Interviews and Interludes

Episode 6: Interviews and Interludes
Dates: May 29-30, 1937

Click here for the New York Times front page for May 29, 1937

Locations:
 * London, England
 * Edinburgh, Scotland
 * Aberdeen, Scotland
 * Pentland Firth

&lt; Previous Episode

Clues Obtained
Livingston's journal:


 * Based on star movements over the millenea, Skerrabra must predate the Pyramids (i.e., before 2500 BC).
 * However, Dr. Childe referred to Skerrabra as an Iron Age settlement (i.e., after 500 BC)


 * In the 9th century the Vikings discovered the Temples of the Sun and Moon
 * These Temples are the names that the Vikings gave to the circles of standing stones in the Orkney Isles


 * Follow the lunistice stone of the Temple of the Sun to find the barrow of the dragon
 * More on "lunistice" below
 * The barrow is accessed via the winter solstice passage


 * The barrow holds the key to the lost continent: the Odin Stone


 * His journal also includes the following sketch:




 * Click here for a PDF of Livingston's journal entry.

Lunistice Notes
The ancients kept track of the seasons and time of year by watching the path of the sun and moon in the sky.

To the right is a photograph taken in the British Isles with a one-year-long exposure, showing the paths taken by the sun through the sky over an entire year. The summer solstice occurs on the day the sun makes its highest arc across the sky, and the winter solstice occurs on the day the sun makes its lowest arc across the sky. However, the ancients utilized a different feature of this pattern that makes use of reference points on the ground rather than the sky. Notice that the point on the horizon where the sun appears to rise and set also moves east and west (right and left in the photo) through the year. At the summer solstice (largest arc in photo), the sun rises the farthest east (farthest right in the photo) and at the winter solstice (smallest arc), the sun rises the farthest west (farthest left). These points where the sun "turns around" with respect to its movements along the horizon are what we now call the solstices, which is from the Latin for "sun" (sol) and "stands still" (stitial) as it pauses in its movement along the horizon before returning the way it came. The artist's schematic at the right depicts this.

The moon has a similar pattern in that it rises farther and farther east, turns around, rises farther and farther west, turns around, etc. These points where the moon "turns around" are called the "lunistices" for "moon" (luna) and "stands still" (stitial).. Because of the precession of the moon's orbital plane around the Earth, the period of time between lunistices is about 18 years.

Episode Summary
Having determined (in the previous adventure) that correcting Ptolemy's map places the location of Thule in the Orkney Islands, Milo refers to Livingston's journal for any notes on the Orkney Islands and cross-references that with information he can find at the library (see Clues Obtained). Also while in London, the group goes about equipping itself for a potential expedition. There is only one nonstop service from London to Edinburgh: the famous Flying Scotsman makes the 392 mile trip and departs daily at 10 am. The Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to be clocked at a speed of 100 mph and has become the luxurious symbol of the golden age of steam travel in Britain.

During their several hour journey aboard the Flying Scotsman, our protagonists relax in the dining car, sharing a drink and a meal and a few tales from their past. Nick Danger tells the story of the blue diamond mystery, a case he solved as a PI before he became a world traveller. Dick Victory tells the story about how and why he wants a boat, but then admits that he hates water. Milo tells the horror story of one of his Great War experiences that's now responsible for his inability to sleep at night. And Aliester tells the story of a lost love at sea. The train arrives at Waverly Station, Edinburgh’s primary train station (and second largest in the UK) distinguished by its recognizable clock tower.

Edinburgh is a honeycomb of massive stone buildings. It grew up around a fort (now called Edinburgh Castle), which still dominates the skyline from its perch on a hilltop called Castle Rock at the center of the city. Edinburgh seems like a city not merely built of rock, but carved out of rock.



It’s dinner time so everyone checks into their hotel and heads out to the tavern as the shops close at nightfall. At the tavern they try some of the local fare: minced collops, a traditional Scottish dish of minced beef, lamb, or venison combined with onion, salt, pepper, and suet and then stewed, served garnished with thin toast and mashed potatoes. The drinks available are claret and ale.

The tavern closes at 10 pm and, as they leave, the out-of-towners are warned to hurry home or else be caught by the deluge of chamber pots and cooking slops that people pour from the tenement windows. “If ya hear someone shout ‘gardyloo!’ (from the French ‘gardez l’eau’ for ‘look out for the water’) then ya better take cover!”

The next morning it’s decided that they should pay a visit to Professor Gordon Childe, the archaeologist that excavated Skerrabra, since he is right here at the University of Edinburgh. While Aliester, Dick, and Milo head to the University, Nick Danger travels to Aberdeen to purchase tickets for the ship voyage to the Orkney Islands.

