"The rest is under coral?" Tong asked.

"No, the wreck actually lies perpendicular to two reefs under a sandbar, with her nose to the sh.o.r.e," Summer said. She pointed to the diagram, which showed two coral mounds on either side of the excavation field. "The sand has protected the existing artifacts from consumption by the coral. We think this section of sand may have been a natural channel cut through the reef eons ago when the seas were lower."

"If the coral has not imprisoned the wreck, then why are there not more remains visible?"

"In a word, lava." Summer pointed to the closed end of the horseshoe, which showed a rocky bed that ran off the chart in the direction of the sh.o.r.eline. "If you look out the window, you can see that this section of coastline is one big lava field. The rest of the wreck, I'm sorry to say, is buried under a bed of lava rock."

"Remarkable," Tong said with a c.o.c.ked brow. "So the rest of the wreck and its cargo is intact under the lava?"

"The rest of the ship is either under the lava or was consumed by it. If the ship sank and was buried under sand before the lava flow arrived, then it may well be preserved intact beneath the lava field. The timbers we've found adjacent to the lava field are well buried, which suggests that the rest of the ship may indeed still be there."

"The upside is that we may be able to use the lava to help age the wreck," Dirk said. "We have a local vulcanologist studying the historical record of volcanic eruptions and a.s.sociated lava flows on this part of the island. So far, we know that there has been no volcanic activity in this immediate area for at least two hundred years, and possibly much longer. We hope to receive more definitive information in a few days."

"And what of the actual ship have you identified?"

"Just a few pieces, which appear to be from the stern section. The timbers are thick, indicating a potentially large ship, perhaps even two hundred feet or more. Then there is the anchor stone, which is consistent with known Chinese design, and also indicative of a sizeable vessel."

"A vessel that size and age would most certainly be Chinese," Tong said.

"Yes," Dirk replied, "the European vessels of the day were half as large. I've read of the legend of the Chinese admiral Zheng He, who purportedly sailed around the world with his ma.s.sive Treasure Fleet in 1405. This is no six-masted, five-hundred-foot behemoth, though, like Zheng He supposedly sailed, if such ma.s.sive ships even existed."

"History tends to exaggerate," Tong said. "But crossing half the Pacific a hundred years before Zheng He's purported voyage would be an astounding accomplishment."

"The ceramic artifacts recovered present the most intriguing evidence that the wreck is that old," Summer said. "We've found comparable design patterns in our research which suggest the ship may date to the thirteenth or fourteenth centuries. Perhaps you can confirm our a.s.sessment with an examination of the ceramics?"

"I am most interested to see what you have recovered."

Summer led them down a flight of stairs to a brightly illuminated laboratory. Racks of plastic bins lined the back bulkhead, all filled with various artifacts recovered from the wreck and now soaking in fresh water.

"Most of the items recovered were fragments of the actual ship," she explained. "The cargo holds and living quarters must all be under the lava, as we recovered few personal artifacts. We did find a few everyday cooking utensils and a large pot," she said, pointing to an end rack, "but you will probably be most interested in these."

She pulled two trays off one of the racks and set them on a stainless steel table. Inside the trays were several plates, a bowl, and numerous fragments of porcelain. Most of the items were sugary white in color, though the bowl was made of black clay. Tong's eyes lit up as he slipped on a pair of reading gla.s.ses and began examining the artifacts.

"Yes, very nice," he muttered as he quickly ran through the inventory.

"What can you tell us about the design?" Summer asked.

"The patterns and material are consistent with the product of the Chinese kilns at Jingdezhen and Jianyang. The overall quality appears less advanced than the work produced during the later Ming Dynasty. The fish emblem here," he said, holding up one of the plates. "I have seen this before on a Yuan-period bowl. I would concur with your a.s.sessment, these ceramics are characteristic of items manufactured in the Song and Yuan dynasties of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries."

