Back from retreat.
Back at the cabin, Lucas could hardly believe his eyes to find they
had spent most of the day at the retreat, and here, back at the cabin
it was just a bit past noon. Boy this was going to be confusing to get
used to. He told Linc how much he enjoyed going to see the retreat,
and how good he felt.
Linc told Lucas he had sandwiches in the cooler. Since it would be
seven hours or so until supper time, why not make a pot of coffee and
sit outside a while before going back to the farm. Lucas said the was
fine with him, and afterwards he would take a bucket and pick some of
these wild blackberries so Trudy could make some pies.
While sitting out under the tree and eating, Linc asked, "What did
you think of the cave? I find it a very strange thing. It was not a
real cave, as caves go. It was made. Did you see how smooth the
walls were? I wonder why a cave? Why go to the trouble when a house
would do? When was all this done, and by who? Did Hancks have it
done, or was it someone before him? Seems strange for a retreat. Why
the hidden tunnel? What was it for? Did Hancks have a pink broach to
open the notches? What do you think, Grandpa"? Linc made mental note
to look for another broach or something. Lucas thought for a moment
then Said, There was some jewelry in a trinket box on the dresser.
Did you check that out"? Linc confessed he hadn't even seen the box.
He must have been looking for other things. He would check it out
later. It would keep. He hoped whatever controlled the pink notches
wasn't in the coffin with him.
Later while Lucas went down to pick berries, Linc put a rock in the
hole the skunk used and mounded dirt onto it. Then cleaned the traps
and hung them on the side of the cabin before going down to help
Lucas. He was hoping to hear from his old teacher about the rock
samples. He'd check his e-mails when he got back to the farm.
They picked a couple of gallons of berries than Linc heated up what
was left of the coffee and they sat in the shade and drank it while
they rested.
Linc cleaned up the cabin and washed the coffee pot and cups before
they headed back to the farm.
While Lucas took the berries to Trudy, Linc went to the office to
check his mail. His old teacher mailed he got the samples that
afternoon, and was very surprise when he opened the package and found
the samples stuck together. He thought for a bit that they had been
glued together. He actually had to pry them apart. He had a time
wondering why three different samples from three different locations
should act like this. Said in all of his experience, he had never
encountered anything remotely like that. He was going to take them and
check this stuff out, first thing in the morning. Wanted Linc's phone
number, because it needed to be talked about. He was going to show
then to another professor, and see what he thought about them, as
well..
Linc emailed back that he knew nothing about the samples sticking
together. It had to be after they were packed up. Sent the phone
number.
His Uncle mailed he was bringing the kids over that next weekend.
Good, now he had to let Lucas and Trudy know.
As Linc sat there, he couldn't help but wonder why the different
minerals like he sent would ever have an affinity for each other. It
was almost unbelievable.
It had to be because of that radical he picked up when he went to
Kenneth and Jane Hanks portal. That was strange, because that stuff
was extremely anti magnetic. One wouldn't think it would stick to
anything.
He went out on the porch to find Lucas sitting in the swing drinking
ice tea. He told him that the grandkids, and Grandkids they were since
Linc's parents had adopted them, would be coming over for a visit next
weekend, and they were jumping up and down with joy. They loved it
here almost as much as Linc did when he was a Kid. He always liked the
trips to the cabin best.
He told Lucas about the samples, and they talked about them and
about the retreat.
After supper, Linc decided to take a walk down to the barn to see the
new calf John mentioned at the supper table. It was strange, because
she never had a calf in the spring and here she had a calf out of
season.
Such a cutie. A white face, with a curly forelock. Big brown eyes
looking up at him, made him smile. Linc just had to pet him.
The darn barn cats were hanging around his feet. Maybe John forgot to
feed them, so he went into the barn to find some cat food for them.
As he went in, he saw an animal almost as big as the cats. It darted
in behind a couple of barrels standing in the corner. What was it?
Linc took a pitchfork and probed behind one of the barrels.
Something let out a squeal, climbed up the wall like a flash knocking
down an old wicker basket that was hanging above Linc's head It hit
him on the head and shoulder. Years of dust and chaff billowed out
all over him. It has old gunny sacks and some old bottled and cans of
stuff that clanked down on his head. Linc flailed his arms and brushed
like crazy to get the junk off him. Now he had lost track of what the
animal was. Had to be a squirrel. He started to pick up the basket
and the stuff that fell out. There was a bell laying there. It had to
have been in the basket too. Why? That's strange. He thought. He
thought it was better than the old triangle bell hanging on the porch.
He figured on taking it back up to the house. Might as well go now.
That dust and chaff made him itch like crazy. Up at the house he put
the bell on a side table just inside the door and went up to take a
shower. Later he was going to get the bell and clean it up.
He washed the bell good with soapy water, and was polishing it up and
saw that it was made back in Mansfield, Conn. At the Hanks foundry. In
1790. It was about the size of a grapefruit. Where did it come from?
Why was it in the barn? Have to ask Lucas about it in the morning.
Next morning after breakfast, he showed the bell to Lucas and asked
about it. Lucas said he had forgotten all about it. Told him that
Axel had went over to visit Grandpa Raymond and Grandma Elizabeth, and
they had given it to him as a family heirloom. It had been handed
down each generation, and since he was the oldest it then became his.
Never did know what he had done with it. Well Linc said he was going
to hang it on the porch in place of the triangle because he
liked it. If Uncle Axel wanted it he could have it, but until then it
will hang where all could see it and hear it. Linc made a mental note
to research that bell.
Trudy said she was going to freeze the berries because with the Kids
coming over, the girls loved to help her bake. I guess Mom just don't
have the time to do that, Linc thought. He figured Amy would be old
enough to start school this fall. That meant Jessica was in the third
grade and Todd in the fifth. Time does fly.
Linc remembered he had to get the folding cots from the attic. They
would need them up at the cabin. He had to gather up some other stuff
as well. He decided to go on up to the office and do some research on
the Hanks foundry until lunch time. Lucas was in the living room
reading the paper.
Instead of research on the bell, Linc decided to see if he could find
out just where he was when he ran in to Kenneth and Jane Hanks. He
wanted to find out more about the rocks from that mine that were so
anti magnetic. He knew when they got the police, the town was in
Colorado. He had to find out what year it was. It couldn't have been
too far back in time because stuff was too modern there. He tried to
google Kenneth Hanks but came up blank. Maybe Jasper, don't know if
he was a Hanks. He wished he could remember the name of that little
town where they met the police. He did remember one of the police
said the area where the illegal lab was, an old lumber camp at one
time, and if there was an old mine there, it never amounted to
anything because there were no mining claims in the area. He finally
found it. An unfortunate accident in an experimental lab, outside of
Cardiff, Colorado. Now at least he knew where to find the mine even if
it happened almost twenty years ago. That mine should still be there.
Just have to go there and find it again. Things surely must have
changed in twenty years though. Have to think about that later, Linc
thought. Kids will be coming and then John and Trudy want to go on
vacation.
After breakfast, the next morning, he decided to run into town and
pick up some things the guys would need at the cabin. He found out
from Trudy the things she needed to teach the girls to bake and asked
Linc to get them. Lucas said he didn't feel like chasing off to town
and was going to sit and read the paper.
Driving along, he was deep in thought about telling Uncle Vernon about
the retreat and everything else. If he told him at the cabin and he
wanted to go there, then Lucas would want to go too. That meant he
would have to tell Todd as well. Could he trust him not to blab
everything to the rest of the world? He would have to have a talk
with him before hand to see how he thinks. He was so deep in thought,
that he almost didn't see that old man who was almost ready to step
out into the road. Linc stood on the breaks and squealed to a stop,
then the old man stopped then turned and limped off into the trees at
the edge of the road. What in the heck he thought as he pulled off to
the very edge of the road, got out and followed the old man into the
woods.
