The Volcano That Changed The World (25 page)

Brennan thought as he stroked his mustache. “
It could represent the beginning of the second eruption with larger ejected volcanic particles reaching here earlier than the ash cloud. Some of these larger particles still could have been hot and glowed red. That would account for the fiery hail—”

Mark interrup
ted, “That may explain the hail, but Egypt is probably too far away from Santorini to have had molten particles falling here. It’s possible but not likely. I think the particles would have cooled before reaching here. But ash is often charged with static electricity, producing spectacular cloud-to-cloud lightning strikes. Perhaps that’s the explanation.”

Brennan responded
rapidly, “You might be right. Maybe that could explain the fire. As we’ve discussed, eruptions also alter weather in the short term, possibly producing hail.” He paused, and added, “Alternatively, hail could have been produced by a natural storm that included lightning, which could have been viewed as the ‘fire.’ Plague seven may have had nothing to do with Thera, unless the weather-related storm resulted from or was enhanced by the eruptions. The Thera eruptions changed weather conditions in other parts of the world. Why not here in Egypt?”

Smiling Mark said, “That’s your weakest explanation so far. It’s possible, but weak
—perhaps a little too much male bovine excrement. I think your explanation for the fiery hail still needs work, Brennan.”

Chuckling and u
ndeterred, Brennan moved on. “I will spend more time on my explanation of number seven, but for now, recall the eighth plague—locusts invading the land. Swarms of locusts invading Egypt are common even today. We have already seen how insect populations could have increased without predators like frogs to control their numbers. Excessive numbers of locusts likely occurred for the same reason. The hail from the seventh plague already had damaged crops. The remaining plants would have been targeted by the locusts, wiping out what few crops remained: a season’s food supply gone.”

Mark considered this explanation. “I
certainly can accept a natural explanation for the locusts,” thinking back to the discussion he had with Alexia and Elektra about insects near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. “But we now come to the big one, the grand finale. How do you explain the tenth plague? That’s the death of the first born of all Egyptian families not having appropriately marked their doors with lamb’s blood, as the Israelites had done, so that, as the Bible indicates, the ‘Angel of Death’ would pass over them.”

A piece of canvas on their co
ver gently flapped as the wind picked up. That sure feels good, thought Mark.

Brennan again rubbed his must
ache, deep in thought. “Remember the tenth plague followed the ninth plague—when day turned to night. The ash from the volcano’s second eruption likely produced that effect. This period of darkness could well have lasted several days. Fiery hail also had occurred and the impact on the weather most likely produced increased precipitation. These damp and dark conditions were ideal for the formation of a black mold called cladosporium.”

“
Cladosporium? What’s that?”

Brennan smiled.
“At the risk of being gross, have you ever noticed a black pepper-like substance growing in a toilet tank?”

Mark laughed.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. I think I’ve even seen some in toilet bowls on this trip. That hotel you selected in Alexandria was a dive. It was not what I had in mind when I suggested diving in Alexandria.” Harbor diving among the ruins, Mark’s desire, had not been possible without an official permit.

Brennan chuckled and continued.
“Well, that black substance is cladosporium, a common mold that produces mycotoxins, which can be very deadly.”

He added, “
Cladosporium grows on more than just toilets. It also can grow on food when not properly stored.”

Mark shook his head. “And this explains the tenth plague
, how?”

Brennan held up his hands in mock defense.
“Bear with me. There is more to this story. I promise.”

“I’ve been told that patience is not one of my virtues
,” Mark said in response.

“Whoever told you that was correct.”
Brennan continued explaining the progression. “The unusual darkness of the ninth plague would have frightened people, forcing them to stay indoors. When the Egyptians emerged after several days of darkness, they would have been hungry, having had little to eat during this period because of limited food supplies in their homes. As was normal in those days for Egyptians and Israelites alike, the firstborn would have been given first priority to whatever food was available. If the food were tainted by cladosporium, any toxins contained in the food would have affected the firstborn. The reaction of the firstborn to the tainted food likely dissuaded the others from eating it, explaining why only the first born died.”

Mark thought aloud
, “So ancient Egyptians had a good command of chemistry but knew little about microbiology.” Then he added, “Okay that might explain why this plague targeted only the firstborn.”

Brennan reiterated
, “And in children especially, some of the toxins in cladosporium can produce immediate reactions causing death. The others would have been warned not to eat the tainted food. Or if some adults ate the food, they may have become sick but survived.”

“
I have to ask the obvious question. What about the Israelites? Why were their firstborns spared?”

Brennan looked at Mark and smiled, drawing out his response. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

“Yes it is,” agreed Mark.

“And I knew you would ask
it.” Brennan pulled out a small notebook from his back pocket. As he flipped pages, he said, “The simple answer is: because of Jewish dietary laws.”

“
Okay. What does that mean?”

Brennan found the page
he was looking for and read from it. “In Deuteronomy, it states that one cannot eat animals that died of natural causes or that were killed by other animals. In addition, the animal must have no disease or flaws in the organs at the time of slaughter.”

“I don’t recall that verse. I know from Leviticus, one is not supposed to eat pork. Many
Christians, who claim to take the Bible literally, do not adhere to that command. Apparently, the Israelites were better at sticking to the culinary rules in the Bible than many Christians today.”

Brennan glanced at Mark, saying
, “Yes. The Israelites, by law, would not have eaten any tainted meat. Instead, they would have eaten only freshly prepared food, which was unlikely to contain cladosporium. Their eating habits protected them and their firstborns.”

