Mr. Ferguson's Trip to Tawantinsuyu
Part 1 of ????
'Twas a nasty day outside in Edinburgh when I stopped by the Rampant Lion Pub that Mr Ferguson was happenstancing to be reclining in. I settled in at the counter and ordered a bottle of whiskey and a sausage, and, having received such, retreated to my favored booth off to the side of the fire. I could'na see him at that time, as he was surrounded by a small crowd listening to his fantastic stories of the Aztechs.
He told tales of his trip (between swigs of whiskey) and the wonders he'd seen there. The crowd was buying every damn word of it. I meandered over, if just to see what all the ruckus was about.
"Aye, and then we saw the Grand Temple. Yah heard of the "Pyramids" down in Kemet? Well I heard those were a few hundred feet high. I tell yah, these here in Tenochtitlan must've been at least twice that, maybe more. And they were covered in
gold!"
Now I'd been down to Kemet with the navy, a few years before, fighting the Corsican Empire, and I'd seen these Pyramids. I couldn't believe there could be any structure built so big, and I says so to Mr Ferguson. He nods, and says, "Well, I wager a sausage from the bar that they didn't cut mens' hearts out upon 'em to bless their machines."
At that point, the whole crowd gasped. Now, what with the navy and all, and having seen the end of the I
ntrepid debacle, I didn't doubt his word. I then said to him, "Mr Ferguson, why'd you go?" "Business," he replied.
Now about an hour later, the crowd had died down a little, and I was sitting by the fire. At that moment, Mr Ferguson came and sat beside me.
"You a navy man?" he asked.
"Aye," I said.
"I did say that it was business, didn't I?" he continued.
"Aye, ya did," said I.
"You see, I've invented a most spectacular rifle. Having presented it in Europe, I found that they were, shall we say, disinterested. So I turned my prospects abroad."
"Did ya?" I said.
"Aye. Hence my trip to the empire of the Aztechs. And I tell ya, they received it much better than they did over here. So I've got planned another trip, to a land they say is just as magical."
"Is that so?" I asked.
"Indeed. Given your navy experience and your nonchalance about my tales, I have half a mind to include you on this voyage."
"Aye. I'll join," said I.
A tall, dark, foreigner sat himself beside Mr Ferguson. I noted that he had a foreign-cut of clothing, in a black and white checkered pattern. I also noted a golden colored medallion of an 8-pointed star upon his breast.
Mr Ferguson gestured towards the newcomer. "This is Usco," he said, "and he will help us when we arrive."
"And where may we be heading?" said I.
Mr Ferguson grinned.
"Ever heard of a land called Tawantinsuyu?"