HAWTHORNE: Chronicles of the Brass Hand: Mystirio Astronomiki

by Christopher C. Meeker

  With all but a few items accounted for, some one hundred and twenty, it was then that I noticed yet another inscription upon the wall of the second chamber; however, these hieroglyphs looked much different from the previous ones discovered in the first room. Although I was unable to translate any of these new inscriptions, I sketched them in the back of the book regardless, hoping, if we were ever to escape, to present them to Uncle James, that he might perhaps have an idea concerning their meaning.

  Two of the symbols looked as though they should be rather easy to decipher. The first appeared to be that of a stepped pyramid, much like the one we were at present trapped within, and the second symbol was that of a six-pointed star which rested somewhat above the pyramid. Although I was not able to interpret the symbols I imagined it had to do with worshipping Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun.

  While examining the writings on the wall, I became aware of how hot the antechamber had become as beads of sweat began forming upon my face and brow, so it was more than a mere surprise when I felt a cool breeze upon my face and neck. I approached the wall and examined it in great detail. Although not as pronounced as the first smaller block had been, there was still the most definite outline of yet another door. This seemed an amazing streak of good fortune to me; nevertheless, I summoned McNeil and the others to aid me once again in our struggle to liberate ourselves from the small chamber.

  With much less difficulty than before, we were able to move the heavy stone door out of its resting place, as it seemed to be hinged in some manner suggesting that this was indeed a proper door and was meant to be used as such. With the door now open we were able to see that it concealed, or rather opened to, a shaft of considerable length which extended downward at a subtle incline. With little to be lost considering our current situation and the hope of escape before us once again, it was with renewed spirit that we ventured forth into the long passageway.

  Of reasonable height and width, it was with a fair amount of ease that we traversed the long passage for the first several hundred feet; however, soon we found our progress more difficult as the floor of the corridor had become less defined until at the last gave way, not to the carved brick as was encountered at the earlier stages of our descent, but to a somewhat roughly dug tunnel as one might experience in some type of mine, such as coal or otherwise.

  The floor of the tunnel yielded to our footsteps, replacing our prints with small pools of murky water, and on occasion we were forced to travel through some rather deep puddles and spots of thick dark mud.

  We continued on with no more difficulty than I have just described, but our march was far from its conclusion, as each time we thought we might reach the end of our journey or took a turn either to the left or the right, the passage continued on with no sign of ceasing. Several of the men wished to turn back, but at the urging of myself and McNeil, continued forward nevertheless. Pressing on we were subject to many more turns and slopes as we went, until after some amount of time the passageway levelled off and once more returned to the smooth stonework such as we had encountered at the start.

  Soon thereafter, in the distance, we were able to see a small amount of light and knew that we had come to the end of the tunnel. We stepped out of the passage through a crevice in the rock – whether made by man or natural, it was impossible to tell, for the stone face had hidden it so well that the opening was rather invisible from the outside. Standing in the light of the setting sun, we were able to hear the sound of flowing water and realized we had emerged not far from the river’s edge. It would be a simple matter now to follow the tributary upstream to the Stratos, where we could re-arm ourselves and mount a rescue of the others still trapped within the temple.

  Moving with caution along the riverbank, we saw no other signs of danger and assumed that the army of apes was still gathered about the temple or perhaps had retired themselves to the jungle. The latter was the optimum condition for us to rescue our companions; nevertheless, I feared this was in probability not the situation and that we would need some plan in order to break through the ranks of enraged anthropoids to execute a rescue of the remainder of the crew.

  In short order we arrived back at the Stratos; however, none of those who had remained behind earlier could be seen on deck. The Stratos itself looked to be in good repair as she now floated some several feet from the ground, held in place by nothing more than her mooring lines, anchoring her to the banks of the river.

  As we approached we noticed the rope deck ladders still remained draped over the sides of the hull, which to our good fortune, allowed us easy access to the upper deck. Once we were standing topside we called out several times to anyone who might still be on the Stratos, but hearing no response began to become rather concerned. It was customary to leave a small contingent of enlisted on board at all times, and it was doubtful that any of them would have abandoned their posts against orders.

  Drawing our knives, as our firearms were now all spent of their ammunition, and feeling somewhat apprehensive for there was an impression of danger about the ship, we proceeded with caution below decks to investigate, hoping to locate someone who might be able to relate to us the current condition of the Stratos and the location of the missing men.

  Searching quite every cabin and calling out repeatedly yielded no result, and it seemed as though the situation were more dire than we had anticipated for most every cabin had been turned over, as though a struggle had taken place within. Many of the doors had been torn in entirety from their hinges or broken to pieces, and I could not help but think that this was the work of the apes we had encountered earlier. If this were the case, I feared there may be no survivors for us to locate at all, and the chances of rescuing those trapped at the temple were now rather slim.

