Chapter 26

Chapter 26

All the lights from the flashlights were focusing on the rock table where, hidden by a century of slag, certain contours began to become distinguishable. Jack and Taro put on latex gloves to avoid contaminating what they could find with their fingerprints. As the first approached the natural ledge, Suzuki pulled out his photo and tiny video cameras and began recording all the details of the room they had found, and then the contents of the table.

The center of the shelf was partially occupied by a metal chest about seventy centimeters long, forty wide and about thirty high, with a convex lid. To his sides also resting on the stone were several notable objects. Jack lifted what turned out to be a heavily embossed, gold-encrusted heavy cavalry saber from its resting place of decades.

"This saber never shed blood or fought in a battle," Bodniev said dismissively.