The Days of Peleg (34 page)

“What did you see?” asked Thaxad as he helped Peleg to his feet.

“I dropped one of the discs,” gasped Peleg angrily. “I couldn’t grab it in time.”

He shook his head and looked over at Manco Chavin.

“What else did those divers say?” he asked.

“They developed the theory that they were remnants of previous dwellers before they were destroyed and
Apu Inti
recreated us in the image of
Viracocha
. This old humanity reigned for thousands of years before the curse destroyed all but our Survivors—who were brought here.”

He shrugged. “Of course, there is very little interest in events prior to the Re-Creation.”

“We haven’t eaten anything in over twenty-four hours,” interrupted Serug. “And I think it’s about time we got to land and found some meat!”

The
Gutian Defenders
had fought back fiercely, but they were no match for the advanced weaponry wielded by Sargon’s mercenaries. The best they could do was keep the frontlines away from their families, and pray they made it to the caverns in time.

Soon the caves would be expanded to include entire communities and the Defenders would focus their efforts on camouflaging the entrances—and making the quarters livable and self-sustaining.

Living completely underground would have its advantages. They would be free to pursue their more spiritual concerns if they could not be discovered. Besides, there were stories of extreme cold weather in the far north, and a subterranean lifestyle could prove advantageous should it ever encroach.

Chapter 26

Flight

“That a bird knows its way home is amazing, but for its offspring to know is impossible.”

A
fter nineteen days of hiking, Peleg finally discovered the answer to a question that had been bothering him ever since they had discovered the first rope-bridge.

The shore was now far behind them as they now headed west by northwest through the underbrush. The ex-priest proved an excellent guide, demonstrating the proper way to clear a path quickly. Serug had caught more spider monkeys and Manco Chavin had demonstrated his culinary expertise by making a spicy seasoning with the local herbs and barks.

Thaxad continued to silently despair that they were traveling away from the ship. But it was understood that only with help from these unknown
Wari
artisans could they perhaps reach the coast and—with a great deal of luck—somehow get to the
Urbat
in less than two weeks. Before Captain Phaxâd was forced to continue the Great Discovery without them—as he had promised.

The terrain was becoming greener and greener, and the surrounding mountains looked more like mounds—except that they were hundreds of meters high with their summits bathed in light fog.

What had caught Peleg’s eye was a large, colorful trapezoid floating high in the distant sky between two mountains to their right. It was late in the afternoon, and the bright sunlight from the west bounced off the bright blue and yellow object as it bounced above the gully between them.

“What is that?” he asked Manco Chavin.

Their guide looked with the others as the object appeared to choose the eastern-most mountain.

“Oh, they’re building a bridge,” he explained.

“What do you mean?” asked Serug.

“Do you remember the rope bridges we crossed earlier?” he asked.

They nodded.

“Well, this is how the engineers get the first rope across.”

“I was wondering about that,” said Peleg.

“What you are seeing is a kite, which is blown by the wind. It carries a small string to the other side where a man is waiting for it. Once it is across, the man who was flying the kite ties a heavier thread to the string. This is pulled across and a small rope is attached. Once this is pulled over, a heavy hemp cable which can support the weight of the bridge is tied to the rope.

“The bridge is pre-assembled with all three cables and connecting lines. When they are ready, the bridge is attached to the cable and lifted across where the three ropes are anchored to large staves on the far side. The anchors are tightened on the first side and strength tested.

“Of course, the actual bridge-builder is the first man to walk across.”

The men from the
Urbat
were impressed.

“You could extend one of those bridges in a single day!” exclaimed Serug.

“Almost,” said Manco Chavin. “There is much planning that is done in advance, and the bridge itself must be assembled very carefully.”

They continued on in silent thought for several minutes. Peleg had a momentary daydream of a giant kite that could carry the four of them to the
Urbat
, but it came to a crashing end when Peleg suddenly remembered his overwhelming fear of heights.

Manco Chavin interrupted their thoughts.

“Tomorrow you shall see the
Plateau of Remembrance
. The last time I saw it was over thirty sun-crossings ago, and I’m sure the sculptors have added greatly to it since then.”

“What is that?” asked Serug.

“The
Plateau of Remembrance
is a collection of monuments depicting animals, heroes, and some of the gods which lived in the lands before the Crossing. The Survivors brought few animals with them, but they describe fantastic creatures, and there may even be a Survivor here as a consultant to the artisans. They hope these monuments will last for thousands of years before the elements wear them away and they are no longer recognizable.”

He paused for a moment.

“The young artisans feel it is important that future generations know of the time before the Crossing.”

They awoke early the next morning and almost immediately they came to another rope bridge. After crossing, they walked to the top of a small hill in front of them and were amazed to see—for the first time in their mountain travels—a large expanse stretched out in front of them.

“The
Plateau of Remembrance
,” Manco Chavin announced. “We must descend to it.”

Peleg thought it strange to
descend
to a plateau, but in these mountains which were larger than anything he had ever imaged before, anything was possible.

Even before they finished their descent, different gigantic sculptures could be seen. They were carved directly from rock outcroppings or embossed into the sides of small cliffs and ridges which surrounded the plateau. Even at this distance Peleg could identify lions, giant tortoises, and there was even a relief mural showing dolphins jumping through waves of background spray. What astonished him more were the brilliant colors which covered the finely chiseled reliefs, and he mentioned this to Manco Chavin.

