By Monkey

Chapter 49

Message in the Sphinx

     Jones and Vadoma retired to the after deck following breakfast.  They relaxed and enjoyed the sun, and the increasingly spectacular views.  Here the banks of the Upper Nile were lined with magnificent high cliffs interspersed here and there with numerous small temples and ruins; sometimes carved into the very faces of the cliffs themselves.

     They were now beginning to enter into the very heart of the New Kingdom and its magnificent monuments; Thebes, the seat of power of those great Pharaohs, and of course the Valley of the Kings.

      “This is a beautiful place Indy,” Vadoma said reflectively, “it’s ….magical.”

     Indiana Jones leaned on the railing and gazed across at the cliffs in the distance as the ‘Goddess’ negotiated a bend in the river, “Yes,” he said, “It’s so alive…this part of Egypt…at least for me.  Sure in many ways it’s almost a…land of the dead, but for me it’s all…so alive,” Jones then shook his head slightly, “I don’t know how to explain it in words.  You can’t describe archaeology in words I guess.

      “You don’t have to Indy,” Vadoma said with a smile.

      “Doctor Jones!” A voice called out to Indy.

     Jones turned around as one of the smartly dressed stewards approached him.

      “Doctor Jones you had asked me to inform you if the ‘Queen of the Nile’ came within sight.”

      “Yes?”

      “She has been spotted a few miles ahead,” the man said.

      “Great!” Jones said excitedly, as he fished a couple of bills from his pocket and pressed them into the man’s hand, “Thank you Emil.”

      “Thank you sir,” the man smiled as he looked at the money in his hand.

     Indiana Jones nearly ran up the ladder to the forward part of the boat, and then out on to one of the bridge wings.  He shaded his eyes and peered up ahead in the distance where another large river craft lazily cruised on up the Nile.  He stepped inside and spoke with the man at the helm of the ‘Goddess’.

      “What boat is that up ahead?” He asked the helmsman.

      “That is the ‘Queen’ sir,” he answered, “the ‘Queen of the Nile’.”

      “Are we going to pass by her?”

     The helmsman smiled, “Oh yes sir, ‘Goddess’ is far faster than the ‘Queen’,” he said with pride.

      “How close?” Jones asked, “I mean how close by will we go to the ‘Queen’?”

     The man looked at him for a moment, “You are maybe worried sir?  …worried that we will collide?  No need to worry sir, I am the best helmsman on the whole river.”

      “Oh I don’t doubt you,” Jones said, “I just…want to be able to wave to a friend as we pass by.”

     The man smiled again, “Oh, you will be close enough to wave sir.”

     Jones nodded in satisfaction, “Thank you,” he said, and then headed back aft.

     Vadoma met him on the relatively deserted dining deck.

      “Is it the boat with your friends?” She asked him.

      “Yes,” Jones answered.

     Then Indiana Jones did a curious thing.  He reached down, picked up the salt and pepper shakers from off of one of the tables, and slipped them into his trouser pocket.

      “Indy, what are you doing?” Vadoma asked, confused by Jones’ curious pilferage.”

      “I’ve got an idea, come on,” he said as he headed below to the cabin.

     Once in the cabin Jones withdrew the salt and pepper shakers from his pockets and placed them on the table.

     In keeping with the interest of the tourists the shakers were each a small replica of the Sphinx.  They were made out of a heavy stone-like material.  One was white and one was black, for salt and pepper respectively.

      “What ever are you going to do with those Indy?” Vadoma was still confused.

      “I need to get a message to Marcus,” Jones answered as he searched about the cabin’s small desk and located a pen and some paper.

      “But what are the shakers for?” she asked.

     Jones held up one of the little Sphinx’s, “These are my messengers,” he said as he tossed the heavy little shaker into the air and caught it with one hand.

     Vadoma still wasn’t quite clear on Jones’ plan as she watched him scrawl out a message on a piece of paper.  But then things became obvious when Indiana Jones unscrewed the top to one of the shakers, rolled up his brief message, placed it inside, and screwed the top back on.

