are　a　lot　of　beads；　whole　arrowheads；　even　chipped　pots。　But　in　the　front　we　find　only　the　crudest；　ugliest　corrugated　pottery。　And　the　food　we　found　in　the　front　of　the　mound　was　clearly　different。〃　
　〃What　kinds　of　foods？〃　
　〃Mostly　rats；〃　said　Black。　〃Squirrels；　snakes；　a　coyote　or　two。　The　flotation　lab　has　brought　up　a　lot　of　crushed　insect　carapaces　and　parts　as　well。　Cockroaches；　grasshoppers；　crickets。　I　did　a　brief　microscopic　examination；　and　most　of　them　seem　to　have　been　lightly　toasted。〃　
　〃They　were　eating　insects？〃　Nora　asked　incredulously。　
　〃Without　a　doubt。〃　
　〃I　prefer　my　bugs　al　dente；〃　said　Smithback；　with　an　unpleasant　smacking　of　his　lips。　
　Nora　looked　at　Black。　〃What's　your　interpretation　of　this？〃　
　〃Well；　there's　never　been　anything　like　it　in　Anasazi　sites。　But　in　other　sites；　this　kind　of　thing　points　directly　to　slavery。　The　masters　and　slaves　ate　different　things　and　dumped　their　trash　in　different　places。〃　
　〃Aaron；　there　isn't　a　shred　of　evidence　that　the　Anasazi　had　slaves。〃　
　Black　looked　back　at　her。　〃There　is　now。　Either　slavery；　or　we're　looking　at　a　deeply　stratified　society：　a　priestly　class　that　lived　in　high　luxury；　and　an　underclass　living　in　abject　poverty；　with　no　middle　class　in　between。〃　
　Nora　glanced　around　the　city；　quiet　in　the　noonday　sun。　The　discovery　seemed　to　violate　all　that　they　knew　about　the　Anasazi。　〃Let's　keep　an　open　mind　until　all　the　evidence　is　in；〃　she　said　at　last。　
　〃Naturally。　We're　also　collecting　carbonized　seeds　for　C…fourteen　dating　and　human　hair　for　DNA　analysis。〃　
　〃Seeds；〃　Nora　repeated。　〃By　the　way；　did　you　know　that　most　of　those　granaries　in　the　rear　of　the　city　are　still　bulging　with　corn　and　beans？〃　
　Black　straightened　up。　〃No　I　didn't。〃　
　〃Sloane　told　me　earlier　this　morning。　That　suggests　the　site　was　abandoned　in　the　fall；　at　harvest　time。　And　that　it　was　abandoned　very　quickly。〃　
　〃Sloane；〃　Black　repeated　casually。　〃She　came　by　here　a　little　earlier。　Where　is　she　now；　anyway？〃　
　Nora；　who'd　been　looking　away；　looked　back。　〃Somewhere　in　the　central　roomblocks；　I　think。　She's　beginning　the　preliminary　survey；　with　the　help　of　Peter　and　his　magnetometer。　I'll　be　checking　in　with　her　later。　But　now　I'm　off　to　see　what　Aragon　is　up　to。〃　
　Black　seemed　to　be　thinking　about　something。　Then　he　turned　and　laid　a　hand　on　Smithback's　shoulder。　〃Care　to　finish　up　F…one；　my　muckraking　friend？〃　
　〃Slavery　still　exists；〃　Smithback　muttered。　
　She　raised　her　radio　to　her　lips。　〃Enrique；　this　is　Nora。　Do　you　read？〃　
　〃Loud　and　clear；〃　came　the　answer　after　a　moment　of　silence。　
　〃Where　are　you？〃　
　〃In　the　crawlspace　behind　the　granaries。〃　
　〃What　are　you　doing　back　there？〃　
　There　was　a　short　silence。　〃Better　see　for　yourself。　e　in　from　the　west　side。〃　
　Nora　walked　around　the　back　of　the　midden　heap　and　past　the　first　great　tower。　Typical　cautious　Aragon；　she　thought；　why　couldn't　the　man　simply　e　out　and　say　what　was　up？　
　Just　beyond　the　tower　she　picked　up　the　small　passageway　that　ran　behind　the　granaries　toward　the　back　of　the　cave。　It　was　dark　and　cool　here　behind　the　ruin；　and　the　air　smelled　of　sandstone　and　smoke。　The　passageway　doglegged　through　a　gap　in　the　granaries；　and　there　she　came　to　a　sunken　passage…Aragon's　Crawlspace…at　the　very　rear　of　the　city。　Once　again；　the　Crawlspace　was　a　feature　unique　to　Quivira。　As　Nora　moved　forward；　the　ceiling　of　the　passageway　became　so　low　that　she　had　to　drop　to　her　hands　and　knees。　There　was　a　long　moment　of　close；　oppressive　darkness；　then　ahead　she　could　see　the　glow　from　Aragon's　lantern。　
