* * * * *
"16 Apr. 1923 (cont.):
Herr Lancer remained quiet for a few moments. Then, he said: 'Not a bad recitation, Herr Liebenkraft. But, you labeled the myth as 'proto-Polynesian.' Does the rest of the archeological community agree with that labeling?' "
"I shook my head: 'Nein! Most of them are convinced that it is merely a post-Christianization adaptation of certain Bible stories. Slightly revised in terms that non-anglophonic Polynesians can more easily understand.' "
" 'What about these man-eating ghosts you mentioned? Do you think they have any basis in fact?' "
"I shrugged: 'German folklore is full of stories about 'vampiren' (reanimated corpses that feed on human blood). Natives of the Dutch East Indies have similar tales about blood-sucking dolls called 'jenglots!' The latter were probably influenced by Malayan Muslim seafarers telling second-hand tales about the corpse-eating ghoul of pre-Islamic Persian mythology. It is, therefore, equally probable that pre-Columbian Polynesian story-tellers were similarly influenced. Amalgamating those stories with their own folklore about cannibalistic enemy tribes.' "
"Professor Phillips smiled triumphantly, turned to Herr Lancer, and said: 'Convinced?' "
"Herr Lancer likewise smiled, and nodded. Then, he turned back to me and said: 'You're hired, Herr Liebenkraft. Get your affairs in order by this same time, tomorrow night. Because, that's when the three of us ship out!' "
* * * * *
"17 Apr. 1923:
I have finally met the rest of the expedition. In addition to ourselves and Herr Lancer (who still insists on dressing like a cinematic cowboy), there is also his bodyguard, Herr Jack 'the Hammer' Martelli. Plus, Captain Murgatroyd (captain of our transport vessel, the S.S. DEWITT CLINTON); his first mate, Herr Russell 'Rusty' Steele; Dr. Thomas Peter McGee, ship's physician; and Herr Joseph Svensen, a salvage expert from the former Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands)."
"We were all introduced to each other at a late supper, in the officers' mess, prepared and served by Keith Ulu, the ship's cook. In certain ways, he is the most interesting one of the lot!"
"For one thing, he appears to be a half-caste Polynesian. For another? He never goes anywhere without his pet parrot, Ephraim, perched on his right shoulder. And, not just any parrot. But, a New Zealand kea, at that!"
* * * * *
"20 Apr. 1923:
We have reached the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal. Herr Lancer was standing beside me as the ship entered the first lock. He remarked that it was exactly twenty-three years and two months since he had first crossed the Isthmus of Panama. At which time, the main mode of transport was still only a railroad."
" 'Three years, after that?' he added: 'I was running guns to the anti-Colombian rebels on behalf of Uncle Sam. So, one could say that--if not for me--this canal would never have been built!' "
" 'If that is even half-true, Herr Lancer,' I replied: '...then I must confess. I might be developing a strong dislike for your so-called 'Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.' "
"We exited from the Pacific side, eight hours later."
* * * * *
"22 Apr. 1923:
We met in the captain's cabin for the 'Big Unveiling' (as Herr Lancer called it)."
"The captain graciously consented to let Professor Phillips unroll the Vandersnatch map upon his desk. And, the professor did so with all the gentleness of a first-time father changing a newborn baby's diaper!"
" 'I realize that, to most of you, Chinese calligraphy looks like nothing more than lop-sided tic-tac-toe marks! But, I assure you; this map will lead us to a long-lost treasure-trove of inestimable value. Both financially _and_ historically!' "
"He added that those of his peers who did not doubt the existence of Kapu Hiva were of two minds on the subject."
" 'Half of them think it lies somewhere in the center of a triangle formed by Samoa, the Marquesas, and Easter Island. The other half think it lies much farther west. Somewhere in the Central Indo-Pacific (which, incidentally, is where the harbormaster back in Philadelphia has us officially bound).' "
" 'And, unofficially?' I asked."
" 'Well, I've done some cross-checking. Comparing these constellations drawn on the map, with their current Occidental names and celestial positions as listed at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England. If our calculations are correct? Then, Kapu Hiva is located right...about...here!' "
"He picked up a pencil and drew a circle on a contemporary geopolitical map of the world (unrolled to the right of the Vandersnatch map). And, I don't know whose eyebrows arched higher when the rest of us glimpsed precisely _where_ he had drawn it."
"It marked the exact intersection of the Equator with the International Date Line."
tbc
Giantess World
