Driver, T. C. (20 page)

As I was walking over to the opening where Unk was, he waved his light franticly to hurry me on. Not wanting to crawl through I stuck my head flashlight and right arm into the opening. Two boys were in that room or section polishing up and brushing off. They worked as we both watched. I spoke softly to Unk, for his head was right next to mine. “Reminds you of a Gatling gun Unk except bigger. The ole’ Russian weasel could only agree and nod his head.
    

“Look at those large spoke wagon wheels on each side of it” replied Unk.

“Wow” said Duck, standing behind us, and straining to see. The guns shone of gold and bronze, and were very fancy, not plain, simple, or crudely made.

We old sailor boys caught the gold fever bad. Maybe even worse than the younger boys. Three days and two nights later we all joined together for a big meeting to discuss our now joint effort at the dig. This is what we had found;

The artifacts were like small modern cannons. Twelve barrels each with six flat sides and a round smooth bore inside. Each barrel was five and one half feet long, always twelve of them between two large wagon wheels. A large piece of wood in the middle below the barrels hooked to an axle. Bands of metal, coated with other metals wrapped around many wooden parts. Most wooden parts when moved did not hold up very well. They looked good but could not be used or even moved. Some metal parts also crumbled, and were eaten through in spots, but they also shined with bright gold and brass. Three of these metal barrel sections we moved intact outside into the sunlight. The twelve pipes or barrels were each almost four inches thick, or across. The inside bore was just under two inches. These twelve barrels were held together as one gun by six, six pointed star mounts, all six mounts at the back half of barrel, 2+2+2. One barrel was on each side of each star. The back end of the pipe was filled in with metal another blockage was ten inches up the gun forming a back fire chamber. This back chamber had two small holes in it both about the size of a copper wire. The back chamber opened up to the main barrel with a ¾ inch whole or a little larger than Docs fishing pole handle. The center round pipe was made of an undetermined type of metal. All around it was bronze metal plated with Gold. Two different types of glass shot could be found stored in what used to be baskets on the floor. This shot was round pieces of glass or marbles. Some wooden lances shaped like cue sticks were also found. These cue sticks had no sharp end on them but had a place were metal had been on them before. A hand full of shot could easily roll down the barrel at one time. One dozen of these contraptions or guns were in each bricked up side hallway that we opened. The boys by themselves had opened two sections now four more had been opened for a total of six. Twenty two unopened sections had been sounded but unopened and marked with red mechanics rags. Less than one third of the mine known to us had yet been sounded. The group of us at the big mouth cave sat eating still another of Travis Jones mixed up stews. We sat in the sunlight all knowing that time for exploration was over. Unk needed to call Joe and make a report. The stew was not bad, Travis was praised by all.
                                  

We took a break enjoying the sunshine, and fresh air. Each looked at the three metal assemblies that we had brought out to the light. Each one of us weighed in on the facts of the find.

“These are weapons” Marshal Moore started out. “Stored here in ancient days yes even back in Old Testament Biblical time. The writings we could not read are still a mystery, but one thing is for sure. This is the work of the ancient Israelites, and some merchants from Persia. Why would anybody go to this much trouble? Why would ancient Hebrews hide weapons, and why here. Cornelius is right about one thing. This is or was a mine of some type, but what were they mining. I need to brush up on my chemistry but I believe this very pure dry limestone rock mixed with salt could be used to make sodium carbide. A coke furnace or volcanic lava combination could get hot enough to make it. Modern sodium carbide plants all use an electric ark furnace to reach the high temperature needed.

“Sodium carbide” said Unk, “That’s the rocks in old miner’s lamps”

“Yes replied Moore” They give off acetylene gas, which is how these guns work. I’ll explain how they work in a minute but first let me tell you who built them and why he put them here. Cornelius, did you bring your Holy Bible as I asked. Moore pulled out his Bible as he spoke and I also pulled mine out of my pack.

          
“
Second chronicles chapter 26 verse 15”

Unk, Steve, and Doc rolled with laughter! Moore went on. “The Bible talks about these weapons, about them being built and used to great effect but does not mention them again. These weapons vanish from history. The words in this mine are names. All names of Kings of Israel in
  
those ancient days. Amaziah from this mine is father to the king who is famous for……Steve interrupts laughing
 

“Everything is in the Bible with you two nut jobs. You’ve got to be joking” Moore goes on speaking, very much red faced from the teasing.

“King Uzzrah is who built these weapons. This King Uzzrah became powerful using them but then repented of making the weapons when he saw the massive death and destruction they caused. I believe the king hid the weapons away forever. Never to be used again without the blessings of God. Like our Nukes of today he took them to the ends of the earth and put them in the island that gave
                                          
                          
them their powerful burning rocks. As Unk and Steve started laughing uncontrollably I agreed to start reading the
                                                      
scripture for Duck was getting very hot about the teasing. When I read that chapter even now it gives me chills. Yes I still wonder about the secrets buried on Island Number Two.

And He (Uzziah) Made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers, and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows, and great stones with all. And his name spread far abroad! For he was marvelously helped! Till he was strong!

But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction; for he transgressed against the Lord his God!

Duck continued, “Gentlemen I believe these weapons caused such death and destruction that they changed warfare and the fighting of brave strong men so much that this technology was hidden away. Uzzrah had one army of over 300,000 men. This king was known for building towers for military purposes in many other places.
  

