I needed a place to type out my new story as my laptop was crashing...I will keep this up until the book is published at which time, as per copyright issues and contractual obligations, I will delete this post....
China Connection
After the adventure in the Middle East and Israel, Rito had all but disappeared for a few months. And I was grateful for the respite. As for me, with the start of the school semester, my students took up all my time and life fell back into its old routine. College, classes, grading, home and repeat. I did hear from Rito once in a while. An occasional telephone call placed with much difficulty from Bombay. I rather enjoyed the few minutes that we conversed. He felt terrible about my injury, "in the line of duty" as he called it. I laugh at that expression of Kaka-babu's which Rito had promptly adopted. Kakababu and he were quite proud of my determination. I had refused to come back and had stayed on with him even after being shot. I for one was a little afraid of making the journey home by sea all by myself and was perfectly happy to stay there with Rito. Nevertheless, that episode had introduced me to Kakababu and I was glad to see him whenever I could now that I was back in Calcutta. I learned a lot from him. And like Rito, I always took a bottle of whiskey with me when I went to see him. Kakababu was most expansive and certainly had a stockpile of stories that he would share after a couple of glasses. I discounted most of them as fanciful tales had it not been fro what Rito had told me earlier about him. Although retired, Kakababu was still quite well connected and respected in many circles. I suspect he let his guard down knowing fully well that I would never repeat what he told me over those evenings. I did enjoy his company and over time I think he came to think of me as a son. just like Rito. He certainly told me off like he would his own son.
The semester exams were just finished and most students showed very little interest in coming to class. I took the opportunity to finish grading their papers and was looking forward to a few free days. On the way back home that Friday, I realised that I hadnt visited Kakababu in a while. So I picked up a bottle of whiskey for him and planned to visit him the next morning. Kaka-babu had made it clear that if I wanted to visit him I should come right after breakfast and at least stay for a night. I think he enjoyed reminiscing and I on my part was more than happy to listen. Roma was quite happy when I told her that she had the next day off after breakfast, as I would be away for the day.I smiled. Bhola, Kakababu's man Friday, was an infinitely more gifted cook compared to Roma and I was in for a treat. I ate the rice and fish curry that she had prepared wondering what delights Bhola would conjure up for our meals tomorrow. After dinner, I read the news paper for a while and then retired to bed early.
I woke up early next morning but decided to stay in bed. I could hear Roma pottering about in the kitchen and shouted for a cup of tea. Still feeling lazy, I finally got out of bed, put on a kurta and entered the drawing room. I was just about to sit down with the newspaper when I realised I wasn't alone. There he sat. Silent as a ghost. Playing with some sort of a box.
"Rito...RITO" I exclaimed with joy dropping the news paper. "When did you get in? I didn't even hear your knock or the door bell..."
He slowly looked up and smiled, "Oh hello Gaja. How are you?" He asked in his nonchalant manner before returning his attention to the box. Anyone unfamiliar with Rito might have been offended but I knew him all to well. Rito was singularly capable of focusing on an issue to the exclusion of all others. I wondered what secrets that box held. It was not very remarkable. A square contraption about 4 inches in size, covered by a strange greenish mosaic like pattern of squares each a centimetre or so wide. The pattern seemed to have faded over the years. There was some writing on it. Looked like Kanji of some sort but I couldn't really tell from this distance. The writing was quite faint and small. It seemed solid from the look of it.. I assume the box was Chinese in origin. A puzzle box possibly but then again it would not be Chinese but rather Japanese if that were the case. If ti were indeed Chinese then this would be one of the rare boxes that I had read but never seen. As an historian, I was itching to take a closer look but Rito seemed to quite engrossed in the box. He kept looking at it from various angles, muttering to himself wordlessly and shaking his head before changing the angle of view. At this moment, Roma brought my tea and I sat down with the newspaper putting the box out of my thoughts. She placed a cup before Rito, but he seemed not to notice. I started reading the news. I have almost finished reading the newspaper, when I heard him say.
"Gaja, this is one amazing find"
I looked up over the newspaper to see hm put the box down on the table and pick up his tea. It was probably cold by now and my suspicion was confirmed when Rito made a face after his first sip. Nevertheless, he continued sipping his tea and put it down after finishing it. I was about to ask Roma for another cup for him, when he said.
"Ahhh...missed it. You know, Gaja, there is a time for everything and if one misses the opportunity, the window can close permanently. Take this tea for example. I should have had it earlier before it got cold. Ah well.." He saw the look on my face and smiled. "Oh the tea is not what I was referring to...rather that box." he pointed towards the box that now lay on our coffee table.
"This is a strange box. As you probably have surmised that its a puzzle box. But unlike most Oriental puzzle boxes, this one is not from Japan...."
"Chinese I believe" I interrupted him with a smug grin. For once I was on sure footing. Rito may know a lot about many topics but history was my domain.
He nodded not noticing my smile and continued as if I had not interrupted him at all. ."Chinese. Very rare and ...very precious. But the question is why was this sent to me. Professor Yu's note is rather cryptic. I am surprised he was able to send this to me."
At this point, I noticed the small pile of envelopes that was next to the box. Roma must have handed it to him. Rito still received some mail occasionally at this flat even though he had moved out more than a year ago. I still kept a room for him and faithfully he paid his share of the rent even though I had asked him not to. And yet every month a cheque arrived without fail. I thin he liked the idea of us being roommates. Just like we had been when we were in college. So many years had passed since then.
