On The Doorstep

This morning we woke with the sun, gathered our things, said our final farewells to the tribesmen, and started into the forest with the hunters.

The morning in the jungle was still cool from the night's rainfall, and smelled loamy and thick. It wasn't long until the sight of the village was overtaken by foliage and disappeared into the forest completely. We were glad to have the hunters with us for much of the journey, as they made easy work of the thick roots and vines in our path, slashing and hacking at them with long, sharp machetes. All too soon they split off from our group to begin their work. It was about midday, so we sat down in a clearing and had a bit of lunch. The women of the village had packed some food for us, and we ate it heartily, thankful for such a repast after our long morning walk.

I happened to sit down near Mr. Higgs, who was very cheerful company. By and by I asked him, "How long have you worked for Captain Pankov?"

He scratched his head and thought a moment. "Oh, I suppose I've been flying with the Cap'n nigh on seven years or so. Seen many strange things, but this is my first time to the Americas."

I smiled. "Mine too. What are your impressions thus far?"

"Well," he said, adjusting his position on the flat rock he had made his seat, "I suppose it's alright for some, but it's a bit muggy. I can't say as I'm particular to staying in any one place though. The Cap'n and Rose and me, we don't berth many places other than the Pegasus. Not for very long, anyhow."

I nodded, thinking. "How long has Rose been flying with you?"

"Oh, Rosie's been with the Cap'n longer'n me, for sure. Probably they started out about 10 years back. They been through many the tight scratch, I'll warrant."

"Really?" I asked, "Are they...married?"

Mr. Higgs laughed, seeming to find great mirth in the suggestion, "Oh, no, not that lass. They might have been on that track a while back, before I joined up, but not now. All I know is they've got an eye on the other's back; Rose wouldn't let anything hurt the Cap'n, and he keeps her out of trouble as much as he can. They're both the kind that attract a lot of attention though," he said in a low voice, winking at me. "There are a few lads in the airfields of The Continent waiting for a letter from our Rosie."

"Oh," I replied, "I see."

Shortly thereafter we started on our way again. It was slower going now, but we still found the small hill before nightfall, just as Mr. Wayling had described it. Leading up to the site was a trail of broken stones, but as we looked closer we could see the shapes of animal heads carved into them. Dr. Manton described one or two as a Jaguar or a Quetzal, and said they were similar to some of the carvings recently found in Mexico. As we approached the hill we could start to make out the doorway. It was almost completely covered in vines, but we saw the dark shadow of the opening, like that of a cave. We investigated further, and saw that the outside had a carved square arch made of two tall stones supporting a shorter one. On the pillars were many carvings, mostly of animals with some pictographs as well. There, situated in the center of the top stone, was the bird symbol of the Kalumi! We were definitely on the right track.

We lit some torches and as soon as we could get the branches cleared away, we started inside. The Captain, Mr. Higgs, and Mr. Wayling led the way, keeping an eye out for any large predators that might have taken up residence. We found a large circular chamber, similar to the one on the island. There were no crystals, but there was an identical altar in the center! We quickly split up, examining the walls which were covered in paintings. Soon we found what looked like a map, with the coast and the Amazon river marked in a bright blue woad. Criss-crossing the river in a serpentine pattern was a long line, broken by triangle symbols. Other lines branched off from those, leading to more triangles and some squares and circles.

I looked at my comrades, who had gathered around. "It's a road map," I whispered. "Look, these triangles are probably all temples, like this one. I don't know about the other shapes, perhaps they denote other types of structures. Clearly this one was like the one on the island, maybe even used for the same purpose; some kind of group worshiping place. Is it possible the circles were smaller villages? I wonder if the other tunnels have identical maps, like some kind of waypoint system!" I was babbling, talking faster and faster, until I ran out of steam and just gaped in wonder. "There!" I pointed at the place where the river seemed to branch out. "The same cluster of three symbols that we found in the scalp! The bird symbol crowns them all! That must be where the city was! The center of the Kalumi civilization!" I turned and smiled to my companions. "Let's go!"

The Captain laughed gently and put a large hand on my shoulder. "Not tonight, I'm afraid," he said, not unkindly, "It's too dark now. It would be best to stay the night in here, and venture out when it's light."

I grudgingly relented, and we made camp there in the temple. I settled down in my sleeping bag, my head filled with thoughts and questions over what new discoveries the next days would bring.