“Jim Layghton,” said a slim young handsome man with blond hair and mustache, “and this is Elliot Trouse and Captain Jones of the steam cutter “Echo One.”
Bill and the other two time travelers shook their hands and introduced themselves as latecomers to the scene in search of survivors.
Elliot Trouse, who was on the portly side, seemed to be fidgety and said, “By any chance did you guys find anything that came from the Titanic?”
Before any of the shocked time travelers could answer, Elliot pulled a gun and said to his friends, “Let’s drop the charade, gents.” He turned and pointed to the package that Matt held, “ I’ll just take that package you have.”
Matt started to say something when Bill cut in, “Matt, pass it to him. No sense in anyone getting hurt over a painting.” He turned to the three men and asked, “But tell me, how did you know where it was?”
Elliot slapped Jim on his shoulder and said, “I was working as a Private Investigator looking for the painting and Jim here was in the cabin with his girlfriend and the painting. When the ship hit the iceberg I was about to go into their cabin and they came running out. She looked at me with a big grin and said, ‘Ha, go find it now.’ I went in and when I saw the porthole open, I knew that she had tossed it overboard. I went on deck and when they started to leave the ship I got on a line, but they said no men allowed so I went into a few empty cabins until I found a woman’s coat and hat, rolled up my pants and just by chance I found myself in the same boat as another lady but she happened to have a blonde mustache. It was Jim and he begged me not to tell anyone what he did. He even said that he’d tell me where the painting was. So after a day or two we hired Captain Jones to take us here and well, here we are.”
“Was the girl in on this too?” Bill asked.
“Heck no, she thinks I’m dead,” bragged Jim.
As they talked the captain walked over to the slab of ice at the mouth of the cave and casually looked at it. He bent down closer and suddenly recoiled and shouted, “W-What the heck is this?”
The other two men looked and Elliot asked, “What is it, captain, anything from the Titanic? It could be valuable.”
“No! It’s some kind of a caveman or something. It’s gross. Let’s go back to my boat.”
“Move away and stand by the wall,” ordered Elliot to Bill, John and Matt who followed his gun movements to where he indicated. He then went and bent down and stood quickly and said, “This is a find! This is one of those cavemen that you read about. He probably been stuck in there for hundreds of years.”
“Thousands, of years,” corrected Matt.
“Well, wise guy,” said Elliot, “if you know so much what do you think it’s worth?”
“Perhaps millions. I do believe that he is the oldest specimen ever found.”
Bill, seeing what Matt was doing, added, “That’s why we haven’t left this berg yet. We were going to take it back with us and be rich.”
“Well,” said Jim, “you better change your plans because your captain is onboard our boat and he is well guarded so don’t try anything funny.”
Captain Jones looked once again at the caveman and asked, “What are we waiting for? You got the thing that you came for. Let them go and we’ll head home.”
“What are you crazy?” Jim asked with an evil grin, “Didn’t you hear these guys? That ice guy is worth millions. We’ll all be rich.”
“There’s no room for him aboard my boat.”
Elliot cut in, “Then we’ll take their boat too.”
“Taking another man’s boat is a capital offense and besides, it’s too big and I need my crew for my boat. No, I say we leave that thing here.”
“I’m sure that these guys will gladly sail us home in their boat,” said Elliot as he tried to find a way to have both of the treasures.
Even Jim saw the folly of this and said, “And who’s going to guard them around the clock? No sleeping at all, and would you trust the food they cook? No, the captain’s right. Leave it here.”
Elliot’s face took on a nasty smile as he said with a shrug, “Okay, we leave it here. But I’m going to take a part of it with us and I bet some of them stuck-up scientists pay me darn good for it.”
“W-What do you mean?” asked Jim, “Part of it. Which part?”
“The head of course. I’ll keep it in a bucket of ice water.”
Every one of them turned their head at his plan.