Where on earth did he go? He wasn't that fast, so he should be around
here somewhere. Linc looked all around for a sign of a trail or any
indication of where the old man walked. Nothing….This was so strange.
He knew he saw someone, but where is he hiding? Oh no! He saw a big
rock with a blue portal. Linc thought, not without a pack, so he went
back to the truck and got his backpack before going back to the rock.
He still didn't see a sign of the old man either. He stepped into the
portal and found himself in a jungle. He could see a lot of people
carrying armloads of flowers, and baskets of something towards an
immense step pyramid. There were people milling all around. They
seemed to be in a daze or something, they walked like zombies.
Suddenly he was grabbed by both arms by two husky men who were not
acting like zombies. Now what have I gotten into, Linc thought. He
was taken over to a platform where some zombies were and was given a
pot of some sort filled with some kind of liquid, and was told to
drink it. He didn't understand the language but knew from the signs
they made. He raised the pot and smelled it. A fruity smell He
pretended to drink it. One of the men pushed his hand and held it
till he did swallow a small bit. Linc pretended to be a zombie like
the rest of them and the two men wandered off. Linc quickly poured
the rest of the stuff on the ground, but ht was starting to feel
weird. What on earth was in that stuff? He was beginning to feel
like he was on a cheap drunk.
The people were taking the stuff they carried over to the base of the
pyramid, then two men in fancy dress robes came and climbed to the
top. Some horns of some kind were blown and then the two men that had
held him, brought a small girl to the steps and took her up to the
top. They placed her on a platform, then the horns sounded again.
Then one of the men in robes took a dagger and cut her heart out and
held it up in the air. Linc couldn't help it but he screamed,…."Nooo,
no ..". People turned to look at him, and as the two men started down
the steps, Linc took off back into the jungle. He was very groggy, he
looked for the portal. He scrambled all around when he finally saw a
blue glow and jumped into it. Oh no! he wasn't back where he
started, it looked like he was back at the same beach where he came
out the first time trip he was sent on. It looked like the same
beach, but not quite. There were no people in sight here, either way
he looked, left or right. There was driftwood fairly high up on the
beach. He could hear lots of birds. He marked the spot where he came
out with some rocks and shells. Then started down the beach to his
right. He walked close to the line of driftwood for a mile or so when
he saw what looked like a raft of some sort down at the water's edge.
The waves were gently bobbing the raft, but Linc could see nothing on
it nor could he see any footprints going away from it. Did it just
wash up here from somewhere else, Linc thought. He thought that most
likely. He drug the raft up on to the beach and then continued on
down the way he was going. After another mile or so, he came to what
looked like a path through the trees. It was not a wide one nor was
it well worn, but he decided to walk in it a ways. He came upon a
small camp, and saw what he was sure, was the same old man who he
almost ran over. This was too far fetched. There was no way this
could be, but there he was What in the world was going on now?
The man rushed up to him and hugged him. " Thank God you followed me.
I was beginning to give up hope that anyone would ever help me. I am
Evert Hanks. I was sent thru a portal to this place to do something
for a time master and left here." "I don't understand how this could
be, because I saw you back in my time standing by the road," said
Linc. " The old man said he floated here on a raft he found a week or
so before, and hadn't been anywhere else." Linc said, Never mind.
Lets see if we can't get out of here."
The old man was pretty frail but was able to walk back to where Linc
had marked the portal, and they went through. Instead of coming out
in the jungle like he expected, they came out by the big rock not far
from the truck. Linc could only shake his head in bewilderment. The
old man cried when he found he was back where it was civilized, even
though he had been gone for years. Linc took him into town and
dropped him off at a place he said he lived. He figured the time
master had just wanted Linc to save another Hanks. He got the stuff he
needed and went back to the farm.
To be continued.
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Sunday, June 21, 2020
The rock samples.
The rock samples.
When he got back to the truck, Linc tossed the pack in the back of the
truck and headed home. He was all wet and hoped he could get into his
room with out having to explain how that happened. He was luck there
and got to his room with out anyone catching him. He got into some dry
clothes and took the rocks from the trip through the portal and
placed them in a drawer until he could find stuff to pack them and
the ones from the pack, with.
What a day. He was exhausted. He would love to just lie down and
take a nap, but Lucas would think he was sick or something.
He went down to find Lucas was still asleep at his nap, so he got the
pack from the truck. Took out the bag from the mine, and took it up to
his room, and put it with the other rocks. He would have to get some
material to pack them in and a box. He also wanted to get some of the
heavy rust sludge from the cabin. He wanted to see what his old
teacher thought about that stuff too.
He went to the office and sent an e-mail to his old teacher. Told
hem about the minerals and that he was going to send them to him to
see if he could identify them.
He knew his Uncle Vernon had been taking the kids on camping trips
like he used to take him, so he also sent an e-mail to his Uncle
Vernon. He wondered if he thought it a good idea if he could bring
the kids over to the farm for a week. Sometime before school started.
It would give the folks a few days by them selves. He wanted to tell
him all about the time masters and he wanted to take him to the
retreat.
He heard Lucas come down the stairs and go out to the porch, so he
went to join him. He was sitting in the swing drinking iced tea.
Linc poured a glass and sat down next to him.
"Grandpa" he said. " I've been thinking about something, and I think
it is maybe time to tell you. You may have a hard time believing it,
but it's the God's truth. I haven't told the folks yet, so you are
the first to know." Linc then went on to tell Lucas everything about
the time masters and all that he had done so far for them. He also
told about the retreat and what he found there. Told him how he
needed his help with the French papers he found. " I want to take
you there, if you believe me and feel up to it". Lucas just sat there
a minute. He was a bit dumbfounded at what he had just heard. Not
that he didn't believe what Linc told him, but because he didn't know
what to say. He then took a deep swig of tea and turned to Linc,
smiled and said, "lets go". "Great, we can do it tomorrow. We can
do it from the cabin. I want to get some packing stuff, and we can
check the traps while we are at it". As they sat there waiting for
Trudy to call them to supper, Lucas asked Linc a great many questions
about the places he had been and the people he met. Told Linc he was
jealous because he hadn't been chosen to this too. He thought it was
fantastic.
The next day, they told Trudy they were going to town, then up to the
cabin to check the traps. Asked if she needed anything from town,
piled into the truck and went on up to town first. Linc got some
packing material and a box from the Post office.
Up at the cabin, they saw the skunk had been caught. Linc took the
skunk and buried it. He opened the cabin to let it air out. They
went up to the trench and saw there was little change, and got a
sample of the rusty sludge and put it into an empty pill bottle..
Back at the cabin he took hold of Lucas's arm, touched the broach and said,
' retreat'.
At the island, Lucas gasped and said, "you mean to tell me, all this
is your's"? "Yep"! said Linc., who led them on down the shore line
to the cave. Lucas asked if the altitude was different here because
he felt lighter. And even felt a bit frisky, younger somehow, if that
was possible. Linc explained that the retreats were a place to recoup
the stamina for the time masters. It may even give them a boost, who
knows.
At the cave, Lucas marveled at how it was fixed up. They went inside
and Lucas had to check the whole thing out. He looked at everything
and just stood there and shook his head. He remarked on how smooth
the walls of the cave were. "So hard to believe it all". Linc took
him into the big bedroom and showed him the desk. Lucas looked at the
packet and whistled. " Looks like a lot of legal papers. Marriage
permit, birth certificates. Two deeds to property in France, the keys
must be for them. A legal grant for payment of service. An IOU for
funds from a private party. Anther permit of some kind, and the pack
of money, with a note attached said for sale of a painting. "The
money is about a hundred years old. All new uncirculated bills, just
like they come from the printer, the serial numbers in consecutive
order. There are twenty, five franc notes, or one hundred dollars.
They would be worth a fortune to some collector," said Lucas.. Linc
made a mental note to check it out later. The desk had mostly personal
papers and recites. "Looks like he sold a few paintings. Looking at
that monstrosity hanging in the other room, how, I'll never know".
