We are imperiled! I write this, huddled beneath the mass of the Pegasus's Rapture, while rain pours down upon us. We had a most tragic and frightening incident! As we sailed over the Caribbean Sea, suddenly a storm came upon us quite suddenly. The Captain and his first mate tried in vain to keep the airship aright, and after much tossing and pitching (which was most disagreeable to the stomach, I don't mind saying), we came to a crashing halt on an island of some kind. We were too far out to have come upon the mainland, and so we concluded we must be on one of the many uncharted isles that dot the warm waters.
The storm was still raging when we ventured out of the relative shelter of the airship, and took in our surroundings in the meager light of dawn.We had landed on a desolate beach, with some scrubby jungle that crawled away into the bulk of the land mass. The Captain and Miss James took inventory of the damage and supplies while Mr. Higgs and his apprentice began work on the most obvious repairs. My team and I gingerly stepped away from the ship, hoping to make a determination of our location and to see if there were any resources we might use.
We soon came upon a cave, and decided to get in out of the rain, which was no longer a torrential downpour but still had soaked through much of our outer garments and fell in large drops from the jungle canopy. Dr. Smythe went in first, to be sure it wasn't already inhabited by some dangerous creature, and then we followed. Miss O'Connor, being quite distressed from the ordeal, desired a fire to be made. We found some dry leaves and used a lucifer scratched along the wall to light it. Thankfully, Dr. Smythe had thought to pack some. We laid our coats out near the fire to dry them, and sat down to rest. I put my arm around Miss O'Connor and tried to reassure her that we would be alright, that the Captain and his crew had everything well in hand and would have us up and flying in no time at all. In truth, I had no idea what might happen, or if we would even be able to leave the island at all, but I had to put a brave face on for my young assistant.
Dr. Smythe lit his pipe and sighed. "Well," he said, "it seems we'll have to make the best of our situation. If this storm blows over soon it will be easier to get on our way, but in the time being we must sort out food and shelter. It seems we have plenty of fresh water at the moment." We all looked to the mouth of the cave, and watched the rain. "Perhaps we should gather some now," I said. Dr. Manton immediately stood and started looking around for a device for such a task. It was so strange the way he scurried about the cave, he's all nerves that one. He finally found a large plant husk of some kind, and placed it at the door to catch the rainwater. "I do hope they can finish the repairs quickly," I sighed, "just when I found a clue to direct our journey, we have been wrecked. I should like to get to Brazil quickly and begin our expedition properly."
Dr. Smythe suddenly stood up straight, and walked over to one of the cave walls. "Miss Brabant, come here please." I got up and followed him. He lit a lucifer and held it close to the wall. "Do you recognize these markings?" I squinted where he pointed and gasped. "Why, these look remarkably similar to the drawings just recently discovered in Altmira! They are currently the subject of heated debate as to their age and origin. Some theorize that they were made by early humans, but there is argument as to the capacity of those people to think in a creative way. Perhaps these were made by inhabitants of this island." Miss O'Connor came to stand next to me. She pointed at one of them. "Miss Brabant, this one resembles the strange bird from your artifacts!" I looked closer. She was right! It was the same bird from the map on the shrunken head, and on some of the other artifacts brought back by Lord Harrison.
"Interesting," Dr. Smythe mused. "What's that?" asked Dr. Manton, looking over our shoulders. Where he had popped up from I hadn't the foggiest idea. I looked at some of the surrounding pictographs and saw the same spiral shape from the map. "I think these are directly referencing the Kalumi people. I wonder how the former inhabitants of this island knew about them." Miss O'Connor looked perplexed. "If these were drawn by natives, where are they now?" We looked at each other, and then to the mouth of the cave. Slowly, quietly, the sound of drums could be heard. "What's that?" Miss O'Connor whispered. It started to grow in volume, sounding closer and closer. "We should get back to the ship," I whispered back. We quietly picked up our coats and kicked some dirt over our dwindling fire. The four of us stepped out into the rain, which was now dwindling to a misty shower. We tried to move quietly through the brush, but as the sound grew in volume and now sounded faster, we started to run.
We broke through the trees and ran to the ship. Just as we turned back to look behind us, a great number of natives in very sparce clothing and wielding spears and axes burst from the trees, shouting and waving their arms. The gentlemen found their guns, and Miss O'Connor and I went to find a place to hide. Miss James stood with the men, brandishing a rifle, and they all started firing into the mass of warriors. As they got closer, I could see the body paint on their chests and faces. They were quite frightening indeed! Soon they got within striking distance of my comrades, and I quickly found a pistol among the cargo. I started firing as well, hoping to give some better coverage from the flank. The Captain and his crew took out swords and began to beat back the attackers while my colleagues joined me further back and kept firing into the onslaught. "Stay back, Miss Brabant!" shouted Dr. Smythe, and he took out a man who had almost reached us. I gasped, but mustered my courage and kept shooting.
Finally, it seemed as though the natives realized our superior firepower and tired of engaging the Captain and his mates, and they disappeared back into the forest. The crew ran back to where we had taken cover. "We have to get our of here," Miss James said to the Captain. He nodded. "Rose, see if you can the gas hooked into the gas bag and re-inflate it. Roger, how is the engine?" Mr. Higgs looked darkly at the Captain. "Hard to say, sir, she's pretty banged up, but we'll get her going. Maybe a few hours." The Captain nodded, "See if you can have her started up before then. We don't know when they'll be back, or how many more of them will come. It won't take many to overcome us, and our abilities are no longer a surprise." He looked to me. "Do you think you can have all your gear loaded in ten minutes? I aim to be in the air in an hour if Roger and Tom can get us started up." I looked at the others, then nodded. "Yes, I suppose I can."
We got everything packed and ready, and I began to walk the perimeter of the ship, to be sure we hadn't missed anything. Dr. Smythe and Dr. Manton had taken a moment to remove the bodies of our attackers, and so we were once again the only thing on the beach. Suddenly, I spotted something in the sand. I bent down and picked it up. It was a strange object, made of some kind of black stone, with markings on it. My eyes suddenly widened. The bird symbol! Before I could inspect it further, I heard the Captain and Mr. Higgs talking, and I slipped it into the pocket of my coat. "Sorry, Cap," Mr. Higgs said, "She's flooded with water. She'll need a good dry-out before we can take off." The Captain sighed and hung his head, his hands on his waist. "Well then, Rog, let's get a cover set up for her. Looks like we'll be spending the night." Mr. Higgs walked away to start work and the Captain went back inside the cabin.
Tonight we are taking shelter in the cabin, such as it is, and using the outer balloon for extra shelter. We have decided against a fire, in order to avoid attracting attention, and so far there has been no further attack. Perhaps they are afraid. Perhaps they are gathering greater numbers. Only time will tell. For now, we can only wait, and hope they do not come again before the engine can run.
No comments:
Post a Comment