  In an instant my thoughts turned to the good captain and, alarmed in the extreme, I made straight for the infirmary, the last place I had seen the captain and the last place I was sure he would be found were he to still be on board the Stratos. When I reached my destination, however, I found no one within and, unlike the rest of the cabins, found no sign of struggle or damage. I thought this odd and called out to McNeil, who appeared moments later, and together as we assayed the situation could not come up with a reasonable explanation as to why the medical bay, which at the time, held the most important person on the ship, was not in shambles like the other cabins, and why there were no signs of a struggle at all, for we were indeed quite convinced that the Stratos had been attacked by the apes.

  It was clear to us now that we should turn our attention to those still trapped within the walls of the great stone edifice from which we had just escaped, and a plan should be drafted for their liberation at once. It was with this notion that we began without delay to devise such a plan as to free our companions from the temple, which the apes were guarding with diligence. Therefore, we agreed upon a scheme in which we were to re-arm ourselves, secure a sufficient amount of black powder, return to the temple through the passage out of which we had previously emerged, and blast open a portion of the stone door, releasing our fellow crewmen from their confinement. However, upon venturing into the armoury, we were met with utter dismay, for the place was found devoid of all weaponry, rifle, blade, revolver, or any other form of armament large or small.

  Without the aid of at least a few revolvers the task had now become, as I perceived, an insurmountable challenge. Nevertheless, upon making a complete search of the armoury we were by grand fortune led to a small, misplaced, and otherwise overlooked partial case of demolition explosives. Though not as potent as a full keg of powder, we were in agreement that the several charges contained in the box should be sufficient, if combined, to accomplish our purpose. McNeil tucked two of the small sticks into each of his trouser pockets as well as a good length of extra fuse.

  It was our intent that once we had freed our companions, we would return to the Stratos and, with a larger portion of the crew available to the effort, devise a new strategy for locating our missing m
ates. We returned to the infirmary a final time to equip ourselves with as many items as possible in order to treat those who had been injured and anyone else in need of medical assistance. Once we were well-stocked, we then proceeded to the upper deck of the Stratos.

  Imagine my shock when we emerged to find ourselves surrounded by a large army of giant apes, the very creatures we had encountered twice before! In the midst of them stood a man all clad in black, his face half hidden beneath the brim of a large hat, the likes of which I had not encountered before, and the remainder of his form obscured by a rather long coat of quite unusual style.

  Beside him stood two more men dressed in black shirts and trousers and sporting a revolver each, which were aimed straight at us. There was also present a small contingency, perhaps a half dozen or so, of what appeared to be local natives garbed in traditional Central African attire complete with ornate headdress, their faces painted in a manner designed to elicit an air of intimidation, which I might inject, was quite effective. In their hands, pointed at us as well, they carried rather long tribal spears which they would have used upon us, I've no doubt, without so much as a thought were the situation to necessitate it.

  The two men gestured for us to relinquish our weapons, which we did without hesitation, for it was plain to see that we were outnumbered by quite a large margin and had we decided to resist I am quite certain we would have met our ends there on the deck of the Stratos, and all would have been for naught. As fortune would have it once again, the items in our pockets were overlooked, which bode well for us, for if we had been asked to empty them the explosives McNeil carried would sure to have been discovered. It seemed our plan may still be effective if we were ever to be given the opportunity to execute it, but for now it seemed to us that it would be more prudent to delay any confrontation until as much about our captors could be learned as possible, thus increasing our chances of escape.

  The fellow with the hat was the first to speak. His short speech was concise and direct to the point.

  “I am uncertain, gentlemen, as to how you managed escape, but be assured it will not occur a second time. Your crew-mates are being taken care of and are safe for the moment. They will remain so as long as you do nothing foolish. Your captain, however, is not at all well, and I would wish no further harm come to him; gentlemen, that rests in your hands as well.”

  I took this, and was right to do so, to mean that should any of us offer up resistance he would do the captain harm as punishment. He was quite bold in manner, and I’ve no doubt that he would make good on his threats were we to test him in this; therefore, I decided I would comply with as many of his demands as possible, barring those which would perhaps bring immediate harm to myself or my companions.

  By his accent I suspected the man to be of Egyptian descent and, in the rays of the setting sun, just beneath the brim of his large hat, I was just able to see the features of his face which, to my satisfaction, confirmed the supposition. I will refer to him as “the Egyptian” from here forward for throughout our entire encounter, and subsequent encounters as well, he was quite reticent to divulge his name or any other brand of identification.

  ”The Egyptian,” however, demanded of us our identities and purpose aboard the Stratos. As I felt there would be no harm in revealing who I was, for in actuality I was a mere passenger visiting a friend at the Cape of Good Hope and had no information, relative to my identification, that could do him any good nor myself or my friends any harm, I complied.

  “I am Edgar Hawthorne of Willesden Northwest London on a journey to visit an acquaintance.”

  The Egyptian turned toward me with a wry smile upon his face.

  “Edgar Hawthorne, you say? A rather curious turn of events. Perhaps this will offer a better outcome than I had anticipated. Presuming of course no harm comes to you, but again, that is for you to decide.”

  I found it odd the Egyptian spoke as though he were familiar with me.