He whistled again as he looked at the dueling pistols. "beautiful" he
said. Lucas picked up a trinket box on a dresser, that Linc had
overlooked. It held some old jewelry that looked quite expensive.
Mentioned it to Linc.
Linc went over to the wardrobe and gave it a tug. It swung away from
the wall and then Lucas could see the tunnel. " What on earth"? he
asked. Linc turned on the flashlight and they went in. There were
twenty notches in the walls. Ten on each side . The pink light in each
of them seemed a bit brighter than he was here last time. Linc told
Lucas he hadn't found out what this was all about, but he had
suspicions it had something to do with the historical artifacts the
time masters brought back with them from their time travels. He would
find out somehow.
Lucas put the things back in the desk and they went on up to the house.
Linc had to speed up his pace, because Lucas was stepping right along.
Walking around the house, Lucas whistled again. "Mighty nice there Son"
Lucas went all thru the house, remarking at how he liked certain
things. In the kitchen he opened the fridge and exclaimed, "hey this
thing is on. Stuff looks fresh. Did you bring this up yesterday"?
Linc then went on and told him how time stood still on the island, how
he brought the stuff up a few days ago. Lucas said, "Looks good, why
not make some lunch".
Lucas went out and sat in a lounge chair on the patio, And Linc
brought lunch out and set it on a table between them. As they were
eating, Lucas nodded his head a couple of times as he looked around
the area. "Yep, I could get used to this". Linc said he would bring
him whenever he wanted to come.
As they sat there, Linc told Lucas about what he found on Roland's
computer about the artifacts. He could not find them anywhere and
thought they may be stored somehow down in the tunnel. He just had to
find a way past the pink lights and see. If worse came to worse he
could ask the time master but not if he didn't have to in case it was
wrong for them to bring them back. He just couldn't figure out why
they would hide them since no one but who they asked were able to be
here. Strange to say the least.
Lucas wanted to explore the island. He said he felt great when Linc
asked him if he was sure. Might be a bit strenuous. Lucas said again
how he felt so good since he came.
They walked on down to the point of the island in front of the house.
There was no driftwood on the beach anywhere that they could see.
Must not ever have a high tide or storms here. Since the cave was on
the right of the house, they walked on down the beach to the left. The
water lapped the beach with very gentle waves. Not real loud. On
down the beach, the land rose on up into a mountain like on the other
side where the big cave was. They came up on a couple if smaller
caves. They were natural caves, not like the smooth walled main cave.
In one, were some child's toys. This must be a place where Roland
played as a child. They looked around in the other caves and found
nothing. The beach was beginning to be covered with fallen rock, so
they turned back to the house.
Back at the house they sat on the patio and drank some iced tea. Lucas
said he wondered just how long this island had been here. Why did the
old man have a cave instead of a house like this. A lot of questions
could be asked about this place. Linc asked Lucas what would he do if
he were to spend some time here Lucas said he didn't know for sure.
Maybe do a lot of walking a round. Maybe read, nap, who knows. Just
a thought. He said he did know one thing, it was a feel good place.
Next thing Linc knew, Lucas was sound asleep.
Linc went inside to the office, after he cleaned up the lunch stuff.
At the computer he looked for any reference to the tunnel, but found nothing.
He found he could not get on the web. He looked for any thing that
would tell him where the island was. He did find what looked to be
journal entries in a file labeled yeh. Different places he had been
and people he had encountered. Yep, old Roland did live an
interesting life.
After Lucas woke up from his nap, Linc suggested they go back to the
cabin, since it was late afternoon.
To be continued.
When he got back to the truck, Linc tossed the pack in the back of the
truck and headed home. He was all wet and hoped he could get into his
room with out having to explain how that happened. He was luck there
and got to his room with out anyone catching him. He got into some dry
clothes and took the rocks from the trip through the portal and
placed them in a drawer until he could find stuff to pack them and
the ones from the pack, with.
What a day. He was exhausted. He would love to just lie down and
take a nap, but Lucas would think he was sick or something.
He went down to find Lucas was still asleep at his nap, so he got the
pack from the truck. Took out the bag from the mine, and took it up to
his room, and put it with the other rocks. He would have to get some
material to pack them in and a box. He also wanted to get some of the
heavy rust sludge from the cabin. He wanted to see what his old
teacher thought about that stuff too.
He went to the office and sent an e-mail to his old teacher. Told
hem about the minerals and that he was going to send them to him to
see if he could identify them.
He knew his Uncle Vernon had been taking the kids on camping trips
like he used to take him, so he also sent an e-mail to his Uncle
Vernon. He wondered if he thought it a good idea if he could bring
the kids over to the farm for a week. Sometime before school started.
It would give the folks a few days by them selves. He wanted to tell
him all about the time masters and he wanted to take him to the
retreat.
He heard Lucas come down the stairs and go out to the porch, so he
went to join him. He was sitting in the swing drinking iced tea.
Linc poured a glass and sat down next to him.
"Grandpa" he said. " I've been thinking about something, and I think
it is maybe time to tell you. You may have a hard time believing it,
but it's the God's truth. I haven't told the folks yet, so you are
the first to know." Linc then went on to tell Lucas everything about
the time masters and all that he had done so far for them. He also
told about the retreat and what he found there. Told him how he
needed his help with the French papers he found. " I want to take
you there, if you believe me and feel up to it". Lucas just sat there
a minute. He was a bit dumbfounded at what he had just heard. Not
that he didn't believe what Linc told him, but because he didn't know
what to say. He then took a deep swig of tea and turned to Linc,
smiled and said, "lets go". "Great, we can do it tomorrow. We can
do it from the cabin. I want to get some packing stuff, and we can
check the traps while we are at it". As they sat there waiting for
Trudy to call them to supper, Lucas asked Linc a great many questions
about the places he had been and the people he met. Told Linc he was
jealous because he hadn't been chosen to this too. He thought it was
fantastic.
The next day, they told Trudy they were going to town, then up to the
cabin to check the traps. Asked if she needed anything from town,
piled into the truck and went on up to town first. Linc got some
packing material and a box from the Post office.
Up at the cabin, they saw the skunk had been caught. Linc took the
skunk and buried it. He opened the cabin to let it air out. They
went up to the trench and saw there was little change, and got a
sample of the rusty sludge and put it into an empty pill bottle..
Back at the cabin he took hold of Lucas's arm, touched the broach and said,
' retreat'.
At the island, Lucas gasped and said, "you mean to tell me, all this
is your's"? "Yep"! said Linc., who led them on down the shore line
to the cave. Lucas asked if the altitude was different here because
he felt lighter. And even felt a bit frisky, younger somehow, if that
was possible. Linc explained that the retreats were a place to recoup
the stamina for the time masters. It may even give them a boost, who
knows.
At the cave, Lucas marveled at how it was fixed up. They went inside
and Lucas had to check the whole thing out. He looked at everything
and just stood there and shook his head. He remarked on how smooth
the walls of the cave were. "So hard to believe it all". Linc took
him into the big bedroom and showed him the desk. Lucas looked at the
packet and whistled. " Looks like a lot of legal papers. Marriage
permit, birth certificates. Two deeds to property in France, the keys
must be for them. A legal grant for payment of service. An IOU for
funds from a private party. Anther permit of some kind, and the pack
of money, with a note attached said for sale of a painting. "The
money is about a hundred years old. All new uncirculated bills, just
like they come from the printer, the serial numbers in consecutive
order. There are twenty, five franc notes, or one hundred dollars.
They would be worth a fortune to some collector," said Lucas.. Linc
made a mental note to check it out later. The desk had mostly personal
papers and recites. "Looks like he sold a few paintings. Looking at
that monstrosity hanging in the other room, how, I'll never know".
He whistled again as he looked at the dueling pistols. "beautiful" he
said. Lucas picked up a trinket box on a dresser, that Linc had
overlooked. It held some old jewelry that looked quite expensive.
