The Search for the Pink-Headed Duck, page 23
The auction over, we look around town, feeling empty. The river trip is over. Lahey-Lahey belongs to a stranger. We search for a bar, but Dhubri is dry; we can’t even buy liquor in the black market district. Eventually we end up at the railway station, waiting in silence for the next train to Gauhati. Five hours after landing in Dhubri, we climb aboard the mail train for the overnight trip to the state capital.
“Well, it’s really over now, eh?” Shankar remarks as we leave the station.
“Maybe not. There are still a few days left on my visa, and I’ve got a couple of ideas. How about going to Kadali with me?” I ask. Kadali is the site of the treasure of Kamala-Kunwari, the legendary Amazon of Assam, who led an all-female army that trounced all male comers. She is said to have established a matriarchate that controlled central Assam for several generations.
“What about the curse?” he asks, reminding me that the legend promises death to any man who looks upon Kamala-Kunwari’s treasure chest.
“My charms will protect us.”
“You have the charms, my friend—you go and look for her treasure and I’ll meet you in Delhi.”
I reach into my bag for the map. As I spread it out, the unopened letter falls to the floor.
“Jeez, I almost forgot… Hey, Shankar, read this.”
The letter is from Tamuli and his message is short: “I think I saw a pink-headed duck today. You should come here if you are still looking… Your friend, Tamuli of Salmora.”
“Well, what do you think?” Shankar asks.
“I’m thinking about pink-headed ducks. They’re not extinct, just hard to find… I’m going back upriver, do you want to come along?”
Afterword
What’s next for me? A journey through air, perhaps. I’m intrigued by the notion of meandering in the jet stream, floating nonstop around the world. Leave from Brooklyn and take the long way to Manhattan.
At liftoff, the same people who helped me in previous journeys will be there. At this point we’re a team. Virginia Reath and Jim Angell will be nearby, aided by Ike Williams, Steve Huff, Harry Foster, Dave Rottner, Peg Anderson, Dr. Kevin Cahill, and my family.
The last reliable sighting of the pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) occurred in 1935.
During the Raj a few pink-headed ducks turned up each year in the open markets of Gangtok, Sikkim.
There is always room for one more on the bus to Sikkim.
A road worker in Sikkim pounds rocks into gravel. This has been her job for thirty years.
This shopkeeper in Gangtok had never heard of the fabled duck.
High above the Tista River near the giant rhododendron forest, reputed home of Me-Gu, the Abominable Snowman.
The intrepid boys who tended my chicken in Darjeeling.
Subash Ghising, revered leader of Gurkha National Liberation Front.
Tea plantation workers of Darjeeling.
Gurkha guerrillas with typical homemade weapons put together from water pipe, bits of old cars, wire, and twine.
Shankar and I met by chance in New Delhi and teamed up for the river voyage through Assam.
I prepare Lahey-Lahey for our journey down the Brahmaputra, likely home of the pink-headed duck.
Our palace on the river bank south of Tezpur.
A Brahmaputra freighter being pulled off a shoal.
A boatload of thatch being taken to market near Sibsagar.
Fishermen along the river believe whirlpools are gateways to another world. We almost found out for ourselves in a whirlpool much bigger than this.
The woeful crew of the fishing boat Lucky, a name the skipper, Gopal, is ready to change.
In dacoit-infested waters, boats form convoys and anchor together at night.
Fishermen like these from Jorhat often laze under their nets during the day. They fish only at night, using lamps as lures.
Our favorite tea shop near Marjuli, the world’s largest river island.
Mukhya, leader of the Aunia Ati Satra, a commune on Majuli, is said to have the power of the third eye.
Prem, my guide to the Tanatric way, at Kamakhya Temple.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
Copyright © 1991, 2011 by Rory Nugent
ISBN: 978-1-5040-3684-9
Distributed in 2016 by Open Road Distribution
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Rory Nugent, The Search for the Pink-Headed Duck