"You know Dan Yu, dont you?" he asked breaking into my thoughts.
I nodded. Dan Yu or Dr. Daniel Yu was one of the most respected historians. His expertise on Oriental history was unparalleled. He had written four books and been a member of numerous archaeological digs. And he was only 39. I had had the opportunity to meet him a few years ago at a dig when he had turned up unexpectedly. I know the Rito and he had met on a number of occasions.
"Yu was on a dig in Yunan province and came across this box." Rito continued pointing lackadaisically towards the box. "He was a bit shocked as you can imagine. Chinese puzzle boxes are rare..."
"Are you sure its Chinese in origin?" I asked leaning forward to gaze at the box. "could just be a Japanese box placed there by someone." In recent years, contamination of archaeological dig sites had become commonplace.
Rito shook his head. "No this is Chinese. He had it dated as well. Seems to be much older than the oldest Japanese puzzle boxes. Besides the writing is authentic. These kanji characters are not used commonly or haven't been for a few centuries. The writing style as well is quite characteristic. The ink as well. Yu is positive about this. He had it translated. Its a verse. Roughly translated it means
"Be subtle to the extreme
To the point of formlessness
Be mysterious to the extreme
To the point of soundlessness"
Rito paused here for a while and lit a cigarette extracted from a gold cigarette case. A coat of arms was embossed on it in gold as well, adorned with a big emerald set amidst smaller, yet sizable rubies. A beautiful specimen. And quite rare. When he flicked it open I could see the initials on inside of the case. I had seen it only on one occasion before...when his father had come to our rooms so many years ago.
"Yes. My father's. I see you remember it ...after all these years." I looked up to see him smiling. We sat there in silence for a while. His father's visit had been the start of our friendship. Even though we had been roommates for a good year before that but had hardly spoken a word or two before that. His father's visit and invitation to join them for dinner had sealed our friendship. Strange how one event can change everything.
"Now back to the box...I am not sure Yu got it right. If he did then...."Rito lapsed into his characteristic silence. Over the years I had learned not to interrupt him, for even though he sat silent, his mind was racing. Racing and evaluating options..potential solutions.
I took this opportunity to pick up the box. It was a marvellous box. Quite old. 2000 years old or more. The kanji was quite intricate. I recognised a few of the characters partially. Kanji is what the Japanese call their adopted hanzi or Han characters. Although at first glance they seemed like kanji, the mor eI gazed at them, the characters seemed to be different. I could not quite place my finger on it and yet it disturbed me. Had I forgotten what I had learned in college? It had been years but I felt this was not really kanji but a related language. The translation was correct. Correct only if it were the Han characters/Kanji. But these seemed different. not very different but a little. Sometimes we see a face but just cannot remember where we had seen them before or what their name is. This was the same feeling. I knew I had seen these characters, well some of them at least,, somewhere but not where or how. The day was a bit cloudy and I carried the box to the window for better light to examine the writing. That proved futile. So I moved to my desk and lit the table lamp. I was struck by the sheer beauty of the box now. It seemed to come alive under the light. The characters were almost dancing. They were written in gold and the mosaic tiles were arranged in a pattern. A tiger and a dragon entwined in battle. Yin and Yang but not in the usual black and white circle but rather in a more elaborate pattern. I could almost see them come alive as they fought. Marvelous. A truly gifted artist had crafted this box. The calligraphy was exquisite. Yes. It wasn't Kanji. Much older. Much much older. I still could not place it though. Rito was right. Yu might have gotten it wrong.
Most dont know that Sun Tzu did not write The Art of War. Well not in the written format anyway. It was allegedly transmitted in more of an oral fashion before it was finally penned onto bamboo strips by one of his descendants, Sun Bin. however the original text had not yet been found. Snippets and references had been discovered throughout historical texts especially through the writings of others and records of the imperial scribes. Yu had spent most of his life trying to trace this document. If it existed. I had my doubts as bamboo would only survive for so long unless care was taken to preserve it. Nevertheless, this box was exquisite. The verses on it even if incorrectly translated could be attributed to Sun Tzu based on other historical documents. I turned the box over and examined the other side. All surfaces had the same inscription and in the backdrop the tiger and the dragon battled away for all eternity. Their eyes were glistening. Small stones. Probably rubies for the red eyes of the dragon and emerald for the green eyes of the tiger. Perfectly matched and magnificent. I turned the box over and identical on all sides.
The layering of the inscriptions and the animals were very beautiful. The writing was in the forefront and the animals in the backdrop. A sort of lacquer- clear and thin was probably used. And coated over with another layer to ensure they stayed in place? A close inspection was warranted. I opened the drawer and rifled through the mess therein for my magnifying glass. I found it under a stack of envelopes. Under the magnifying glass my suspicions were confirmed.The clever artist had indeed worked in layers. It would have taken months for him to have completed the work. A thin layer of lacquer was applied to the surface of the wood and then the animals were carved into the lacquer with different materials. The stones and gold placed placed at the same time. All before the lacquer dried. The the second layer of lacquer was placed and the inscriptions. Gold lacing to preserve them and bring them out. A final layer of lacquer sealed the surface. The same was repeated for each surface. Beautiful in execution as ingenious in conception. Jade had been used as well. Very fine work indeed. As I examined each surface, my respect for the artist grew.
