Quetzal pointed out several spots in the forest mentioned in village folklore as the sites of buried relics. At each location Tom made a test probe beneath the surface, using the detector circuits of his camera in a hookup with the Swift spectroscope. The most promising site proved to be a huge mound, overgrown with jungle vegetation. Here, the spectroscope analysis showed underground stone deposits which might be Mayan ruins.
THE BURIED TEMPLE 155
“We’ve got to dig all this up with hand trowels?” Bud asked.
“Si, until you find what lies below,” Barancos replied. “Then, perhaps, it will be safe to use shovels in exploring further.”
The archaeologist marked out a small area for test-digging near the top of the mound, then Tom and Bud set to work.
Meanwhile, Chow had finished his breakfast chores back in the village and set out to join the party. The old cook slung a pick over one shoulder, not knowing of Senor Barancos’ ruling.
“Shucks, they’ll never get nowhere with them teeny li’l trowels,” Chow muttered as he caught sight of Tom and Bud working on top of the mound. “I reckon an ole range hand like me kin show ‘em how to swing a pick!”
At that moment Tom gave a shout. “I think we’ve found something!”
Senor Barancos and the others rushed up to see. The boys had uncovered some flat stone slabs. “What do you suppose they are?” Bud asked.
“Perhaps a stone platform for religious ceremonies,” Barancos replied. “Or it may be the roof of a building. Senores, the old Mayan architects never learned to construct an arch with a keystone but used a flat capstone. That is why most of their buildings were flat-roofed.