Mentioned it to Linc.
Linc went over to the wardrobe and gave it a tug. It swung away from
the wall and then Lucas could see the tunnel. " What on earth"? he
asked. Linc turned on the flashlight and they went in. There were
twenty notches in the walls. Ten on each side . The pink light in each
of them seemed a bit brighter than he was here last time. Linc told
Lucas he hadn't found out what this was all about, but he had
suspicions it had something to do with the historical artifacts the
time masters brought back with them from their time travels. He would
find out somehow.
Lucas put the things back in the desk and they went on up to the house.
Linc had to speed up his pace, because Lucas was stepping right along.
Walking around the house, Lucas whistled again. "Mighty nice there Son"
Lucas went all thru the house, remarking at how he liked certain
things. In the kitchen he opened the fridge and exclaimed, "hey this
thing is on. Stuff looks fresh. Did you bring this up yesterday"?
Linc then went on and told him how time stood still on the island, how
he brought the stuff up a few days ago. Lucas said, "Looks good, why
not make some lunch".
Lucas went out and sat in a lounge chair on the patio, And Linc
brought lunch out and set it on a table between them. As they were
eating, Lucas nodded his head a couple of times as he looked around
the area. "Yep, I could get used to this". Linc said he would bring
him whenever he wanted to come.
As they sat there, Linc told Lucas about what he found on Roland's
computer about the artifacts. He could not find them anywhere and
thought they may be stored somehow down in the tunnel. He just had to
find a way past the pink lights and see. If worse came to worse he
could ask the time master but not if he didn't have to in case it was
wrong for them to bring them back. He just couldn't figure out why
they would hide them since no one but who they asked were able to be
here. Strange to say the least.
Lucas wanted to explore the island. He said he felt great when Linc
asked him if he was sure. Might be a bit strenuous. Lucas said again
how he felt so good since he came.
They walked on down to the point of the island in front of the house.
There was no driftwood on the beach anywhere that they could see.
Must not ever have a high tide or storms here. Since the cave was on
the right of the house, they walked on down the beach to the left. The
water lapped the beach with very gentle waves. Not real loud. On
down the beach, the land rose on up into a mountain like on the other
side where the big cave was. They came up on a couple if smaller
caves. They were natural caves, not like the smooth walled main cave.
In one, were some child's toys. This must be a place where Roland
played as a child. They looked around in the other caves and found
nothing. The beach was beginning to be covered with fallen rock, so
they turned back to the house.
Back at the house they sat on the patio and drank some iced tea. Lucas
said he wondered just how long this island had been here. Why did the
old man have a cave instead of a house like this. A lot of questions
could be asked about this place. Linc asked Lucas what would he do if
he were to spend some time here Lucas said he didn't know for sure.
Maybe do a lot of walking a round. Maybe read, nap, who knows. Just
a thought. He said he did know one thing, it was a feel good place.
Next thing Linc knew, Lucas was sound asleep.
Linc went inside to the office, after he cleaned up the lunch stuff.
At the computer he looked for any reference to the tunnel, but found nothing.
He found he could not get on the web. He looked for any thing that
would tell him where the island was. He did find what looked to be
journal entries in a file labeled yeh. Different places he had been
and people he had encountered. Yep, old Roland did live an
interesting life.
After Lucas woke up from his nap, Linc suggested they go back to the
cabin, since it was late afternoon.
To be continued.
Thursday, June 11, 2020
new
Another Adventure.
As Linc emerged from the portal, he found himself in a forested area.
He could hear the sound of a river nearby. He took the hatchet from
his pack and blazed a couple of trees to mark the way to the portal,
as he walked toward the river. Blazed a few trees there before
putting the hatchet back in his pack. He decided to walk downstream.
About a mile downstream he came to a rocky cliff. He scrambled over
some rocks and continued on downstream, where he could see some
buildings back over in the timber. He was just stepping out of some
brush, when all at once he was struck full force by a little boy
about five or six years old. The boy started to fall backwards so he
grabbed him. Boy started kicking him and screaming, "let me go, let me
go". As he let him go, some guy came up and poked a gun at him. He
pulled a radio out of his pocket and said into it, " got him, and some
other dude too".
The answer came back to bring them in.
Now what the heck had he got himself into? This is just ducky. They
went into a building where a group of men were standing around a man
sitting on a stool. It looked like a laboratory of some kind. There
was broken jars, vials, papers and other junk scattered around. A
very acrid smell hanging in the air, and Oh!, Oh! My God!…A dead man
lying on the floor. Holy cow thought Linc. What have I stumbled into
now?
He heard the man sitting on the stool say, " I tell ya, he must a had
a break-though of some kind, because he suddenly stood up and yelled,
good God, than started destroying the memory chips, records and the
computer. Other than that, I don't know what happened".
The gunman took Linc over to the man on the stool and asked him, " Who
is this guy"? Linc said, "What's going on here, I was just out hiking
when this kid and this gunman ran into me. I don't know anybody here
and I demand you let me out of here now". The man on the stool said, "
I don't know this dude, never saw him before". The gunman asked one of
the other men what was he to do with Linc and the kid, and was told to
toss them in the shed with the kids Mother. When the boss came the
next day, he could deal with them.
Linc and the boy were taken to an old shed and shoved inside. Linc
could hear the door being locked after them. It looked like the shed
had been a store room at one time, but was now being used to hold lawn
equipment and
as a repair shop. There was a woman sitting on an old wooden box,
crying. She jumped up hugged the kid then asked Linc who he was. Linc
told her his name was Lincoln Hanks and how he was just hiking around
and got caught with the boy. The woman said, " Oh my God! Our name
is Hanks too. My husband, Kenneth, I'm Jane and this is Lewis. Did
Uncle Jasper send you here to find us and get us out?" Linc said, "
No", and asked, "what is this place and what's going on"? The woman
started crying again, but through the tears, sniffles and the
hick-ups, she was able to tell him this. She and her Husband were
scientists. The Chinese were behind this. They and their son had been
kidnapped and brought to this remote hidden laboratory. They really
wanted the man her husband had gotten his idea from, but the man
disappeared and they figured her husband could re-create what he had
found out about the teleporting and levitation, information they had
learned about from the other guy. She told him her husband had met a
man who published an article in a journal about his experiment he had
done using an iron ring he had coated with different minerals. He
used it to levitate different objects to different heights. Also he
had transported or moved objects to other places. He started to use
an arch instead of a ring. The trouble is, he didn't tell her husband
what minerals he used, or just how he powered the whole thing. Since
then, the other guy and his lab came up missing. Her husband had made
some progress with some experiments of his own when they were
kidnapped and brought here to duplicate their findings.
Once they were here another guy called Herm who was supposed to be a
scientist was put here in the lab to keep an eye on everything they
did. She said they had even found hidden cameras watching their every
move.
They did find out they had to add 3 big electro magnets to the iron
ring they made that was small at first. Using different mineral
compounds and regents, they were able to levitate a different number
of items. This no sooner done than the Chinese boss was 'Johnny' on
the spot to see it for himself.
The boy was not kept under watch like the parents, because they knew
he had to stay close. He liked to roam around the compound and look
for rocks and minerals that he always gave to his Father who collected
rocks. His father always took the rocks and identified them for the
boy, then put them in a box as his collection. Most were nothing
special, but his Father always made out like they were. One day he
brought in a couple of rocks while they were working with a new
mineral application on the ring. They stopped for a break when the boy
came in to the lab. They were sitting by the ring when he handed his
Father one of the rocks. As his Father lifted the rock up next to the
ring to look at it, it was suddenly torn from his hand and propelled
across the room with such force it crashed against the far wall with a
loud thud. The Father retrieved the rock and held it up like before
and the same thing happened. Herm came in about that time and wanted
to know what was going on and Kenneth said he was just tossing a rock
around. As they guy left, them Jane said her husband turned as white
as a sheet as all the color drained out of his face. She said he shook
his head and moaned. "No! No! Going at it all wrong.". he said and
left the building, and went to their quarters. Herm asked what was
going on and she told him her Husband suddenly felt ill, and went to
lie down for a while.