I was about to hand the box back to Rito when I noticed that the figures did not quite line up. Well they did on all surfaces except one. Here the figures seemed to be inverted. I had missed this on my earlier examination.
"Rito..RITO.." I called out excitedly, turning to see him standing behind me and gazing through the magnifying glass as well.
"Yes...very subtle///" he said with a smile.
"The figures...the figures...." I could hardly contain my excitement.
"Yes, I see what you mean...very subtle...I had noticed it but the panel doesn't move."
My prior excitement turned to disappointment. I had naturally assumed if we could align the panel it would open. the box. "Yu mentioned it as well. But sadly it is not that simple." Rito said resuming his seat and lighting another cigarette. I examined the box a bit further but did not find anything significant. At this point, Roma walked in.
"Babu, I am done with work. I will see you tomorrow morning then?" She asked.
"Yes, Roma. Please if you can clear away these cups before you leave?" I requested her.
She silently cleared away the cups. As she was clearing away the cups, she noticed the box.
"So beautiful." She exclaimed. "Just like boudi's (sister-in-law's) jewelery box. Your's babu?" she asked Rito.
Rito nodded with a smile. "Yes it is beautiful. Sadly we cant open it."
"Oh I am sorry to hear that. I hope you will not break it open. It looks so beautiful." She said before leaving. I heard her finish washing the tea things and then call out to me before leaving.
I was about to call out and inquire about lunch when I noticed the whiskey bottle on the counter. Kaka-babu would probably be in his study by now. The old man woke up at the break of dawn even at this age. I left Rito to his thoughts and left to take my bath. When I returned a half hour later, Rito was still in that seat. He had not moved, his gaze fixed on the wall. I felt guilty about disturbing him but was looking forward to meeting Kaka-babu today.
"Rito..Rito,.." I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook him gently when he did not respond. He looked up at me and nodded.
"Yes. Let us go. Kaka-babu might have some insights." he said casually.
I was shocked a bit. I had not made mention of my day's plans to anyone other than Roma.
"Roma told you." I said with a smug smile. For once I knew how he knew.
He shook his head with a smile. "No. I noticed the unopened bottle of whiskey on the counter there when I came in earlier. If it had been for your personal consumption, you might have opened it up last evening when you purchased the bottle. Besides it is not your usual brand but Kaka-babu likes that brand for some reason. I also see the receipt and the shop happens to be one that Kaka-babu frequents, so it must be authentic and not the adulterated things that other shops sell."
"How could you know when I purchased it? The bottle does not have a date on it does it?" I said indignantly trying to preserve some mystery if I could.
He laughed out loud now. "Don't be cross, Gaja. You are a very meticulous person. When we were examining the box under the magnifying glass I could see the receipt on your table. I saw the date on the receipt. Also I notice you had left the bottle in plain sight so as not to forget it here when you visited Kaka-babu. Come..let us not keep him waiting." he said as he passed me and left the flat.
I lowered my head and followed him. Someday I would learn not to challenge the man. Clearly he was in a class of his own. But my fragile ego would not allow me to give up so easily. I picked up the bottle on my way out of the flat. As I closed the door behind us, I noticed that he had already picked up the box and Yu's letter. We took the tram to Kaka-babu's house. I tried to make small talk but his monosyllabic responses left me in no doubt that Rito would prefer to travel in silence. I gave up quickly and spent the time watching the traffic and people around me. The conversations were quite lively. Apparently someone had thrown a bomb at the District court judge. I tried to bring this up with Rito but he did not care for such things. So I lapsed into silence.
Soon we were there. We alighted and walked down the familiar path to his house. I was rather looking forward to meeting Kaka-babu again.
Chapter 2: Bhola's folly
BBBBBRRRRRNNNNGGGG..BBBBRRRRNNNGGGG...BRRRNNNNNGGI pressed the buzzer. "Coming.." I heard a male voice call out in response. Bhola's.
"I see he has put in some more modern conveniences" Rito remarked gazing up at the mansion that Kaka-babu called home while we waited for him. On the banks of the Ganges, it was a beautiful building. And only two people lived here. Kaka-babu and his faithful man Friday, Bhola. Both ancient. The mansion was quite old.
Bhola opened the door and smiled when he saw us. He bowed and let us into the narrow passageway that eventually opened into a large courtyard. The main door opened onto a large courtyard paved with large square stone tiles. Surrounding the courtyard on all sides were the three floors that made up the mansion. I particularly loved the large columns that arose as monoliths all the way to the third floor of the mansion. A perfect example of classical Greco-Roman architecture amalgamating with the aura of traditional Indian construction. I couldn't help marveling at the sculptures that adorned the top of the columns. Intricate and ornate. The ornately carved iron railings on the balconies were just as beautiful. White marble floors...
"Ah Gaja. Rito...Come Come..." I turned to see Kaka-babu emerge from his study rattling his cane. We followed him from the courtyard. "Come on in. Bhola. Tea and biscuits." he commanded in his booming voice before disappearing back into his study. I saw Bhola nod and walk away in the direction of the kitchen. Rito was already halfway across the courtyard on his way to the study. I hurried up to catch up with him.
