The Nyctalope and The Tower of Babel

by Jean de La Hire

  “The story in general as well as the names of the protagonists instantly reminded me, being a specialist in the Semitic tradition, of a passage in Genesis that described the fall of the rebel angels before the Flood. The details, moreover, seemed to agree with events recounted in an apocryphal text: the Book of Enoch, which has a long narration of the myth. According to its authors, angels were seduced by women on earth and left their celestial home to live on our planet, bringing to men extensive knowledge in all sciences. The children they produced were the legendary giants who lived on this world before the Flood. Having deeply disturbed Creation by mixing the spiritual with the material, they had caused serious damage that could lead to the extinction of the human race. God, therefore, decided to act and drown them in the Flood, with men surviving thanks to Noah. The Watchers, who could not die, were imprisoned in the depths of a desolate plain, in the heart of a hell on fire.

  “The bas-relief tells the general story of this legend, in its way, with one exception. The most spectacular invention of this civilization had been a gigantic tower known as the Tower of Babel, although all the ancient texts say it was built after the Flood. Nevertheless, finding this story in this place is quite astonishing.”

  Hubert de Pibriac went on from here:

  “Even more so since the text gives the location of this tower starting from a reference point that had not yet been defined, unfortunately. At first I thought it might be the pyramid itself but the directions led us to a point that, after checking it over and over, would put us in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. After a lot of trial and error, the professor got the idea of looking at the numbers as an x-axis on a graph with the point on the y-axis determined by starting at the temple. This would put us in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On the basis of this hypothesis, using the coordinates of the supposed site of the Tower of Babel, we were finally able to locate it.”

  “The Tower,” Noque broke in, “would be situated in Africa, in an unexplored territory beyond Lake Chad.”

  “Professor Noque and I went on an expedition to see if there really was something in the spot we identified. After the long, hard trip across the hitherto unknown region, we came to a mountainous zone. I must tell you that we were a little discouraged because the high altitude didn’t seem to fit the idea of being submerged in a flood. Still, we marched on and ended up in a very humid valley, on the bottom of which was a lake surrounded by virgin forests and in the center of it, to our great surprise, the top of a tower was sticking out. The sky over this site was constantly covered with clouds but the light seemed to pass through them and brighten the valley. We might very well have been the first men, in thousands of years, to look upon what could be the Tower of Babel!

  “The fact remains that there was a building there with the top rising about fifteen feet above the water. Its walls were round, seen from a distance, and looked very smooth, reflecting the light from around. The construction appears to have resisted the ages. At the very top was a terrace with a circular building in the middle of it.

  “When we got down to the lake, we built a raft to sail out to the monument. It was easy going but the water was infested with crocodiles whose presence at this altitude could be explained by the unusually humid microclimate for a valley walled in by two huge mountains. The noxious air, maybe from a volcano, was surely coming out of the steep slopes of clayey soil.

  “When we got near the tower we noticed that if we climbed over the wall we could enter the building from the top. But the walls were smooth as glass and nothing to sneeze at. It was obvious that if the upper part were sticking out any higher, we would have had a much more difficult time reaching the terrace crowning the building. We had just stepped down on it when we saw that the platform was clearly not meant to be the final summit of the tower. In fact, it looked like the work was interrupted. The tower must have been a spectacular project but it had been abandoned before it was finished. A door opened onto a big, empty room whose walls were decorated in bas-reliefs of the same type we found in Mexico.”

  “While I was trying to decipher them,” the professor picked up, “Hubert explored the back of the room and discovered stairs leading down inside the building. Unfortunately, after a few steps, it appeared that the lower part of the tower was flooded and inaccessible without some extra equipment. The bas-reliefs were not very well preserved but they still led us to believe that this tower was the main temple-palace of a city called Babel, the capital of the country of Nod...”

  The Nyctalope interrupted the professor:

  “Nod, east of Eden! That’s unbelievable! If the facts are confirmed, it’ll be the greatest archaeological find in history!”

  “I’m sure of it” responded the professor. “That’s why Hubert and I have decided to mount another expedition to go back to explore the tower.”

  “This extraordinary story is beyond anything I’ve ever heard,” Saint-Clair said. “It makes me think, although I’m no expert in ancient history, of those legends told about the invasion of Earth by Martians in the distant past, or of Plato’s description of Atlantis. To him too it was a very advanced civilization that met its end in a flood. During my military service one of my officer friends had told me about the discovery of the remains of Atlantis found in the Sahara desert at the end of the 19th century. But they were far from being as important as this. Your discovery is really exciting.”