The next day when they went to the lab, Kenneth asked Lewis if he
could remember where he found the last rock he gave him, and the boy
said yes. There were lots of them in the same place. Father said
good, he might want another one like it. Lewis had another one in his
pocket, and gave it to him.
Kenneth had an idea. He took the rock and ground it into a powder.
He then added another powered mineral to it in a small vial. He was a
bit excited about this idea that came to him as he tried to sleep the
night before. It may turn out to be a good thing or it could be
something he really dreaded. With a regent added and used to coat the
iron ring, it could be the break through they needed to teleport
things for a distance. Another different regent could be a disaster.
Then again, either regent could be wrong.
Jane said she had no idea what he had in mind, since he never told her
what he was going to do. She said Lewis was sitting under the counter
reading a lesson book, and the next thing she heard, was a very loud
pop and a brilliant flash as Kenneth added a regent to the vial. She
let out a screech, and rushed to see what happened. She said Kenneth
jumped up, Yelled, "no way" and grabbed all the memory chips put them
in a dish and poured an acid over them then started pouring acid on
the computer when Herm and a guard came in and saw what he was doing.
Herm told the guard to stop Kenneth, and the guard hit him and he fell
against the counter, hit his head so hard it killed him.
Herm screamed at the guard, and others came rushing in. "He must have
a break-through, he was destroying all the records and this fool
killed him."
He glared at Jane and said " she must know what he was doing "
Jane said, "she didn't know what he had planned this morning, as he
didn't tell her.' Herm pointed at her and "called her a liar.
Claimed they were both liars, as he saw on the camera that they
teleported a rock clear across the room. Look, I'll show you how they
did it". He went back to the ring, took a rock out of the box and
dropped it in front of the ring, where it hit the counter. Picked it
up and dropped it again and hit the counter and bounced to the floor.
Red faced, he smashed his fist on the counter, and yelled, " It
happened, it happened just like I showed you. I saw it on the tamers
over there", and pointed to what looked like a nail head in the wall.
Lewis got scared and ran out of the building. One of the guards went
out after him to watch where he went. Lewis went outside and was
sitting on a stump crying, so the guard went back into the building.
Herm didn't know what to think. He sat on a stool. The head guard
asked Jane again what she knew, and was told nothing, so the head
guard said to lock them up in the shed and the boss could deal with
her.
The guard grabbed her by the arm and drug her away from Kenneth's
body. She screamed at him to let her go. As they took her out the
door, Lewis saw them and took off running into the woods, with a guard
chasing him. That's when he ran into Linc. Now he knew what was going
on and wondered just how they were going to get out of this mess.
Linc prowled around the shed trying to find a weak place they might
get out from. He could use the hatchet from his pack, nut that would
make too much noise and they would be caught. The only window was too
small and too high up. A narrow glass in the door , one could only
see through. There was a small light bulb in the ceiling. Linc
switched the switch by the door, and it lit up. He turned it off.
Jane said, "even if we could get out of here the dogs would follow us".
Linc tapped on the door to see if there was a guard just outside. No
response, so he did it again, still no response. Did that mean there
was no guard close by? He hoped so. He looked out the glass in the
door and could see no one anywhere. They must all be inside. If he
could only chop around the lock they could get out. He hit the door
with his fist, and heard a dog bark. Well that settled that. Jane
said, "maybe we could burn around it". Linc said, that could get us
burned up too." "No, she said, not if it is a controlled burn "
I see this is a gas generator. If you could get some gas in this old
can, I can make some napalm to pack around the latch to burn it off."
Linc took his Leather-man tool and took the gas line loose on the
generator and put some gas in the can while Jane was tearing up a
Styrofoam plate that had held screws and washers, that was on the
bench. She put the bits of Styrofoam into the can of gas and stirred
it with a stick she found. It turned into a solid mass of stiff jelly
like putty that she packed all over the door latch. "Now she said, I
hope you have a lighter.". Linc took the fire starting kit from the
pack, and told them to stand back while he lit the stuff. Wow! It
took off like crazy, and the latch just seemed to melt. Linc pushed on
the door, and it swung open. They rushed as quickly and as quietly
as they could and headed into the woods.
Linc figured it best to go back to where they caught him and Lewis,
because their scent was already there, From that point they could back
track to the rocky point where his scent was, and cross the river to
lose their scent from the dogs. Then they could turn and go
downstream to find help. Lewis ran on up ahead toward the mine. "We
could hide in the mine", he said. Since they were by the mine and
close to where they were caught, Linc wanted to grab a few of those
rocks that Lewis found. He could take them back to his professor to
identify. Putting several in his pocket he led them to intersect the
point the guard caught them. They went on upstream to the rocky point
to cross the river. It didn't look to be very deep here. Linc picked
up a stick and told Jane to take hold of a strap on the pack. He took
Lewis by the hand and started across the stream. About mid stream,
Jane slipped and pulled him down. He got back up and pulled her out
of the water and continued on over to the bank. Good thing he held on
tight to Lewis. They were all sopping wet but they headed off into
the woods. They had to get far enough away from the river so they
could not be seen nor have their scent float to the dogs, yet they had
to stay within hearing distance of the river so they knew which way to
go.
After they got in the woods a ways, they came to a road that seemed to
follow the river. They walked downstream , and a farm truck came
along. Linc hailed it, and it stopped.. Linc asked the driver if they
could get a ride in the back until they got into a town or something.
Driver said sure enough, hop in, so they did.
They came into a small town that did have a police stationl. They
went in and told them what had happened and where they thought the
place they were held was.
The cop called some other town and then they piled into a police car
and headed out of town. Went over the river bridge and was met by
three other police cars. They all went up river to the place where
they had been held, but there was no one there. They found Kenneth's
body, But the rest of the lab was destroyed.. Herm's computer was
gone. There was nothing around to tell who the people were. Not
everything was taken, so the police gathered up what they could find.
Jane called her Uncle Jasper and told him what happened. He was on
his way to get her and take care of things for her. While all this was
going on. Linc left the place and went on back up to where the portal
he came in was. Back at the truck, he had to stop and think about
this. Another Hanks. He wasn't able to help this one, but he did
help his wife and child. What was this all about? Where did he go,
and why? Something to do with the rocks? Must be. He had to get
these samples to his professor right away.
To be continued.
As Linc emerged from the portal, he found himself in a forested area.
He could hear the sound of a river nearby. He took the hatchet from
his pack and blazed a couple of trees to mark the way to the portal,
as he walked toward the river. Blazed a few trees there before
putting the hatchet back in his pack. He decided to walk downstream.
About a mile downstream he came to a rocky cliff. He scrambled over
some rocks and continued on downstream, where he could see some
buildings back over in the timber. He was just stepping out of some
brush, when all at once he was struck full force by a little boy
about five or six years old. The boy started to fall backwards so he
grabbed him. Boy started kicking him and screaming, "let me go, let me
go". As he let him go, some guy came up and poked a gun at him. He
pulled a radio out of his pocket and said into it, " got him, and some
other dude too".
The answer came back to bring them in.
Now what the heck had he got himself into? This is just ducky. They
went into a building where a group of men were standing around a man
sitting on a stool. It looked like a laboratory of some kind. There
was broken jars, vials, papers and other junk scattered around. A
very acrid smell hanging in the air, and Oh!, Oh! My God!…A dead man
lying on the floor. Holy cow thought Linc. What have I stumbled into
now?
He heard the man sitting on the stool say, " I tell ya, he must a had
a break-though of some kind, because he suddenly stood up and yelled,
good God, than started destroying the memory chips, records and the
computer. Other than that, I don't know what happened".