I entered the room to be greeted by the familiar heavy smoke filled atmosphere of Kaka-babu's study. The walls were crammed with books. Some older than Kaka-babu and in diverse languages. Each carefully collected by Kaka-babu on his travels across the globe. This room was my favorite in the house and on many occasion, Kaka-babu had allowed me to sleep here instead of one of the 23 bedrooms in the house. His eyes would twinkle when it came time to retire knowing my desire to stay in this room but not wishing to offend my host by refusing to occupy one of the other splendid rooms.
"So what brings the dynamic duo to my humble abode?" Kaka-babu asked as he sat down in his black leather high wingbacked chair and we took the seats opposite the desk. The fireplace was of stone but could hardly be used in Calcutta. Nevertheless, the logs lay there waiting to be lit someday. I smiled at our host and offered him the bottle.
"Ah you bring libations, do you? Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's " Kaka-babu said with child-like glee taking the bottle and examining it closely. I smiled. I had always brought him the same bottle. And yet he showed such pleasure in the receipt of my trivial gifts. A quick glance at his bar one day had taught me that he had many finer vintages and yet he seemed pleased. A good man.
"I thought you might be running low." I started ineffectually.
"Yes. yes ..one can never have enough whiskey. Besides, Mirchandani has been failing to fulfill my order for this brand now that you have taken to raiding his shop with such regularity." He winked at Rito. "But this shall have to wait. Not too long. Just till after lunch perhaps." he finished with another roguish wink as he placed the bottle with care on the mantle above the fireplace. He crossed the room to his desk and took his usual seat. The desk was of old Burma teak. Sturdy and like Kakababu quite old. The chair was of teak as well. Wingbacked. Large deep red leather embossed with a crest. I had always wanted to ask Kaka-babu about this crest. But every time I brought it up he seemed to deftly change the subject.
"I take it you two are upto something? It is not everyday that Rito deigns to visit his old Kaka-babu?" he continued. "Although I doubt I can be of much help with your box, Rito. I am not much of a safecracker as you know."
I was shocked until I noticed that Rito had already placed the box on the table. Kaka-babu was quite sharp and had guessed the purpose of our visit accurately. Rito smiled and nodded.
"Perhaps we may not have to crack this safe. I daresay, it is rather valuable. Yu would never forgive me if we damaged the box." Rito countered.
Kaka-babu laughed. "So Daniel Yu has been in touch with you, I see. Finding Sun Tzu's grave and the book?" he asked raising his left eyebrow.
"How did you..." I interrupted before Rito could say anything.
Kaka-babu smiled at me benevolently as one would at a child. "Gaja, I have met Daniel on a number of occasions. But then he was a child then. Actually it was his father I knew. Bloody useful fellow. Very helpful too. Yu was a minister of some sort or atleast a person in the government. Hi son was always interested in Sun Tzu. Obsessed I believe his father used to say. I did read about some of his findings in the news paper a few days ago."
"The news paper?" I interjected. There has been no mention of his findings in the news paper."
"Not the local ones. No" Kakababu nodded. "But his work has been covered in others." he indicated a pile on the coffee table next to the fireplace on the other side of his study. It was quite easy to forget that this amiable old man was far from it. He had held a position with the government that no one wanted to comment on. He still held a lot of clout and important people still frequented this house. Oh the secrets this man might be privy to were unimaginable. And for all that power, he pretended to be completely harmless. Even if one ignored the power Kaka-babu had, I have to admit his mind was one of the most brilliant I have ever come across. Indeed very few people were in the same class as him. Rito was one such person. I was glad that he tolerated me so well. A testament to his patience.
"Daniel seems to have made a breakthrough. I read he found some items on his latest dig that might help him on his quest?" He asked. Rito nodded. "And I take it thats where this box comes into the picture?" Rito nodded again.
"Good. And if I am not mistaken he will be visitng you shortly?" he continued handing the lighter to Rito.
Rito nodded and lit the cigarette that he had extracted from his own cigarette case.
"Gaja, would you like a cigar?" Kaka-babu asked me holding out the open cigar box. I opened my mouth to protest but he smiled and nodded. "Try one of the Cubans. I have heard they are excellent."
I took one of the ones he had indicated and cut it with his silver cigar cutter. I lit it as he had shown me on an earlier visit. The cigar was truly excellant.
"I take it that it meets your approval?" Kakababu smiled at me. "Although traditionally it would have been better after a meal, we have work to do here. The atmosphere needs to help us along as well. May I?" He asked Rito and picked up the box after Rito nodded.
"Ahhhh...marvellous workmanship. Marvellous. The ancient Chinese were true masters. What technique. What craftsmanship..." Kakababu continued in this vein for a while. He lit the table lamp and examined the writing under the large magnifying glass attached to the black metal clamp stand that was a permanent fixture on his desk. An aid to his poor eyesight, he would claim. I really doubted that as I had never seen him wear any spectacles or any other such aid.
"I see one of the panels is not aligned in the same way as the others. I take it you have tried moving that panel." he asked after a few minutes looking over at Rito. What had taken me an hour to spot had taken him less than three minutes. Rito nodded, "The panels don't seem to move, I have tried to turn the panel but it seems fixed.".
