Not a word did any of the others speak, but stood in the great opening, and stared at Peggie’s find. Still imbedded in the earth and rock they were, but they certainly were bones, and most gigantic bones at that. Polly and Ruth went up, and examined them closely, and so did Miss Murray.
“It isn’t a dinosaur,” Ruth said, judiciously. “It’s a something else.”
“I should say it was,” cried Sue. “If that’s only part of its backbone, I should not like to have had it chase me over the range. I think it’s a cave bear.”
“That is certainly a section of vertebræ, Polly,” Jean said. “How strange it is to stand and think how many years ago it was alive.”
“They are very valuable,” Polly replied.
“Leave it to Polly to find the red silk thread that leads to the pot of gold,” laughed Ted. “I know that’s a mixed-up metaphor, but who cares. Let’s go back and fish now, with peaceful minds, and send word to the Doctor that we have a specimen worth thousands.”
“We?” Sue repeated. “Goose! This belongs to Chief Sandy, and Peggie gets the reward for finding it. Isn’t that so, Miss Jean?”
Jean laughed, but said nothing. It really seemed so strange and unreal to her that she could not think directly what the end would be. She had known, of course, that Wyoming was the only known haunt of the prehistoric dinosaur in America, and had been duly proud of it. Also, she had always rather objected to New York walking away with the best specimen found, but Jean was State proud, as her mother said, and believed that the spoils belonged to the original owners on a strict basis of equity.
“We’ll ride over to the Alameda to-morrow, girls,” she said, “and tell Mrs. Sandy and the Chief, as Sue calls him. That’s a splendid name for him too, by the way, Sue. He is the Chief, and we’ll call him that.”
“Chief Scout,” suggested Polly.