The gunman took Linc over to the man on the stool and asked him, " Who
is this guy"? Linc said, "What's going on here, I was just out hiking
when this kid and this gunman ran into me. I don't know anybody here
and I demand you let me out of here now". The man on the stool said, "
I don't know this dude, never saw him before". The gunman asked one of
the other men what was he to do with Linc and the kid, and was told to
toss them in the shed with the kids Mother. When the boss came the
next day, he could deal with them.
Linc and the boy were taken to an old shed and shoved inside. Linc
could hear the door being locked after them. It looked like the shed
had been a store room at one time, but was now being used to hold lawn
equipment and
as a repair shop. There was a woman sitting on an old wooden box,
crying. She jumped up hugged the kid then asked Linc who he was. Linc
told her his name was Lincoln Hanks and how he was just hiking around
and got caught with the boy. The woman said, " Oh my God! Our name
is Hanks too. My husband, Kenneth, I'm Jane and this is Lewis. Did
Uncle Jasper send you here to find us and get us out?" Linc said, "
No", and asked, "what is this place and what's going on"? The woman
started crying again, but through the tears, sniffles and the
hick-ups, she was able to tell him this. She and her Husband were
scientists. The Chinese were behind this. They and their son had been
kidnapped and brought to this remote hidden laboratory. They really
wanted the man her husband had gotten his idea from, but the man
disappeared and they figured her husband could re-create what he had
found out about the teleporting and levitation, information they had
learned about from the other guy. She told him her husband had met a
man who published an article in a journal about his experiment he had
done using an iron ring he had coated with different minerals. He
used it to levitate different objects to different heights. Also he
had transported or moved objects to other places. He started to use
an arch instead of a ring. The trouble is, he didn't tell her husband
what minerals he used, or just how he powered the whole thing. Since
then, the other guy and his lab came up missing. Her husband had made
some progress with some experiments of his own when they were
kidnapped and brought here to duplicate their findings.
Once they were here another guy called Herm who was supposed to be a
scientist was put here in the lab to keep an eye on everything they
did. She said they had even found hidden cameras watching their every
move.
They did find out they had to add 3 big electro magnets to the iron
ring they made that was small at first. Using different mineral
compounds and regents, they were able to levitate a different number
of items. This no sooner done than the Chinese boss was 'Johnny' on
the spot to see it for himself.
The boy was not kept under watch like the parents, because they knew
he had to stay close. He liked to roam around the compound and look
for rocks and minerals that he always gave to his Father who collected
rocks. His father always took the rocks and identified them for the
boy, then put them in a box as his collection. Most were nothing
special, but his Father always made out like they were. One day he
brought in a couple of rocks while they were working with a new
mineral application on the ring. They stopped for a break when the boy
came in to the lab. They were sitting by the ring when he handed his
Father one of the rocks. As his Father lifted the rock up next to the
ring to look at it, it was suddenly torn from his hand and propelled
across the room with such force it crashed against the far wall with a
loud thud. The Father retrieved the rock and held it up like before
and the same thing happened. Herm came in about that time and wanted
to know what was going on and Kenneth said he was just tossing a rock
around. As they guy left, them Jane said her husband turned as white
as a sheet as all the color drained out of his face. She said he shook
his head and moaned. "No! No! Going at it all wrong.". he said and
left the building, and went to their quarters. Herm asked what was
going on and she told him her Husband suddenly felt ill, and went to
lie down for a while.
The next day when they went to the lab, Kenneth asked Lewis if he
could remember where he found the last rock he gave him, and the boy
said yes. There were lots of them in the same place. Father said
good, he might want another one like it. Lewis had another one in his
pocket, and gave it to him.
Kenneth had an idea. He took the rock and ground it into a powder.
He then added another powered mineral to it in a small vial. He was a
bit excited about this idea that came to him as he tried to sleep the
night before. It may turn out to be a good thing or it could be
something he really dreaded. With a regent added and used to coat the
iron ring, it could be the break through they needed to teleport
things for a distance. Another different regent could be a disaster.
Then again, either regent could be wrong.
Jane said she had no idea what he had in mind, since he never told her
what he was going to do. She said Lewis was sitting under the counter
reading a lesson book, and the next thing she heard, was a very loud
pop and a brilliant flash as Kenneth added a regent to the vial. She
let out a screech, and rushed to see what happened. She said Kenneth
jumped up, Yelled, "no way" and grabbed all the memory chips put them
in a dish and poured an acid over them then started pouring acid on
the computer when Herm and a guard came in and saw what he was doing.
Herm told the guard to stop Kenneth, and the guard hit him and he fell
against the counter, hit his head so hard it killed him.
Herm screamed at the guard, and others came rushing in. "He must have
a break-through, he was destroying all the records and this fool
killed him."
He glared at Jane and said " she must know what he was doing "
Jane said, "she didn't know what he had planned this morning, as he
didn't tell her.' Herm pointed at her and "called her a liar.
Claimed they were both liars, as he saw on the camera that they
teleported a rock clear across the room. Look, I'll show you how they
did it". He went back to the ring, took a rock out of the box and
dropped it in front of the ring, where it hit the counter. Picked it
up and dropped it again and hit the counter and bounced to the floor.
Red faced, he smashed his fist on the counter, and yelled, " It
happened, it happened just like I showed you. I saw it on the tamers
over there", and pointed to what looked like a nail head in the wall.
Lewis got scared and ran out of the building. One of the guards went
out after him to watch where he went. Lewis went outside and was
sitting on a stump crying, so the guard went back into the building.
Herm didn't know what to think. He sat on a stool. The head guard
asked Jane again what she knew, and was told nothing, so the head
guard said to lock them up in the shed and the boss could deal with
her.
The guard grabbed her by the arm and drug her away from Kenneth's
body. She screamed at him to let her go. As they took her out the
door, Lewis saw them and took off running into the woods, with a guard
chasing him. That's when he ran into Linc. Now he knew what was going
on and wondered just how they were going to get out of this mess.
Linc prowled around the shed trying to find a weak place they might
get out from. He could use the hatchet from his pack, nut that would
make too much noise and they would be caught. The only window was too
small and too high up. A narrow glass in the door , one could only
see through. There was a small light bulb in the ceiling. Linc
switched the switch by the door, and it lit up. He turned it off.
Jane said, "even if we could get out of here the dogs would follow us".
Linc tapped on the door to see if there was a guard just outside. No
response, so he did it again, still no response. Did that mean there
was no guard close by? He hoped so. He looked out the glass in the
door and could see no one anywhere. They must all be inside. If he
could only chop around the lock they could get out. He hit the door
with his fist, and heard a dog bark. Well that settled that. Jane
said, "maybe we could burn around it". Linc said, that could get us
burned up too." "No, she said, not if it is a controlled burn "
I see this is a gas generator. If you could get some gas in this old
can, I can make some napalm to pack around the latch to burn it off."
Linc took his Leather-man tool and took the gas line loose on the
generator and put some gas in the can while Jane was tearing up a
Styrofoam plate that had held screws and washers, that was on the
bench. She put the bits of Styrofoam into the can of gas and stirred
it with a stick she found. It turned into a solid mass of stiff jelly
like putty that she packed all over the door latch. "Now she said, I
hope you have a lighter.". Linc took the fire starting kit from the
pack, and told them to stand back while he lit the stuff. Wow! It
took off like crazy, and the latch just seemed to melt. Linc pushed on
the door, and it swung open. They rushed as quickly and as quietly
as they could and headed into the woods.
