cc.floodtide-第115章

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yone　settled　in　his　living　room　filled　with　nautical　antiques；　maritime　paintings　and　ship　models。　Sandecker　lit　up　one　of　his　big　cigars　without　asking　permission　while　Pitt　poured　them　all　a　glass　of　forty…year…old　port。
　
　〃Well；　St。　Julien；〃　said　Sandecker；　〃what　is　this　great　discovery　Pitt　tells　me　you　made？〃
　〃I'm　also　interested　in　hearing　how　you　think　it　concerns　the　INS；〃　Harper　said　to　Pitt。
　Pitt　held　up　his　port　and　stared　at　the　dark　liquid　as　if　it　was　a　crystal　ball。　〃If　St。　Julien　puts　us　on　the　wreck　of　a　ship　called　the　Princess　Dou　Wan；　it　will　alter　the　relationship　between　the　U。S。　and　China　for　decades　to　e。〃
　〃Forgive　me　if　I　say　that　sounds　wildly　improbable；〃　said　Harper。
　Pitt　grinned。　〃Wait；　and　you　shall　see。〃　Perlmutter　eased　his　bulk　into　a　big　chair　and　opened　his　briefcase；　retrieving　several　files。　〃First；　a　little　history　to　enlighten　those　of　you　who　don't　yet　know　exactly　what　it　is　we're　talking　about。〃　He　paused　to　open　the　first　file　and　pull　out　several　papers。　〃Let　me　begin　by　saying　that　rumors　concerning　the　passenger　ship　Princess　Dou　Wan　as　leaving
　Shanghai　with　a　vast　cargo　of　historical　Chinese　art　treasures　in　November　of　nineteen…forty…eight　are　true。〃
　〃What　was　your　source？〃　asked　Sandecker。
　〃Name　is　Hui　Wiay；　a　former　Nationalist　Army　colonel　who　served　under　Chiang　Kai…shek。　Wiay　now　lives　in　Taipei。　He　fought　the　munists　until　forced　to　flee　to　Taiwan　when　it　was　called　Formosa。　He's　ninety…two　years　old　but　with　a　memory　sharp　as　a　razor。　He　vividly　recalled　following　orders　by　Generalissimo　Chiang　Kai…shek　to　empty　the　museums　and　palaces　of　every　art　treasure　they　could　lay　their　hands　on。　Private　collections　belonging　to　the　rich　were　also　seized；　along　with　any　and　all　wealth　found　in　bank　vaults。　All　of　it　was　packed　in　wooden　crates　and　trucked　to　the　Shanghai　docks。　There　it　was　loaded　on　board　an　old　passenger　liner　that　was　mandeered　by　one　of　Chiang　Kai…shek's　generals；　whose　name　was　Kung　Hui。　He　seems　to　have　dropped　off　the　face　of　the　earth　the　same　time　as　the　Princess　Dou　Wan；　so　there　is　every　reason　to　believe　he　was　on　her。
　〃More　treasure　was　seized　than　the　ship　could　ordinarily　hold。　But　since　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　had　been　stripped　of　her　furnishings　and　fixtures　in　preparation　for　her　final　voyage　to　the　scrappers　in　Singapore；　Kung　Hui　managed　to　cram　over　a　thousand　crates　into　the　cargo　holds　and　empty　passenger　staterooms。　Most　of　the　crates　with　large　sculptures　were　tied　down　on　the　open　decks。　Then　on　November　second；　nineteen　forty…eight；　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　sailed　from　Shanghai　into　oblivion。〃
　〃Vanished？〃　said　Gunn。
　〃Like　a　midnight　ghost。〃
　〃When　you　say　historical　art　treasures；〃　said　Rudi　Gunn；　〃is　it　known　exactly　what　pieces　were　seized？〃
　〃The　ship's　manifest；　if　there　was　one；〃　answered　Perlmutter；　〃would　make　every　curator　in　every　museum　of　the　world　mad　with　envy　and　desire。　A　brief　catalog　would　include　the　monumental　designs　of　Shang…dynasty　bronze　weapons　and　vases。　From　sixteen　hundred　until　eleven　hundred　B。C。；　Shang　artists　were　advanced　in　the　carving　of　stone；　jade；　marble；　bone　and　ivory。　There　were　the　writings　of　Confucius　inscribed　in　wood　in　his　own　hand　from　the　Chou　dynasty　that　reigned　from　eleven　hundred　to　two　hundred　B。C。；　magnificent　bronze　sculptures；　incense　burners　inlaid　with　rubies；　sapphires　and　gold；　life…size　chariots　with　drivers　and　six　horses　and　beautifully　lacquered　dishes　from　the　Han　dynasty；　two…oh…six　B。C。　to　two　twenty　A。D。；　exotic　ceramics；　books　from　China's　classical　poets　and　paintings　by　their　masters　living　in　the　T'ang　dynasty；　six　eighteen　to　nine…oh…seven　A。D。；　beautifully　created　artifacts　from　the　Sung；　Yuan；　and　the　famous　Ming　dynasty；　whose　artisans　were　masters　at　sculptures　and　carvings。　Their　workmanship　is　widely　known　for　the　decorative　arts；　including　cloisonne；　furniture　and　pottery；　and　of　course；　we're　all　familiar　with　their　famous　blue…　and　white…porcelain。〃
