HAWTHORNE: Chronicles of the Brass Hand: Mystirio Astronomiki

by Christopher C. Meeker

  It was while gazing up in wonderment that I was startled by a figure, who approached me rather all at once in the enveloping darkness. Much to my relief, however, I recognized the figure to be that of Coleman, who moved toward me as though he did not wish to be seen by any but myself.

  Before I was able to utter a sound, Coleman indicated I should remain silent by placing his finger upon his pursed lips and motioning for me to follow him into the darkness to a location I knew not where. When well away from Herschel's cottage and quite near the ocean shore, it was with a somewhat more relaxed demeanour that he addressed me.

  “I am quite certain you have a good many questions regarding the device you presented Herschel with earlier. I am also quite certain you have a great many questions concerning the events of the last few days.”

  No doubt Coleman was able to interpret the expression I wore upon my face with ease, for he continued ere I had chance to speak.

  “Yes, I am aware of all that you have encountered as of late, including your confrontation with ‘the Egyptian,’ as you have come to call him, a fitting and somewhat accurate title I confess,” he said. “But there is more to this tale than you know.”

  I felt that I was about to receive many of the answers for which I had been searching. I would soon discover that I was, in part, correct in my assumption.

  “We are representatives; Bowman, McNeil, Gentry, myself of course, and many others, of a secret society, the Brass Hand, who have sworn to take it upon themselves to protect both the British Empire and the world as a whole from those who would wish us ill. It is an old and trusted order and those of the highest character alone are allowed association,” Coleman said.

  “Bowman wrested the astrolabe from the Egyptian and his followers, who have been troubling London, Parliament, and a great many others for centuries, perhaps thousands of years, to the end that I might determine its use.

  “Why he instructed it be delivered to Herschel I can not imagine. Nevertheless, the device was received as intended, and I am quite confident I have correctly ascertained its purpose.”

  Coleman hesitated for but the briefest of moments before continuing, weighing in his mind the portion of information he should mete out, lest he divulge too much.

  “I must confess to you, Edgar, your involvement with events of late is not altogether coincidence, as you might have surmised. You were sent here by your father for your safety, though I fear quite the opposite has been accomplished,” he said.

  It was by design that I had been encouraged to travel upon the Stratos to the Cape of Good Hope by Father for a precise reason which was to remove me, if possible, out of harm’s way. It was not, however, quite by design that the Stratos and her crew, of which I now by action and association considered myself a member, had been attacked by marauders and found ourselves in confrontation with the Egyptian, thus, the danger my father had sought to remove me from was now the very conflict in which I found myself embroiled.

  “What of the device?” I asked. “For what reason is it so sought after, and what has my father to do with the whole affair?”

  Coleman, for reasons I cannot guess and though rather reluctant to do so, revealed to me most every detail concerning the device and the circumstances and occurrences leading to my arrival at the observatory. Although I thought it curious he would divulge such secrets, I trusted the man in any regard despite the brevity of our acquaintance and, in truth, my eagerness to satisfy that rampant curiosity for which I had become known had replaced any doubt I might have harboured in regard to Coleman’s motives in any case.

  “As for your father,” he said, “he has been aiding us for some time, though I am uncertain to what extent, for information concerning this is quite guarded, in effort to locate and apprehend the Egyptian.

  “The device is an instrument very much like the spherical astrolabe, save for its method of calculation and the form of the astronomical results it returns. The astrolabe is capable of locating the positions of the Moon and stars, planets and diverse celestial objects, and predicting the locations of these ethereal bodies. It is capable also of the calculation of time and latitude and other more common functions. However, the device Bowman entrusted to you, which operates in a similar manner, calculates not the locations and predicted locations of these phenomenon alone but also the locations of natural ‘celestial fissures,’ which allows one to travel about the heavens. The device is a celestial map used for navigating the heavenly bodies,” he said.

  I must admit I was somewhat confounded by Coleman’s explanation concerning the device’s operation and was curious in the extreme as to how such a thing might be possible.

  “Nevertheless,” he continued, “upon the mechanism is engraved text describing an ephemeris, a counterpart to the mechanism, containing the locations to which the celestial fissures lead. Without this ephemeris I fear the device is all but useless.”

  I recalled at once the tale Kokuo had told of how each night the Egyptian would ascend the steps of the temple and consult a journal of sorts, gazing into the heavens as he did so. I surmised that the book which he studied had been the ephemeris of which Coleman spoke. If this were to be the case, then the Egyptian had without doubt been awaiting the arrival of a “celestial fissure” so as to depart for places unknown, Ophelia, without question, in tow.

  Upon hearing of my conjecture, Coleman was quick to agree, noting that if the Egyptian had proposed to depart with the girl he no doubt still harboured such intentions and was sure that if opportunity were to arise he would not hesitate to recapture Ophelia for she, he was certain, was at the heart of the whole matter. I believed him to be correct and felt no truer words could have been spoken about the whole affair.