"Hmmm...yes I see it too. Although that does seem to be the obvious way to open the box. I take it you have had the inscription translated? It seems like an ancient precursor to hanzi. Yes. I am sure. Do you see this character here?" he asked pointing to one of the characters. "This one is not hanzi but you can find a similar one in hanzi. Was this translated as
"Be subtle to the extreme
To the point of formlessness
Be mysterious to the extreme
To the point of soundlessness"" He asked Rito. Rito nodded.
"Do you read ...speak..." I asked shocked.
Kaka-babu nodded. "I had to learn a bit of what a layman would call Chinese as a result of my repeated visits to the country. A most beautiful country. Actually it was the elder Yu who taught me. Or well arranged for a tutor. I enjoyed learning about their history. But getting back to the matter at hand. This box, although seemingly Japanese is Chinese. And over 2000 years old. So very much authentic. Question is why would someone use a puzzle box or construct on with such mastery. Clearly an impatient person would break it open to access the contents. So either the contents are not valuable or the more likely explanation is that the contents will be destroyed by means of a booby trap that the maker has also constructed. In either case since the box itself is so valuable especially given the dextrous craftsmanship, the contents must be even more so."
Kaka-babu was clearly thinking out aloud so I just sat back in my comfortable chair, taking occasional puffs of my rather nice cigar. Kaka-babu was a man of good taste, I have to admit. And he had been furthering my education on such matters. Bhola entered the room and served us tea before leaving just as silently. A gem that man. He did inform me that of the menu for lunch that day. I smiled and nodded. He knew of my partiality to his cooking. As I pondered about the gastronomical feast that awaited us in a few hours, Kaka-babu and Rito on the other hand seemed content with their puzzle box.
Kaka-babu and he spoke about the craftsmanship and the details of construction. I gazed at the clock on the fireplace which ticked slowly away. It was 9:22 AM when we had arrived. It was 12:43 PM, when they stopped and look over at me.
Kaka-babu smiled as he surmised my thoughts. "Ah Gaja. I envy your simple pursuits. Bhola is genuinely pleased when you visit. I daresay, you appreciate his culinary skills much more. He usually goes out of his way when he knows you are coming over. I dont see us making much of a breakthrough on an empty stomach, Rito. And Gaja will surely appreciate us breaking for lunch. Shall we?" he indicated the door. Right on cue, Bhola entered the room.
"Babu. Lunch is ready. When would you like me to serve it?" Bhola asked his master.
"Oh now. Now. Gaja-babu is ready to faint and you have let the aroma in to the study. I doubt he would want to wait for long." Kakababu said with his usual rougish wink and ushered us out of the room. "Please can you clear away the tea things while we eat lunch?"
Bhola nodded.
Bhola had truly outdone himself. We started with shukto (a vegetable dish typically served at the start of a Bengali meal) followed by 6 other courses. Rito and Kaka-babu discussed the finer points of Chinese history relating to Sun Tzu while I occupied myself with the feast. As a historian, I should have been more interested in their conversation and even have taken an active part. However, the food was excellent. As I was finishing the dessert (rice pudding), I heard a cry from the study. Bhola.
We rushed to the room and found him standing there.
The man was close to tears.
"Babu, I am sorry. I did not mean to break the box. I was tidying up your papers a bit and just moved the box, when it broke. I am sorry. I really am..." Bhola said in between sobs. The man was truly repentant.
Kakababu and Rito on the other hand were ecstatic. Before us lay the box. Open.
Chapter 3: Revealed: The Old Man of the Mountains
Kaka-babu was clapping his hands and jumping up and down like a 5 year old child. Rito was smiling. He clapped Bhola on the shoulder and even hugged him a few times. I was shocked that it was open. I had almost given up hope. Bhola had succeeded in deciphering the puzzle box in less than half hour.
"How did you do it?" Rito asked after their initial excitement had abated.
"I ..I do...dont know" He stammered. The man was still quite shaken up in spite of th elack of anger on the part of his master.
"Rito crack open that bottle will you. Pour him a glass of that whiskey. Bhola could use it." Kaka-babu said taking charge of the situation. "Come sit here." He said taking Bhola by the arm and ushering him into an empty chair. Bhola obeyed without question.
"Drink this" Kakababu said taking the glass from Rito and pushing it into Bhola's hand. Bhola tried to resist but Kaka-babu pushed the glass of shiskey into his hand and forced him to take a few sips. Bhola after the first couple of sips, greedily gulped down the entire contents of the glass.
"Good. Good..." Kakababu nodded his approval. "Take a few deep breaths. Good. Let us give him a few moments."
I was itching to go over and examine the contents of the box but seeign Bhola's condition I was genuinely concerned for his well being. I fetched the bottle and poured him some more whiskey which he gratefully accepted. Secret treasures aside, I did not want the man to go off and stop cooking. He was almost as great an artist as the man who had crafted that box.
Kakababu had turned his attention to the desk and the contents of the box that now lay scattered on the table. After a good half hour, Bhola recovered his nerve. I cant begin to imagine what he must have gone through thinking he had destroyed a precious historical artifact.
"Ahh Bhola," Kakababu said turning his attention back to his manservant," now tell us in great details what happened after you returned to this room. Leave nothing out. Nothing. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Babu." Bhola nodded his understanding. " I came back to this room after serving lunch for you all. I cleared away the tea cups but spilled some tea in the process when a spoon fell out of the cup and onto the table. So I tried to mop it up with my cloth." Here he indicated the red towel like cloth he always carried on his shoulder just for such occasion/s.
