Yellow Sign
Explorer
"So your looking into the matter? Good! I hope someone can come to the bottom of all this. Jackson was a good friend and colleague. Personally, I think it was either some old enemies at last caught up with him or his new project was even more important and dangerous that he himself believed. Here come into my office and I will tell you what I know. Mrs. Baxter, could you get me Mr. Elias' correspondence file for me please." Mr. Kensington leads you into his office. His secretary enters a minute later with a thick folder and give it to Mr. Kensington.
"Could I interest you gentlemen in some coffee?" asks Jonah and he motions for Mrs. Baxter to bring some. "Jackson was working on a project for the past several months. It had to do with the Carlyle Expedition what was lost in Africa. Here is a letter I recieved from him in August a year and a half ago."
August 8, 1924
Nairobi
Dear Jonah,
Big news! There is a possibility that not all of the members of the Carlyle Expedition died. I have a lead. Though the authorities here deny the cult angle, the natives sing a different tune. You wouldn't believe the stories! Some juicy notes coming your way!
This one may make us all rich!
Blood and kisses,
J.
P.S. I'll need advance money to follow this one up. More later.
"With the letter he send a package with some of his notes." He hands Professor Carter the notes to read.
The Nairobi Notes:
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: the notes are adequately organized and seem in many ways complete, yet are remarkable for the absence of conclusions, connections, names, suspicions, and clearly-deftned themes. The handwriting is strong and bold.
SET ONE : sets forth the offices, officials, and tribes which Elias visited, searching for material concerning cults and cult rituals. Nothing conclusive, though Elias afterwards completely discounts the official version of the Carlyle massacre.
SET TWO:describes his trip to the massacre site. He notes particularly that the earth there is barren, and that all the tribes of the region avoid the place, saying it is cursed by the god of the black winds, whose home is some mountaintop.
SET THREE:an interview with a Johnstone Kenyatta, who says that the Carlyle murders were performed by the cult of the Bloody Tongue. He says that the cult's home is in the mountains, and that its high priestess is part of the mountain of the black winds. Elias is politely skeptical.
SET FOUR: follows up on the Kenyatta interview. Elias confirms from several minor sources that the Bloody Tongue exists, though he can find no first-hand evidence nor locate any members. The tales include children being stolen for sacrifice. Creatures are said to come down from the mountain of the black winds to carry off people. The cult seems to worship a god unknown to folklorists, one which fits no traditional African pattern.
SET FIVE: a single sheet reminding Elias that the Egyptian portion of the Carlyle itinerary must be retraced carefully. He believes that Carlyle's trip to Kenya was prompted by something or someone in Egypt.
SET SIX: a long interview with Lt. Mark Selkirk, leader of the men who actually found the remains of the Carlyle expedition, and a Kenya hand since the Great War. Importantly, Selkirk says that the bodies were remarkably undecayed for the length of time they were in the open - "almost as if the germs themselves wouldn't come near the place." Secondly, the bearers had been torn apart, as if by animals, though what sort of animal it could have been he could not compre- hend. "Unimaginable," he said. Selkirk agrees that the Nandis may have had something to do with the episode, but suspects that the charges against the ringleaders were trumped-up. "It wouldn't be the first time," he says cynically. Finally, Selkirk confirms that no Caucasians were found among the dead - only the corpses of the Kenyan bearers were scattered across the barren field.
SET SEVEN: a single sheet. Elias ran into Nails Nelson at the Victoria Bar in Nairobi (Nelson had been doing some mercenary work for the Italians and escaped into Kenya after double-crossing his employers). Nelson claimed to have seen Jack Brady alive (March of 1923) in Hong Kong. Brady was friendly, though guarded and not talkative, and Nelson didn't press the conversation. By this Elias thought that other members of the expedition might still live.
SET EIGHT: discusses a possible structure for the Carlyle book, but is mostly featureless, with entries like "then tell what happened" and "explain why."
"I did not hear from Jackson until the middle of last month. He wired me from London. Here is the telegram."
TO: JONAH KENSINGTON
BEEN TO CHINA AND AFRICA OF COURSE AND LONDON FOR A FEW DAYS STOP DUG UP LOTS OF STUFF STOP SEEN THINGS YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE STOP CONSPIRACY AT WORK STOP WORLD WIDE PROPORTIONS STOP THERE IS A TIMETABLE STOP NEED TO FIND SOME MISSING PEICES FIRST STOP BOARDING PHALAROPE TOMORROW STOP ARRIVE NEW YORK JANUARY 15 STOP
SIGNED JACKSON ELIAS
"His ship arrived two days ago and he dropped by a set of notes and was off again. He seems excited and worried at the same time. When I read these noted, I began to worry about Jackson's sanity. Here you can see for your self."
The pages are folded together to form a small quarto volume. Frequently a page or a dozen pages are blank. Sometimes a single word is repeated over and over for several pages. Most of the entries are written in such an agitated manner that they can't be read, though all of the material is undoubtably written by Elias. The following quotes are most of what can be gleaned from this text.
