Thursday, 20.April.1888 (cont.):
Mr. Blake's radiological aura generated a healing energy of 1 Body/turn.
Thereafter, a search for the porters started. 17 were found, 9 by Miss Courtney, 6 by Wooster, and 2 (who were owed money by him) by Lok. Po suggested that he use his power of Clairvoyance, with Dr. Davis on mind link, and together they track first the boars and then the porters. Unfortunately all they were able to see was jungle. So Po switched to Mind Scan in conjunction with Miss Courtney and was able to determine an approximate direction and distance to the notched-ear boar who had barked at Miss Costorari. He felt that the boar's mind did not hold a human ego. The young Chinaman then was able to pinpoint some of the closer, still-running porters, and so 4 more were recovered, bringing the total to 21 porters.
Despite the fact that the Expedition was a week into its supply use and supplies were no longer needed for all 36 porters, it was determined that one of the tents and a certain amount of supplies needed to be cached and, potentially, abandoned. The need to guard against further ambushes would slow the trek henceforth; thus supplies would have to be doled out and supplemented by hunting. [Survival skills: Penrington, Miss Courtney, Steele, Dr. Davis, others?]
Hours after the attack, Isabel, accompanied by Steele, Miss Costorari, and Penrington, tracked the boars, discovering that one had split off from the main group; an injured one leaving an obvious trail. That trail eventually vanished into dense undergrowth into which a tracker could only crawl. Sensing another ambush, the trackers returned.
Discussing the event, Isabel said that the boars "behaved more like hyenas."
Blake suggested that the point man give warning next time, before shooting. Penrington apologized but was interrupted by Blake's reassurance.
Wooster took Penrington aside for a private talk. "You seem like a normal chap. But these others..?! Blue glow and the jungle blows up? And that kid glowing gold?" Penrington must have said something to reassure the guide who went on to note that the hunting had been scarce. He hinted that "a couple of those rare white leopards would make up my losses" and asked that Penrington find out if any of the mumbo-jumbo users could find such. Eventually Penrington found a chance to bring up the subject, commenting, "I said I'd ask." Po seemed unwilling to oblige.
Tuesday, 25.April.1888
Five days later the Expedition reached the limit of Wooster's experience: rising ground covered with vines at the foot of the mountains. Miss Courtney climbed a tree and took sightings of the tallest peak. The general shape of the Lion Head was lost at this proximity.
The Expedition camped at a spring on the mountainside. Under a ledge, protected from the elements, Miss Courtney found a handprint made when someone braced himself to drink. She estimated that it was not more than 2 weeks old. She also found 3 rocks that might have once been a trail sign but had been clearly destroyed. An examination of the cliff face revealed that, hidden under masses of vines, there were holes chiseled into the rock apparently designed for holding climbing posts. Someone had disturbed a bit of the overgrowth to, apparently, check that the holes were there. There was no indication that the Other Party had climbed. Nonetheless, as elevation seemed indicated by Miss Costorari's visions, the Expedition spent a day and a half climbing. The inventors particularly had to devise a way to allow the steel man to safely climb.
Thursday, 27. April. 1888
Atop the cliff was a 150-inch (300 meters) long stone blob covered with vines. Moving vines away, it was determined that the underlying rock had been chiseled and the rear haunches of a couchant cat were discerned. Atop this great stone lion was found an area cleared of vines in which were 3 indentations, forming a 2-3-ft. equilateral triangle, and a trace of brass in one. The indentations were old; they had been chiseled before the vines overgrew the statue. Blake observed, "They set up their theodolite there."
Further investigation revealed a cigar butt with the label of a London tobacconist -- not Mr. Courtney's brand, Miss Courtney said. Penrington stored the cigar butt away. It also seemed clear that the Other Party had left, going down the front face of the "lion" and heading south, some time ago.
Miss Costorari attempted to gather more information from the rock itself. Dr. Davis noticed that the Romany's breathing had slowed almost to the pace of a mountain and broke the girl from her trance. Miss Costorari gasped that the mountain was very old and wanted to wake up. Trying to "read" it had been like "staring into Infinity." Noting that mountains and humans didn't communicate very well, the group encouraged Miss Costorari to rely on her earlier visions. She remembered that she'd looked to the NE through the theodolite. Penrington surveyed the vista to the NE; many ridges covered with green and clouds. Nothing of obvious note in that direction.