"I took away the tea things and then returned to clean up more throughly. I noticed that some of the spilled tea had flowed and was on the box as well. So I used the cloth to wipe the box and as I was wiping the box, something clicked. The next thing, I see is that box falls apart completely. I swear, Babu, I was only trying to clean it. I did not do anything else..I swear." Here he lapsed into another round of sobbing.
"Calm down. Bhola. Control yourself. Its fine. You have done nothing wrong." Rito tried to calm him down.
"Bhola. BHOLA." Kakababu's raised voice seemed to jolt the man out of his lamentations. "Go now. Please clean up the lunch things. And do not disturb us here for a few hours."
Bhola go tup and nodded before leaving.
"Dont worry, Gaja. he will recover sufficiently in time to prepare dinner." Kakababu said reading my mind. I turned a bit red with embarrassment, and Kaka-babu clapped me on my shoulder. "come we shall need your expertise here. Come take a look at this box."
He certainly had a gift, that man. We moved closer to the desk and examined the box. The box had not simply opened but completely opened up and now lay flat on the table. All the panels still joined but had become flat. It looked like a sort of map had been carved on the interior of the box and there was writing in similar characters.
"Some are born great. Others achieve greatness. I was not born great but achieved what can be considered greatness through a chance encounter with the Old Man of the Mountains." I translated. "There are some numbers too but I am not sure what to make of them yet."
"Roughly correct, I would say." Kaka-babu confirmed. "Although some of the letters could represent something else but I think we are on the correct track. This of course would be modern day China." He said pointing at the black ink inscribed map on the inner side of the box. "This of course is British India. And the Himalayas that separate the two. And it seems the man wandered through China and into the Himalayas. Deep into the Himalayas."
The central portion of the box had a soft depression into which was embedded a metal bowl, with finer markings. The area around the bowl was also covered with a metal with more engraved markings.Numerals and other markings. In fact the side that formed the base was entirely covered by metal and markings. The other panel- the top one had the writing I had tried to translate. The other panels had the map engraved into the surface. We were trying to make sense of the numbers. when we heard a soft knocking on the door.
"Go away Bhola." Kaka babu shouted not taking his eyes away from the map.
The knocking persisted.
"Ohhh come in." he said finally in an exasperated tone.
Bhola meekly entered the room and stood by the door.
"What is it? WHAT?" he almost shouted in excitement.
"I am sorry, Babu. When I had come back to mop up the spilled tea, I noticed that I had forgotten a spoon. But just now in the kitchen I realised that this spoon does not match the others.
"This spoon." he held up a small ladle like spoon.
"Ahhhh!!! It fits. It all fits Rito exclaimed pointing to a spoon like thing. "thats the compass. A Han dynasty South pointing compass used for navigation. Thats the last piece of the puzzle."
"Gaja, please fetch the compass. Thank you Bhola. Thank you." Kakababu said releived.
"I am sorry Babu..." Bhola started again.
"Oh stop that. No more of that nonsense. You did quite well. Thank you. " Kakababu said with a large smile.
Rito clapped him on the shoulder and then handed the man a few annas. Bhola tried to refuse but Rito placed the money in his hands and closed Bhola's fingers around them.
"Good. Go now...fetch a pot of strong coffee. Very strong." Rito asked him. Bhola nodded and went off to fetch the coffee.
"Good Rito. That will keep him busy and prevent him from thinking more about this." Kaka-babu commended him. "He deserves much more than the few bits you gave him though. Dont worry I shall reward him suitably. Later. For now...let us focus on this. Yu will be here three days from now."
It was Rito's turn to be startled now. "How did you know that, Kaka-babu? I havent given you his ltter yet."
Kaka-babu laughed loudly. "His father, as I told you two earlier is an old acquaintance. He wrote to me asking me if could help find a place for his son to stay. The message was delivered by a member of the Chinese diplomatic mission earlier today. A Mr Fan. Since the younger Yu is not a diplomat he cannot stay at the official accommodation. Official reasons. I assured the man that Yu's son could stay here as long as he wanted. I would enjoy the company. So few visit this old man these days." Kakababu said with a little regret. He placed his left hand on my right shoulder and his right hand on Rito's shoulder. "Now come. Let us get to the bottom of this map"
.
We focused our attentions back onto the map. I placed the ladle back onto the central portion.
"We need some liquid for the compass to work" Rito pointed out.
"Yes, we do...but for now, let us figure out these directions. I think they are directions." Kakababu said refusing to be distracted.
Rito lit a cigarette as we tried to note down the translation and directions from the map.
"Kaka-babu, that package was not there on your desk earlier this morning." Rito said pointing to a package wrapped in paper that lay a little distance from the box. "Did you place it there?"
"No..no..I dont think so." Kakababu said picking up the package. "Look at the indentations. on the package. "He played around with it for a few minutes and was able to line it up perfectly with the markings on the inner surface of the box.
"This was in the box. No wonder there was no noise when you carried it. The ladle was clearly loose but kept in place by this package. And those two" he said pointing to two smaller such packages," they must have been on either side.