Not just in Jerusalem. There may be thousands of these guns inside this mountain.

“You’re on a roll now,” shouted Steve (Suicide) as he scooped up seconds of Travis Jones plastic tote stew. Marshal Moore was fuming furious;

“Shut up Unk (laughter). Moore yelled! All ya’ll sit down shut the hell up and listen!”
  
We did just that.

These guns used on top of towers with cross fire zones would create a shocking stack of dead bodies. This would be enough to “make strong “any king and also make him want to ask for forgiveness. The same towers were likely used to make the round marble shot out of glass just as shot towers were later used to drop lead musket balls. That short reef by our planes is most likely the remains of an ancient harbor. This mine was worked for hundreds of years. Those groves in the rock, were not made by these guns, the tracks in the road are the same size as modern day train tracks (ha-ha).
 
Man has not changed much over time.
 

“Mr. Moore, what would stop the marbles from rolling out the barrel when it was aimed downward from the top of a tower,” asked Tony.

“Good question,” answered Duck! “Just like civil was cannons cloth of some type, a wadding same as a musket solved that problem. This wadding also created more pressure for a faster projectile”

Tommy then asked...
 
“Could that small little reef be the foundation of a large factory building to process raw ore into sodium carbine right her on the island, and the harbor might be out in now deeper water, it just seems like a small harbor.”

Professor Moore pondered the question. This has not been ruled out, yes that could be possible. Many South Sea Islands were cut of every last tree (like Easter Island) in times past for some reason. Feeding or building a large plant with close by timber could have been the reason. It would change our view of history.”

“History, I’ve heard enough” roared Unk. The old Ukrainian weasel shook his head.
 
The ancient Israelites can kiss my ass. The Bible, I’ve heard it all now, and it is very much past my deadline to call Captain Coe. You men get the mine covered over, and that’s an order he demanded.
  

We closed up the mine with brush. All of us were thinking that we might be coming back. Our rescue group had to stay another two nights for the surf to calm down but we did not go back into the mine. We were all warned again by Unk not to use our ship phones. Our group also made a pack with each other not to discuss or speak of our find. I thought that Doc might have used his ship phone. Doc looks like Andy Griffith his real name is Arthur Hodge from Greenville Tenn. Doc was given to calling his wife and his mother faithfully everyday. Doc started off again in my plane on the way back. No Medicine, no boys either in my plane this time, two boys had doubled up. I tried to keep a conversation up to keep myself alert. All of the boys were accounted for twice this go round (ha-ha). We triumphant rescue heroes were now on our way home with mission accomplished.
  

“Doc” I asked? “Ain’t it funny that now, thousands of years later so called modern man would bring the next generation of new weapons (atomic bombs) here to the ends of the earth for weapons testing. For thousands of years China and India, and most Eastern leaders of civilization (and also slavery) have stayed mostly to themselves. This while Western civilization has made war with, bombed, or sent troops to every country in the world. The west has always fought to expand our way of life, our laws, and technology. Now the slow, old, slave ways, stay to them selves East is slowly winning control of the world from us. This because we have killed off each other in our many stupid wars that now the East is about to take over and rule us economically. They out number us six to one, there is just not enough of us to matter. The Bible told us to be fruitful and multiply. Guess what America. God’s way always works. Who could have known?
  

I was getting drowsy, and started talking about the Roman West teaching Jesus in one hand and dropping bombs with the other. Ole’ Doc was not much of a conversationalist, so I finally shut up. I guess he only talks to his wife and his mother. The dumb bastard fell asleep on me once again.

When we approached the refueling point the other planes from the ship were already down on the water. The sea was calm with gentle rolling swells, what a blessing. We were all gathered up by two black rubber inflatable dinghies with outboard motors. Captain Joe Coe himself was driving one, and his man Friday was driving the other. The ship’s brass had come to meet us. Nothing was too good for these brave returning heroes. Unk Moore Suicide, and I were in Joe’s, and the boys and Doc got in Fridays boat.
   

Joe backed up under the wing of his plane and cut off his motor while holding onto the wing strut to steady our dinghy. Friday pulled up beside us and cut off his motor also. Everybody figured we were due for one of Joe’s crew meetings. Maybe even a rare “job well done” men speech. Friday then stepped out of his boat onto the pontoon float of the plane. When he did Joe nodded his head. Friday placed one foot on top of his boats motor and pushed off propelling his raft away from the plane, as he did so a man in commando black stepped out of the plane and started firing a semi-automatic Glock pistol with a long silencer into the boys and Docs Dinghy, so likewise did Friday. After emptying a long full clip they both reloaded. Joe, with his one free hand was pointing an identical pistol at us seated in his boat. Young Travis Jones managed to fall out of the dinghy before death. The rest died slumped over where they sat. We watched in silent horror as the other dinghy slowly sunk into the waves, motor end first. The cries and moans of death did not last long. Soon the quick jerking of the lifeless bodies gave witness to the unseen teeth below. The sharks came much too quickly to be natural. Joe had been chumming for hours. We sat quietly, awaiting our fate with three black guns with long silencers holding our complete and close attention. Joe waited enough time for full dramatic effect and then broke the silence. Those minutes, and the terrible silence of the waves is still in my nightmares.