Free The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan by P. B. Kerr Page A

meteorite — and more specifically some crystals from the meteorite that had the power to turn lava to gold.”
    “Maybe that’s what turned the river yellow,” offered John.
    “I never thought of that,” said Nimrod. “Anyway, these crystals were called Ho Tani Ya Chin Shi,, which means ‘fire medicine crystals,’ and it was probably them that gave the medieval alchemists the idea of the philosopher’s stone that would turn base metal into gold.
    “But that was just one of the properties of the Hotaniya crystals. Incidentally,
Hotaniya
is Chinese for ‘gunpowder.’ Legend had it that using these Hotaniya crystals, Xuanzong could actually stir sleeping volcanoes into life, and that hehad actually intended to bring about these ten thousand days of fire by bringing back to life the Emeishan volcano of southwest China.”
    “Never heard of it,” said Axel.
    “Me neither,” said John.
    “Perhaps not,” said Nimrod. “But if you want to know why the name of Emeishan is important, then here’s a fact that might interest you: There are some scientists today who believe that it was not a meteorite that destroyed the dinosaurs and all life on earth, but a catastrophic eruption of Emeishan some two hundred and sixty million years ago.”
    Nimrod paused for dramatic effect.
    “Holy smoke,” said John. “It’s all beginning to make sense. And you think that someone has gotten hold of these Hotaniya crystals and may be deliberately making all of the world’s volcanoes simultaneously active? Is that it?”
    “As usual, you cut straight to the heart of the matter, John,” said Nimrod. “But, in a nutshell, yes, I do think it’s a possibility.”
    “Holy smoke,” repeated John.
    “My theory is not without its problems, however,” admitted Nimrod.
    “To put it mildly,” added the professor.
    “For someone to have gained possession of these ancient Hotaniya crystals,” said Nimrod, “they would first have to have found the tomb of Genghis Khan, which has been lost ever since his death in A.D. 1227.” He shook his head. “Over the centuries many people have looked for it, and failed.”
    “But is it such a big deal if a lot of volcanoes become more active?” said John. “After all, back at the hotel, you said yourself that there are at least fifty eruptions every year. And six or seven hundred volcanoes that are active today.”
    “He’s right,” said Philippa. “You made it sound like we have learned to coexist with volcanoes. In fact, I think you actually said that.”
    “Perhaps I did,” admitted Nimrod. “And in a way, that is true. However, underneath what anyone including myself says about volcanoes and man coexisting on our planet, there must always be a strong note of caution. Eruptions like the one at Mount St. Helens, in Washington State, back in 1980, remind us all of the incalculable destructive power of the planet we live on. That was the deadliest and most economically devastating volcanic event in the history of the modern United States. If all of the earth’s major volcanoes suddenly became active at the same time and erupted with the power of Mount St. Helens, we would face a cataclysm beyond human imagination.”
    “What your uncle says is no exaggeration,” the professor told the twins. “That amount of volcanic ash in our atmosphere would affect everything. It would blot out the sun, and cause huge electrical storms. Transportation, communication, and energy systems all over the planet would be paralyzed. The world’s weather patterns would be severely affected and affect the growth of crops. Millions of people would starve. Or die of thirst from lack of clean water. That might sound like science fiction, but it isn’t.”
    “So,” added Nimrod, “if there’s one chance in a hundred that all this new volcanic activity is man-made, then I have to do something about it. We all do.”
    The professor was nodding but the twins knew their uncle’s words were really meant