  “I think we can indeed say that,” continued Hubert. “But our expedition required a lot of preparation. Even with the underwater equipment we’re taking, it won’t be easy. The lake is infested with crocodiles and the tower might be booby-trapped. Moreover, the climate is unhealthy. Professor Noque got sick soon after we arrived in the valley and he didn’t completely recover until we were far away from it. I carried him on my back for over ten miles through the jungle surrounding the lake before the healthier air of the mountains could restore him. At the same time, the expedition was attacked by a primitive tribe that lives in the heart of the forest. The men were led by a huge chief with light skin and a very different type of body than the others. This time, to avoid running into the natives, we’re taking a hydroplane and landing directly on the lake. To explore the depths of the lake and the flooded tower we have diving suits with an independent supply of oxygen. It’s to take care of these kinds of problems that Pir and Bob are coming along.”

  The Nyctalope spoke up again, full of curiosity.

  “I know that kind of diving suit. I used one recently in Spain. But how are your young friends going to help you?”

  “Well,” Hubert answered. “The O’Connell brothers invented a small submarine with mechanical propulsion that will take us down to the bottom of the lake and without having to face the crocodiles. The veloscaphe they built is even equipped with an electric generator for lights to scare away the big lizards.”

  “You’ve apparently thought of everything,” said Saint-Clair, smiling.

  Just then Bernard entered the room and announced in a solemn voice: “Dinner is served!”

  The Nyctalope and his guests stood up and went into the dining room where the discussion became even livelier. Léo and Sylvie chatted with Hubert and Professor Noque while at the end of the table Pierre and the O’Connell brothers were deep in conversation: Saint-Clair’s son was passionate about traveling and listened eagerly to their tales.

  Pir and Bob were talking about their expedition to the Sudan. It had almost ended in failure and several of their companions had been killed. Pierre was clearly fascinated and was asking all kinds of questions. He was passionate about these stories and you could feel that he would have willingly participated in one of the adventures. As a result, at the end of the meal, Bob offered to take him with them on the voyage they were preparing. Pierre, of course, accepted right away. Bob turned to Hubert and asked him out loud:

  “Monsieur de Pibriac, Pierre Saint-Clair wants to join us in our exploration of the Tower of Babel. Given our precautions, the expedition should
not be too risky, so we could bring him with us…”

  “Or perhaps riskier than you think,” Hubert answered. “Still, if Monsieur Saint-Clair has no objections…”

  Hubert de Pibriac, a little surprised nonetheless, looked at Léo questioningly. The Nyctalope, who was talking with the professor, went silent and raised an eyebrow at Pierre. Then his face relaxed and he even cracked a smile. Without a doubt he remembered that at that age he would also have loved to go on such an adventure. In a serious tone he said:

  “Pierre has to return to college in mid-October. I would let him go with you but he would have to be back by then. I’m not sure that’s possible.”

  “In fact, he could go with us for the first weeks of the trip and come back to France on the plane that’ll bring us supplies, which would be done a little before mid-October.”

  “Great!” the Nyctalope exclaimed. “In that case, Pierre, now you’re about to leave on your first great adventure. Come on, let’s drink to your discoveries that will revolutionize modern archaeology!”

  The champagne glasses clinked and everyone toasted the success of the expedition. It was decided that they would leave in two days!

  CHAPTER III

  The Pibriac Expedition

  On the morning of September 13, the members of the Pibriac expedition were at Le Bourget airport standing in front of a Latécoère 28-3M 8-seater seaplane, with enough tonnage to transport all the members and their equipment. It was a modified version of the one in which Jean Mermoz had made the first transatlantic commercial crossing the year before. In this version specially designed for the expedition, the plane was equipped with wheels and pontoons that allowed it, as the pilot chose and the landing required, to set down on both land and water. The night before the diving suits and the veloscaphe, or underwater bicycle, as well as a big, dismantled boat to navigate the lake, had been loaded with the rest of the material. Professor Noque had also put on two mysterious crates, one medium-sized, the other much larger, without giving the members any indication of their contents. He obviously wanted to surprise them. Pierre and the O’Connell brothers were consumed with curiosity and had managed to find where the two crates came from: The Academy of Sciences.

  Sylvie and Léo lavished all kinds of advice on their son who was leaving on his first big adventure. Hubert de Pibriac, aware of the parents’ worries, smiled on them kindly while Pir and Bob paced around, in a hurry to set off.

  Around 8 a.m., the plane was gassed up and the final checks were finished by Hubert. The plane was ready to take off.

  The Nyctalope spoke to his friend Pibriac and Professor Noque:

  “Don’t forget to keep us informed. You know, we’ve got fast planes at the ready and if necessary can fly out there or at least send help if you have problems.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get you regular updates,” Hubert promised.

  Sylvie and Léo moved to the side of the runway and all the members of the expedition took their seats on the plane. The motor started, the plane began to taxi and then crawled up into the air. After floating once around the airport, it sped off to the south.

  It would have a layover in Tunis, then at Fort-Lamy, the capital of Chad in French Equatorial Africa. After this it would finally reach the end of its journey, the mysterious Tower of Babel.