“Those pigments were the most difficult part,” he answered. “They will probably only last a few hundred years, but the sculptors finally resigned themselves to the fact that the color will disappear long before the stones themselves.”

When they finally arrived at the plateau level, they realized they had been misjudging the size and distance of these monuments. They were
huge
! Walking past them, it became apparent that many were over twenty or thirty meters tall! There were four craftsmen visible at the moment, and they were busy setting up scaffolding and selecting tools for the coming day’s work. Peleg was surprised to see that one of them was a woman, since, in Tiwanaku, the women he had observed seemed to be practically relegated to slave status.

Manco Chavin apparently noticed this also, because he said with obvious bemusement, “These youngsters think that women can be coequal with men.”

This disturbed Peleg slightly, since he had never considered otherwise. Women were teachers, ministers, academicians, and of course, Mentors. He suddenly thought of Mentor Inanna.

One of the artisans waved at the travelers below, and Manco Chavin waved back.

“We should keep moving,” he said. “I hope to get to the plains by morning.”

There was no argument from anyone, especially Thaxad who seemed to be almost pouting in his ire at traveling away from the
Urbat
.

“Why aren’t they upset by our short garments?” asked Peleg.

“Probably the same reason they aren’t bothered by seeing me in
my
undergarments,” he grinned. He also had left his robe behind when they had rescued him from being sacrificed.

“The
Wari
pride themselves in being non-conformists,” he explained with some distaste. “It is not unusual for them to dress very eccentrically, even painting their hair or skin, or placing jewelry in holes which they pierce through any available place on their bodies.”

He looked back at Serug’s gold earchain.

“I’m sorry, but your simple chain would be very ordinary for them.”

Serug glanced at Peleg and tried, almost successfully, to not appear offended.

“These artisans,” continued Manco Chavin, “often dress as their favorite god—or simply try to shock one another. It would be very difficult to get a negative reaction from any of them.”

He paused.

“I guess their primary rule is individual expression. I would say it is impossible to offend them.”

He lowered his voice.

“I think you’ll also find that the word ‘modesty’ has very little meaning here.”

“Look over there!” exclaimed Serug.

They followed his finger to the edge of a rock outcropping, where it appeared a large face was carved in profile. It was over fifteen meters tall, but a large nose and stern eyes could be clearly discerned.

“The features seem very jagged,” commented Untash.

“Yes,” agreed Manco Chavin. “They are perceptual experiments. The sculptors create human forms by carving geometric shapes. You will see that, as you walk past, their gaze appears to follow, or the expressions may change. Also, you will notice others which alter as the sun moves, casting different shadows. Certain carved protuberances which seem to mar the face actually create shadows as the day progresses, causing a change in expression. Of course, some of the black patches also simulate shadows.”

As they continued across the Plateau, they saw more examples of the techniques which Manco Chavin had described.

“There are many new works in progress,” he commented as they walked. “If you look along that ridge, you will see a profile facing skyward.”

He waited for them to see where he was pointing.

“That is one of the
Atua
,” he said. “The gods are always carved facing the heavens in hopes that one will recognize his face and visit.”

“Which
Atua
is that?” Peleg asked.

Manco Chavin shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “These artisans discover new ones all the time.”

They continued their pace, looking around to see the monuments adjust as their perspective changed. Also, there were times when the angle of sun was just right so that bright reflective patterns could be seen from within the crevices as small mosaics of galena reflected the light into their eyes.

“We must continue to move quickly,” Thaxad urged.

“Yes,” agreed Manco Chavin. “It is still five days to the western plains.”

“It appears that I have been cursed to fulfill our Great Discovery with novice navigators.”

Captain Phaxâd was addressing Zisudra who was only two years into his Master’s training from Peleg. Chief Peleg had become the ship’s navigator under hurried conditions when Chief Meshe had left, and now it appeared that Phaxâd would be forced to endure another navigator who learned as he traveled. The landing party had less than a week to return before the next full moon, when Phaxâd would order the
Urbat
to resume her journey—without them.

“Will you be ready?”

It was a big jump from botany to astronomy for Zisudra, and he was actually quite nervous.

“I suppose I’m ready. I have Chief Peleg’s equipment and notes, and I’ll be using Sangasu as a backup.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Phaxâd encouraged. “As long as you don’t distract Chief Sangasu from his culinary duties.”

He raised his voice to be heard by all.

“We must collect our supplies and prepared foods and place them in storage. We prepare to embark in four days!”

Captain Phaxâd agonized over abandoning the four men, but the Great Discovery must continue. He hoped that even now they were rushing back to the ship and would arrive in time.

The four men and their guide were heading westward, but they were getting no closer to the
Urbat
.

“The
Wari
of the plains are mostly comprised of the next generation of youngsters who have moved on from the Plateau. They have less interest in ‘Remembrance’ and more interest in attracting the attention of the
Atua
. They prefer to create large sand paintings and mosaics which they hope will be seen by the gods who will be honored and choose to visit them.”

“Can they take us to the coast?” asked Peleg, impatiently. They were less concerned about
Wari
culture, and more concerned about reaching the
Urbat
—which would be leaving the day after tomorrow.