reclined on a cot, reading a dog-eared paperback novel. Lily couldn't

remember seeing Mike Graham without an adventure book in one hand or

stuffed in a coat pocket. One of the leading field archaeologists in the

country, Graham was as laid back as a mortician.

"Hey, Mike!" Gronquist boomed. "Take a look at what Lily dug up."

He flipped the coin across the room. Lily gasped in shock, but Graham

expertly snatched it out of the air and peered at the face.

After a moment he looked up, his eyes narrowed doubtfully. "You're

putting me on."

Gronquist laughed heartily. "My exact words when I laid eyes on it. No

gag. She excavated it at site eight."

Graham pulled a briefcase from under his cot and retrieved a magnifying

glass. He held the coin under the lens, examining it from every angle.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Lily asked impatiently.

"Incredible," murmured Graham, captivated. "A Gold Miliarensia. About

thirteen and a half grams. I've never seen one before. They're quite

rare. A collector would -probably pay between six and eight thousand

dollars for it."

"Who is the likeness on the face?"

"A standing figure of Theodosius the Great, Emperor of the Roman and

Byzantine Empires. His position is a common motif found on the face of

coins from that era. if you look closely, you can make out captives at

his feet while his hands hold a globe and a labarum."

"A labarum?"

"Yes, a banner bearing the Greek letters XP and forming a kind of

monogram meaning the the name of Christ." The Emperor Constantine

adopted it after his conversion to Christianity and it was handed down

through his successors."

"What do you make of the lettering on the reverse?" asked Gronquist.

Graham's eyeball enlarged out of proportion through the glass as he

studied the coin. "Three words. First one looks like TRIVMFATOR. Can't

make out the other two. They're nearly worn smooth. A collector's

catalogue should give a description and Latin translation. I'll have to

wait until we return to civilization before I can look them up."

"Can you date it?"

Graham stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Coined during the reign of

Theodosius, which, if I remember correctly, was from A.D. 379 to 395."

Lily stared at Gronquist- "Right in the ballpark."

He shook his head. "Sheer fantasy, to suggest fourth-century Eskimos

had contact with the Roman Empire."

"We can't rule out the infinity of chance," Lily persisted.

"Once this gets out, there will be a flood of speculation and hype by

the news media," said Hoskins, inspecting the coin for the first time.

Gronquist took a swallow of his brandy. "Ancient coinage has turned up

in odd places before. But the date and source of its deposit could

rarely be proven to the full satisfaction of the archaeologists'

community."

"Perhaps," said Graham slowly. "But I'd give my Mercedes convertible to

know how it turned up here."

They all gazed at the coin for a few moments without speaking, each lost