　She　rose　to　her　feet　inside　a　cramped　space。　Before　her　sat　Aragon。　Nora　drew　in　her　breath：　beyond　him　lay　a　sea　of　human　bones；　their　knobby　surfaces　thrown　into　sharp　relief　by　the　light。　To　her　surprise；　Aragon　was　holding　a　bone　in　one　hand；　examining　it　with　jeweler's　loup　and　coordinated　calipers。　Beside　him　lay　the　tools　for　excavating　human　remains　from　surrounding　matrix；　barely　necessary　here：　bamboo　splints；　wooden　dowels；　horsehair　brushes。　The　place　was　silent　save　for　the　hiss　of　the　lantern。　
　Aragon　looked　up　as　she　approached；　his　face　an　unreadable　mask。　
　〃What　is　all　this？〃　Nora　asked。　〃Some　kind　of　catab？〃　
　Aragon　did　not　reply　for　some　time。　Then　he　carefully　placed　the　bone　back　on　the　heap　beside　him。　〃I　don't　know；〃　he　said　in　a　flat　tone。　〃It's　the　largest　ossuary　I've　ever　encountered。　I've　heard　of　such　things　in　Old　World　megalithic　sites；　but　never　in　North　America。　And　never；　ever；　on　this　kind　of　scale。〃　
　Nora　glanced　from　him　to　the　bones。　There　were　many　plete　skeletons　lying　on　the　top　of　the　pile；　but　beneath　them　appeared　to　be　a　thick　scattering　of　disarticulated　bones；　most　of　them　broken；　including　countless　crushed　skulls。　Punched　into　the　stone　walls　at　the　back　of　the　cave　were　dozens　of　holes；　a　few　rotten　timbers　still　jutting　out　of　them。　
　〃I've　never　seen　anything　like　this　either；〃　Nora　said　in　a　low　voice。　
　〃It's　like　no　burial　practice；　or　cultural　behavior；　I've　seen　before；〃　Aragon　said。　〃There　are　so　many　skeletons；　so　loosely　thrown　about；　even　a　horizontal　section　is　unnecessary。〃　He　gestured　at　the　closest　skeletons。　〃It's　clearly　a　multiple　interment　of　sorts：　a　series　of　primary　burials；　overlaying　a　vast　number　of　secondary　burials。　These　skeletons　on　top；　the　plete　ones；　weren't　even　'buried'　in　the　archaeological　sense　of　the　word。　The　bodies　seem　to　have　been　dragged　in　here　and　hastily　thrown　on　top　of　a　deep　layer　of　preexisting　bones。〃　
　〃Are　there　any　signs　of　violence　on　the　bones？〃　
　〃Not　on　the　whole　skeletons　on　top。〃　
　〃And　the　bones　underneath？〃　
　There　was　a　short　pause。　〃I'm　still　analyzing　them；〃　Aragon　replied。　
　Nora　looked　around；　feeling　an　unpleasant　gnawing　in　the　pit　of　her　stomach。　She　was　far　from　squeamish；　but　the　charnel…house　nature　of　the　place　made　her　unfortable。　〃What　could　it　mean？〃　she　asked。　
　Aragon　glanced　up　at　her。　〃A　large　number　of　simultaneous　burials　usually　means　a　single　cause；〃　he　said。　〃Famine；　disease；　war　。　。　。〃　He　paused。　〃Or　sacrifice。〃　
　At　that　moment　her　radio　crackled。　〃Nora；　this　is　Sloane。　Are　you　there？〃　
　Nora　pulled　her　radio　from　her　side。　〃I'm　with　Aragon。　What　is　it？〃　
　〃There's　something　you　need　to　see。　Both　of　you。〃　Through　the　microphone；　the　quiver　of　suppressed　excitement　in　Sloane's　voice　was　clear。　〃Meet　me　at　the　central　plaza。〃　
　A　few　minutes　later；　Sloane　was　leading　them　through　a　plicated　series　of　second…story　roomblocks　at　the　far　end　of　the　ruin。　〃We　were　doing　a　routine　survey；〃　she　was　saying；　〃and　then　Peter　found　a　large　cavity　in　one　of　the　floors　with　the　proton　magnetometer。〃　They　stepped　beneath　a　doorway　and　entered　a　large　room；　only　dimly　lit　by　the　portable　lantern。　Unlike　most　of　the　other　rooms　she　had　seen　at　the　ruin；　this　one　was　strangely　empty。　Holroyd　stood　in　a　far　corner；　tinkering　with　the　magnetometer：　a　flat　box　rolling　on　sliding　wheels；　the　long　handle　projecting　from　its　side　ending　in　an　LCD　screen。　
　But　Nora　wasn't　looking　at　Holroyd。　She　was　gazing　into　the　center　of　the　room；　where　a　section　of　floor　had　been　removed；　exposing　a　slab…l