  The first day of the flight passed without incident. The sky was clear and the Latécoère easily reached its cruising speed of 135 mph. Hubert de Pibriac was one of the most renowned amateur pilots in France. To pilot this ultramodern seaplane, therefore, presented no problems. He was more than pleased to be at the commands in such a newly designed cockpit. It only took three hours to cross France and once the Mediterranean was skimmed over, the plane landed on the runway at the airport in El Aouina in Tunis, on time, a little before 5 p.m.

  The members of the expedition stepped off the plane and spent a nice, quiet evening dining together in a wonderful restaurant on the seaside. Meanwhile, the mechanics checked the plane and filled it with gas.

  After dinner Hubert had tried to get in touch with the Nyctalope to inform him of the smooth first leg of the journey. To his great surprise he could not reach him. No doubt some technical problem with Léo’s phone, he thought. It’s surprising because his machines are usually in tip-top shape. No problem, I’ll just try again tomorrow night when we get into Fort-Lamy.

  The next day, they had to cross the Sahara and fly over Lake Chad to arrive at their second destination in the afternoon. The 1800 miles could have been dangerous if any mechanical failures occurred because the area was deserted or at best inhabited by tribes that often proved hostile. In Tunis Hubert asked the radio service about the weather conditions of the regions they had to cross to reach the heart of Africa. In theory, they would have no disturbances over the desert but heavy rains were forecast around Fort-Lamy. The landing, therefore, might be a little trickier than planned. However, since rain was frequent at this time of the year and they would see plenty of it over the next few days, they decided not to postpone their departure. He would keep in touch with the radio service about the weather as much as possible to be prepared for any eventuality.

  Considering the length of the flight, they decided to leave at five in the morning. The sky was clear and the plane was soon flying over the desert. The first part of the trip went well. The only hitch was to the west of the Libyan Desert when the plane had to climb in order to avoid a sudden sandstorm that clouded the horizon.

  When they arrived at Lake Chad, the weather turned cloudy all of a sudden and it started to rain. The plane gained altitude to climb above the clouds but being beaten by the rain and battered by the winds it had trouble ascending, even though it performed stunningly under normally turbulent conditions.

  This storm, however, forced them slow the plane down and at nightfall it was still in the air, not being able to reach Fort-Lamy. In the pouring rain that hammered the fuselage and in total darkness, it was hard to get their bearings, even more so as the area was sparsely inhabited and the villages they flew over were not lit up at night. Hubert had to rely on the navigation instruments. He was skilled in this but he still started to worry about not being able to see the city lights.

  Around 8 p.m., while Pibriac was wondering if it might not be wiser to try landing and start off again the next morning, Bob was peering into dark night. Off to the left he saw lights, not many and not bright, but they must have been Fort-Lamy. Hubert spotted a relatively open field that could serve as an emergency landing strip. Without too much difficulty and with great care he managed to set the plane down on the muddy, soggy soil which did not make it easy for him.

  They left the plane in the open space, where it should be safe, and headed for the city. This was their last layover in the civilized world. The next day they would begin the most dangerous part of their trip, the one that would bring them to the Tower of Babel.

  They found some rooms in a simple but comfortable hotel and ate a frugal dinner while looking out the windows at the torrents of water pelting Fort-Lamy. When they were done Hubert tried once again to contact the Nyctalope. He got through. The conversation was broken, the connection on and off, but he was a little upset hearing the terrible news about Versailles while they were flying over Africa.

  CHAPTER IV

  Surprise Attack

  On September 13, at 8 a.m., in the garden of the Blingy mansion, Louis, Saint-Clair’s gardener, was pruning a rose bush that had just lost its last flowers. He was piling up the dead branches in a wheelbarrow next to him. Despite the early hour it was already warm and Louis work in his shirtsleeves.

  His employers had left early to take their son to Le Bourget airport. Julienne, the maid, had finished cleaning the rooms and was walking across the yard on her way to do the shopping for breakfast. She stopped next to Louis and asked him:

  “Is it going to take you long to finish up with the roses?”

  “No. See, I have to finish this one and cut back this vine that’s gett
ing a little out-of-hand. Looky there, it’s almost up to the second story,” he pointed at the branches of the invasive plant.

  Julienne looked up but her eyes were drawn to a dot that showed up in the sky and seemed to grow bigger every second. She said to Louis:

  “Do you see that… that thing up there… over the roof?”

  Louis looked to where she was pointing and saw the weird thing. It was a metal object, very big now, six-sided, and flying through the air. It was not a blimp because there was no balloon. It was not a plane either because it had no wings. It moved by propellers stuck on top of the cabin. They must have had an extremely powerful engine somewhere because the ship was as tall as a three-story building and it was moving fast. Maybe it was a helicopter but of a revolutionary design because no machine like that had been able to fly for more than a mile.

  As the aircraft got closer and closer the sound of the spinning propellers became deafening.

  Faced with such an extraordinary spectacle, Louis called out to his father and Mademoiselle Bron, the governess:

  “Come over and see what’s flying around up there!”

  A window opened on the second floor, revealing the dazed face of Mademoiselle Bron, then Bertrand the butler.