Rito picked them up and was able to fit them perfect.
"Ingenious. Very ingenious." he said. "and the box would close around it keeping everything in place and not betraying the contents to anyone who could nto open the box. Question now is how did he open the box?" Kakababu had come full circle and was back at our original dilemma.
"Its quite simple, Kaka-babu.", Rito said." You see these "eyes" on the panel that does not align are actually not eyes but rather the keys to opening the box. They do actually correspond to the "eyes on the other side but of the opposite colour. Bhola when he picked up the box, he depressed the eyes of tiger on one panel and that of the dragon on the misaligned panel, like so. Then he replaced the box on the table and continued clearing up the spilled tea. When he came back he must have picked up the box and depressed the eye on dragon on the same panel and the eyes of the tiger on the misaligned panel. Thus he completed the sequence and opened the box inadvertently. Like so." Rito demonstrated. As he depressed the buttons, we could hear the silent but unmistakeable sound of a click.
"The inscription makes sense now." I said.
"Yes it does. Yes..." Kaka-babu nodded recounting.
"Be subtle to the extreme
To the point of formlessness
Be mysterious to the extreme
To the point of soundlessness"
"It is so subtle.." I said in wonderment. Kaka-babu smiled and nodded.
"Bhola was not looking for a solution. We were. We tried everything, Hidden levers. Sliding panels. Rotating panels and so on. While the solution was simpler. Just try to pick up the box as one would a normal object and it would open up. We had always tried to open it while it was on a surface and examined only one surface in isolation. A sad oversight. I trust the others who looked at it did the same thing. And so none of us could solve teh puzzle of the box. I beleive it was Sun Tzu who once said in order to win, one must retreat and view the problem from another view or a better vantage point. Clearly he had a hand in designing the box."
""Some are born great. Others achieve greatness. I was not born great but achieved what can be considered greatness through a chance encounter with the Old Man of the Mountains." I recounted. "What did he mean when he spoke of the Old Man of the Mountains? I asked curiously.
"Perhaps we should examine these paper packages now, Kakababu?" Rito politely nudged Kakababu, who had been admiring the box and the puzzle mechanism.
"Hunhhh..." he said tearing his eyes away from the box." Yes. yes..yes of course."
Rito shot me a smile. "Gaja can you fetch a couple of towels please?'
I nodded and fetched them from the adjoining bathroom. We cleared out a part of the table and laid the towels flat on the table. Rito gingerly placed the packages on top of the towel. He fished out a pocket knife and separated the paper that covered the wrappings. The package was wrapped in some sort of rice or other stiffened paper. They came apart slowly. Inside were carefully bundled bamboo strips. Each strip had a single vertical line of writing inthe same script. The bamboo strips were in sort of order. There was a number on each indicating the order in which they were to be read. Most ingenious as the writer seemed to take into account that his work may not have been discovered for centuries and the possibility of the wrapping degrading over time. Rito neatly laid out each strip. carefully.. I repeated the process with the bamboo strips I found in the second smaller package.
Kaka-babu watched us work silently.
"This will probably tell us more about the Old Man of the Mountains and the reason for all this" Kaka-babu said finally placing the box on the table and turning his attention to the writing. "Rito would be kind enough to function as our secretary and type out the translation?"
Rito nodded and sat down in front of the old Remington typewriter on Kaka-babu's desk. He settled himself there, removed the leather cover of the type-writer and fitted the carbon strip and placed a fresh sheet in the typewriter.
Bhola arrived with the pot of strong coffee. We took a small break and sipped some coffee before proceeding.
"Please tell me when you go from one strip to the next. That will make it easier to re-trace our steps in case we need to correct or modify our translation." Rito requested us. We nodded.
"Shall I start?" I asked. They nodded.
Chapter 4: The Secret of the Box
I present here the full translation without indicating the strip number to spare the reader the details. It was quite tedious work and took us the rest of the day and the better part of the next day. This is what the text stated. There might be some errors given that we had to infer some of the translation from context and did not understand the colloquial meanings and hints in some places.This is what the text roughly stated.
If you are reading this then I am probably dead. It would not have been easy for you to have decoded this puzzle box. Bu if you are reading this then you have succeeded where others would have failed. Here is my story and how I came to meet the Old Man of the Mountains.
