A Short Rest

Whilst Captain Pankov is preparing his airship, I have been tasked with the impossible decision of who shall accompany me on this mission. As for the crew, I leave that in the captain's capable hands. I will need, however, a few companions to assist me when I arrive in the Amazon. I shall employ a native guide to lead us through the jungles when we arrive in Rio de Janeiro.

Firstly, I must appoint a translator. I need someone fluent in both Portugese and one or two of the native languages. I think for this task the best person would be Dr. Smythe, an excellent linguistic expert who also shares an interest in the peoples of the Amazon. Certainly, this choice is quite easy, as he is probably the most authoritative voice at the museum in these cultures, aside from myself.

Secondly, I need to bring along an assistant anthropologist. I think the young Miss O'Connor would be an excellent choice. She is nearing the end of her internship, and is very bright indeed. She has impressed me especially in her studies of the artifacts of the native peoples of the Yukon, drawing several very interesting conclusions about their uses.

Lastly, I shall require the services of another archaeologist, one whom I can entrust with what we shall find there. I believe Dr. Manton will be excellent in this. He is very respectful, knowledgeable, and scared to death of me. He has some knowledge of the native peoples of Brazil, but not enough to covet my findings as his own work. I believe he looks up to me in many respects, and I think he will enjoy the opportunity to prove himself.

When I approached Dr. Smythe, he seemed very keen to have a chance to put his knowledge to use in the field, as I think many professors young enough to enjoy an adventure are. I stressed, of course, the importance of discretion. He is not very talkative in general though, so I'm not particularly worried for him. Miss O'Connor was typically effusive, babbling charmingly about how exciting the whole experience would be. I know I can trust her as well, we have grown to be quite good friends since she has joined the museum. She reminds me a good deal of myself at that age, ready to move on from University and do some real work in the world! Dr. Manton was his usual nervously acquiescent self. He is such a strange, reedy little man, I wonder how we shall fare in the close quarters of an airship. Still, he is extremely capable, and will be of great help in deciphering the clues that lead to my lost civilization.