Miss Courtney used the transit to take navigational bearings in the daylight and then again once the stars were out, leaving the tripod and equipment in place for the night.
Friday, 28.April.1888
The Expedition brought out their pieces of stele and assembled them for the first time in Africa. No particular aura was noted but some discussion ensued as to it being possibly a map or set of directions. Dr. Davis noted that the symbol for Leo on the stele might represent the stone lion. Mr. Blake started to lift the vines on the back of the statue to search for linear markings. Penrington observed that the lines on the stone pieces might be pointing to a Place of Interest in the center, possibly the tower illustrated by a corner stone. Miss Courtney commented then that perhaps the Other Party had headed off for whatever the Gemini symbol represented. While Blake searched atop, Miss Costorari recalled her vision and looked under the vines at the ear of the lion, where she had seen the two natives carving the stone. There she found the largest example of the linear writing any of the Party had ever seen. [We each acquired a Society Point for the find.] It took a full day to clear away the vines to start making rubbings and sketches.
Saturday, 29.April.1888
The linear example consisted of three columns, the first one of "paragraph headers": 5 symbols of which two were recognizable Zodiacal symbols for Pisces and Taurus. The first paragraph in the other two columns consisted of one line of linear writing. The succeeding paragraphs consisted of 3 or 4 lines. The columns seemed very similar but not identical to each other. Mr. Steele started clanking and churning as his decryption program moved into action. The sample was definitely large enough to analyze and had been carved by two people working more or less together. The redundancy in the columns depended on what was significant. Various ideas were proposed. Eventually the explorers left the machine man to his calculations.
While waiting, Wooster told a native story about a snake raising his twin (human) children. One went into the snake and came out with food plants while the other was too frightened of his sire to venture. Wooster commented that most African tales made as little sense as that.
The group discussed options and elected to continuing tracking the Other Party. Po, again linked with Dr. Davis, tried his mind scan to the limit, having to pull out when a mind he thought might be pertinent died violently. The Chinese boy was badly shocked by the experience. The doctor was pale and silent, looking at Po.
As the group reached the bottom of the climb, Mr. Steele called out that he had solved the linear writing. The two columns were the same, with the right-hand column exhibiting carelessness and a mistake. They were addition problems in base 12. Miss Courtney recalled that the natives of the Niger delta always tied their wood in bundles of 12. Steel went on to recite, "Translating into base 10. The second paragraph is 23 plus 2 equals 25 and the third is 39 plus 2 equals 41." Having recently been doing navigational calculations, Miss Courtney recognized that the "plus 2" represented the two degrees of deviation between magnetic north and stellar north. Steele went on with "the final calculation coming out to 359, to which was added another one to make 360, or 0 as recorded." The mathematicians in the group queried, "Why would you add another 1 at the end." Again Miss Courtney's knowledge of navigation recalled that one degree would be the correction needed given the latitude of the Lion Mountains at the equinox.
All this proved that the numbers recorded on the stele seemed to be angles. The group was jubilant with success.
Saturday, 20.May.1888
Three weeks later the bedraggled party straggled towards Turner's Town on the coast somewhat east of Freetown. While still in the jungle, Miss Courtney made a discovery and quietly called Mr. Blake to investigate. The bones of 6 natives, dead about a month. No means of death was discernable. The group recalled that only 6 porters had been hired in Freetown by Mr. Courtney. Dead men tell no tales.
Dr. Davis reported in to Lord Frank's factor in Turner's Town. Despite appearances, she attempted negotiations in a ladylike and businesslike manner. The next ship east would be arriving the next day; the next ship west, in three days. Arrangements were made:
Knowing time to be short if the Expedition were to head east immediately, Dr. Davis rejoined the party to discuss the next destination.
World Notes: Airships travel at the rate of about 15 knots. It's about a one week trip by air from Freetown to Victoria. Some ships are privately owned, some are owned by the Royal Niger Company (which plays the role of the East India Company in Real History.)
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