“Ivan Semenovich,” Lida cut into the conversation. “When we were digging through the rockfall we saw a passage that led into another cave, a very long one too! Then a lot of small passages, galleries, corridors and openings. A sort of maze. That’s why we didn’t go any further. We were not ready for a speleological venture. Here, have a look, I’ve made a quick pencil sketch of the cave section we went through.”
Three heads leaned over the rough pencil sketch. Artem stayed put in his corner. He was determined not to budge.
The whole thing could be treated only as an offensive disregard of his person. Disgraceful!
Who was it who had first taken an interest in the cave when they had arrived just a month before and began prospecting — Artem of course! Who had kept assiduously collecting all kinds of information about it? Artem! Who had managed to find an old man who told them of some finds long ago in and around the cave? Again none other than Artem. Nobody would even have noticed the insignificant little cave had it not been for him. True enough, Artem wasn’t an archeologist; he was a geology student, but then, Lida wasn’t an archeologist either! She was also a student taking the same course as he. Anyway, one way or another, Dmitro Borisovich did not have the right — at least from an ethical point of view — to take Lida with him on this prowl that had turned to be so revealing. It was an affront! All right, now Artem knew what he had to do…
“And we did find four outcroppings of copper veins in the walls of the main gallery and two in one of the side corridors,” Artem heard as he became aware of Lida’s voice again. “They were real outcroppings. Ivan Semenovich, they really were! Won’t this cave be of great use to us?”
“So, they were real…” the geologist drawled. “Yes. Now the situation must be regarded from quite a different point of view. Dmitro Borisovich, don’t look at me so triumphantly! I’m of the opinion that the person who really has the right to be pleased with himself is Artem, for he first took an interest in the cave. By the way, why do you look so morose, Artem? What’s wrong? You are not unwell, are you?”
“Yes, quite a change has come over you,” Dmitro Borisovich joined in, turning his head to look at Artem.
“Our dear Artem must be daydreaming,” Lida said with a twinkle in her eye.
Artem slowly rose to his feet, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his overalls. He approached the table without uttering a word, looked at the Lida’s sketch and made a wry face.
“Really, Artem, what’s come over you?”
“He’s probably got some news to break. Is that it?”
But Artem turned away without replying, walked back to his chair, sat down, and only then did he speak. His voice was filled with a deliberate indifference.
“I’ve got nothing new to tell you. Neither am I daydreaming, nor am I sick. I’m fine. I’m just wondering since when Lida got so excited about archeology? She’s been quite lackadaisical about it up till very recently. And as far as her sketch is concerned, it’s poppycock,” he pointed to the paper on the table. “It’s a… you can’t call it anything but…”
“Ah, now I see what’s wrong,” Dmitro Borisovich said cheerfully. “You’re not being reasonable, Artem. I took Lida along precisely to get her interested in my archeological affairs. And it seems I’ve succeeded, isn’t that so, Lida?”
Lida nodded her head in ready affirmation, and then looked out of the corner of her eye at Ivan Semenovich: what did he think about the matter?
“Here we have another deserter from geology,” laughed the geologist. “Now I realize, Dmitro Borisovich, that I should not have come here with you, no doubt about it. Honestly, you’re a veritable enemy implanted in our midst. You will lure everyone here into your field, the way I see it. It looks as if we’ll all turn into full-fledged archeologists! All right, let’s get back to what we were discussing. Maybe Artem’s mood will improve in the meanwhile. Is that likely, Artem?”
“I’m not in such a bad mood as it is,” snapped Artem.
“Oh sure, sure, that’s obvious… Now, my friends, in light of the new discoveries we’ll have to introduce changes into our plans. You must admit now that I’m not as unyielding as some people think… incidentally, it’s you I have in mind, Dmitro Borisovich. Though, to be quite frank, I still have my doubts and don’t care to hide them.”
“For example?”
“Well… the thing is that the veins could disappear inside the mount just as they do close to the surface… But that can be checked. Moreover since your desire to probe the cave for archeological finds is clear to everyone, Dmitro Borisovich, we’ll unite our two lines into a common effort — geological and archeological. Do you have anything to add?”
The archeologist stroked his beard and spoke, seemingly lost in meditation:
“What attracts me most, Ivan Semenovich, is the fact that the cave is, so to say, an unexplored area. No one has set foot there for quite a long time. Remember what the old man said? T know that there cave inside out, I remember all its nooks and crannies. Been some time since they found anything in there. Which means that at least two or three of the locals were impeded by the rockfall, thinking it was the natural end of the cave. Now, since we’ve managed to get beyond it, I have quite different ideas about the cave.”
“So you have, have you? I’m eager to hear about them.”
“More than likely, the old man was referring to ancient artifacts. We’ve got a chance now of finding a lot more since I’m of the opinion that the cave once stretched deep into the heart of the Sharp Mount, and was spacious, too. It is quite plausible that some ancient people lived there or used it as a refuge to hide from enemies. That would explain the finds… There’s even more to it, if you’ll allow me to make some conjectures, which, of course, will be open to criticism. Considering the nature of the finds and how the villagers described them, I’m inclined to think that we may be talking about a tribe of ancient Scythians…”
“Scythians?” Lida and Artem exclaimed simultaneously. “Yes, Scythians, one of their numerous tribes. It’s quite conceivable. There’s another idea that I have, though it’s of a purely archeological kind, if you know what I mean. And as such it would be of no interest to you as representatives of the science of geology…”
“There you go again, Dmitro Borisovich,” Lida said disgruntled. “As soon as you get to something interesting, you stop short and try to make us prompt you into continuing. Please go on, we’re all ears.”
“All right, I’ll continue,” the archeologist said with a smile. “There’s a chance that we might find something in that cave that would tell us how the Scythians mined copper ore and how they extracted copper from it. It is known that they were excellent metal workers — copper, bronze, and especially iron. That’s the archeological side of it. But since I know only too well that our dear Ivan Semenovich cannot be tempted to take an interest in any archeological questions no matter how hard I try, I’ve thought of yet another reason to study the cave. And it’ll be a purely geological one.”
“Namely?” the geologist said, with evident interest.
“Well, when we have established that the Scythians…”
“Wait, you said you were not sure it was the Scythians who inhabited these parts.”
“Of course, you’re right, Ivan Semenovich,” the archeologist agreed. “Let’s put it this way — when we establish beyond doubt that the ancient tribe that lived here extracted ore from the cave, it would necessarily mean that the tribe knew of the local deposits, am I right? And, consequently, a geologist could draw his own conclusions from this fact, couldn’t he?”
uI’ll give you one conclusion straight away,” Ivan Semenovich said. “If your ancient tribe did use the local ore, this ore must have been of a very high quality because the ancient people could hardly have known any methods of working low-grade ore. Yes, you’ve scored a point, Dmitro Borisovich. What a shame you’re not a geologist. You’d have made an excellent one if you hadn’t spoiled it all by enrolling at an archeology school.”