Many names, many forms, but all the same and toward one end ... Need Help.... Too big, too ghastly. These dreams .... dreams like Carlyle's? Check that psychoanalyst's files . . . .All of them survived! They'll open the gate. Why? ... so the power and the danger is real. They. . . . many threads beginning. . . . The books are in Carlyle's safe.... Coming for me. Will the ocean protect? Ho Ho no quitters now. Must tell and make readers Believe. Should I scream for them? Let's scream together ...
"Could I interest you gentlemen in some coffee?" asks Jonah and he motions for Mrs. Baxter to bring some. "Jackson was working on a project for the past several months. It had to do with the Carlyle Expedition what was lost in Africa. Here is a letter I recieved from him in August a year and a half ago."
August 8, 1924
Nairobi
Dear Jonah,
Big news! There is a possibility that not all of the members of the Carlyle Expedition died. I have a lead. Though the authorities here deny the cult angle, the natives sing a different tune. You wouldn't believe the stories! Some juicy notes coming your way!
This one may make us all rich!
Blood and kisses,
J.
P.S. I'll need advance money to follow this one up. More later.
"With the letter he send a package with some of his notes." He hands Professor Carter the notes to read.
The Nairobi Notes:
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: the notes are adequately organized and seem in many ways complete, yet are remarkable for the absence of conclusions, connections, names, suspicions, and clearly-deftned themes. The handwriting is strong and bold.
SET ONE : sets forth the offices, officials, and tribes which Elias visited, searching for material concerning cults and cult rituals. Nothing conclusive, though Elias afterwards completely discounts the official version of the Carlyle massacre.
SET TWO:describes his trip to the massacre site. He notes particularly that the earth there is barren, and that all the tribes of the region avoid the place, saying it is cursed by the god of the black winds, whose home is some mountaintop.
SET THREE:an interview with a Johnstone Kenyatta, who says that the Carlyle murders were performed by the cult of the Bloody Tongue. He says that the cult's home is in the mountains, and that its high priestess is part of the mountain of the black winds. Elias is politely skeptical.
SET FOUR: follows up on the Kenyatta interview. Elias confirms from several minor sources that the Bloody Tongue exists, though he can find no first-hand evidence nor locate any members. The tales include children being stolen for sacrifice. Creatures are said to come down from the mountain of the black winds to carry off people. The cult seems to worship a god unknown to folklorists, one which fits no traditional African pattern.
SET FIVE: a single sheet reminding Elias that the Egyptian portion of the Carlyle itinerary must be retraced carefully. He believes that Carlyle's trip to Kenya was prompted by something or someone in Egypt.
SET SIX: a long interview with Lt. Mark Selkirk, leader of the men who actually found the remains of the Carlyle expedition, and a Kenya hand since the Great War. Importantly, Selkirk says that the bodies were remarkably undecayed for the length of time they were in the open - "almost as if the germs themselves wouldn't come near the place." Secondly, the bearers had been torn apart, as if by animals, though what sort of animal it could have been he could not compre- hend. "Unimaginable," he said. Selkirk agrees that the Nandis may have had something to do with the episode, but suspects that the charges against the ringleaders were trumped-up. "It wouldn't be the first time," he says cynically. Finally, Selkirk confirms that no Caucasians were found among the dead - only the corpses of the Kenyan bearers were scattered across the barren field.
SET SEVEN: a single sheet. Elias ran into Nails Nelson at the Victoria Bar in Nairobi (Nelson had been doing some mercenary work for the Italians and escaped into Kenya after double-crossing his employers). Nelson claimed to have seen Jack Brady alive (March of 1923) in Hong Kong. Brady was friendly, though guarded and not talkative, and Nelson didn't press the conversation. By this Elias thought that other members of the expedition might still live.
SET EIGHT: discusses a possible structure for the Carlyle book, but is mostly featureless, with entries like "then tell what happened" and "explain why."
"I did not hear from Jackson until the middle of last month. He wired me from London. Here is the telegram."
TO: JONAH KENSINGTON
BEEN TO CHINA AND AFRICA OF COURSE AND LONDON FOR A FEW DAYS STOP DUG UP LOTS OF STUFF STOP SEEN THINGS YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE STOP CONSPIRACY AT WORK STOP WORLD WIDE PROPORTIONS STOP THERE IS A TIMETABLE STOP NEED TO FIND SOME MISSING PEICES FIRST STOP BOARDING PHALAROPE TOMORROW STOP ARRIVE NEW YORK JANUARY 15 STOP
SIGNED JACKSON ELIAS
"His ship arrived two days ago and he dropped by a set of notes and was off again. He seems excited and worried at the same time. When I read these noted, I began to worry about Jackson's sanity. Here you can see for your self."
The pages are folded together to form a small quarto volume. Frequently a page or a dozen pages are blank. Sometimes a single word is repeated over and over for several pages. Most of the entries are written in such an agitated manner that they can't be read, though all of the material is undoubtably written by Elias. The following quotes are most of what can be gleaned from this text.
Many names, many forms, but all the same and toward one end ... Need Help.... Too big, too ghastly. These dreams .... dreams like Carlyle's? Check that psychoanalyst's files . . . .All of them survived! They'll open the gate. Why? ... so the power and the danger is real. They. . . . many threads beginning. . . . The books are in Carlyle's safe.... Coming for me. Will the ocean protect? Ho Ho no quitters now. Must tell and make readers Believe. Should I scream for them? Let's scream together ...
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