Elliot looked close and shivered before standing up. “Captain, can we get a bucket of coal up here? I need enough to make a fire in the bucket to melt the ice and then to carry it back to your boat.”
The captain nodded his head. “Yeah. I’ll go back to the boat and send a crewman back with it.” He stopped before leaving and said, “I get a cut of that money too, right?”
“Right,” said a smiling Elliot.
Twenty-five minutes later a crewman climbed up the side of the iceberg with a bucket of coal and passed it to Jim who asked Elliot, “What now?”
“Now we light it and melt the ice from the head,” answered Elliot as he tossed him a cigarette lighter.
Jim lit the coal easily and placed it near the head of the iceman.
Elliot snarled and said as he came over to the bucket, “If you leave it there it’ll take forever to melt that ice. Here,” he said as he shoved it against the ice.
The burning coal worked quickly and Elliot grinned as rivulets of water started to run down the slab of ice giving the appearance that the caveman was crying. The face was pasty white with flat matted hair and now Bill could see that it had many scars on the forehead, cheeks and temple as though he had a fight with a bear or something.
Bill, John and Rocko kept looking for an opening to jump him, but Elliot was a professional, as he always made sure that none of the three men was ever close enough to do so.
“Time for the faint of heart to look away,” Elliot said as he pulled out a large pocketknife that he flicked open. He approached the now exposed head of the caveman and as he placed the knife under the chin, he recoiled as he looked at the foggy area on the blade of his knife.
“It-It’s alive!” he screamed, “He’s breathing!”
His screams sent another tremor through the cave and suddenly a section above the caveman collapsed in a crescendo of chunks and shards of ice that shattered the prison of ice that held him for years. Terrified, they all wanted to run, but because the slab of ice was now at the front of the cave between the men and the exit, all could only watch in fear as the iceman slowly started to move his arms and flex his fingers then, kick off the ice that encased his long legs. He used his wide, thick knuckles as leverage by placing them on the floor of the cave and pushing up as he got to his knees. He groaned and staggered and almost fell on the three time travelers before stretching out his arm and steadying himself by placing his huge hand against the wall. He turned slowly and seeing Elliot with the knife, screamed so hideously that more of the ceiling fell and crushed Elliot with huge chunks of ice. Not aware of what had happened, Jim ran in and was grabbed by the iceman around his neck. Not a sound came from his lips as the iceman held him six feet off the ground.
“Stop!” shouted Bill disgusted by all of the carnage.
The creature turned slowly and looked at Bill who stood there looking back.
Not knowing what to do, Bill, with a tremble in his voice, said, “I-I ask you to stop and leave him alone.”
As they all watched in shock, the iceman opened his huge hand and Jim fell to the floor of the ice cave, crying. The creature stood swaying quietly as they watched.
Hoping that the guys took his shaking as a result of the cold cave, John whispered, “Bill, I think he listened to you.”
“I doubt it. I think it’s just the tone of my voice.”
“Sir,” said Matt as he slowly stood, “the fur that we took as body hair is a simple bearskin coat. But, what intrigues me is: are there black bears in the northern regions?”
Not kn
owing what to do, Bill did what they always do in the movies: he took a step closer to the iceman and said gently as he patted his chest, “Friend.”
The gray eyes seemed to have softened a bit and his arms just hung at his side. His breath seemed labored and smelled terrible. Now Bill could make out long black pants and high-buttoned shoes on him. Beneath the bearskin coat was a black knitted sweater.
Matt whispered, “His clothes tell me that he came from the 1800s.”
“Matt,” said Bill, “I have an idea. You go down to the boat and tell the captain that Elliot needs food for the night as he decided to stay for the evening. Also tell him that Elliot said there were diamonds buried with him and the captain’s in on the loot. It’ll keep him calm for a bit.”
Matt nodded and slowly left the cave.
All the time the creature’s eyes never left Bill. “Let me try this,” the time traveler said as he slowly sat on the floor. “Sit,” he said gently as he patted the ground.
