“Nordhurst mentioned that if the funds were granted for an expedition, he’d like to come along.”
“Simply for the chance to gloat over us if we found nothing and it all turned out to be a wild goose chase, no doubt.”
“I’m certain those were his only motives,” agreed Mitchell. There was a touch of bitterness in his voice. “Whichever way the decision of the committee goes, he’s determined to be on the winning side.”
Walton nodded. “Whatever happens, until we know their decision, try not to rub him the wrong way. In the meantime, I’ll get in touch with the other committee members and sound them out. There are bound to be a few of them on our side and others I think I might be able to win over. It would be quite ethical for me to do this, whereas you might be reluctant to associate yourself with talking them around, seeing that you’re the proposer of this scheme.”
“Do you think we stand a chance at all?”
The other pursed his lips. “I’ll know the answer to that one once I’ve had a talk with some of the others.”
Mitchell had expected little to come of Walton’s promises. He was, therefore, all the more surprised when Professor Nordhurst called him to his room one afternoon three weeks later.
“Sit down, please, Doctor Mitchell,” he said gravely, indicating the chair in front of his desk. “I’d like to have a talk with you.”
Mitchell sat quite still, wondering what was coming next. Obviously it was something to do with the committee meeting which had been held earlier that day. Probably wondering how he can break the refusal gently, he thought bitterly, without making it obvious that he was the one who had stopped the grant.
“As you know, the committee met this morning to discuss your application for a grant to finance an expedition to Easter Island. I made it quite clear the last time we discussed this question, that I was not in sympathy with such an undertaking, that it did not merit the expenditure of so much money from the University funds.
“However, a majority of the committee members were of the opinion that something useful might come from such an expedition and consequently it has been decided to finance this trip of yours. I hope for your sake, and that of the University as a whole, that something will be discovered which is of concrete, scientific interest.”
He twisted his lips into a dry smile. “I would also like to remind you that I would like to be included in the group to go on this trip.”
“But of course, Professor.” Mitchell felt a sensation of sudden exultation and excitement rising within him. This was far more than he had ever dared hope. Most of it, he owed to Walton, he reflected. The other had certainly been busy during the past three weeks.
“Then that’s settled. All that remains now is to settle on a date. I realize that it will take some time to make the preliminary arrangement, but I’d certainly appreciate it if you’d keep in close touch with me.”
Mitchell nodded in silent agreement. Now that everything had turned out in his favour, he could forget the way in which Nordhurst had reacted when they had first talked this idea over.
“I’ll begin the necessary arrangements right away,” he said quickly, getting to his feet. There was a sudden sense of urgency in him now that the first obstacle had been cleared. He had the strange feeling that time was somehow running against them. It was a peculiar sensation, one which he could not even begin to explain. Somewhere out there in the heart of the Pacific, he thought tensely, lay the secret to most of the ancient legends, he felt certain of that. If only he could find it, prise it loose from whatever it was, from whoever held it.
Mitchell stirred restlessly under the sheets, then swung his legs to the floor of the cabin and sat on the edge of the bunk. The ship was rolling slightly in the swell and it was still dark outside. He tried to make out details through the porthole close to his head, but could see nothing through the thick glass. The previous evening, the Skipper had estimated that they were little more than seventy miles from Easter Island and that they ought to reach it some time the following evening.
There was no light in the cabin, and he was content to sit in the darkness, smoking. During the past weeks when progress had seemed slow and at times non-existent, the urgency within him had risen to the point where he could scarcely stand it any longer. Even now, when they were almost within hailing distance of their objective, he still felt tense and tight inside, as if something were bottled up inside him, waiting for release.
They had easily picked up a crew for the converted fishing vessel which they had succeeded in fitting out, and the journey so far had proved uneventful. The ship had proved to be extremely seaworthy and had been sufficiently large to carry all of their equipment. The necessary permission had been received from the Chilean Government to land on Easter Island and carry out their investigations.
He stubbed out his cigarette and lit another almost immediately. If only he could rid himself of this feverish tension which seemed to be riding him incessantly, never leaving him. Was it because he was inwardly afraid of what he might find here? That there might be something in the tales of horror which the other men he had talked with had spoken of? Or was it because, deep down inside, he was afraid of being proved wrong by Nordhurst?
Deliberately, he considered the various alternatives and immediately dismissed the last one. Simply because he was wrong would not bring this subtle fear in its train. There might be a little ridicule, and an I-told-you-so attitude on the part of Professor Nordhurst, but that was about all.
On the other hand, if there was anything in his belief in an older, tremendously ancient civilization on Easter Island, and vestiges of it still remained there, it might conceivably be dangerous to probe too deeply. He tried to dismiss the idea, to put it out of his mind altogether. Whatever his reasons for coming here, he was still a scientist, first and foremost. And as such, he had trained his mind to examine everything minutely and carefully and reject anything which had no scientific reasons for its existence.
Well, to hell with it, he thought savagely, drawing deeply on the cigarette, watching the tip glow redly in the darkness. Very soon, he would be in a position to find out things for himself. Not that he expected to make much headway at first. The natives would undoubtedly be reluctant to talk with total strangers, especially about their ancient beliefs, and even when they did, he would still have to sift the truth from the mass of spurious data with which it would be embellished.
He sat there for a long time, so sunk in thought that he scarcely noticed the darkness fading beyond the porthole, and the sun climbing up out of the sea. He dressed after a while and went up on deck. There was a stiff breeze that caught hold of his shirt and flapped it around his waist.
Walton was already there, leaning over the rail, peering into the sun-hazed distance. He turned as the other approached.
“Not much further now, Ralph,” he said genially. “Beginning to get excited, I suppose.”
“A little,” admitted the other quietly. He fell silent and stared down at the water which ran in a stream of white foam past the hull of the ship.
“Something wrong?” inquired the other concernedly. “You don’t look so good.”
“Just that I didn’t sleep much during the night, got too much on my mind, I guess.”
“Well, whatever happens, don’t let it get you down. There’s one hell of a lot to be discovered here, I can feel it in my bones. You may be on to the discovery of the century before very long.”
“I only hope you’re right.” Mitchell’s laugh was oddly brittle and hollow, with little mirth to it. “I’d hate to have to go back to the University and live with Nordhurst telling me all the time how wrong I had been and that he had advised against this expedition in the first place. Superior knowledge and all that, you know.”