The University of Edinburgh, located in Old Town, was founded in 1583 and is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world. Professor Childe’s office is easily found and Aliester and Dick request a meeting with him. Professor Childe speaks with an Australian accent (born in Sydney) and has lived in Edinburgh since 1927. He is kind but shy and a little awkward, especially in the presence of burly types like Dick Victory. He dresses eccentrically, with a wide-brimmed black hat, a red tie, and a black raincoat worn like a cape over his shoulders, complemented with shorts, boots, and sock suspenders.

Aliester approaches the professor tactfully, asking about his research on Skerrabra. The professor gives the history of the excavation of Skerrabra: “Skerrabra was first discovered in 1850 when a storm washed away earth from an irregular hill, revealing rooftops. Work on it was abandoned in 1868, until in 1913 a group of tomb robbers plundered the site and carried away unknown artifacts. When a second storm in 1924 swept away one of the excavated buildings, I traveled to Skerrabra in 1927 to investigate and preserve the ruins.”

Aliester presses him for more information, secretly trying to determine what the Nazis would want with Skerrabra, but Dr. Childe is a little wary of the unusual interest in his work and refers them to his book, “Skara Brae” published in 1931, a copy of which can be found in the university’s library. He then excuses himself because he must get back to his latest excavation at Rahoy in Western Scotland. At this point, Dick changes the tact and reveals to the professor that Nazis are seeking Skerrabra and they are willing to kill (and already have done so) for whatever secrets it holds.

At this, the eccentric man becomes visibly irate and speaks with disdain of the Nazis and their fascist state attempting to twist archaeological evidence to support their racial theories. Although he can’t go with them, he encourages them to visit the ruins, which lie a 7 mile hike north of Stromness, the chief harbor of the Orkney Islands. He tells them that Skerrabra consists of about 10 structures known so far that he believes may once have belonged to a theocratic order. The "Temple of the Sun" and "Temple of the Moon" mentioned in Livingston's notes are the names that the Orkney locals use to refer to the stone circles on the Orkney mainland island. The trains to Aberdeen are crowded this time of year because the Scots are taking their summer holiday at the famous Aberdeen beach. Ticket prices are high and the train is full of families and children. The group arrives at Aberdeen and meets up with Nick, who has already booked passage for the following morning on a steamship bound for the port of Stromness.

The steamship leaves Aberdeen harbor and traces the horn of northeast Scotland. In a few hours it has rounded the horn and makes full steam northward across open ocean on the way to Orkney. The landmass of Scotland dwindles from view in the west but it doesn't matter because eventually everything is obscured by a dense fog. Then the fog gives way to a torrential rain that blows sideways across the deck. The ship is heaving on the seas. Most passengers take shelter below decks, including Dick (who has a fear of drowning) and Aliester. They take shelter down on deck 5 and engage in a game of cards. Meanwhile Nick and Milo, both seasick, stay above decks and try not to puke over the railing.

The ship enters the Pentland Firth, also known as the Strait of Orkney and once called the Sea of Orcs, which separates mainland Scotland from the Orkney Islands. The Pentland Firth is a stormy stretch of sea with some of the strongest tidal rapids in the world. An alarm bell clangs and a sailor shouts “She's broadside in a tidal rapid!” The ship begins listing heavily from side to side and waves come crashing over the deck while sailors busy themselves trying to lash loose objects down. Each wave floods the deck momentarily knee deep with water and then attempts to suck everyone overboard as the water ebbs away just before the next wave. Milo and Nick manage to hang on so that they are not swept overboard.

As the waves continue to crash onto the deck, one of the large tires that’s used as a bumper in harbor is ripped loose and, borne on the whitewater, hurtles towards Milo and Nick. Nick manages to avoid the blow but Milo isn't so lucky: the tire clips him and knocks him off his feet and into the receding rush of the water. With a last ditch effort he grabs ahold of the ship's railing before the water sweeps him overboard, just barely hanging on until he can clamber back aboard.

Meanwhile, below decks, Dick -- a seasoned gambler -- has nevertheless underestimated the wily old man. Aliester cleans out Dick's pockets of his $2 of saved-up cash, which, while significant for Dick isn't even a drop in the bucket for the wealthy Aliester. Eventually the ship clears the Pentland Firth and Sound of Hoxa and enters the relative calm of the Scapa Flow, the body of water sheltered by the Orkney Islands (see map left). The port of Stromness lies on the horizon.

What excitement awaits our adventurers in the Orkney Isles? What will they find at Skerrabra? Have they found the mythical island of Thule? Tune in next time to find out, same pulp time, same pulp channel!

Quotes

 * "Scary Berry" (intentional mispronunciation of Skerrabra) --Dick Victory


 * "You can make it REAL beefy." --Bill


 * "I stopped chewing my chips" (so that he could hear Aliester's story) --Brandon


 * "I'm basically playing myself as an older man." --Bridget