They all watched in awe as the great hulk of a man sat with his legs splayed out. They all noticed that his shoes were at least twenty-inches long.
Twenty minutes later Matt returned with three cooked chickens, a large piece of pork and three canteens of water in a backpack. He handed the vittles to Bill, who opened the backpack and unwrapped the food, allowing the aroma to fill the cave.
“Eat,” Bill said as he pushed the food towards him and watched as after a few moments he slowly picked up a chicken, sniffed it and momentarily closed his eyes before devouring the cooked bird. He finished it and looked at Bill who gently pushed the rest of the food forward. He picked up the pork and ate it, then the second chicken followed by the third. Bill unscrewed the cap of one of the canteens and poured out a bit to show him what it contained before passing it to him. The iceman drained it and when he looked at the second canteen, Bill unscrewed it and passed it to him. He drank the third one as well.
Bill looked up at him and said once again as he patted his chest, “Friend.”
The four men were shocked as the man said as he touched his chest, “Freund.”
“I think he’s imitating me.”
Just then a moan came from under the ice that held Elliot.
”He’s alive,” said Bill and the three men started to pull away the ice. When he was free it was obvious that he had broken bones and was crying like a baby as he saw the creature stare at him with hate in his eyes.
“Look,” he panted, “I’ll make you guys a deal. I’ll take the painting and you can keep the monster.”
At that, the iceman reached for his neck as he growled.
“No,” said Bill. “He’s just a stupid man.
The creature’s growl trailed off and Elliot almost fainted as a wet spot appeared beneath him.
Trying to salvage something for himself, the private investigator said, “L-Look, like I said, give me the painting and keep the-the, well, him. Deal?”
Bill laughed and said, “How about this: We get to keep both and you get to live.”
“That’s not fair.”
Bill shook his head, “Stop being stupid. You lost and know it. Now be quiet.”
“What about me?” asked Jim.
John looked at him and said, “You and him deserve nothing. You both dressed as women to get off that ship and in doing that, took the place of two women. You are the scum of the earth.”
“Then we’ll go back to the boat.” Jim said as he started to rise.
“No,“ said Bill. “You both stay here for the night and tomorrow we leave you here until we are far away.”
“B-But it gets cold at night. Can’t we build a fire?”
“Sure, and watch as this whole place melts around us. Sit and be quiet.”
Bill turned to see the iceman trying to stand. Using his arms as leverage he stood wobbly. Bill instinctively slid beneath his arm and helped him to steady himself.
“Fro,” the man said softly.
They all recoiled at hearing what they believed to be a caveman not only speak, but speak in what sounded like English!
“Fro?” asked Bill.
“Unh,” he grunted back as he walked to the back of the cave. Bill helped him and he kept going further back until they were out of the sunlit part of the cave. The creature stopped and spread his arms wide as he stared at a section of the cave and a long sorrowful moan escaped his lips.
Not knowing what to do, Bill asked, “Fro?”
With a grunt the iceman hugged the wall of ice and it looked as though he was sobbing as his huge body seemed to shake.
“I shouldn’t do this”, Bill told himself as he fished out a small slim flashlight and switched it on.
The man screamed and stepped back as he put his hands up to his eyes.
“No,” said Bill as he realized that he thought it was a fire. “Look,” he said as he touched the cool lens.
The iceman slowly puts his hands down and touched the lens as Bill had done. Satisfied, he turned and hugged the wall once more.
Bill played the light along the wall and thought he saw something. He stepped in closer and now the light showed another iceman encased the same way the first one was. Bill looked even closer and now saw what the man was moaning about: The figure in the ice was a woman.
Suddenly the iceman started to pound on the ice as he growled furiously at the sight of the woman. His massive hands sent cracks through the thick ice.
“Wait!” said Bill and he was surprised that the man stopped and looked at him. “Do you understand?” he asked.
The man just looked at him.
Matt stepped up behind them both and said, “Suchen mein Freund, Sie Ihre Frau?”
