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Thursday, 28 September, 1933

   Mr. Davis introduced the League to Jan de Boors, a Dutchman who owns a large, speedy dhow, the Bertilak, in Tunis harbor -- available to carry us after the Mowe. As we were concluding negotiations with the Dutchman, Richter showed up to tell us that the Mowe and the "R ship" freighter Carabas were getting up steam to leave harbor! We immediately packed and boarded the dhow, which turned out to be merely the shell of a dhow around a modern hull and machinery. The Mowe passed out of the harbor at about 2 pm, and the dhow less than an hour later. The freighter headed for Pantelleria, the German destroyer proceeded to Cape Bon and turned south -- we decided to follow the destroyer.

   Fortunately, the Mowe was travelling extremely slowly for some reason (perhaps the deck cargo of aircraft or the modifications to the hull?), and by sunset was only about 50 miles south of Cape Bon, approaching the Golfe de Gabes (and still only about 80 or 90 miles from Malta).

Friday, 29 September, 1933

   Our Heroes kept a sharp watch during the night, and before dawn we saw the Mowe rendesvous with a large submarine; both vessels entered a cave in the sea-cliffs north of the city of Sfax! We proceeded in the dhow to Sfax, rented a pair of worn-out Fiat trucks and drove north along the coast.

   That afternoon, a few miles from the sea caves, Our Heroes were stopped by "Swiss" troops wearing armbands denoting apparent employment by the International Red Cross, that are landed from a pair of "advanced auto-gyros". They obviously wanted us to turn back, and were heavily armed (one of them was carrying an anti-tank rifle); their excuse was that a "Red Cross humanitarian exercise in support of the Geneva Protocols" was taking place in the area. The League claimed to be birdwatchers, seeking the Crested Balderdash, known to nest in this area.

   The League proceeded another mile or two along the road, approaching the "area of interest", and then stopped and made lunch. Lenny and Vinnie were sent skulking off among the ravines and rocks; Professor Enwright and Major DeLacy went strolling off (openly) towards the cliffs with binoculars and field guides, seeking balderdashes. Most of the League's weapons were cached at the lunch spot.

   Enwright fell down a hole, into a mysterious and ancient set of tunnels and shafts; he and DeLacy found old coins, bones, and other debris from almost 2000 years ago. The complex itself is probably far older than that!

   Meanwhile, the Germans approached the "lunch" site ...

[summary needed by someone who was there]

   ... McCracken led them though the evening gloom to where Vinnie was guarding three "Swiss" prisoners and the badly-wounded Lenny. The bodies of several more soldiers were gathered there, along with their equipment (MP28 submachineguns, Mauser K98 rifles, and a Solothurn anti-tank rifle). Lenny's wounds seemed mortal, but (after some supernatural goings-on) they were healed! Both Lenny and Major DeLacy seem a bit "gray", perhaps a relapse of African Rabies.

   Our Heroes were led by Major DeLacy to the hidden hole where Enwright was waiting; they also brought the prisoners, corpses, and equipment. Many questions were put to one of the prisoners, Franz Lieber, about his organization:  their plans, structure, current activitities, etc.  The Germans had been working here at "Hamilcar's Refuge" for months to gain access to a "wonder weapon"; many military engineers had lost their lives to traps. Rocket troops and "autovivified" troops were also stationed at this secret base. The local French authorities have apparently been convinced to allow the extended humanitarian exercise to continue unmolested in Tunisian territory.

   Miss Worthington sedated the three prisoners, and the League proceeded downward and inward; the complex seems to be a great machine, hewn from the living rock, partly hydraulic in function. Despite some slips and falls, they eventually broke through into a large chamber, being used by the Germans for storage (mostly equipment for rocket troops). The League rummaged in the stores, took a few things, and proceeded further downwards, to a chamber 20 feet high, 60 feet wide and over 100 feet long; here was das Gatter [nicht Gatter - Tür!  Tür!] an apparent reddish stone disk, 16 feet across, that was attached to the western wall.

   An orrery, very similiar to the one seen briefly in Ephesus has been erected and manned by its operating crew, apparently nearly ready to activate or open the Gate. A 4 inch thick metallic cable can be seen running from holes drilled into the ceiling. It connects to the orrery, lighting, and various monitoring equipment. Looking through the actinic glare cast by various portable arc lights, 8 Grautruppen and their 6 guards, 6 rocket troops, more than 20 military engineers and security troops, a 3-man medical team, and assorted other scientists and support staff could be seen -- all gathered and ready to cover anything that might emerge from the Gate. All of them are wearing various types of goggles and ear protection. The engineers and troops are manning 4 flamethrowers, 2 tripod-mounted MG08 machine guns, a small cannon* and a strange 2-wheeled 'seachlight'. Everyone but the rocket troops and and the "Gray" men were behind metal and plexiglass mantlets, gun shields, or various improvised barricades. The sound of approaching reinforcements behind Our Heroes meant that confrontation was imminent!

*a 7.5-cm leichte Gebirgs Infantriegeschutz 18 (or leGebIG 18) "infantry gun", for you military fetishists

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