Sergei crossed his arms and looked around at the others with a triumphant grin on his face.

“I understand,” Maria said. “I'm surprised we didn't see it before. This ravine still floods from time to time. It's possible that a flash flood washed the specimen away from a wall farther along and that the baby floated here, where it lodged in the hole and froze again.”

Sergei saw that he was losing his conversational edge. “We're not here to look at holes,” he said brusquely. He led the way about a hundred feet from the discovery site to where the ravine branched off.

“You go with Maria down there,” he said, pointing to the left-hand branch. “We'll examine the other ravine.”

“We've already been down this one,” Maria protested.

“Look again. Maybe you'll find some more of your floating mammoths.”

Maria's eyes flashed. Sato saw that a salvo was coming and intervened. “We had better make sure our hand radios are tuned to the same channel,” he said.

With a verbal brawl averted, they all checked their walkie-talkies; and made sure the batteries were good. Then they split up into two groups, with the three men going one way and the women the other.

“What's wrong with Sergei today?” Karla asked.

“We got into an argument over your theory last night. He said it was all wrong. I said he wasn't giving you credit because you were a woman. He's such a male chauvinist, my husband.”

“Maybe he just needs a little time to cool off.”

“The old goat will be sleeping with an iceberg tonight. Maybe that will cool him off.”

They both burst into laughter that echoed off the walls of the ravine. After walking several minutes, Karla saw why Maria had been so angry about being ordered to the left-hand branch. There were few bones to be found. Maria confirmed that the expedition had partially explored the other gorge and found it far richer in bones than the one they were in.

As they scanned the walls of the gorge, Maria's hand radio crackled. Ito's voice came on.

“Maria and Karla. Please return immediately to the point where the party split up.”

Minutes later, they were back at the place the ravine forked. Ito was waiting for them. He said he had something to show them, and led the way along the tributary to where the other two men were waiting in front of a section of banking that looked as if it had been blasted open with dynamite.

“Somebody has been digging here,” Sergei said, stating the obvious.

“Who could have done such a thing?” Sato said.

“Is there anyone else on the island?” Karla asked.

“We didn't think so,” Ito said. “I thought I saw a light a few nights ago, but I couldn't be sure.”

“It appears that your eyesight was working very well,” Sato said. “We are not alone on the island.”