A broad smile crossed Summer's lips and she gave a happy wink to Dirk. Tong reached over and pulled the last artifact from the tray, a large teal-and-white plate with a pie-slice section missing from the platter. The glazed image of a peac.o.c.k strutted across the center, while smaller images of a cheetah chasing a herd of deer circled the plate's perimeter. Tong studied the plate with a renewed intensity, looking again and again at the ornate glazing and animal portrayal.

"One of the lab conservators found a similar design in the database used by Yuan royalty," Dirk said.

"Yes, it is," Tong muttered, then put the plate down and backtracked. "Similar, that is, but surely not made for royalty. A close design used for trade, most likely," he added. "But I would agree that it is from the Yuan era, which, as you know, lasted from 1264 to 1368. Well ahead of Admiral Zheng."

"That's what we believe, remarkable as it is to think a ship of that era found its way to Hawaiian waters."

The door to the lab opened and in walked the Mariana Explorer's captain. A towering sandy-haired man, Bill Stenseth commanded the respect of the entire ship by his quiet intelligence and his good-natured sense of fair play.

"Dahlgren has completed loading the fuel and supplies onto your floating hotel. Whenever you two are set to jump ship, we'll be on our way."

"We're about finished, Captain. Dirk and I will get our things and join Jack on the barge."

"You are still working on the wreck?" Tong asked.

"We have a final section of timber to uncover, which we believe may be part of the rudder post," Summer explained. "If so, it will give us a better idea of the ship's dimension. The Mariana Explorer needs to continue a reef survey project on the other side of the island, so Dirk, Jack Dahlgren, and I are going to camp out on the barge for a few days and complete the excavation work."

"I see," Tong replied. "Well, thank you for sharing the recovered artifacts with me. When I return to Malaysia, I will research our museum's records and see if I can't provide you some additional information about the ceramics I have seen today."

"Thank you for taking the time to visit us and share your insights. We are excited that you have confirmed our initial a.s.sessment of the ship's age and possible ancestry."

Dirk and Summer quickly threw together a few personal belongings and jumped onto the barge, where Dahlgren was busily removing the ship's mooring lines. With a blast of the horn, Captain Stenseth backed the Explorer away from the barge and in a short while the turquoise ship disappeared around the jagged coastline heading toward Hilo.

"Well, what did you two find out about our Chinese lava ship?" Dahlgren asked, digging into a large cooler for a drink.

"Dr. Tong agrees that the age of the ceramics matches our initial readings, which put the wreck at seven to eight hundred years old," Summer replied.

"The good doctor seemed mighty interested in the plate our lab boys thought had royal markings, though he wasn't willing to bite," Dirk said.

"Professional jealousy, I think," Summer grinned. "It's a royal ship, I just know it."

"Royalty," Dahlgren said, plopping into a canvas chair with a can of beer and hoisting his feet to the side rail. "Now, don't that beat all?"

-37-

FIVE THOUSAND MILES TO the east, Pitt and Giordino tramped into the lobby of the Continental Hotel in Ulaanbaatar looking like a pair of worn saddlebags. Their wrinkled clothes were laden in dust, which permeated their hair, skin, and shoes. Sunbaked blisters tainted the portion of their faces where scraggly growths of beard failed to sprout. All that was missing was a circle of flies buzzing around their heads.

The hotel manager looked down his nose with disdain as the two stragglers approached the front desk with bleary eyes.

"Any messages for rooms 4024 or 4025?" Pitt asked, his white teeth sparkling brightly behind his blistered lips.

The desk manager raised a brow in recognition, then briefly retreated to a small side room.

"One message and a delivery, sir," he said, handing Pitt a slip of paper and a small box plastered with overnight-shipping labels.

Pitt took the message and handed the package to Giordino while stepping away from the desk.

"It's from Corsov," he said quietly to Giordino.

"Pray tell, what does our favorite KGB agent have to say?"

"He was called away to a Foreign Ministry conference in Irkutsk. Sends his regards, hopes our foray south was productive. He'll contact us in a few days when he gets back to town."