Chapter 39
Sunday, June 7
The group decided to spend several days in Sydney before proceeding to
western Australia. The goals were to investigate the Western
Mining and Exploration Company (which they learned about at the Penhew
Foundation in London as a possible front for cultist activity) and to
travel to the coordinates of the site in the Great Sandy Desert
depicted on the diagram in the Bent Pyramid. After Nell took Lya
to Mass, she began researching possible routes to western
Australia. Lya telephoned Professor Cowles (lecturer at the
University of Sydney on Aboriginal and Polynesian mythology whom she
met in New York back in January) and wangled an invitation to tea on
the morrow. She spent the evening reviewing her notes from Cowles'
lecture at NYU and writing in her journal.
Monday,
June 8
Nell, Rupert, and Slakinoff visited the State Library and learned that
the Western Mining and Exploration company was chartered in 1921 to
perform gold mining and mineral surveys of western Australia. Its
claims were in an area of the Great Sandy Desert near
Cuncudgerie. Its President was an American named John
Carver. The company was privately held.
Lya and Alisa visited the Australia
Museum. In the section containing aboriginal (or Koori) art
Lya became very agitated when she came upon a depiction of a great
entity with bat-like wings and a three-lobed red eye. She sought
out the curator and gave him her business card. After explaining
that Enigma was a highly-respected scholarly journal back in the
States, she obtained permission to return the next day and take
photographs of some of the exhibits. She also learned that the
bat-like artifact was discovered near Pilbara in western Australia.
That afternoon, Lya, Nell, Alisa, and Rupert visited the home of
Professor Cowles for tea. Lya immediately began asking questions
about cultists, bats, cats, and buried cities in the desert. Nell
quickly assured Professor Cowles' that their interest in these matters
was serious and provided the name of Professor Mills Fairwether as a
reference. Cowles assured them that he appreciated Lya's passion
for the subject and that he was happy to help them in any way.
Cowles told them that he believed that the story of Rainbow Snake and
Sand Bat dated back about 20 000 years, to the time when the interior
of Australia began drying into desert. The natives called this
climatological change "the end of Dreamtime", when searing droughts
ravaged the land. Cowles' showed them a 4"x6" pocket diary of
brown cloth stamped with the year 1921, which he explained was the diary kept by Arthur MacWhirr of Port
Hedland. He told them that he was planning to lead a joint
expedition with Miskatonic Expedition into the Great Sandy Desert next
year to verify MacWhirr's claims of having discovered a vast, cyclopean
city. Cowles' introduced one of his graduate students, Bruce
Blimey, who was arranging the logistics. Rupert suggested that
Bruce Blimey accompany them to western Australia on a preliminary
scouting expedition. Cowles and Blimey thought this was an
excellent idea and that the University of Sydney would provide some
funding. Cowles' asked the group to find out if the Cult of the
Sand bat was still active among the aborigines of western Australia.
At dinner that evening at the hotel, the group took Bruce Blimey into
their confidence and told him most of the story - the murder of Jackson
Elias, the Carlyle Expedition, the Ju-Ju House, the Penhew Foundation,
the auction in Vienna, the Orient Express and Szeged, Cairo, the map in
the Bent Pyramid, Shanghai, and now their quest to find whatever was
hidden in the Great Sandy Desert. Somewhat overwhelmed with all
this, Bruce agreed to help the group.
Tuesday, June 9
Rupert visited a publishing firm and arranged for the publication of
his "Memoirs of Gallipoli". he then telegraphed back to his
newspaper in New York requesting any information on "John Carver".
Nell accompanied Lya to the Australia museum and took photographs of
the bat-like artifact as well as megalithic blocks with odd stone
carvings, found on the island of Ponape.
Bruce Blimey telegraphed to an outfitter in Port Hedland and arranged
for caches of food, water, and petrol to be placed along their planned
route into the desert. Professor Cowles gave Bruce a letter of
introduction to a man in Port Hedland (Robert B.F. Mackenzie) who knew
Arthur MacWhirr.
That night at dinner, Rupert informed the group that he would stay
behind in Sydney to supervise the publishing of his Gallipoli book and
to send a rescue party after them, if necessary. Slakinoff also
announced his intention to remain behind and continue studying the
Sussex Manuscript. Mr. Mutsu expressed his desire to continue on
the expedition and it was agreed that he would be hired by Alisa as her
bodyguard.
Wednesday, June
10
Nell began researching routes to western Australia. She
determined
that passage by steamship was the fastest way to get to Port Hedland
and she reserved five berths on the steamship Madras of the Eastern
and Australian Steamship Company.
Rupert received a telegram from New York stating that John Carver was
either a Montana rancher, the owner of a Florida orange grove, or a
resident of Portland Oregon with no listed profession. Nell took
the group shopping and purchased gear for an Outback expedition.
She also purchased a book describing the unique wildlife (including
snakes and insects) of the Great Sandy desert.