Linc figured it best to go back to where they caught him and Lewis,
because their scent was already there, From that point they could back
track to the rocky point where his scent was, and cross the river to
lose their scent from the dogs. Then they could turn and go
downstream to find help. Lewis ran on up ahead toward the mine. "We
could hide in the mine", he said. Since they were by the mine and
close to where they were caught, Linc wanted to grab a few of those
rocks that Lewis found. He could take them back to his professor to
identify. Putting several in his pocket he led them to intersect the
point the guard caught them. They went on upstream to the rocky point
to cross the river. It didn't look to be very deep here. Linc picked
up a stick and told Jane to take hold of a strap on the pack. He took
Lewis by the hand and started across the stream. About mid stream,
Jane slipped and pulled him down. He got back up and pulled her out
of the water and continued on over to the bank. Good thing he held on
tight to Lewis. They were all sopping wet but they headed off into
the woods. They had to get far enough away from the river so they
could not be seen nor have their scent float to the dogs, yet they had
to stay within hearing distance of the river so they knew which way to
go.
After they got in the woods a ways, they came to a road that seemed to
follow the river. They walked downstream , and a farm truck came
along. Linc hailed it, and it stopped.. Linc asked the driver if they
could get a ride in the back until they got into a town or something.
Driver said sure enough, hop in, so they did.
They came into a small town that did have a police stationl. They
went in and told them what had happened and where they thought the
place they were held was.
The cop called some other town and then they piled into a police car
and headed out of town. Went over the river bridge and was met by
three other police cars. They all went up river to the place where
they had been held, but there was no one there. They found Kenneth's
body, But the rest of the lab was destroyed.. Herm's computer was
gone. There was nothing around to tell who the people were. Not
everything was taken, so the police gathered up what they could find.
Jane called her Uncle Jasper and told him what happened. He was on
his way to get her and take care of things for her. While all this was
going on. Linc left the place and went on back up to where the portal
he came in was. Back at the truck, he had to stop and think about
this. Another Hanks. He wasn't able to help this one, but he did
help his wife and child. What was this all about? Where did he go,
and why? Something to do with the rocks? Must be. He had to get
these samples to his professor right away.
To be continued.
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Trap set
The Traps Set.
Linc found he was just in time for breakfast.
They had no more than just got done eating, when Linc got a phone call
from a small local mine. Seems that had run into a band of some
mineral they were not able to identify, and needed some help. Could
he come up and maybe give them an idea what it was. Linc was a bit
surprised they even knew he was in the area but figured the mine that
had offered him the job had been contacted to see if their geologist
could help them, and they referred Linc to them. Linc told them he
would run on over their way and take a look at what they found.
He told Lucas, where he was going and was about to go to the truck
when he went back in and got his back pack. He added a few power
bars, a roll of duct tape, and another first aide kit to replace the
ones he had used. He put the pack into the truck and went to the
mine.
On the way, he remembered his Father telling him about a distant
relative his Grandfather told him about. The man was a mineralogist.
He knew a lot about minerals. His name was Henry G. Hanks. His
Father told him this.
Henry Garber Hanks was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1826. His
father Jarvis Frary Hanks was a local portrait painter; his mother was
Charlotte Garber Hanks.
Around the age of 16, Hanks left Ohio for Boston, taking work as a
seaman. In 1842, his ship sailed to Calcutta in British India, where
he worked and traveled for about a year. He then served as a seaman
on another ship returning to New York. He then traveled around the
continental United States while conducting scientific studies before
returning to Cleveland to work as a house and sign painter. Around
the age of 25, Hanks left Ohio to join the Gold Rush in California.
Between 1852 and 1856, he worked as a miner and businessman around
Sacramento. By 1860, he was mostly occupied with selling paint in San
Francisco.
In 1866, he established Pacific Chemical Works, an assaying company.
The next year, he married Ellen Francis Barker. They eventually raised
five children, one of whom—Abbott—joined his father's company as an
assayer. Henry was also a founding member of the Microscopical
Society of San Francisco (founded 1872) and its first president.
He represented California as its mineral commissioner and the United
States as its mineral superintendent at the 1878 Paris Exposition.
Following the State Geological Society's reorganization as part of the
State Mining Bureau on 16 April 1880 Henry was chosen by Governor
Perkins on 15 May to head the new organization as California's first
state mineralogist. Based in San Francisco, he was responsible for
inspecting and classifying geological specimens submitted to the
bureau, as well as providing studies, annual reports, and various
special publications. Taking charge of the old geological society's
collection and other property, he established a public museum and
library. He served until 1886 at a salary of $3000 per year. He was
responsible for the mineral exhibits of California and the United
States at the 1884 New Orleans and 1893 Chicago World's Fairs.
Henry Garber Hanks was an American mineralogist. He was the first
state mineralogist of California.
was a founder of the Microscopical Society of San Francisco and was
considered to have the finest collection of mineral specimens in that
city. He is credited with many important geological and chemical
investigations for the U.S. Government. The mineral hanksite (from
Searles Lake, California) was named in his honor by William E. Hidden
in 1885.
Hanks died on June 19, 1907 in Alameda County, California.
Linc was proud to think that he was related to some very famous Hanks.
He remembered there were some very talented Hanks among the first
Hanks to arrive in the America.
Arriving at the mine, he went inside the office and introduced himself.
He was taken to their assay office where they showed him pieces of the
material they ran into. They had contacted the other mine all right
and found they couldn't help them. Linc picked up a piece of the ore.
Wow! It was heavy for its size. It was the color of aluminum, but not
shiny, but not real dull either. Looked almost like a chunk of melted
aluminum that had been broken into chunks. Real strange. A magnet
touched to it did budge it a bit, so it was not real magnetic. He
rubbed it with his fingers then rubbed his fingers together. It felt
slick, almost like talc does. They said the specific gravity was high
and it was soft on the hardness scale. Talc was a bit like that, but
this stuff was not talc by any means. Linc was at a loss as to what
the darn stuff was. He had never encountered anything like it before.
He asked if he could have a sample to send to his geology teacher who
was a mineralogist, as well as a teacher of geology. They gave him a
bag of samples and asked him to let them know if he found out any
thing. In the meantime they were going to bypass that area of the
mine.
Linc was going down off the mountain and just after he crossed over a
little creek, something upstream caught his eye. He was sure he saw a
cave or maybe an old tunnel up there. There was a wide pull-off here
so he pulled off the road and got out. Got his pack and started up the
creek. A hundred feet or so, he saw that there was the beginning of an
old mine shaft. Not a lot of tailings, nothing in the tailings as to
what made them start a shaft either. He turned to leave when a blue
glow grew in the small shaft. Ok! Ok! He thought, and stepped into
the portal. ….
To be continued.
Linc found he was just in time for breakfast.
They had no more than just got done eating, when Linc got a phone call
from a small local mine. Seems that had run into a band of some
mineral they were not able to identify, and needed some help. Could
he come up and maybe give them an idea what it was. Linc was a bit
surprised they even knew he was in the area but figured the mine that
had offered him the job had been contacted to see if their geologist
could help them, and they referred Linc to them. Linc told them he
would run on over their way and take a look at what they found.
He told Lucas, where he was going and was about to go to the truck
when he went back in and got his back pack. He added a few power
bars, a roll of duct tape, and another first aide kit to replace the
ones he had used. He put the pack into the truck and went to the
mine.
On the way, he remembered his Father telling him about a distant
relative his Grandfather told him about. The man was a mineralogist.
He knew a lot about minerals. His name was Henry G. Hanks. His
Father told him this.
Henry Garber Hanks was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 12, 1826. His
father Jarvis Frary Hanks was a local portrait painter; his mother was
Charlotte Garber Hanks.
Around the age of 16, Hanks left Ohio for Boston, taking work as a
seaman. In 1842, his ship sailed to Calcutta in British India, where
he worked and traveled for about a year. He then served as a seaman
on another ship returning to New York. He then traveled around the
continental United States while conducting scientific studies before
returning to Cleveland to work as a house and sign painter. Around
the age of 25, Hanks left Ohio to join the Gold Rush in California.
Between 1852 and 1856, he worked as a miner and businessman around
Sacramento. By 1860, he was mostly occupied with selling paint in San
Francisco.
In 1866, he established Pacific Chemical Works, an assaying company.
