Part 34 (2/2)

'Lily can read cuneiform,' West said. 'Go on, Lily.'

Lily read the text box: 'It says: Progress report: Construction continuing as scheduled. Nineteen worker deaths. Sixty-two injuries. Losses tolerable. Progress report: Construction continuing as scheduled. Nineteen worker deaths. Sixty-two injuries. Losses tolerable.'

'Losses tolerable,' Stretch repeated. 'Doesn't look like the despots of this region have changed much over the ages.'

They returned to Lily's translation of the Callimachus Text's sixth entry: The Hanging Paradise of Old Babylonia.

March towards the rising Sun, From the point where the two life-givers become one.

In the shadow of the mountains of Zagros, Behold the triple falls fas.h.i.+oned by the Third Great Architect To conceal the path he hewed That climbs to the Paradise Which mighty Nebuchadnezzar built for his bride.

'Well, it begins straightforwardly enough,' West said. 'You march due east from the point where the two life-givers become one.”The life-givers” is the name the Mesopotamians gave to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This must be a reference to the point where they meet.'

'Baghdad?' Pooh Bear asked. 'It stands at a point of convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates. Isn't it the site of ancient Babylon?'

'Actually, no,' West said. 'Babylon lies underneath the modern-day town of Hilla, to the south of Baghdad. And your theory doesn't strictly obey the verse. The two rivers bend very close to each other at Baghdad, but they don't become one become one there. They actually come together much further south, at the town of Qurna. There they become one big super-river-the Shatt al-Arab-which flows south through Basra before draining into the Persian Gulf.' there. They actually come together much further south, at the town of Qurna. There they become one big super-river-the Shatt al-Arab-which flows south through Basra before draining into the Persian Gulf.'

Stretch said sourly: 'I can't believe the Americans haven't found the Gardens already. They must have over 150,000 troops in Iraq right now. They could easily have sent huge forces of men to check out every waterfall in the Zagros Mountains due east of Baghdad, Hilla and and Qurna by now.' Qurna by now.'

West paused, an idea forming in his mind. 'Unless...'

'What?'

'The modern town of Hilla does indeed stand on the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon,' he said. 'But now that I look at it closely, our verse does not refer to ”Babylon” at all. It mentions the Hanging Paradise of Old Babylonia Old Babylonia. Old Babylon.'

'Meaning?' Pooh Bear asked.

'Consider this,' West said. 'New York. New England. New Orleans. Today, many cities and regions are named in memory of older places. In some ancient texts, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon is actually referred to as New New Babylon. What if the Gardens were Babylon. What if the Gardens were never never in New Babylon, but were, rather, built in an older city also named ”Babylon”, but built far from the newer city that adopted its name. The in New Babylon, but were, rather, built in an older city also named ”Babylon”, but built far from the newer city that adopted its name. The original original Babylon.' Babylon.'

'It would explain why Alexander the Great's biographers never mentioned the Gardens when he pa.s.sed through Babylon and why no-one has found them near Hilla,' Stretch said. 'They would only have seen New Babylon, not Old Babylon.'

'Two Babylons. Two cities.' Zaeed stroked his sharply-pointed chin. 'This is a good theory...'

Then suddenly his eyes lit up. 'Of course! Of course! Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?' Why didn't I think of it before?'

'What?'

Zaeed dashed to his trunk and scrounged among the notebooks there.

As he did so, he spoke quickly, excitedly. 'If I may take Captain West's theory one step further. Modern logic a.s.sumes that the Tigris and the Euphrates follow the same same courses today that they followed back in 570 BC. They flow down from Turkey, through Iraq, before joining at Qurna in the southern marshlands. courses today that they followed back in 570 BC. They flow down from Turkey, through Iraq, before joining at Qurna in the southern marshlands.

'Now consider this. Mesopotamia is the birthplace of all flood myths. Why, the tale of Noah and his Ark is but a flimsy retelling of the story of Zisudra and his animal-carrying boat. Why is this so? Because Iraq's flood myths stem from very real very real floods: of the Persian Gulf breaking its banks and flooding far inland, ripping apart eroded land formations and, on occasion, floods: of the Persian Gulf breaking its banks and flooding far inland, ripping apart eroded land formations and, on occasion, diverting diverting the courses of the two great rivers of the region, the Tigris and Euphrates. A Westerner named Graham Hanc.o.c.k has written about this very convincingly in a marvellous book called the courses of the two great rivers of the region, the Tigris and Euphrates. A Westerner named Graham Hanc.o.c.k has written about this very convincingly in a marvellous book called Underworld Underworld. Ah-ha! Here it is!'

He produced a battered book, opened it to a page containing a map of Iraq. Prominent on the map were the two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, that joined in a V shape in the south of the country: Zaeed had scribbled the locations of Hilla, Qurna and Basra on the map.

He explained. 'Now. As we continue to do today, people back in ancient times built their towns on the banks of the two great rivers. But when the rivers diverted onto new courses due to flooding, it follows that those same people would have abandoned the old towns and built new ones, the ones we see on the banks of the rivers today.

'Many years ago, in my search for lost doc.u.ments relating to the Hanging Gardens, I mapped the locations of abandoned abandoned towns, towns that were once situated on the banks of the rivers, but which, once the rivers diverted, were simply deserted. From these locations, I was able to reconstruct the towns, towns that were once situated on the banks of the rivers, but which, once the rivers diverted, were simply deserted. From these locations, I was able to reconstruct the former former courses of the two rivers.' courses of the two rivers.'

'So where did they converge back then?' West asked.

Zaeed grinned. 'See, that that was what I did not know-that their was what I did not know-that their point of convergence point of convergence was the all-important factor.' was the all-important factor.'

With a flourish, Zaeed then flipped the page to reveal a second second map of Iraq, only on this map, an additional dotted V had been drawn directly beneath the present-day one: map of Iraq, only on this map, an additional dotted V had been drawn directly beneath the present-day one: Zaeed pointed at this new river junction-it lay south of Qurna, roughly halfway between it and Basra.

'The rivers,' Zaeed said, 'used to meet here, at the town of Haritha.'

The Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus shot into Iraq, heading for the southern village-town of Haritha. shot into Iraq, heading for the southern village-town of Haritha.

As it did so, everyone prepared for their arrival-prepping guns, maps, helmets and tunnel gear.

Alone in his office, with Horus perched on his chair-back, West kept one eye on a laptop computer that Wizard had set up soon after their mission in Tunisia had gone to h.e.l.l.

It was the microwave communications net he had instructed Wizard to create, to scan for any signals emanating from, or coming to, the Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus.

As they crossed the border into Iraq, the laptop pinged.

Someone on board the plane had sent out a homing signal.

HARITHA, IRAQ.

19 MARCH, 2006, 0900 HOURS.

1 DAY BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF TARTARUS.

To get to Haritha, the Halicarna.s.sus Halicarna.s.sus had to skirt the port-city, Basra. had to skirt the port-city, Basra.

As it soared over the outskirts of Basra, Sky Monster's voice came over the PA. 'Hey, Captain West, you better come up here and see this.'

West went up to the c.o.c.kpit and peered out the windows.

A long column of heavy-duty vehicles was rumbling out of Basra, heading north toward Haritha.

It was a gigantic convoy. Of American military vehicles.

Troop trucks, engineering vehicles, Humvees, jeeps, motorbikes, plus no fewer than ten Abrams battle tanks and several Black Hawk helicopters, prowling overhead.

In all, it amounted to maybe 5,000 troops.

'How can this be?' Zaeed asked, appearing behind West with Pooh Bear.

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