  I found all that Coleman had declared to be most unbelievable; nevertheless, considering my experiences of the last few days I found it more difficult to disbelieve rather than to believe, and now the mystery had deepened, leaving me with more questions than at the start. The thought which at present occupied my mind, however, was that of Ophelia and her well-being for I could not, with any amount of herculean effort, put myself at ease with the matter. I was sure that the chaplain, though no outward sign had been shown, was up to some manner of misdeed toward the girl. This I was certain of, and it troubled me a great deal. Of his association with the Egyptian I was also certain, and without irrefutable proof to the contrary would not be convinced otherwise.

  I questioned Coleman about Ophelia and found that he was aware of no more about her and how she came to be confined within the temple where I had discovered her than I was, and perhaps even less, if taken into account the circumstances of our first meeting and how our minds, through mental connexion, had become so entwined as to be able to see all but the very deepest thoughts of one another. This was perhaps the greatest mystery of all and one which I had hoped to discover the answer to with the sincerest intent, as well as how the girl came to be so similar in appearance and manner as my departed sister, and how she came to take upon herself that very persona.

  Without speaking another word, Thomas departed and left me alone in the night to ponder what I had learned. I now believed that I would become more involved in the whole affair than I had dared to imagine at the start. With no more answers to be found and the dawn but a few hours away, I decided to return to the base, and after an uneventful walk back, found my quarters, entered, and prepared to settle into my bunk for what remained of the night. It was then that I noticed the faint glow of an oil lamp appearing beneath my door. Curious as to who could be stirring at such a late hour, I crept to the door with the greatest of care and pushed it ajar but enough to peer into the hallway.

  Within the dim light I was able to discern the likeness of a man garbed in some form of robe or other covering, moving through the corridor, and upon turning as if to assure himself no one was following, I recognized him to be that of Chaplain Moreton who, after the briefest moment, turned once again and entered his own cabin. For what reason h
e had been awake at such a late hour I could offer but a guess; however, it was now apparent to me without reason of doubt, my heart and mind now convinced in a most thorough manner, that Moreton was involved with the Egyptian and his dark schemes and was no doubt himself up to some nefarious undiscovered deed.

  Chapter IX

  IN WHICH EDGAR RETURNS TO THE OBSERVATORY AND FINDS REASON TO JOURNEY NORTH

  My anxiousness over the welfare of Ophelia could not be concealed, for upon visiting her the next morning she, without hesitation, questioned me concerning my troubled mind, in particular my thoughts in regard to the chaplain.

  “Edgar, what's the matter? It's Moreton, isn't it? I'm in danger.”

  It was quite evident that Ophelia was yet able to know my thoughts, and although I found it disconcerting to a degree, I made effort to disregard the unusual phenomenon and show no outward sign of distress.

  I assured her that all was well and that Moreton had not displayed any overt threat, and perhaps my apprehension over the matter was due to nothing more than a restless night’s sleep. I quite believed myself the words that I spoke and felt the pangs of guilt for my deception, but I reasoned that it were better to let the girl rest free from concern until we were able to return to London.

  Ophelia accepted my excuse with some reluctance, and we carried on a rather relaxed if not brief conversation. She urged me to join her for breakfast, but I informed her of the state in which I had found the observatory and my desire to investigate the happenings thereof. Rather, I urged her to seek out McNeil that he should dine with her in my stead, as I had complete trust in the man and that if any other than myself were to watch over her, I would that it be McNeil.

  I then departed in all swiftness, as I desired to begin my investigation over the destruction of the observatory with every immediacy, for I was driven not by pure curiosity alone but also by the knowledge that such an incident would without doubt damage the reputation and perhaps even the career of our dear friend Herschel were I to not succeed in the disproving of any wrongdoing upon his part.

  Rather than walk to the observatory as I had the previous evening, I chose to accommodate myself with one of the horse-drawn wagons available at the base. I was glad for the convenience as the temperature, although still morning, was a good deal warmer than what I had experienced the day before. This I attributed to the cloudless sky above and to the absence of even the slightest breeze, though the base, the road I travelled, and the observatory were situated rather near the shores of the ocean.

  I reached Herschel’s cottage just before nine o’clock and was greeted with a firm handshake. No doubt he was eager to resolve the matter of the fire at the observatory which, to my great incredulity, still smouldered in some places almost a day and one half later just some two hundred yards distant. As we walked I questioned Herschel a second time, and just as he had done the evening before, he recounted the details, those of which he was aware and present for and could with certainty recollect, of the fire to me without deviation except for slight omissions which had made no difference in the slightest in relation to the facts and circumstances in which I was most interested. This I did in the hope of revealing some new morsel of information that he might have overlooked or had been too upset to recall with accuracy in the midst of the tragedy.

  Thus being convinced in my mind, for in my heart I was already certain of his innocence, I proceeded with my investigation in a most logical manner, concentrating on the evidence at hand and dismissing anything that seemed irrelevant. I concentrated my efforts therefore upon the observatory, or what was left of the smouldering ruins, questioning my dear friend at every turn in order that I may gain the fullest of insight into the entire matter, excluding nothing as being unremarkable or insignificant.

