was stolen by the Spanish conquistadors. It was not only for the two pigeon?egg sized
diamonds, set as his eyes, but also for the supposed power it gave to its owner, ? the
power of thunder!
The diary details the account of Capt. Standish and his team of troopers as they set on
their journey, following the account of an old sailor at the port of Darwin. The spiraling
handwriting gave a vague direction to the point where the idol might be found. He gives
account of losing his troop to the summer of Australian Outback by the time he reached
near his goal. But his account stops with a call to fellow adventurers to the base of a hill
and rescue Tlaloc. And he got a follower. Kevin Hartman starts his part of the account
from October 1948. He was an expert prospector, wanting to get his hands on the
diamonds of Tlaloc and its power to raise his own army! Kevin knew the perils of
Outback. And he knew how to track the animals around. He survived the pack of Dingos,
and he survived the heat of Outback. He nearly got killed by the Taipan, and survived on
lizards.
Kevin’s crispy straight handwriting suggested that he has seen the idol. Or was it his
dream? Hallucinating before the end? Interestingly, though Kevin Hartman’s account
doesn’t mention if he got his hands on the diamonds, but the account of the next
owner, Chandrashekhar Apte clearly mentions that he found the remains of Kevin near a
hillock of Outback. No idea how the Indian got his hands on the diary, or what was he
doing in the outback. But it was clear that he knew that the idol was not to be disturbed.
Or was it his Hindu mindset that made him run? He was very afraid, and running away
to safety. Yet through the summer months of 1957 he went in circles and reached the
very foothill Capt. Standish mentioned. When Shataneek finished reading, he somehow
couldn’t believe his fortunes. He studied geology not to fatten his butt on a chair as a
clerk in a Mining company. He was after adventure; especially after his university study
trip to wastelands of Rwanda. He was itching to find a reason, and this time somehow
the dark tan diary in his hand was pulling him out there; in the perilous journey to find
The Cyberabad Bangali Association Sharad Sambhaar 2013 25
Page 25