The Golden Skull: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

by Harold L. Goodwin

  CHAPTER XVI

  Flying Spears

  "Just like the old saying," Rick observed. "Birds of a feather flocktogether. A crooked Filipino, a crooked American, and a crazy Ifugao arenow in conference. And what is the conference about?"

  "They talk about who wins next World Series," Chahda suggested brightly.

  Scotty scoffed at the idea. "They aren't sports lovers, Chahda. They aregentlemen of culture. I think the conference is about motion pictures.My idea is that Lazada and Nast are visiting Nangolat in order to get anIfugao opinion on whether the hero should be allowed to kiss his horsein western pictures."

  Tony Briotti leaned on his shovel. "I can't see how you can be so wrongwhen the evidence is so clear. Isn't Lazada the Assistant Secretary ofthe Interior? Isn't this the Interior? I think the Ifugao terraces areabout to be converted to a national park, under the Department of theInterior. The Assistant Secretary is here to discuss the hot-dogconcession with a local bigwig. Of course he has his American hot-dogexpert with him. It's as simple as that."

  Scotty checked his rifle carefully, sighting down the barrel to makesure it was mirror clean. "They could also be talking about building anew swimming pool for Ifugao boys and girls, but somehow I doubt it.What say we not worry about what they're saying to each other, and worryinstead about digging?"

  "Right as usual," Tony said. "Let's keep at it, and perhaps we'll comeup with something worth talking about."

  They had made a good start. Now, working two by two, they excavateduntil the shovels rang from stone. Scraping disclosed a flat stone thatprobably was a lid of some kind. They resumed digging until the stonewas completely exposed, then tried to lift it.

  "Weighs a ton," Rick grunted. "Did it move at all?"

  "Not that I could see," Tony said. "Let's dig down around the edges moreand see if the stone is anchored."

  Further digging showed that the stone was not anchored. It probably hadbeen set in some kind of primitive mortar which would have to be brokenbefore the stone could be lifted. A crowbar from the truck suppliedleverage and in a moment the stone was free. Willing hands found holds,lifted it free, and slid it to the back of the recess. Where the stonehad been there now yawned a circular opening about the size of amanhole.

  Tony Briotti was beside himself with excitement. He ran to the truck,rummaged in the supplies, and produced a flashlight. Then he ran back tothe hole and directed the beam downward.

  The boys crowded around to look. Rick exclaimed in disappointment. Thehole was about eight feet deep and about four feet in diameter. Thewalls were coated with green slime and on the bottom there was a mixedcoating of mud and slime and nothing else.

  "False alarm," he said sadly.

  Tony paid no attention. He went to the truck again, and from his owncrate of supplies he produced rope and two galvanized steel buckets. Healso found boots and rubber gloves, a small hand shovel, and an ordinarygarden hand tool with three prongs. These tools he thrust into his belt.

  "I'm going down," he announced.

  Rick realized that Tony was not taking for granted the apparentemptiness of the hole. He realized, too, that Tony knew much more aboutsuch caches than he. "Okay," he said. "Angel, keep a watch. We don'twant to get caught by surprise while Tony is digging."

  "I've been watching," Angel said. "And we're also being watched byIfugaos, on the terraces above the village."

  Chahda looked into the hole doubtfully. "How you get in and out, Tony?No ladder."

  "The rope," Tony said. "You'll have to lower me, or hold the rope so Ican climb down."

  "We'll lower you," Scotty said. He took the rope and made a loop forTony's foot, then directed the archaeologist to sit on the edge of thehole. Tony did so, putting his foot through the loop. Then Rick, Scotty,and Chahda payed out rope while the scientist let himself slide from theedge into the hole. In a moment the rope went slack. He was on thebottom.

  Rick watched while Tony drove his hunting knife into the wall of thehole and hung his flashlight on it, the beam shooting downward. ThenTony took his shovel from his belt and probed the soft earth carefully.It was so soft that his boots sank in up to the ankles.

  Presently Tony called, "Something here. Get a bucket." He worked withthe shovel and unearthed a small, mud-covered object, then another, thena whole series of them.

  Scotty tied a bucket to the rope and lowered it. Tony put the muddycollection in it and Scotty drew it up.

  "Send the rope back for me," Tony called.

  The three boys helped to pull him up. He immediately sat down on theground with the bucket between his legs and started to clean hisfindings.

  "Rick," he requested, "get me the bag of cloths and brushes from mycase, please?"

  Rick did so. Tony removed most of the mud by wiping it off with hisgloves. Then brushes and cloths completed the job. He held up a humanjawbone, inlaid with gold. His eyes sparkled. "Typical, except for thegold. The human jawbone is a common Ifugao relic. In fact, they suspendtheir musical instruments from human jawbones." He put it down carefullyand started to work on the next object. It turned out to be a pipe,again typical Ifugao work except for the fact that it was of gold.

  Rick examined it. He had seen pipes something like it before, but madeof clay. "I thought tobacco was an American product," he observed. "Howcome these primitive Asiatics had it?"