I am Sun Tzu. I was not born Sun Tzu. I was known as Wu Changqing of the kingdom of Wu, a lowly soldier born into a family of low means. I was educated as a common soldier but no matter how hard I tried employment was hard for me. I was destined to serve fools as commanders. I could not be a farmer as my father would not have that and so a soldier I had to be. War is an art. However, most seemed not to care for the common soldier. I tried hard but was punished for pointing out the error of my ways. And so it came to pass around 500BC ( a rough translation of the date), my entire unit was sent South deep into the mountains, to conquer a rebellious tribe. The tribe retreated into the mountains to escape our attack. We were not equipped to fight in that terrain and yet we followed them. In summer the mountain passes are treacherous but in winter it is worse. My unit commander Sun Hua was a fool. He rushed ahead without waiting for the weather to change and without securing our supply lines. Soon we were outnumbered and worse surrounded. Instead of focusing the attack and trying to escape the encirclement, the fool ordered us to set up camp and buy time. Yes we did buy time, but this also allowed the tribesman to increase their numbers and extinguish any hope of our survival. We were in a valley and they were everywhere. At the crack of dawn, we heard a horn sound. Soon it was answered by horns from other parts of the hilltops. A call to arms. Arrows rained down on us and blotted out the sun. My friends dropped where they stood- pierced by innumerable arrows. I had crawled under a wagon and even then was hit by an arrow on my left leg. Once the tribe was reasonably sure that they had destroyed the major resistance, they came at us with knives, swords, spears and clubs. It was a massacre.I watched them stab and kill as many as they could. I tried to crawl out but lost consciousness when someone hit me. I woke up under a pile of dead bodies- barely alive myself. I pushed my way out from under the dead bodies slowly. Night had decended. They were still there. Darkness was my friend and they had lit small fires around which they sat chattering away. I could hear their plans. They would burn the bodies in the morning after they had collected their trophies- swords, shoes..whatever else they could from us. I knew I did not stand a chance. I would have to fight them on another day. But for now I had to escape. I crawled away from the lights slowly. Inch by inch. Deeper into the mountains. The road back to Wu was blocked by them. And I was sure they would have spies posted to ensure that no one could relay news of our defeat in the passes. I wandered for days surviving on berries and roots as best as I could.
After ten days, I knew that I could not carry on further for long. Winter is not kind to a soldier. I had left my fur cloak behind while escaping. It was freezing. The snow started falling and the wind howled through the narrow passages cutting through to my very soul. At night, I heard the howls of the wolves and other animals. I managed to drive away a wolf once but it was a close thing. The next time I would not succeed. I had to find shelter. Soon. My ankle was troubling me quite a lot. The injury from the arrow had festered and the smell emanating from the wound was almost unbearable. As I half walked, half crawled through the mountains, I saw the light. High above me. I had heard the tribes discussing the one they should avoid. I assumed it was the yeti they were talking about- a legend of a big man bear that lived in these parts. An animal. But this was the light from a fire. Animals are afraid of fire. So clearly this was a human. Question was whether this was this a tribesman or someone else? At that point it did not matter. If it was not the tribesmen then I had a shot at surviving. If it was the tribesmen then atleast the tribesman would grant me a swift death. The animals would not be so kind. Finally I decided that I would have to take my chances with the tribes. They might consider ransoming me. Besides what other options did I have. So I used my last bit of energy and clambered up the mountain towards the light. A treacherous climb but fear seemed to have given me wings. The light was from what I later learned to be a cave. I reached a small ledge just below the cave. I could see the light that flickered from inside a cave but in climbing onto the ledge I had used up my very last bit of energy. I wanted to enter the cave and reach the warmth but I seemed not to have energy left to climb the last few feet. I lay there exposed to the elements, knowing that I would not last till the morning in this weather on this ledge. I shouted for help. As loudly as I could. Twice. There was no response. I cried out for help again.All would be for naught. As I slowly passed out from the cold, I saw the shadow of a tall man jump down onto the ledge beside me.
II had caught a cold and spent the next few days in feverish delirium. Snippets of those days still haunt me. A gaunt man cared for me. On his forehead was the most ghastly wound in the shape of a large almond. He did not speak. Not a word in all the time I knew him. Not at all. I assumed he was mute. He was tall. Very tall and well built. His skin was dark, much darker than those of my people. His eyes were deep blue. The deepest blue. When he looked at me I felt as if he could look into the very depths. He seemed to read my very thoughts, if that were possible. His hair was long and matted. His appearance unkempt. He was clad in the skins of animals- a tiger and few others. He seemed to spend his days in meditation. He hunted with an old strange bow. Much larger than ones I had been trained to use. He cared neither for his appearance nor for what he ate. Or if he ate. Most of what he hunted he fed me. I later realised that the food was mostly berries and roots. I never did see him eat either. Nor drink either. Hunger and thirst did not seem to trouble him. An ascetic perhaps or for all intents he was an animal. Or at least lived like one. His hair was graying and so I assumed he was old. But his strength was that of a twenty year old man in his prime. He had carried me like a sack that weighed nothing up the face of the mountain and into that cave. He did not seem pleased by my presence but did not leave me there either. I was very grateful for his kindness. He used herbs to heal my wounds. And some sort of chanting in a strange language. My ankle was broken but he healed it in days. Even the best physicians in Wu could not do that. I recovered my strength quite quickly in his care. He did not show any pleasure in my quick recovery. I realised from his actions that he wanted me gone but would not deny me his hospitality. As I recovered, I slept fitfully. When I lay awake I observed my strange host. I wondered who he was and why he lived up here. All alone and away from everyone. His skills as a physician would surely earn him a very comfortable earning but he seemed not to want the company of men. Nor animals for that matter. I saw that they too avoided him. It wave very strange.
A few weeks after my arrival, I had made an almost complete recovery. I could stand and only a minor limp remained. My wound had healed completely. I remembered the wound on the forehead of my host and wondered why he did not heal his own wounds. I tried to engage him in conversation. But he did not seem interested in conversing with me. I tried to mime and use gestures to communicate with him. However . However these too were largely ignored. I did not really need to communicate with him. All my desires were fulfilled before I had even had an opportunity to voice them. Around this time, there was a a huge avalanche.
The rest of the story can be read in the full book when published. Do leave a note if you like it. :)
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