The Rings of Poseidon

by Mike Crowson

  Chapter 16

  The next morning was sunny and promised to be warm, even hot, later. The camp woke early to get about its business, with Alicia anxious to see things started and to create a good impression on her professor when he arrived. If she knew that Gill had spent the night with Steve, she didn't say anything, but Gill was more content with life than she'd felt for a long time and was raring to go. The local men turned up early, anxious to make up for time lost through the rain. It was a happy and cheerful crowd that crossed the field to the dig.

  Steve checked over the vehicles and washed away all traces of the rain of the previous twenty-four hours. Then he filled the water tanks and checked the calor gas bottles before he drove down to meet the ferry.

  As there wasn't much to pick up at the ferry, Steve had taken the car rather than the Landrover. He was waiting on the hard, leaning against the bonnet in his shirt sleeves sunning himself, when the boat came alongside and tied up with the usual practised ease. Professor Harrington landed first because he left his bags to the crew and about a dozen passengers came up the steps after him.

  There were four climbers with their gear, probably come to tackle the 'Old Man of Hoy', and a couple of other tourists who had, to judge from their equipment, come for the fishing. The rest were a sprinkling of local people who had been visiting or shopping. There wasn't a lot for the camp that day besides the professor's bags, and they didn't amount to much of a load.

  "Good morning Benderman. Just put my bags in the boot will you," he said to Steve, addressing him like a chauffeur or a taxi driver, as he held the car door open.

  Steve was cheerful and friendly as he recovered the professor's bags from the top of the steps and put them in the car boot with a couple of boxes the ferry had brought. True enough the old man's brusqueness irritated him a little, but he didn't have to put up with the old coot for long, so it didn't seem to matter as he slammed the boot. He even hummed a tune to himself as he walked round to the driver's side and climbed in.

  "Did you have a good journey, professor?" he asked as he started up.

  "I flew. Changed at Aberdeen. There was rather a lot of rain, otherwise reasonable. How long will it take us to reach the dig?"

  "Oh, about fifteen minutes or so. I've never actually timed it but it doesn't take long."

  "Have you had much of a problem with the weather?" asked the academic.

  There was something condescending about the older man's manner which, coupled with his brusqueness, set Steve's teeth on edge and made him dislike the man, though not with any exact reason.

  "We lost most of yesterday to the rain you mentioned," Steve told him, "and the ground was wet, but it dried out overnight and it never even slowed down the Landrover."

  "Good, good," said the professor and lapsed into silence. Steve drove on, feeling that he ought to say something but, not being very strong on small talk, he couldn't think of much to say.

  "Quite a view from the crest of this hill," he remarked. "I know the hill itself isn't much but the island slopes away this side."

  "I imagine that you'd get a better view from the higher ground to the west."

  "Possibly, but the higher land is lonely and wild." He searched for something else to say. "According to the map there's a stone circle near the Rackwick road."

  I know. I went when I was here in the spring."

  Steve sighed with relief as they reached the dig. "Here we are," he said unnecessarily, and turned into the field.

  Professor Harrington was more than impressed with the progress of the dig. He glanced over the camp and then left Steve to see to lunch while he walked over the field to the excavations. He took an overall look at the site and talked to the local men who were finishing off work on the first house. He spoke with with the volunteers and seemed to be trying to get an impartial overall view of the project, before turning to any details.

  Gill, Manjy and the girls from Kirkwall were now well down into the second house. Alan, with two more volunteers, was numbering and stacking the roof stones from the third house, while Frank and the remaining helper had dug along the route of the passage way to the fourth house, uncovering the roof.

  The professor could see at once that the site was substantial but thought that Alicia's interpretation - a more cautious version of Steve's story, though she didn't mention her less than orthodox sources - was more fanciful than the evidence warranted. All the same, he didn't contradict her.

  Over a sandwich lunch Alicia asked Professor Harrington, "Are you planning to sleep here in the camp?"

  "I don't think I will be staying long," he said, "but I will stay at the hotel in Linksness. I will take the car overnight for transportation."

  You can use my room if you like," said Steve, "because I can always put some bedding in the Landrover."

  Gill, who was standing behind the professor at the time, caught Steve's eye and grinned.

  "Most kind." said the academic. "but I won't inconvenience you. I'll only be staying one night or possibly two at the most."

  "Up to you," said Steve, "Excuse me a moment, I have to change a Calor gas bottle." and he left the cabin.

  After the others had gone back with Frank temporarily in charge, Alicia started to go through the paperwork and the finds

  "As I told you," said Alicia, "we uncovered the remains of two people. More or less complete skeletons. Alan and company found the skeleton of a young female among the ruins of house number one. Gill's team found the other, a skeleton of a small adult male uncovered just outside the entrance to the village while they were looking for the way in. I've got some photographs here."

  Alicia opened a wallet of prints and selected several that related to the find. Her professor studied one or two and then began to unfold Frank's plan of the excavations. Alicia leaned over towards the map.

  "Now the skeleton we found here," and she indicated the spot, "was wearing a ring. Copper as far as we could tell, but coated with something to prevent it losing its newness we think. At least it still shone like new."

  The academic's eyes glittered and Steve thought there was a noticeable coldness in his voice as he snapped "Show me."

