It all began in 1916 on Arrowhead Island where young brothers, Ron, Arthur and Bob live the carefree life of three Huckleberry Finns.
One day they stumble upon an old pine box that’s been washed ashore filled with Indian bones, a skull, arrowheads and a tomahawk.
Inscribed on the lid are the words: Wau-kon-haw-kaw. In town, an Indian by the name of Big Canoe tells the boys that they have found “Snakeskin,” the lost bones of Chief Waukon Decorah. A curse was once placed on those bones and now that they have returned, war with the white man is imminent—as prophesied by Chief White Cloud, the Indian prophet.
Big Canoe tells Ron that he will pay him handsomely for those bones the following day with the intent of burying them properly before word gets out to the Indian tribes. But prior to the trade being made, the boys meet up with their old pal, Harmonica Jones, and Ron foolishly exchanges the box of bones for a German Luger. When the hobo is later found dead, and the box of bones nowhere to be found, the boy’s father (Pops) encourages his sons to do whatever possible to find those bones and bury them in the sacred Cave of Chiefs.
“Hilton takes you on an adventure of historic proportions…A TON OF FUN!” – Ben Rehder
Edgar Award Finalist and author of the Blanco County Mystery Series