supply. We have also discovered the bones of dogs, so we know that the Anasazi kept them as pets and probably as hunting partners, in addition to their value as sentries against enemies.”
“Who were the enemies of these people?” Longarm asked, impressed by Barker’s knowledge.
“We don’t know that either,” Lucking interjected. “But consider this. Any agrarian people would have kept food stores that would have been very attractive to a more nomadic people. The nomadic people are always the aggressors.”
“How would they know that there were food stores?” Miranda asked.
“Very simple,” Lucking answered. “There is no doubt that the Mesa Verde Anasazi were primarily farmers rather than hunters or even gatherers. Their population was far too large for wild animals to have sustained their numbers. And as farmers, they would have kept a good supply of seed for the following year’s harvest. If it were lost, they would have nothing to plant and so would quickly perish of starvation.”
“That makes sense,” Longarm said. “Did they store their seeds back inside the caves?”
“Yes,” Lucking answered. “We’ve discovered large bins of old Indian corn. It has all been eaten by rodents and birds that have gone up and under the cavern roof, but the cobs and the rinds from squash remain, giving us clear evidence that the Anasazi understood the great importance of storing large amounts of food during the good years for use during the bad.”
“What would cause the bad?” Miranda asked.
“Rain and snowfall levels can vary considerably along the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains. In a good year with abundant water, the Anasazi harvest would be bountiful, unless there was an early frost. But without the precious gift of water, the harvest would fail to materialize. We think that these people stored several years’ worth of winter food in their caverns. And that would have been a major incentive for their enemies to attack.”
“How could they attack anyone down in the face of a cliff?” Longarm asked.
“They would have had a very difficult time indeed,” Barker answered. “To be sure, they would have had to attack during the most vulnerable time of the year.”
“Which would be during the harvest,” Miranda said.
“Precisely!” Barker exclaimed, looking pleased. “And so, because the harvest could be neither ignored nor shifted even by a week or two, the enemies of these people would know when the Anasazi would be most vulnerable to attack despite the inaccessibility of their cliff dwellings.”
“There’s a lot more to think about than first meets the eye,” Longarm said. “A whole lot more.”
“There is indeed,” Lucking told them in his most professorial manner.
They talked for another hour before Lucking began to yawn and then excused himself, saying, “We get up with the sun and generally go to bed with it as well. Good night.”
“Good night,” Longarm said. He turned to Barker and asked, “When is your next shipment of supplies arriving?”
“What makes you-“
“Well,” Longarm said, knowing he was skating thin ice, “someone must bring supplies up here and pack out a few of your findings.”
“Uh … yes. Let’s see. I’m not sure that we will be supplied again this season. In fact, I rather doubt that we will. You see, we will be leaving this camp very soon.
“Of course,” Longarm said, knowing full well that the man was a liar. “Good night.”
“You will be breaking camp and leaving in the morning,” Barker said, looking rather uncomfortable. “I mean, it is not that we don’t trust you to be up here when we are down in the cliff dwellings, but …”
“We intend to climb down with you in the morning,” Miranda said, “if you don’t mind terribly.”
It was clear that Miranda had caught Barker by surprise, and that he was none too pleased with the notion of them accompanying him and Dr. Lucking down into the canyon. Before Barker could muster up an objection, Longarm said, “Of course he wouldn’t mind, darling! After all, this is a free country and the cliff dwellings are for everyone to see and enjoy. Right, Dr. Barker?”
What else could the man do but nod his head and mutter, “Sure. You can follow us down. We’re working in Cliff Palace. It’s the biggest and most magnificent of all the dwellings, but I have to warn you that the trail down is very dangerous. One misstep and you could easily fall hundreds of feet to the rocks below.”
“I think we can handle it, don’t you, my dear?” Longarm said.
Miranda just stared at him with her eyes wide and fearful.
“Perhaps my wife would prefer to remain up here on top, and I will come down for an hour or two on my own,” Longarm told Barker.
“Whatever you wish,” the man said before disappearing into the tent.
After Miranda and Longarm returned to their own camp, she said, “What do you think?”
“Guilty as sin, but also extremely intelligent and knowledgeable. I suspect that they really are archaeologists turned outlaws. It’s a pity, but I can’t offer you any other explanation.”
“I’ll have to think about whether or not I want to climb down some rock face to get to Cliff Palace.”
“It’s entirely up to you,” Longarm said, “but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Miranda took a deep breath, and he wondered what she would do early the next morning. Longarm also wondered if Lucking and Barker were suspicious and if he and Miranda had more to worry about than falling off the side of a high cliff.
Chapter 14
