Indiana Jones and the Secretof the Sphinx by Max McCoy Page A
Authors: Max McCoy
Tags: Indiana Jones
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worthy, and for the benefit of the world."
Indy laughed. "That's a metaphor," he said. "The 36,535 scrolls represent the 365 days of the year, plus a fraction of the day, and there are some interpretations that the knowledge is not contained within the pillar, but in the sky—in other words, the stars."
"As above, so below," Jadoo said, quoting a common occult saying. "Plato supposedly visited the temple of Neith, where there were secret halls containing historical records which had been kept for more than nine thousand years. The historian Manetho, who provided the chronology of pharaohs and dynasties that is still used today, is said to have extracted his history from certain pillars which he discovered in underground places, upon which Hermes had inscribed the sacred letters."
"I've heard the myths," Indy said. "Including that of Edgar Cayce, the so-called sleeping prophet, who predicted that a 'Hall of Records' that contains the history of a lost civilization would be discovered beneath the paws of the Sphinx."
"Of course," Jadoo said. "We also talked of some of the great archaeological finds, and how many of them seemed more to do with magic than science. It is amazing, isn't it, how many discoveries involve three persons—a rogue archaeologist, his sponsor, and a teenaged daughter of one of the principals?"
"The Tomb of Tutankhamen," Indy said, "or the Crystal Skull of Lubantuun."
"Precisely," Jadoo said. "Surely there is some mysterious power at work there that science can never fully comprehend. After all, luck plays such a tremendous part in the act of digging in the earth, does it not?"
"In your conversation with Kaspar about this ancient book," Indy asked, "was there mention of using anything other than luck to find it?"
"Yes," Jadoo said. "The Staff of Aaron."
"Why did Kaspar believe the Staff would help him find these records?" Indy asked. "We're dealing with unrelated theologies."
"Because the Staff can find anything," Jadoo said. "It helped the Israelites find water in the desert, for example; strike a rock with it, and a spring flowed. Kaspar believed that such divine intervention was necessary to find the right spot to dig in the sand. After all, it is something like attempting to find a needle in a haystack, as you Americans say."
"Belief in the Staff is traditional in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity," Indy said. "Aaron was supposedly 123 years old when he died and was buried at Mount Hor. As to the final location of his staff, the texts are silent."
"Not all texts," Jadoo said.
"You have some information you'd like to share?"
Jadoo shrugged.
"Chasing rumors and folklore is like trying to catch the wind," he said. "But there is a persistent tale of the Staff still being worshiped by a tribe of devil worshipers in Iraq called the Yezidi."
"Devil worshipers?" Mystery asked. "Why would they worship something that is so connected with the biblical story of Exodus?"
"Because Aaron and his sister, a sorceress named Miriam, lost their faith while their brother Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God," Indy said. "They urged the Israelites to construct the Golden Calf and to worship it."
"The Yezidi are an unusual people," Jadoo said. "They are located in a remote mountain area to the north of Baghdad, and foreigners are strictly forbidden to go there. I told Kaspar that he had better be careful if he reached them, because they anger easily and are not responsive to reason. What is the American expression? They would as soon slit your throat as look at you."
"So Kaspar was planning to go to Iraq?"
"Yes, I believe that was his plan," Jadoo said. "But I don't know, because I never heard from him after. Neither did he discuss his route with me."
"Thank you," Faye said as she knocked the ashes of her cigar into a tray. "You have given us our first real clue to my husband's whereabouts."
"I only wish I could be more specific," Jadoo said apologetically.
"I have one more
Indy laughed. "That's a metaphor," he said. "The 36,535 scrolls represent the 365 days of the year, plus a fraction of the day, and there are some interpretations that the knowledge is not contained within the pillar, but in the sky—in other words, the stars."
"As above, so below," Jadoo said, quoting a common occult saying. "Plato supposedly visited the temple of Neith, where there were secret halls containing historical records which had been kept for more than nine thousand years. The historian Manetho, who provided the chronology of pharaohs and dynasties that is still used today, is said to have extracted his history from certain pillars which he discovered in underground places, upon which Hermes had inscribed the sacred letters."
"I've heard the myths," Indy said. "Including that of Edgar Cayce, the so-called sleeping prophet, who predicted that a 'Hall of Records' that contains the history of a lost civilization would be discovered beneath the paws of the Sphinx."
"Of course," Jadoo said. "We also talked of some of the great archaeological finds, and how many of them seemed more to do with magic than science. It is amazing, isn't it, how many discoveries involve three persons—a rogue archaeologist, his sponsor, and a teenaged daughter of one of the principals?"
"The Tomb of Tutankhamen," Indy said, "or the Crystal Skull of Lubantuun."
"Precisely," Jadoo said. "Surely there is some mysterious power at work there that science can never fully comprehend. After all, luck plays such a tremendous part in the act of digging in the earth, does it not?"
"In your conversation with Kaspar about this ancient book," Indy asked, "was there mention of using anything other than luck to find it?"
"Yes," Jadoo said. "The Staff of Aaron."
"Why did Kaspar believe the Staff would help him find these records?" Indy asked. "We're dealing with unrelated theologies."
"Because the Staff can find anything," Jadoo said. "It helped the Israelites find water in the desert, for example; strike a rock with it, and a spring flowed. Kaspar believed that such divine intervention was necessary to find the right spot to dig in the sand. After all, it is something like attempting to find a needle in a haystack, as you Americans say."
"Belief in the Staff is traditional in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity," Indy said. "Aaron was supposedly 123 years old when he died and was buried at Mount Hor. As to the final location of his staff, the texts are silent."
"Not all texts," Jadoo said.
"You have some information you'd like to share?"
Jadoo shrugged.
"Chasing rumors and folklore is like trying to catch the wind," he said. "But there is a persistent tale of the Staff still being worshiped by a tribe of devil worshipers in Iraq called the Yezidi."
"Devil worshipers?" Mystery asked. "Why would they worship something that is so connected with the biblical story of Exodus?"
"Because Aaron and his sister, a sorceress named Miriam, lost their faith while their brother Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God," Indy said. "They urged the Israelites to construct the Golden Calf and to worship it."
"The Yezidi are an unusual people," Jadoo said. "They are located in a remote mountain area to the north of Baghdad, and foreigners are strictly forbidden to go there. I told Kaspar that he had better be careful if he reached them, because they anger easily and are not responsive to reason. What is the American expression? They would as soon slit your throat as look at you."
"So Kaspar was planning to go to Iraq?"
"Yes, I believe that was his plan," Jadoo said. "But I don't know, because I never heard from him after. Neither did he discuss his route with me."
"Thank you," Faye said as she knocked the ashes of her cigar into a tray. "You have given us our first real clue to my husband's whereabouts."
"I only wish I could be more specific," Jadoo said apologetically.
"I have one more
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