Lemuria by Burt Clinchandhill (epub e ink reader TXT) 📕

“There,” Mansoer pointed to a place left of them, near the river.

“At the riverbank?” Bishop asked.

“Not exactly. You see that small island with the big hill, just before the turn of the river?”

They all nodded.

“That’s it. The location was over there on that small island.”

The island couldn’t have been more than a few hundred feet across, surrounded by wild water rapids.

“It used to be a peninsula, but due to the current, it broke loose over time and became an island,” Mansoer pointed out.

“What’s over there now?” Bishop asked.

“Nothing much. Just a big, deep hole in the center of the hill, remnants of the Dubois digs. Nothing worth going there to see.”

Bishop looked briefly at Lindsey and Ignatowski. “But can we get there?” he asked Mansoer.

Mansoer stroke his face. “Normally, I would say yes, but today?”

Lindsey stepped up to the man. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the weather is okay now, but for the past few weeks, we’ve had some heavy rainfall. All that water is now running from the mountains, making the water very angry.”

“Angry?” Ignatowski asked.

“Lots of rapids and falls,” Mansoer replied. “Very dangerous.”

“There must be a way.” Bishop took Mansoer by the shoulders.

Mansoer took a deep breath. “I suppose you could use one of the rafts upstream and aim for the island as the river takes you down. In the center of the island, there’s a large inlet, a crescent-shaped cove. If you aim straight for the island, the inlet will take you in, and you will end ashore in the center.”

“Where can we get a raft?” Bishop asked.

Mansoer pointed to the island and moved his finger upstream to a small shed on the riverbank, not far from where they were standing. “There’s a path down to our right. It ends at a few local fishing cabins, but there will be no one there now because of the wild river. No fishing.”

“But can we take a raft and go to the island?” Bishop asked, feeling the eyes of his companions on his back.

“You’re crazy,” Ignatowski remarked. “You want to kill yourself, and us in the process?”

Bishop ignored him. “If I were to take a raft downstream and miss the island, what would happen?”

“Nothing much,” Mansoer answered. “It would be the same when you were to leave the island again. The stream will take you into the curve, over there.” He pointed to the left where the river turned and went out of sight behind the trees. “There, the raft will run aground in the curve at yet another small fishing place. There’s a small beach where you could easily get off.”

“Then, we’ll do that,” Bishop firmly spoke.

“This is crazy,” Ignatowski slapped his forehead. “You don’t even know what you’re looking for.”

“True,” Bishop replied, “but if we don’t go and have a look, then where will we go from here?”

“I still say this is crazy.” Ignatowski turned to Mansoer. “What if you fall into the river?”

“Well, if you fall into the river, try to keep your head above the water, and stay away from the rocks. You’re likely to end up on the island or, again, in the curve on the beach. That is....”

“That is...?” Ignatowski repeated.

Mansoer gave a half-smile. “That is if the animals don’t get you first.”

“What animals?” Ignatowski snapped.

“Well, let’s see, there’s the Siamese crocodile, the Sumatran tiger who is known to take a bath in the river from time to time, and there’s the occasional rhino crossing the river.” Mansoer turned to Lindsey and gave a wink.

“What?” Ignatowski bellowed, while his face turned white.

They all laughed out loud at Ignatowski. “The animals are no problem,” Mansoer assured. “Most of them are endangered and in zoos now. The only animal you need to worry about is the mosquito, which takes the most lives every year. Use a Deet-based repellant, and you’ll be fine. I can come with you if you like. I’ve done this many times before.” Mansoer gave a big smile. “For a small price. Just ask Mansoer.”

“How much?” Ignatowski asked.

“One million Rupiah.”

Bishop counted on his fingers. “Um, that’s about sixty dollars. Sounds fair to me,” he replied, still smiling about Ignatowski’s face when he heard about the animals. “Are you in?” he asked Ignatowski.

Ignatowski sighed deeply, shook his head and said,. “Amazing, but all right, I’m in.”

Bishop faced Lindsey, who put some wait on her leg, testing her ankle. “Should be fine.” She nodded. “I wonder where you will lead us eventually, but hell, since we’re here, we better make the most of this adventure.”

“Great, please lead the way,” Bishop asked Mansoer, who immediately stretched his arm to the stairs carved out in the rocks.

“Follow me, but please don’t blame me if there’s nothing for you to find over there.”

After ten minutes, they reached the riverbank where the noise of the river made it even scarier than the whitecaps alone.

“No worries,” Mansoer assured. “We’ll be fine as long as you do as I tell you. There’s the island.” He pointed north. “But we need to go south first, for a few minutes.” They followed the narrow, muddy bank of the river. With every step, their shoes were sucked into the brown mud and, using force, they freed their feet again, and again, until they reached a small shed next to an inlet. “This is it.” Mansoer pointed to a stack of wooden beams, tied together with rope, drifting in the small cove. A rubber boat was tied to the top of the beams.

“That’s the raft?” Ignatowski asked. “A rubber boat on a pile of wood?”

“No worries. It’s very sturdy. If we were to use only the rubber boat, the plastic would puncture quickly because of the sharp rocks. This way, we’ll be safe. And maybe even dry.” He smiled again. “Can you please help me?”

The men followed Mansoer to the shed while Lindsey waited outside. The walls inside the small building—that looked like it was made of driftwood—were filled with fishing nets, oars and farming materials, such as a plow, rakes and shovels. In