3-4 Back to the Mystery
Later, with the haulsack safely in
the cabin and hot mugs in hand, you turn again to the mystery of the "Four Without Graves."
William listens quietly as you and Claudia take turns explaining what you've found. "And what are the possible causes, you think?" he asks at the end.
"Well, lead poisoning, for one," Claudia says, "like in the Franklin expedition. Some of the cans were bloated, too. So botulism is a suspect."
"So is antimony poisoning," you go on. "There were empty vials of antimony medicine in the garbage pile."
"What about diseases?" William asks.
"Smallpox," you say.
"Or cowpox," Claudia adds. "They seemed to fuss about people with pockmarked skin." She hesitates. "Or maybe something completely new. From the meteorite. I admit that's my best guess."
"The test report from Sweden said 'unknown pathogen,'" you point out. "And then there's that scary note from the CDC."
William looks at your worried faces. "Well, I know what the answer is," he says.
He gets up and with great drama opens up the haulsack. He pulls out a can of beets. "But first, anyone for lunch?"
An Access Excellence Science Mystery sponsored by Genentech, Inc.
Copyright © 1997 Genentech, Inc.; all rights reserved.
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