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Show When the sun was straight up in the heavens he stood under the stone beak of the sacred bird. He removed the ball of bark from his pouch. He had made three torches the night before, and to one of these he touched the smoldering sparks. With the light from the torch he explored the cave. He found traces of fires that had been built, and pictured his grandfather sitting by one. Far back in the cave, half hidden by a rock slide, he spied the jagged vein of turquoise. His eager fingers touched the precious stone and joy swelled within him till he thought he would burst. It was beautiful and a shiver went through him as he thought of Supi's necklace. He poked the torch in the rockslide and looked around for something to hold it upright. Lifting a large stone close at hand, he discovered beneath it several large turquoise pieces that had caved off with the slide. What luck! A whole day's work of chipping lay before him. His torch flickered and he quickly lit the second one. He shivered in the cold of the dark cave. Digging the turquoise from the rock slide was easy and Nuiji's pouch was soon bulging. He was shaking all over, both from cold and from excitement. The second torch burned low and he lit his last one. By its light he filled yet another pouch. Soon he was satisfied, and moved from the dark cave into the warm sunlight which he loved. He shouted his good fortune to the sky, holding the pouches high above his head. He examined his treasure in the bright daylight and found the stones to be the most perfect he had ever seen. "Grandfather was right," he thought aloud. "His wisdom will help Supi be a princess and provide my people with a rare offering for the God of Growing Things. Perhaps then he will send the rain we need to help us live on the mesa." |