Assignment - Karachi Read Free Page A

Rawalpindi in a matter of days.
    The second clipping was from the New York Times , dated two weeks later:
    —Karachi, June 22—Two survivors of the von Buhlen expedition to the mountainous State of Pakhusti arrived here today and made immediate preparations for a new assault on S-5. Interviewed here today, Alessa von Buhlen merely stated that there had been no success in her attempt to verify the fabled story of Xenos’ march to recover the crown of Alexander the Great.
    Hans Steicher, the well known Alpine guide who led the expedition, as well as two other missions of British and Italian origin in the past years, had no comment on the disastrous failure of the romantic attempt.
    The adventurers’ assault on S-5 was based on an obscure legend long known to military historians of Alexander the Great’s Asian conquests. Professor Damon D. Johnstone of Columbia University, a specialist in Hellenic antiquities of Alexander’s time, denied any possible truth to the tale of Xenos’ march with a thousand men to retrieve a crown yielded to the Macedonian conqueror by a king of the Indus over two thousand years ago. Fragments of Buddhist writings and fables that survive the Mogul conquests in later centuries contain obscure allusions to the massacre of the thousand foot soldiers of Alexander’s army, but these are generally discounted as local folklore, Professor Johnstone said.
    The two survivors, who will be joined by selected others, remain in Karachi for a new expedition to be immediately reorganized for a second attempt at S-5, according to Dr. Alessa von Buhlen.
    Kallinger yawned and brushed his shaggy Turkish moustache as Durell returned the two clippings. “The first of these came by courier from Rawalpindi yesterday. The New York Times item was in a batch of stuff from Washington this morning. I put it all together for you, Sam.”
    “I notice there’s nothing in these clippings about nickel,” Durell commented.
    “Naturally. What really happened was that this climbing expedition after alleged ancient treasure ran into hard luck all the way. Bad weather, defecting porters, alienated tribesmen—even some Chinese military patrols sticking their noses over the Sinkiang border. The frontier at that point is rather vague, you know. Even so, they all came down off S-5 alive, according the Pakistan military report. There was trouble with the Pakhustis under their Emir at Mirandhabad for some time—the Emir has been pushing for autonomy, backed by the Pathans, Afghanistan, and the Chinese. But the climbers were all definitely alive—when they came down off S-5—five men and the girl, Alessa von Buhlen. Her doctorate is in ancient history, by the way. It was afterward that things began to happen. Disappearances. And murder. Only Hans Steicher and Alessa—who happens to be built on the order of the Valkyries, by the way, no matter what her university degrees—pity I don’t have a snapshot for you, Sam—and Bergmann, a geologist, made it back to Rawalpindi.”
    “Then Bergmann disappeared,” Durell said. “The Times says there were only two survivors—Alessa and Hans Steicher.”
    Kallinger nodded. Out on the Bosphorus, a tug hooted. It was growing dusky in the tobacco agent’s office. Lights gleamed like iridescent jewels on the European side of the straits.
    “The Pakistan security police report two attacks since, one on Alessa, another on Hans. A knife thrown at Alessa, and a mugging job on Steicher. No permanent damage. Obviously, someone wants to silence everybody who hunted abominable snowmen, nickel and jewels on S-5, eh?”
    “You think it’s because of the nickel ore?” Durell asked.
    “Bergmann made a report, and a map, and both disappeared with him. You’ll have to find out. We’re reasonably sure the alleged treasure wasn’t found, and even if it were, we aren’t interested. But Bergmann was excited about the nickel strike, and talked about it before he vanished. Washington wants to know