The iceman turned and stepped as quickly as he could to Matt and with pleading hands said, "Ja, mein Freund. Sie ist da drin gefangen. Hilfst du mir?"
A shocked Bill watched as both Matt and the iceman talked in a language he didn’t understand. “Matt, he speaks and you understand him?”
“Yes, sir. He told me that his wife is in that block of ice and wishes us to help him get her out.”
“Oh my gosh,” said Bill as he shook his head. “How did you know?”
Matt explained as the big man watched them talk, “When he said what we believed was ’Fro,’ it was really Frau’, German for wife.”
Bill shrugged his wide shoulders and quipped, “And, of course you can speak German too?”
“Something I picked up, sir. It does come in handy at times.”
Bill called out to John, “John, grab the axes’ and come back here. But be prepared for a surprise.”
John came back and saw that Matt and the man they freed from the ice were talking in a language he didn’t understand. “Here are the axes’. What’s up?”
“This,” answered Bill as he again played the beam of his flashlight on the woman.
John said nothing, but he didn’t have to: his wide eyes said it all.
Bill picked up an axe and started to swing at the ice. Matt joined in and as John went for the last axe, the iceman took it and attacked the ice with a vengeance. His massive frame and arms gave him the power of four men and soon they were inches away from her face.
Bill saw that she seemed to look back at them, as, just as the iceman’s eyes were, her eyes were open. Her skin was also pasty white and had the same type scars that the man had on her head and face. Her hands were also raised in front of her and they could see scars on her wrists as well. Bill looked and saw the same type scars on the iceman’s wrists every time he swung his axe.
John stood there with his mouth open, “Bill, what the hell are we doing? How can this guy be alive after so many years in a block of ice? What are we going to do: Take them aboard?”
Bill shrugged and answered, “John, I really don’t know. But, what choice do we have? We can’t just abandon them knowing that this iceberg is melting. I mean, I don’t know how he survived in that ice cage, but he did, and he’s alive. We can’t let him die. He needs us and as human be
ings it’s our duty to help him.”
“Him and her,” John said.
“Yes, him and her,” Bill answered and then went on, “John, didn’t Walt Disney have himself refrigerated or something?”
“That’s what they say. I know that they have found frozen mammoth carcasses in Siberia and they figure that they were caught in some sort of a quick-freeze, so maybe that’s what happened to our friend here. He was caught in a cold snap.”
“But,” said Bill, “according to his language and clothes our friend came from Germany in the 1800s. I never heard of a cold snap in the 1800s, have you?”
“No, but then again the weathermen of that time were probably not in the Arctic.”
“Well,” answered Bill, “For whatever the reason, he is here and he is very much alive.”
Both men turned in time to see the iceman strike a blow that split the ice away from the ice wall and after a second or two of it just balancing itself, the slab of ice with the woman in it fell to the cave’s floor, sending shards of ice all over the cave.
The iceman ran and kneeled down next to her as Matt went to John and Bill. He looked both in the eyes and said in a whisper, “Sirs, this is unbelievable.”
“Which part?” asked Bill: Finding him and her or his coming back to life after, who knows how many years?”
“Since 1819,” answered Matt.
“What? Did he tell you that?” asked John.
“Sirs, he never died. Let’s say that he lived in a natural cave in a section of Arctic ice. They probably lived on seals and fish and perhaps they stayed inside their cave as a blizzard raged and when they decided to leave, it was sealed. I believe that they went into a state of frozen hibernation.’
John shook his head, “B-But, he speaks German! What caveman spoke any language at all? None that we know of.”
Matt smiled and said, “Sir, you are correct about us not knowing if cavemen spoke any language that we know, however this is no caveman.”
“What? If it’s not a caveman,” asked Bill, “what is it?”
“Sir, as I said, he never died as he was never born. He was put together as an inhumane experiment by Doctor Frankenstein.”
Book 11 Page 21
