A Rattle in Time

Tom and Clapper dig through the sandy clay bank of a creek to build their secret fort, when a dislodged boulder in their path drops them into a cave once used as a place of magic by ancient Indians. There, they find the Kateena, a legendary ceremonial rattle with vast and mysterious powers. Playing with it they are startled when a passage opens in the cave floor leading them to a time before America was settled by the white man, when the Makani tribe ruled the mountains, and the valleys were the territory of the Kitowa. Their alien appearance embroils them in tribal intrigues and the impending threat of war until a Makani shaman urges them to return the Kateena rattle to the cave. When they finally get back to the cavern they realize that to protect the destiny of the world waiting for them beyond the bank of the creek, the Kateena must be destroyed.