The next year, he married Ellen Francis Barker. They eventually raised
five children, one of whom—Abbott—joined his father's company as an
assayer. Henry was also a founding member of the Microscopical
Society of San Francisco (founded 1872) and its first president.
He represented California as its mineral commissioner and the United
States as its mineral superintendent at the 1878 Paris Exposition.
Following the State Geological Society's reorganization as part of the
State Mining Bureau on 16 April 1880 Henry was chosen by Governor
Perkins on 15 May to head the new organization as California's first
state mineralogist. Based in San Francisco, he was responsible for
inspecting and classifying geological specimens submitted to the
bureau, as well as providing studies, annual reports, and various
special publications. Taking charge of the old geological society's
collection and other property, he established a public museum and
library. He served until 1886 at a salary of $3000 per year. He was
responsible for the mineral exhibits of California and the United
States at the 1884 New Orleans and 1893 Chicago World's Fairs.
Henry Garber Hanks was an American mineralogist. He was the first
state mineralogist of California.
was a founder of the Microscopical Society of San Francisco and was
considered to have the finest collection of mineral specimens in that
city. He is credited with many important geological and chemical
investigations for the U.S. Government. The mineral hanksite (from
Searles Lake, California) was named in his honor by William E. Hidden
in 1885.
Hanks died on June 19, 1907 in Alameda County, California.
Linc was proud to think that he was related to some very famous Hanks.
He remembered there were some very talented Hanks among the first
Hanks to arrive in the America.
Arriving at the mine, he went inside the office and introduced himself.
He was taken to their assay office where they showed him pieces of the
material they ran into. They had contacted the other mine all right
and found they couldn't help them. Linc picked up a piece of the ore.
Wow! It was heavy for its size. It was the color of aluminum, but not
shiny, but not real dull either. Looked almost like a chunk of melted
aluminum that had been broken into chunks. Real strange. A magnet
touched to it did budge it a bit, so it was not real magnetic. He
rubbed it with his fingers then rubbed his fingers together. It felt
slick, almost like talc does. They said the specific gravity was high
and it was soft on the hardness scale. Talc was a bit like that, but
this stuff was not talc by any means. Linc was at a loss as to what
the darn stuff was. He had never encountered anything like it before.
He asked if he could have a sample to send to his geology teacher who
was a mineralogist, as well as a teacher of geology. They gave him a
bag of samples and asked him to let them know if he found out any
thing. In the meantime they were going to bypass that area of the
mine.
Linc was going down off the mountain and just after he crossed over a
little creek, something upstream caught his eye. He was sure he saw a
cave or maybe an old tunnel up there. There was a wide pull-off here
so he pulled off the road and got out. Got his pack and started up the
creek. A hundred feet or so, he saw that there was the beginning of an
old mine shaft. Not a lot of tailings, nothing in the tailings as to
what made them start a shaft either. He turned to leave when a blue
glow grew in the small shaft. Ok! Ok! He thought, and stepped into
the portal. ….
To be continued.
Monday, June 1, 2020
Back in Egypt.
Linc found himself standing by the great pyramid. There was a lot of
scaffolding placed up the side and people helping a very fat man into
a litter.
As the litter bearers groaned to lift the litter he looked over at a
worker who was laughing heartily. He sat down on a piece of stone
that had been removed from the pyramid. He could see that the workers
had actually removed some of the stones to break into the pyramid
itself. The worker who was laughing so hard came over to him and
asked if he was with the other guy that was just there a few moments
ago. Linc said he might be, what did the other guy do? The worker
said the other guy wanted to see what treasures the new Caliph found
in the tomb? And the laughing again, he recounted what happened.
The Worker told how the Caliph wanted to see the tomb for himself and
how it came about
The Caliph Ma'mun laboriously climbed his way up the 41.2 cubits of
swaying ladders, to the original entrance of the Great Pyramid, a
difficult task for a portly Caliph and a worrying moment for his
advisors, solders, and workers. After a short slide down the
descending passage to the junction with the ascending passage, he
entered the small rough shaft that his men had dug around the granite
plug blocks, and scrambled into the ascending passage. From there he
struggled up the Grand Gallery, his men cautiously pushing his chubby
buttocks from behind. Sweating and cursing, he finally crawled on
hands and knees into the King's chamber, a degrading and exhausting
experience that no Caliph had endured either before or since.
Ma'mun was flustered, even angry, but also elated. Although he had
been briefed that the King's chamber was basically empty, what it did
possess was an untouched, enigmatic and completely sealed sarcophagus!
This was the prize that justified these privations. Caliph al-Ma'mun
was going to be at the opening of this sarcophagus at whatever cost –
he was not about to let his chief vizier run of with the treasures of
the Old Kingdom pharaohs of Egypt, or perhaps even the secrets of the
gods themselves!
A disorganized rabble of workmen arrived and prised at the coffer lid
with crow-bars. They cursed, swore and shouted, but the lid just would
not budge. Finally, in a state of ecstatic anticipation, Ma'mun pushed
the rabble aside and ordered the coffer to be smashed with
sledge-hammers. The chief gaffir aimed a few heavy blows and with a
great crash, one corner of the sarcophagus flew off; and the result of
his endeavors are still visible to this day.
Ma'mun ordered the workers away, yelled for silence, grabbed a
flickering lamp from a soldier and approached the hole in trepidation.
Then, the significance of the moment struck him. He was standing
inside the greatest of all the world's ancient monuments, a structure
rumored to have been constructed by the gods themselves. Here at the
very heart of this sacred monument lay a simple, unadorned, solitary
black-granite coffer that had been sealed for thousands of years; and
he, Caliph al-Ma'mun, was going to be the first to see inside. His
hand began to tremble at the thought and he quickly steadied it with
the other, least the workers see him as apprehensive. He carefully
thrust the lamp inside the sarcophagus, but the flame on the lamp
flickered and it was difficult to see. But at last the flame steadied
and he saw for himself that the sarcophagus was ....... empty!
Caliph Al Ma'mun was absolutely livid. Suspecting, perhaps, that one
of his workers had manufactured this little rouse, he flew into a
violent rage and vented his anger on a few unfortunate victims of
summary justice. However, there was no way that Ma'mun was going to go
back to his palace from this escapade empty handed, after all he had
been through. But the chamber only contained the sarcophagus and it
was quite obvious that it was bigger than the entrance to the chamber.
As a consolation prize, they found that the lid of the sarcophagus
could be turned diagonally and just about squeeze through the King's
Chamber's tough granite entrance blocks. Ma'mun was going to have it
as a memento at all costs. Unfortunately for the workers, however,
after sliding the great block of stone down the Grand Gallery, they
found that the lid was not going to squeeze around the plug blocks and
into the descending passage. Besides, the lid must have weighed a ton,
and if it ever got into the descending passage, nobody could think of
a way of preventing it from plunging all the way down to the bottom of
the pyramid. In addition, the original entrance stone was far too
small to get the lid through. It was all becoming a bit of a
nightmare.
Spurred on by an enraged Caliph the chief of engineering eventually
came up with an answer. The only practical solution to this problem
was to force a new tunnel from the junction of the descending and
ascending passageways, horizontally through the core blocks of the
pyramid and into the open air. This they did and took the lid out,
followed by a very upset and angry Caliph. He cursed each and every
one around him. Everyone held their breaths as the obese man climbed
back down the rickety ladders.
The worker laughed again and clapped Linc on the shoulder. It was a
very funny tale and Linc laughed with him. The worker asked Linc what
he was doing here, as he looked like he was a stranger like the other
guy. Linc thought fast, then asked about the tomb painter Ruben
Hanks. Worker laughed again, and said there have been no tomb
painters in a very long time. Linc shrugged as the worker clapped him
on the back again and wandered off. Linc turned around and went back
through the portal to the mine.
Back at the cabin he was intrigued why the time masters opened that
portal. Maybe just for his amusement.
Seeing the traps were still ok, he went back to the farm.
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