  "Asia used tobacco long before the Indians introduced it to Europeans,"Tony replied. "But it's curious that the pipe forms should be sosimilar. That pipe was made by a process we now use in America for verydelicate castings. It is called the 'lost wax' process."

  "Funny name," Chahda said, interested.

  "Yes, until you know about the process. The Ifugao makes the pipe hewants out of wax, then coats it with clay, leaving a hole in the clay.Then he puts the clay in the fire. The clay hardens, but the wax meltsand runs out. The Ifugao, then, has a mold exactly like the pipe he madeof wax. He melts the metal he chooses--gold, in this case--and pours itinto the clay mold. When the metal cools, he breaks off the mold, andthere is his pipe."

  "Lost wax," Scotty said. "You're right. It fits."

  At that moment Angel Manotok came into the recess. "I've been listening.Don't think I'm presuming, please, but could we work faster? Perhapstalk about it later?"

  Angel was right, of course. Tony said, "I shouldn't have taken the timeto clean those things. We'll collect them mud and all." He went backinto the hole and worked rapidly, filling the buckets as fast as theboys could haul them up.

  Rick thought that the crypt probably was dry when the objects were firstplaced in it. But the water used to irrigate the rice terraces hadseeped through between the carefully selected stones that lined the pit,bringing fine particles of dirt and gradually building up a reservoir ofmud in the bottom. Most of the water seeped in and seeped out again, butthe particles of soil remained.

  Tony suddenly gave a cry. "I think I have it!" He braced an object onhis knee and wiped it. "It is! And by its weight, it's thick-walled buthollow! What a find! Boys, this is wonderful! Tremendous!"

  The scientist tried to place the muddy object in a bucket, but it wastoo large to fit. He called, "Can one of you lean away in? I'll hold itup as high as I can."

  Tony's excavations had taken him down another two feet, but with Chahdaand Scotty holding onto his legs, Rick was able to reach in and take theobject from Tony's outstretched hands. It was bulky, slightly largerthan a human head, and it was heavy--as heavy as lead, or gold!

  Scotty and Chahda pulled Rick out of the pit, then they lowered the ropefor Tony. In a moment he was working on the object, wiping and brushing.There was a yellow gleam to it now, and the shape was becoming more andmore skull-like as the mud was removed. Tony worked rapidly, and in afew moments he held it up for them to see. It was a skull, finelyexecuted of heavy sheet gold, and the workmanship bore the unmistakablestamp of Alta Yuan.

  "We've succeeded," Tony said, his voice hushed. "Beyond my wildestexpectations!"

  And in that mome
nt Dog Meat and Angel called simultaneously.

  The Ifugao warriors were advancing across the field in ominous silence,spears ready. Nast and Lazada were nowhere in sight, but at the head ofthe warriors was Nangolat!

  Hastily the golden artifacts were put out of sight in the recess andTony walked to meet the oncoming Ifugaos.

  Scotty pulled the retractor of his rifle and a cartridge rammed into thefiring chamber. He held the rifle casually, but ready for instantaction.

  Nangolat came closer, and his face was distorted with emotion. He heldthe spear in his fist, ready for stabbing or throwing. When he spoke,his voice, usually moderate, was nearly a scream.

  "I almost believed you," he sobbed. "But now I know the truth! You arehere to desecrate our temples and to rob us of the precious relics of mypeople."

  Then the Ifugao saw that the dragon had been moved. He bared his teethwith fury and his eyes were glazed, black with emotion. He was beyondreason.

  "Die!" he screamed. "Die!"

  His hand flashed back for the throw. Scotty's rifle spoke sharply andthe heavy slug caught the blade of Nangolat's spear. The Ifugao waswhirled around bodily. He fell as the spear was wrenched from him andhurled a dozen yards away.

  It was the signal. The Ifugao warriors rushed, launching spears as theycame. Rick pulled Tony back to the shelter of the truck. Angel, Scotty,and Chahda were calmly firing at the oncoming wave, shooting low withdeadly accuracy. From the terrace above, Balaban was firing down withgood effect, while Dog Meat whammed away with the shotgun.

  Spears bounced off the truck, the jeep, and the dragon. Now and then onehung quivering in the wall of the recess, but the Spindrift group hadgood shielding and there were no casualties.

  The attackers were wavering now. A priest with a knot of chickenfeathers in his hair leaped forward, holding a skull high. Rick guessedit was an important symbol of some kind, because he saw the warriorsrally. He sighted in and his shot blasted the skull into fragments. Thewave broke and retreated.

  Tony made a quick examination to be sure there were no casualties. Outon the meadow several wounded Ifugaos, all of them with leg wounds, werebeing helped to safety.

  "We can thank Nast and Lazada for this," Tony said bitterly. "Do yourealize that we are in a very bad position?"

  The Ifugao warriors were reforming. Nangolat, recovered from the numbingshock of Scotty's shot, stormed among them, getting them ready foranother assault. But Nangolat was no longer waving a spear. He was nowarmed with a rifle.