      “You’re going to …throw that over to the other boat?” she asked.

     “That’s right,” Jones answered as he wrote out another message.

      “But how can you be sure to get it to Mr. Brody?”

      “This,” he held up the second message.

     Deliver this shaker to passenger Marcus Brody and no one else, and you will be

rewarded with money.

     Jones then folded the second message up and secured it tightly to the shaker with twine wrapped around.

      “Simple enough?” He said to her.

     Vadoma just shrugged, then watched as Jones made out an identical set of messages for the second shaker; one for Marcus inside, and one for the outside, which he again tied on securely with twine.

      “Why two?” She asked.

      “Because I’m not that confident in my aim,” he answered her, “and this makes it twice as likely that I’ll get it to him.”

      “Why don’t you just wait until we both dock in Luxor, and then just go on over to his boat?”

      “No, I want to meet with Marcus alone.  I don’t want any trouble from Elliot.”

      “Who is Elliot?”

      “MI5,” Jones answered, “British Government.  He’s traveling with Marcus.  I’m still a wanted man in England,” he looked over at her, “and you’re still a wanted woman.  I don’t want Elliot to know that we’re here unless I have to.  It keeps things more simple…for him, and for us.”

      “I see,” Vadoma said, nodding her head in understanding.

     A short while later they were back out on the afterdeck, enjoying the view and waiting patiently for the ‘Goddess’ to overtake the ‘Queen’.

     It took nearly two hours before their boat closed in on the slower one in front of them.  Jones noted with satisfaction that they were overtaking the other boat in a stretch of the river that was a bit narrower than most, putting the two craft closer together than Jones had even hoped that they’d be.

     As the two boats converged they each blew their horns in recognition of the other.

     The ‘Queen’ was of a similar design as the ‘Goddess’, but just a bit larger.  Like the ‘Goddess’, she had a large, two level after deck where passengers could sit in the sun and enjoy their trip up the ancient river.  It was towards there that Jones decided he would launch his little sphinx messengers.  He selected the best target he could see, a European looking young man standing next to the deck ladder, and launched his first missile.

     To Jones dismay the little sphinx fell just inches short, bouncing off the low gunwale of the afterdeck, and into the Nile.

      “Damnit!” Jones exclaimed his disappointment as now the ‘Queen’ began to slide by down the ‘Goddess’ port side.  He knew he had to fire off his next missile or miss his chance altogether.

     Jones reared back and let fly.  This time his effort met with complete success as the little messenger actually bounced off of the ladder and struck the boy in the head.  Curious, the young man stooped down and picked it up off the deck.

      “Yes!” Jones exclaimed his satisfaction as the ‘Goddess’ now completely overtook the slower boat and began to put distance between them.

     A few minutes later on board the ‘Queen of the Nile’ a knock sounded on the door to cabin 17.  A distinguished looking English Gentleman with salt and pepper hair, and an engaging smile opened the door.

      “Yes?” He said to the young man standing before him.

      “Are you Mr. Marcus Brody?”

      “Yes, yes I am.”

      “Then this is for you sir,” the boy said as he handed over a heavy, black pepper shaker in the form of a sphinx.

     Marcus Brody was at best confused and at worst befuddled, as he stared in bewilderment at the object in his hand.

      “What ever are you talking about young man?”

     The boy briefly explained, and then showed the message promising a reward.  Right away Brody thought he recognized the handwriting, and then when he glanced down again at the salt shaker’s screw off top, it clicked.  Excitedly he fished out a couple of bills from his wallet and handed them to the boy.  He hurriedly locked the door after the unexpected messenger had departed, and then unscrewed the sphinx’s top.

     Marcus Brody spilled out a generous amount of ground pepper on to the table of his small cabin before the carefully rolled up message dropped out.  He quickly unrolled it and began reading.  A broad smile formed on his face as he did:

Marcus, meet me after sunset. 

Temple of Karnak.

Obelisk of Thutmose.

Tell Elliot nothing.

Come alone.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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