Warren Murphy: Time Trial

"Oh, no," Remo said. "No more North Pole. No more desert. No jungle, no, sir."

"You see? You know the details already. You are a born prophet, my son. Which way is north?"

"That way. Toward the motel. I've got eight quarters for your vibrating bed. And I'll send out for room service."

Chiun's eyes narrowed. "Duck a l'orange?"

"I'll kill the duck myself if I have to," Remo said.

"Cable TV?"

"All night long."

"A swimming pool, perhaps?"

"Kidney shaped."

Chiun put his bony arm around Remo. "Ah, well, there is time for the training expedition tomorrow, I suppose. Would you like me to recite one of the Ung poems of the great Wang? It is very short, only six hundred stanzas."

Remo swallowed. "Love it," he said.

The old man beamed. "Sometimes, Remo, you are not so bad for a white boy."

?Epilogue

LOS ANGELES TIMES

PROGRESSO, GUATEMALA (API)

The husband and wife team of Elizabeth and Richard Diehl, both archaeologists at UCLA, have unearthed what could prove to be the oldest intact tomb in the western world.

Dating from the third millennium, B. C., it is the tomb of one of the first kings of the Classical Period in ancient Mayan civilization.

Named simply Po, the occupant of the tomb was known as the Lame King. According to the inscriptions on his sarcophagus, King Po did so much to make the Mayan empire the advanced society we regard it today that he was called "the voice of the gods" by his people. Next to the king's remains was uncovered the sarcophagus of his only wife, the beautiful and just Queen Nata-Ah.

Lining the walls of the tomb were many precious artifacts and sculptures, including a magnificent redition of the famous white god Kukulcan, adorned with the traditional serpents and feathers found on other statues of the Mayan deity.

Two other statues, also found in the tomb, are currently causing lively speculation in archaeological circles. Previously unidentified in Mayan findings, the statues depict two human males. One is an old man of obviously Oriental features. The other is younger, possibly a warrior. The features of the statue are unimpressive except for a pair of exceptionally thick wrists.

the end