  Perhaps it was only an archaeologist's enthusiasm, because Alicia didn't seem to detect anything unusual as she opened the cabinet and took out the ring.

  Professor Harrington examined the ring carefully for a minute before saying, "What a remarkable state of preservation it's in. This ring is a thing of beauty and power."

  He was almost oblivious of the two other people in the room as he gazed at the ring with a growing glitter in his eyes.

  "This ought to go back to the university for security," he said at length. "I don't know how much intrinsic value it has, but the value that comes from age is considerable."

  He held up the ring in what Steve thought was near triumph and stood up. "You wouldn't want to lose it."

  Steve half turned and saw Alicia, still seated, glance up at the professor who was holding the ring up to the light to examine it further. Then, to Steve's surprise, she fainted!

  Professor Harrington looked both surprised, concerned and rather helpless. "Oh dear," he said. "Whatever caused that?"

  Steve knelt to take a closer look. "I don't know," he said, "but perhaps you'd better fetch Gill ... Miss Meadows."

  "Yes. Yes indeed," said the Professor and exited hastily, his demeanour suggesting either relief to be doing something or relief just to be passing responsibility to someone else.

  "Probably the former," thought Steve as Alicia stirred.

  Steve had helped her first into a sitting position on the floor and then onto a chair. There was a small lump on the side of her head where she had struck something, possibly a corner of the desk, but there didn't appear to be anything else amiss. At this point a worried Gill rushed into the cabin followed a few moments later by the Professor and Frank.

  Gill insisted on taking Alicia's pulse and fetching a thermometer to take her temperature, w
hile Steve made some tea and gave her a mug of it, strong and sweet. Alicia seemed to recover rapidly and started to make light of what the others found worrying.

  "I'm all right," she insisted when the Professor suggested they call the doctor. "I've been in perfect health up to now and it's just down to worrying about everything going all right for my doctorate."

  Professor Harrington was doubtful. "You need have no worries with regard to your project. Everything is going splendidly with the dig. However, I wish you'd see a doctor to make sure all is equally well with your health."

  Alicia was insistent that all was now well, but she did agree to rest for a while in her room, and went with Gill to the caravan. Frank said he would take charge temporarily and left with the Professor. They set out across the field discussing how many houses there would be altogether in the Scad Head settlement.

  "If the passage bends back towards the sea," said Frank, "there would be room for another six on top of what we've uncovered so far."

  "There might be an animal stall back there," said the Professor. "You haven't come across one yet, but I think they must have had one."

  As they went out of earshot, Steve poured himself some tea rather than waste the rest of what he had brewed for Alicia. He was just about to drink it when Gill came in.

  "'Strewth I need a cup of tea," she said, and helped herself to Steve's. She took a sip and added: "What was Alicia doing just before she fainted?"

  "Showing the Professor some pictures of the skeleton with the ring," said Steve. "They're still out."

  He collected together the photos and put them back in the wallet.

  "What's the ring doing out?" asked Gill.

  "The Professor was looking at it."

  "Before or after looking at the pictures?"

  Steve wondered where the inquisition was leading. "After," he said.

  "Hmm. And what was Alicia doing while the Professor looked at the ring?"

  "Looking at the Professor."

  "And she fainted. Just like that?"

  "Wham," said Steve. "Just like that."

  Gill paused, part puzzled, part pensive, all her newly-found psychic faculties alert and tingling. "How did the Professor seem?"

  "Pleased. He seemed to think the ring was a valuable find or, at least, an important one. He wants to take it back to the University for safe keeping."

  "Does he now! I remember you predicting that he would. Oh well, I'd better get back to work."

  She turned to go, but stopped at the door and said cryptically, "It may prove just as well I have the amulet, but don't mention it to anyone." With that she left.

  The excavation stopped work late and the Professor did not stay to eat, saying he would find a room and eat at the hotel in Linksness. He was adamant and left with the car. Alicia came out of her room for the meal and, apart from her quietness and a lack of appetite, seemed none the worse for having fainted.

  We're still making good progress," Frank reported to her, "but nothing spectacular and no new sign of habitation." Alicia only nodded.

  "I gather Professor Harrington wants to take the ring back to Warwick," said Manjy. "I think Alan ought to try it while we have the chance."

  "Well, he's the only one connected with the University team who hasn't tried it yet." Frank agreed.

  "Shall I fetch him?" asked Gill.

  Alicia nodded again, so she went to fetch him. She returned shortly followed by Alan, with Carol, one of the volunteers, in tow.

  "What's this all about?" Alan asked.

  "Professor Harrington wants to take the ring back to the University with him," said Steve. "You'll have to try it to-night or not at all."

  "Does he?" said Alan. "Well, I suppose I may as well give it a go." He sat himself down at the table. "It's okay if Carol stays?" he asked.

  Everybody looked at Alicia, but she just shrugged.

  "Stay for what," asked Carol.

  "If it goes as we expect you'll know the answer in a minute," Gill answered, and she had to be content with that reply.

  Manjy, Gill and Alicia already sat at the table. Carol joined them and Steve stood watching, tea towel in hand.

  "All right," said Alan and Gill handed him the ring. He studied it much as the others had done, but there was little to see. It was too tight for his third finger, though his hands were slim for a man and rather long, so he slipped it on his little finger.