  It was to this end that, late in the day and well past noon, a glint of light attracted my gaze as I was bent examining a portion of burnt wood. I imagined that some small piece of glass reflecting the early evening sun was the cause of the distraction; however, this seemed to cause an ill feeling in the depth of my gut, an uneasiness for which I began to experience in certain situations since the moment I first discovered Ophelia.

  Upon approaching what I had first taken to be some portion of broken glass, as I have just mentioned, it became clear that this was indeed not the nature of the material for, stooping down to examine it further, it appeared to be a small clump of fish scales pressed into one of several shoe prints just beyond the exterior of the observatory's charred remains. After further scrutinization, I was able to discern the true nature of the material, which was not that of fish scales but of vermiculite which, though not altogether uncommon, would scarce be found in the vicinity of the observatory for the nearest mine, as I recalled, lay some fifty or so miles north-west of the Cape of Good Hope, and to find a sample of the mineral here, at the Royal Observatory, was indeed peculiar and would have been somewhat of a mystery itself were it not for the discovery of the shoe prints.

  My familiarity with vermiculite, a commodity which Father was sure would soon be in great demand, arose from the latest of his business dealings, in which he had invested a large sum of money with the company responsible for its mining and distribution. I was therefore, on a number of occasions, the audience to which Father spoke of the material, its properties and uses, and where I had also been allowed the examination of several specimens of the substance.

  I returned at once to Herschel’s cottage and made it my intention to travel north to the mines, where I was certain I would find some bit of evidence which would lead me to the persons responsible for the fire at the observatory, which I was now convinced was a matter of arson rather than mere chance. Thus, placing all that I thought would be necessary for the journey into my pack, water and rations withstanding for those I kept separate, and having sent word to Ophelia stating the reason for my absence in the coming days, by means of wireless, I saddled the mount, which by Herschel’s graciousness had been lent me, and made for Tulbagh, the small village nearest the mines, that same evening.

  After travelling north for some hours, late into the evening, across some of the most spectacular landscape I have yet been witness to, I decided to stop and take my evening meal and to rest my horse before continuing our course into the night.

  Taking a small detour to the ocean front, I came upon a portion of wind-sheltered beach where I was privy to the spectacle of dozens of colonies of indigenous black-footed penguins, the number of which I estimated to be well-nigh a few thousand or more. I found the sight amusing as they jostled each other and, as I was amazed to discover, brayed, not unlike a jackass, to indicate their indignation with one another as they tousled for the most appealing bit of beach.

  As I took my meal, which consisted of little more than a few slices of Cheshire and some pieces of bread which I tore from a larger loaf, I continued to observe the flightless fowl as my horse grazed nearby, unconcerned with the noisy rabble, for some half hour or so, until at which time, as the sun sank below the horizon, I pressed onward returning once again to the rough-hewn road I had been travelling on just a short time earlier.

  The night was clear and cool, and I found no difficulty finding my way through the countryside as I followed the road north, checking on occasion my approximate location by use of the map which Herschel had lent me prior to my departure and my compass, both made quite visible by the brilliant blue light of the now rising full moon. It was in this manner that I travelled for many hours late into the night, until I had felt I should at last stop to rest the horse and to acquire some well-needed sleep for myself, as I planned to journey almost without cessation the following day in hope of reaching Tulbagh with as much haste as possible.

  Once I had found a small clearing somewhat away from the road, protected by a small hedgerow of wild vegetation, a tall fern-like plant with red-orange flowers, I set about making camp for the night, which included nothing more than securing the horse’s reins to a nearby tree, gathering some
of the dried wood found in the area, igniting it with one of the few remaining Congreves, and rolling out my own bedding.

  In this fashion I continued to travel for the next two days, following the rugged road and making my encampment each night. Never did I diverge from my course except on two occasions when I felt a brief sojourn across the country would gain me a bit of time and shorten the journey by taking a less circuitous route than the main road could afford me.

  The remainder of my tour through the South African wilderness was rather uneventful and I encountered little more of the indigenous fauna during the course of my two-day venture, save for a small herd of mountain zebra, several antelopes and, on occasion, a few eagles and hawks soaring high above my head.

  Upon arrival at the Tulbagh toll house, and having paid my twopence to the collector, I entered the town proper, and desiring in the greatest way to rid my weary frame of the accumulated dust and grit of my short sojourn across the rugged roads of the south-western cape, I made direct for the nearest inn that could provide such accommodation, and as Tulbagh is a rather small community, I had no difficulty locating one in the least.

  After stabling the horse and acquiring a room for the night I bathed in perhaps one of the hottest and finest baths ever drawn, and for no other reason than I so well enjoyed it do I make mention of it here. The inn was a rather large and luxurious establishment and seemed most out of place in a small village nestled in the quiet valley, surrounded by mountain ranges, in particular the Witzenberg, that range nearest to Tulbagh in the east and at the base of which lay the vermiculite mines, from where I was certain the small sample I discovered at the observatory originated.

  Accommodations at the inn were much as one would expect, other than the size and stateliness of which I have just given testimony, and provided as much if not a substantial amount more in means of dining and drink, and I had my fill of both, near to the point of gluttony for I had not had much in the way of sustenance over the last several days.