Hortons Bend

laboratory for evaluation, he kept the material separated and moisture free. Besides, there was no sense in notifying anybody. The big wheel archaeologists gossiped amongst themselves so he didn’t want to alert them to an area where he was hunting. After the artifacts had dried, he got out his journal and made notes within detailing the area they had searched. Earlier he had taken the time to pace out the area so as to have an approximate idea of its size in meters. Other notes were included such as distance from the river bank, color of the soil, size of the burned area, and counts of the artifacts themselves. Ronnie prided himself on his note taking. While he would never share this with others, he knew it was important to pay attention to detail. He began to look over the Savannah points and then compared them to those from the Stanley place. Sure enough his thoughts in the field had been correct as all the points had the similarity of the basal end. Small details to some people but important enough for him to remember.
    Ronnie was deep in thought when he realized it was getting late. He carefully put all of his notes to the side and cut out the table lamp. He walked out the front porch and snatched the cooler lid off to reach into the icy water for a beer. As he sat and rocked, he couldn’t help but think about Horton’s Bend. He knew the Horton family would never allow access to the fields in the bend. He didn’t like to trespass but he couldn’t get this site out of his mind. It would have to be on a full moon night. The weather would have to cooperate. Everything would have to be perfect including the river level since it was the only plausible access to the property. “Hmmm” he thought to himself “should I take J.W. or not?” He loved his brother and had always looked after him but this was a little more dangerous than trespassing. The Horton clan kept to themselves and didn’t abide by anyone on their land. Ronnie knew he could get away if need be but his brother was a little clumsy. He didn’t know the woods like him. Ronnie shook his head and bit his lip. Leaving J.W. out of this could also be trouble. He would have a hard time hiding what he might find…..J.W. was a little slow but he recognized lackluster artifacts from those that were outstanding. No. This was a matter of trust. He would just have to get an early start on making sure J.W. knew what they were in for. And after it was over they both agreed there would be no talking about that night to anyone.
    Monday morning brought about another typical week in the woods. The King brothers were working on a tract which had been sold off by the Patterson’s. They were a kindly old couple whose children had been long gone since going to colleges in Atlanta. Mrs. Patterson had brought the crew some lemonade at lunch time. The boys held off from drinking a beer after work in respect for the elderly couple. When they got into the truck, Ronnie looked at J.W. “Let’s go to the house. I got something I want to talk to you about.” J.W. looked a little concerned for a moment but trusted his brother so that it didn’t give him too much pause. When they arrived at Ronnie’s, they took their place on the porch with beers in hand. J.W. saw his brother rubbing his eyes. “Ron…you alright? You looked tired all day.” His brother looked at him in the most serious manner he had ever seen “I haven’t slept much this weekend, but there’s something I want us to do.” Ronnie laid it out explaining the weekend date he had in mind and what he expected of his brother. J.W. was a little surprised at first but then not so much. He felt a little frightened but was also proud to be included in this hunt. “Nobody and I damn well mean NOBODY needs to hear about this…..and I’m including Mama.” J.W. wasn’t one to keep secrets from his mama but he knew she would hound them every minute to change their minds about going around the Horton place. Ronnie pointed his finger at his younger brother and told him in the sternest voice possible “This is just me and you and you know I will find out if you slip it to your buddies.” J.W. nodded and said “I promise Ronnie” and with that promise the pact was secure.
    The two spent the next two weeks going over every detail of their plan. Never once did they discuss their trip during work hours. It was only mentioned in the truck or on Ronnie’s porch. Tools were readied in advance as each one received