  “You seem to know who I am, yet I have no recollection of ever having met,” I said.

  “You are correct; we have never met, although I am acquainted with your father.”

  I was rather taken aback by this.

  “In what manner are you acquainted with my father, may I ask?”

  “Your father and I have had… business… dealings in the past.

  “And you were not happy with the outcome?” I said.

  “Most of them were… unsatisfactory,” the Egyptian said.

  Again, McNeil insisted the Egyptian disclose his name and his intentions concerning the crew of the Stratos and their fate. Once again, the Egyptian refused to answer.

  “All you need concern yourself with is that you are my captives and will do as I command, otherwise the consequences will be... unpleasant.”

  The Egyptian turned, motioned to his subordinates and, at gunpoint, we were escorted down the ship’s ladder. I was quite amazed that through the entire exchange, while we were standing on the deck of the Stratos, every ape both aboard the ship and amassed on the ground below showed no signs of aggression in the slightest and was as docile as any domesticated beast could be.

  “Where are you taking us?” McNeil said.

  “Back to the temple of course. To wait out your incarceration with the good captain and the rest of your crew,” the Egyptian said.

  With pistols at our backs and the Egyptian leading the way, we began our solemn march back to the very temple from which we had but a short time before extricated ourselves to face some other ill fate, which I dared not imagine. If we were to escape our predicament and rescue the others we would, to be certain, require a most ingenious scheme for now we were well outnumbered and without arms, putting us at great disadvantage. I nevertheless had every faith in McNeil and the crew of the remarkable Stratos and was sure beyond doubt we would emancipate ourselves - at what cost, however, I could not at the moment say.

  Our return to the temple was uneventful as expected, although during our long trip back, McNeil, marching alongside our native captors, was privy to a conversation regarding the matter of the Egyptian and their employ under him. Having spent many of his adolescent years in Cote D'Ivoire with his parents, emissaries from the London Missionary Society, McNeil was able to understand most every word of their conversation save for small portions that he had forgotten or had not been able to hear with clarity.

  In this manner we were able to ascertain that the Africans were somewhat unhappy with the reliability of the Egyptian’s word, as they felt they had been cheated out of numerous items promised them for their continued service under his command. Both McNeil and I felt that this new information might be useful in our effort to escape and that if we could sway even several of the natives, our chances of success would increase a great deal.

  Upon arrival at the temple we once again climbed the steep, narrow stairs to the top of the huge monument, large apes flanking us from bottom to top and spread across the entire face of the impressive structure. As we had witnessed on board the Stratos, the savage beasts were as docile as grazing sheep and spent the entirety of our journey to the top of the temple either sitting in peace or engaged in the casual grooming of one another just as one might expect to witness in the London Zoo.

  Upon reaching the top we were ushered in through the very doorway which we had sealed earlier in defence from the apes, the large stone door rolled back into its original position, and led down the same steps we had again traversed on the previous occasion. Once at the bottom of the stairs, we were escorted down a long passage to our immediate left and into a small chamber, not unlike the one we had found ourselves trapped in earlier, where our hands and feet were bound and there left awaiting what further actions I could but guess. Our captors exited the makeshift prison and a large iron door, added to the temple long after its original construction, was closed and locked tight in order to prevent our escape.

  Chapter VI

  IN WHICH THE CREW OF THE STRATOS ATTEMPT A DARING ESCAPE, AND EDGAR M
AKES A MOST ASTONISHING DISCOVERY

  We awoke to the sound of the heavy iron door being unlocked and then opened. Having been confined within the small chamber, our hands and feet bound throughout the night, we were forced to sleep upon the hard stone floor in the most unnatural position and, speaking for myself, had felt as if every muscle, bone, and joint were shouting out in pain. After some moments I righted myself and, leaning against the wall, was able to discern that it was one of the natives, the leader, who had entered, bringing with him what I had supposed to be our meagre breakfast for that day.

  I roused McNeil and, upon his seeing the tall African, addressed him in his native tongue. Startled that he was able to communicate with him in his own language, the fellow began questioning McNeil as to how he came to speak their language. McNeil told him of his youth and how he had spent the better part of it living in south-west Africa and how his parents and he had arrived there as missionaries.

  Before any more information could be exchanged, one of the Egyptian’s subordinates stepped into the room and motioned for the man to leave. As he departed it was not difficult to see that the proud African warrior was not at all pleased to be taking orders from the guard, for he cast him an angry glance as he exited the room. The guard approached and, feeling there was no risk of our escape, and for the moment, he was correct in that assumption, produced a large knife from its sheath and cut loose the ropes about our wrists in order that our hands would be free enough to eat the meal that had been delivered us.

  After several hours, the leader of the natives returned once again, bearing a somewhat more substantial meal which I assumed would be our last of the day. As he approached us he began to speak in a hushed whisper to McNeil. He said that his name was Kokuo, the leader of his tribe, and that he had made a terrible deal with the Egyptian, thinking him to be the god of the afterlife returned to the realm of the living to reclaim those who had cheated death, as was told in the stories of his ancestors.