Brennan beamed, pleased with
himself, and waited for a response.

Mark thought it over
, recalling Jesus’ Last Supper, or Seder following the Jewish tradition of celebrating Passover, an outgrowth of the tenth plague that they were now discussing. “Brennan, I have to give you credit, it’s an imaginative explanation that Jewish dietary laws may have saved their firstborn.”

Mark
added smiling, “You’ve provided an incentive for the rest of us to eat kosher foods, but I think your theory still needs work, especially for plagues seven, fiery hail, and ten that we just discussed.”

By the time they ended their deliberations, it was mid-afternoon and Brennan said, “We can discuss this further on the drive back to Alexandria. If you have seen enough here, let’s pack up and leave.”

“
I’ve seen enough. I’m ready.” Mark took one last look around and then helped Brennan stow away their equipment in the Range Rover.

***

The
unpaved gravel road across the delta was narrow; there was barely room for two vehicles to pass. Brennan drove a tan, dusty Range Rover. Mark found it interesting that they drove on the right side, like in America. Egypt had been conquered by Napoleon before becoming a British dependency. Driving on the right had been established and was not changed by the Brits.

With no air conditioning, a
ll the windows were down and the wind created by their speed was the only relief from the intense Egyptian sun. They had been enjoying their conversation and making good time until they pulled up behind a packed tourist bus moving at a snail’s pace. The obstacle not only slowed their forward progress, it greatly reduced the comfort provided by their velocity-generated cooling system. There was enough traffic from the other direction so that safely passing was not an option. Because of the bus’s dust trail, Brennan backed off, content to follow at a reasonable distance.

Mark
sat quietly, reflecting on the Biblical plagues and their possible relationship to the Thera eruptions. His mind drifted back to Tallahassee. He would soon be there, flying from Alexandria. He had not heard from Detective Carter, unsure whether this meant good news or bad. On the other hand, he had not been the easiest person to contact during the past few weeks. So many unpleasant issues still needed resolution: his tenure status, the attempted murder, and now Shadron’s accusation. On the positive side, he had had a highly successful field season—and he had met Alexia.

He
absentmindedly looked around the flat delta; he could see for miles in all directions. Far ahead of them was the dust trail of a rapidly moving vehicle on a side road, heading toward the main road on which they were traveling. The dark car stopped and waited, letting them pass. Mark spotted four young men in local attire. Teenagers out for a joy ride, he thought.

The car
turned behind them and followed at a distance, an odd maneuver for fast-driving youth. They too were now stuck behind this bus traveling at glacial speed.

Suddenly,
Mark heard the roar of the engine from behind. From the corner of his eye, he saw Brennan tense, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel as his grip tightened. Reaching for the dashboard, Mark tried to steady himself for an anticipated swerve. Then he felt the crunch as the dark car sideswiped them while passing on the driver’s side.

Fo
r a brief moment, Mark saw the youths’ faces through the open car windows. He could almost touch them. They were angry and yelling, waving guns—automatic rifles.

“They have gun
s!” Mark yelled as he felt the Range Rover veer off the road in response to the collision. They were heading for a ditch next to the road and would hit it at an angle. Mark realized they might flip and tried to brace himself.

Brennan turned
directly toward the ditch, hitting it hard. As a result, the Range Rover bolted into the air. They remained upright and landed with a thud. Brennan immediately turned back toward the road, once again hitting the ditch from the other direction at an even faster speed. Again, they bounced flying through the air.

They reentered the road in time to see the dark car pull
alongside the bus, guns protruding through its open windows.

“Gama’a!
” Brennan yelled as he accelerated the Range Rover.

Mark
heard the sound of automatic weapons and simultaneously bullet holes appeared on the side of the bus. Suddenly agonizing screams came from the bus. Mark pushed his feet against the car floor and grabbed the handlebar above on his right.

The Range R
over closed the gap and hit the rear of the dark car. Brennan continued to accelerate, catching the attackers car on a slightly inside angle. The rear of the dark car began to drift toward the ditch on the other side of the road. The car was no match for the larger Range Rover.

As
if in slow motion, the rear of the car turned more and the passengers redirected their guns toward the Range Rover. Before they could complete the adjustment of their weapons, the driver lost control, and the rear driver’s side hit the ditch at a sharp angle. The car immediately flipped, rolling several times. In the middle of the third roll the car disintegrated into a ball of flames as something inside exploded. Mark felt the blast of heat pass through them, but couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

U
nder his breath, Mark said, “That blast was more than a gas tank. There must have been explosives in that car.”

Brennan straighten
ed the Range Rover and hit the brakes. As they came to a screeching halt, Mark saw that the bus in front of them had stopped and pulled off the road. Other vehicles coming from the opposite direction also pulled off on to the soft sand across from the damaged bus. Mark looked at Brennan, who sat silently, still holding the steering wheel in a vice grip.

Mark finally broke the
stillness. “That was an unbelievable display of driving. You probably saved our lives and the lives of the people in the bus.” Mark put his hand on Brennan’s shoulder. Brennan finally released his grip.

Brennan
remained silent, staring ahead.

Mark asked, “What does
‘Gama’a’ mean?”

Slowly Brennan turned toward him. “Gama’a al-Isla
miya is a Moslem militant group determined to cripple Egypt’s tourist industry by attacking tourists. They have been instigating these types of attacks since about 1992. This had all the hallmarks of Gama’a gunmen.” As he said this, his body began shaking. Mark kept his hand on Brennan’s shoulder.