Galápagos Islands: The Lowell Expedition Day 1

10) The Lowell Expedition: Day 1
Albemarle Island, June 26, 1845

A) Day 1: The Journey North
The Lowell Expedition sets out shortly after dawn, heading north from Banks Cove and skirting the western foothills of Volcán Darwin. While the caldera of Volcán Wolf is only 18 miles away “as the crow flies,” the journey is significantly more strenuous than a country walk. The terrain is rough and treacherous, mostly fields of aa lava cracked with rust-coated crevasses. Though a few mango trees grace the shoreline, prickly pear and saltbush are the dominant vegetation, and vermin such as spiders and centipedes find their way into the most noxious places. Pynchon defers to Lowell for directions, as the Professor seems to have an innate sense of where he’s going, and locates passages and trails in a “remembered” way that surprises even himself. At one point Lowell looks upon Volcán Darwin and suddenly remembers that he had an assistant in his travels, a Spaniard from Peru. In fact, the Spaniard named that mountain “Volcán Lowell” in his honor! Now what was that fellow’s name…?

Wandering Eyes
During this first day of hiking, the Keeper should call upon various player characters to make an occasional Hard Spot Hidden roll. A success detects some form of motion, always “just out of sight” past the bushes. Characters who make the roll can’t shake the feeling of being watched. As with the “whisperer in darkness,” any attempt to track or capture the stalker is unsuccessful. Still, if it happens more than twice, Pynchon commands the men to “Keep a weather eye open, lads. It may be nerves, but then again, it may be Tarnmoor or some other hermit.”

B) The Cairn
Somewhere along the slopes of “Volcán Lowell,” the party discovers a cairn of volcanic rocks supporting a wooden marker. The marker contains a surprisingly jaunty elegy (Handout: Butterfield Elegy) carved with immaculate precision:

MT SINAI BUTTERFIELD
Buried Here In May 1845 By His Crewe

Oh, Brother Jack, as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I.
Just so game, and just so gay,
But now, alack, they’ve stopped my pay.
No more I peep out of my blinkers,
Here I be—tucked in with clinkers!

If for whatever reason the grave is exhumed, a desiccated corpse is discovered. The remains of Captain Mount Sinai Butterfield, the corpse is dressed like a whaling captain, but the quality of the cloth and the buckles on his shoes suggest an unusual degree of wealth. A Medicine roll made while examining the remains discovers a broken leg, a dislocated arm, and a fractured skull—clearly the man died by some act of violence.

C) Between the Volcanoes
Once the slopes of Volcán Lowell/Darwin are cleared, the vegetation becomes more green and mild. A wild dog leads the expedition to a clutch of young tortoises, and dinner is served—fresh terrapin and eggs. A few curious birds arrive for table-scraps. After dinner, Lowell leads the expedition on a winding path around the foothills of Volcán Wolf, bypassing a nasty chasm and doubling back around a pool of saline water—“This wasn’t here before, I’m sure of it…”

D) The Camp
Around 5:00 PM, the expedition reaches a small freshwater spring surrounded by a clump of palo santo trees. Although another hour of daylight remains, Pynchon suggests they use the opportunity to make camp, ordering the men to gather firewood and construct a lean-to. As night falls and the sky darkens, a red glow paints the southwestern horizon—it seems the forges of Narborough remain open for business. Pynchon establishes a firewatch schedule: each sailor is assigned an hour-long watch duty, with his partner rotating out every half-hour. Lowell is excused from duty—“Get your rest, Professor”—and Pynchon volunteers to take the unpopular 3:00-4:00 am watch.

Midnight Ash
Sometime before midnight the winds shift, and a cloud of ash from Narborough Island drifts across Albemarle. While not as intense as the night of the eruption, it brings a steady “snowfall” of black powder that lasts until 4:30 am.

E) Night 1: Port Royal Tom
Around 2:15 am, any alert player character should make a Listen roll. A success detects a faint rustling and dragging sound low in the brush. After a few seconds, a leathery face emerges from the ashy murk. It’s a terrapin—a huge terrapin, at least 650 pounds! If left unmolested, the beast shambles purposely to Professor Lowell, nudging his ponderous head against the scholar’s temple and licking his face. After that, the mute reptile merely travels in circles, following the doctor until they break camp.

While the creature’s immense size is astonishing, his shell is more remarkable still—the entire surface is covered with whaleman’s graffiti, names and dates carved into the tough keratin. A Sea Lore roll identifies the behemoth as Port Royal Tom, an Albemarle mascot usually found at the southern end of the island, near Cerro Azul. Considered a “lucky” mascot, Tom has wandered the island for decades, his celebrity granting him immunity from execution. If any character is reckless enough to slaughter the beast, he’s immediately declared Bad Luck. (See “Curse of Jonah” for details.)

A Spot Hidden roll discover some interesting graffiti. The earliest date is 1791, suggesting that Port Royal Tom is at least 54 years old. On the other hand, the most recent carving is still fresh, probably made within the week—“G. TURRICK, OSPREY, ‘45.” But the most intriguing inscription is located near the bottom of the shell—“MONTY & CASTRO, ATLANTIS, 1830.” Seeing his forgotten tag triggers a sudden memory for Lowell—Rafael Castro! That was the name of his Spanish assistant. Nevertheless, Lowell has no memory of meeting Port Royal Tom, or carving their names into his shell. But there’s something about Castro and carving, isn’t there…?

White Leviathan, Chapter 4—Galápagos Islands
[Back to Encounter 9, The Lowell Expedition | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 11, Lowell Expedition Day 2]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 26 August 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]