Thursday, June 11
Nell, Lya, Alisa, and Mr. Mutsu visited the National Art
Gallery and, in the aboriginal art section, noticed a rather
disturbing portrait on bark depicting a dying man, his body bloated and
black, surrounded by stick figures holding jagged clubs Lya
spoke to the curator and learned that the object represented a ritual
sacrifice by a cult of bat worshippers. He thought the bark
painting was several hundred years old.
In the afternoon the group visited the Botanical Gardens.
Friday, June 12
Nell, Alisa, Lya, Bruce, and Mr. Mutsu departed Sydney on board the
steamship Madras, leaving
much of their baggage behind under Rupert's care. The
plan was to travel by sea to Port Hedland, then take the railroad to
Cuncudgerie, and then overland by truck to the coordinates given by
MacWhirr's diary (22 deg 3' 14" S latitude, 125 deg 0' 39" E longitude).
Saturday,
June 13
In transit aboard the Madras.
Arrival in Melbourne.
Sunday, June 14
In transit aboard the Madras.
Arrival in Adelaide.
Monday, June 15
In transit aboard the Madras.
Tuesday, June 16
In transit aboard the Madras.
Wednesday, June
17
In transit aboard the Madras.
Arrival in Perth.
The group disembarked and spent the night at the Outback Hotel.
Thursday,
June 18
The group left Perth aboard a coastal steamer (the Ballarat).
Friday, June 19
The group arrived at the small town of Port Hedland, terminus of
the narrow gauge railway into the Pilbara mining country. After
checking into the Port Hedland Hotel (the only hotel in town), Alisa
and Bruce decided to learn what they could about the area by visiting a
succession of pubs (in alphabetical order, at Bruce's
suggestion). Lya remained in her room writing in her journal,
while Nell and Mr. Mutsu had a quiet dinner at the hotel. Nell
learned that one train travelled to Cuncudgerie each day.
At Alvin's Alehouse, Bruce and Alisa talked to a grizzled old
prospector and heard a rumor that some aborigines in the desert are
worshipping a bat-god. Dead aborigines have been found in the
desert, their bodies covered with hundreds of tiny puncture
wounds. "Not to worry, mate - it's only abos killing other abos",
states the prospector. They also hear that the master of a
regular camel caravan claimed to have actually seen the bat-god, which
he proclaimed to be "bloody 'orrible". Unfortunately the caravan
master is making a swingaround and won't be back for months.
At Bruce's Brews, they heard a rumor that a
half-breed white man was the leader of the bat cult. They also
heard a rumor that cattle had
been found dead with puncture wounds along the stock trail.
At Simon's Saloon, they heard a rumor that an aborigine named Johnny
Bigbush had told a story that he claimed was very old. A great
old man named Buddai sleeps beneath a wonderful city out in the
desert. His snoring can be heard from miles. One day Buddai
will rise up and devour the world. Johnny worked for Randolph
Shipping Company in Port Hedland.
At Trent's Taphouse, Bruce and Alisa met a prospector named Gabby who
impressed them with his knowledge of the outback. He told them
that he was a Yank from Montana who had spent some time in the Yukon
before winding up in Australia, before the Great War. Alisa hired
him as a local guide to accompany them into the desert.
Back at the hotel, Alisa enjoyed the luxury of a hot bath.
Saturday, June 20
Bruce, Nell, Lya, and Alisa visited Robert B.F. Mackenzie, a local
lawyer who handled claims, wills, and deeds. He had been the
executor of the late Arthur MacWhirr, who died of influenza a few
months after returning from the desert. He remembered MacWhirr as
a fine, upstanding, sober, retired mining engineer who was absolutely
convinced of the reality of his desert discovery. When asked if
he still had the plates of MacWhirr's photographs of the megaliths and
his notes, Mackenzie said that about a year after MacWhirr's death he
was visited by an American named Howston who asked to borrow the
materials and never returned them. When shown a photograph of the Carlisle
expedition, he identified Dr. Robert Huston as "Mr. Howston".
The group then visited the Claims Office. After some research
they discovered that Western Mining and Exploration had filed claims to
a large area of the Great Sandy Desert, including the site of
MacWhirr's discovery. They also learned that Western Mining and
Exploration had an office in Cuncudgerie.
After leaving the Claims Office Nell noticed a warehouse with the sign,
Randolph Shipping Company. They recalled that this company had
appeared in some of the documents found at the Penhew Foundation and
decided to avoid any contact with it.
At the station, Nell purchased six tickets (round-trip) to Cuncudgerie
and was dismayed to learn that First-Class meant riding in a box car
and Second Class meant riding on a flat car. The train was
primarily for freight service and carried few passengers.
Back at the hotel, Lya disguised herself as Alisa's aboriginal maid.
Sunday, June 21
The group rested in preparation for their trek into the Great Sandy
Desert.