　Sandecker　studied　the　smoke　that　curled　from　his　cigar。　〃You　make　it　sound　more　valuable　than　the　Inca　treasure　Dirk　found　in　the　Sonoran　Desert。〃
　〃Like　paring　a　cup　of　rubies　to　a　carload　of　emeralds；〃　Perlmutter　said；　sipping　his　port。　〃Impossible　to　set　a　value　on　such　a　grand　hoard。　Moneywise；　you're　talking　billions　of　dollars；　but　as　historical　treasure；　the　word　priceless　bees　inadequate。〃
　〃I　can't　imagine　riches　of　such　magnitude；〃　said　Julia　wonderingly。
　〃There's　more；〃　Perlmutter　said　quietly；　adding　to　the　spell。　〃The　icing　on　the　cake。　What　the　Chinese　would　consider　as　their　crown　jewels。〃
　〃More　precious　than　rubies　and　sapphires；〃　said　Julia；　〃or　diamonds　and　pearls？〃
　〃Something　far　more　rare　than　mere　baubles；〃　Perlmutter　said　softly。　〃The　bones　of　Peking　man。〃
　〃Good　lord！〃　Sandecker　expelled　a　breath。　〃You're　not　suggesting　that　the　Peking　man　was　on　the　Princess　Dou　Wan。〃
　〃I　am；〃　Perlmutter　nodded。　〃Colonel　Hui　Wiay　swore　that　an　iron　box　containing　the　long…lost　remains　were　placed　on　board　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　in　the　captain's　cabin　minutes　before　the　ship　sailed。〃
　〃My　father　often　spoke　of　the　missing　bones；〃　said　Julia。　〃Chinese　adoration　of　our　ancestors　made　them　more　meaningful　than　tombs　still　containing　early　emperors。〃
　Sandecker　sat　up　and　gazed　at　Perlmutter。　〃The　saga　behind　the　loss　of　the　Peking　man's　fossilized　bones　remains　one　of　the　great　unexplained　enigmas　of　the　twentieth　century。〃
　〃You're　familiar　with　the　story；　Admiral？〃　asked　Gunn。
　〃I　once　wrote　a　paper　on　the　missing　bones　of　Peking　man　at　the　Naval　Academy。　I　thought　they　vanished　in　nineteen　forty…one　and　were　never　found。　But　St。　Julien　is　now　saying　they　were　seen　seven　years　later　on　the　Princess　Dou　Wan　before　she　set　sail。〃
　〃Where　did　they　e　from？〃　asked　Harper。
　Perlmutter　nodded　at　Sandecker　and　deferred。　〃You　wrote　the　paper；　Admiral。〃
　〃Sinanthropus　pekinensis；〃　Sandecker　spoke　the　words　almost　reverently。　〃Chinese　man　of　Peking；　a　very　ancient　and　primitive　human　who　walked　upright　on　two　feet。　In　nineteen　twenty…nine　the　discovery　of　his　skull　was　announced　by　a　Canadian　anatomist；　Dr。　Davidson　Black；　who　directed　the　excavation　and　was　funded　by　the　Rockefeller　Foundation。　Over　the　next　several　years；　digging　in　a　quarry　that　had　once　been　a　hill　with　limestone　caves　near　the　village　of　Choukou…tien；　Black　found　thousands　of　chipped…stone　tools　and　evidence　of　hearths；　which　indicated　Peking　man　had　mastered　fire。　Excavations　carried　out　over　the　next　ten　years　found　the　partial　remains　of　another　forty　individuals；　both　juveniles　and　adults；　and　what　has　been　acknowledged　as　the　largest　hominid　fossil　collection　ever　assembled。〃
　〃Any　relation　to　Java　man；　who　was　found　thirty　years　sooner？〃　asked　Gunn。
　〃When　the　Java　and　Peking　skulls　were　pared　in　nineteen　thirty…nine；　they　were　seen　to　be　very　similar；　with　Java　man　arriving　on　the　scene　a　shade　earlier　and　not　as　sophisticated　in　toolmaking　as　Peking　man。〃
　〃Since　scientific　dating　techniques　didn't　e　into　play　until　much　later；〃　said　Harper；　〃is　there　any　idea　as　to　how　old　Peking　man　is？〃
　〃Because　he　cannot　be　scientifically　dated　until　he's　re…found；　the　best　guess　to　his　age　is　between　seven　hundred　thousand　and　one　million　years。　New　discoveries　in　China；　however；　indicate　that　Homo　erectus；　an　early　species　of　human；　is　now　thought　to　have　migrated　out　of　Africa　to　Asia　two　million　years　ago。　Naturally；　Chinese　paleoanthropologists　hope　to　prove　that　early　man　evolved　in　Asia　and　migrated　to　Africa　instead　of　the　accepted　other　way　around。〃
　〃How　did　the　remains　of　Peking　man　disappear？〃　Julia　asked　Sandecker。
　〃In　December　of　nineteen　forty…one；　invading　Japanese　troops　were　closing　in　on　Peking；〃　narrated　Sandecker。　〃Officials　at　the　Peking　Union　Medical　College；　where　the　irreplaceable　bones　of　Peking　man　were　stored　and　studied；　decided　they　should　be　removed　to　a　place　of　safety。　It　was　also　evident；　more　so　in　China　than　in　the　West；　that　war　between　Japan　and　the　United　States　was　imminent。　American　and　Chinese　scientists　agreed　that　the　fossils　should　be　sent　to　the　United　States　for　safekeeping　until　after　the　war。　After　months　of　negotiation；　the　American　a