… seem like a splendid bunch of chaps… Sir Charles renowned authority… great opportunity for y.h.s… Dr Westfield rather fearsome… dear old friend John, many happy evenings together as undergrads… vaulting the bollards outside St John's, climbing the gate at Somerville… still bear the scars… Miss Cullen rather a fine-looking filly… prospects look bright… McLeod quiet, cold fish, stuffed shirt (or maybe vice versa)…
... vile seasickness… excitement of planning first markouts of dig… excellent tools and equipment… UCL fellows know how to do things properly… John in good health, swine… Miss Cullen much in his company, rather ignoring y.h.s… swine! …
… briefly settled in Jaffa… perishingly hot… why on earth come to Palestine at this time of year? - Sir C says couldn't get permit in cool season… Wishra seems efficient but rather cagey… speaks of trouble with restless locals out in Dead Sea region… Dr Westfield - Rachel - all for pulling out of dig, Sir C would not hear it…. seem to have missed chance with Miss Cullen rather, Fielding monopolizing her… just like back in undergrad days… bastard! …
… all seems peaceful enough here now… Wishra still acting like ghost of christmas thingummajig, such a wet blanket… might almost think he wants us to leave altogether… working mostly with Rachel who is wise old bird - not so old, actually - she suggests Sir C maybe interested in La Cullen himself - not good news for y.h.s., but not for Fielding either…
… working through second cellar level of central palace structure now, good finds, in poor condition - Josephus's account of the Roman burning borne out - still no human remains though, suicide must have been lower down thinks Sir C… perishing heat gets worse, but at least is a dry heat - couldn't bear swampy humid conditions… Wishra alarmed today, as apparently some local troublemakers are protesting against our 'desecration' of the revered site… Sir C laughs, y.h.s. does same, La Cullen glances at y.h.s. with shining eyes… maybe all not lost…
… found remains on fourth level, Rachel first to uncover… she very pale, not surprised, must be hundreds and hundreds of them… awe-inspiring site to the religious-minded, but to us, raw material to be catalogued… encampment of tribal-looking folk down in the valley, Wishra alarmed… we have rifles if any difficulties… had drink and chat with John, 'best man win' and so forth… he claims no longer interested in Claire… she is 'off men', apparently… we shall see, softly softly catchee monkey…
…C still not speaking to y.h.s, so working with Sir C again now… note C and F seem very close… sure heard laughing… at y.h.s? … bastards! … found our tents had been searched, guards though swore they saw nothing… nothing of value taken, except the spare ammunition boxes… McLeod finally proved his worth by revealing he had another spare box in his own kit, better hidden… still not apparent why he is here, all right his firm is funding the dig, but he seems to take only a passing interest in the findings - spends most of his time swimming in the Dead Sea… a thought, maybe take C there, sight of y.h.s. in manly bathing-trunks might have desired effect? try tomorrow…
… still laid up with rather delicate injury, so not present to witness discovery of carvings… Miss Cullen v excited, she and Sir C are translating… randy old goat, lost all respect… glad to see her foot still sore… carvings seems to hint that there was more to mass suicide than Josephus realized… nasty wind has spring up, picks up a lot of dust, difficult to breathe cleanly outside and visibility is low… not sure can be healthy to be surrounded by hundreds of dead semi-mummified bodies…
… fascinating find of further carvings… death ritual intended to concentrate power of faith into hammer focus… interesting blend of Hebrew and Magian symbology, poss other influences… plan of Eleazar to enable strike back at heart of Roman Empire… saw C and Sir C canoodling by the dim moonlight… sought to console self with heart-to-heart with Rachel, but found Fielding in with her! - has the man no shame! - bastard! …
… the hammer is huge, more like a sledgehammer, formed of bronze, too heavy for a man to lift… in perfect condition at the base of the pool… Sir C believes must have been bathed in blood… grisly image…the thing has a certain quiet power about it, and tremendous craftsmanship… we all a mix of excitement at such a tremendous find, and despond at mournful nature of the place… still no sign of Wishra, gone four days now… McLeod is exception, transformed, very chirpy and enthused… probably thinks hammer would look good hanging above Barings boardroom table… it belongs in a museum! … seems Romans, by burning whole place down, inadvertently thoroughly covered up what was intended to be implement of their destruction… wise fellows, wish y.h.s. had had same idea when F was leaping naked over the bonfire that time in Port Meadow… got back to camp to find guards all gone, lazy blighters…
… C still terrified more or less to pieces, difficult to make sense of what she thought she saw… no big trees near camp…everyone edgy, think we would all quite like to call it a day and go home… heard gunshots…
… the fiends are coming in again - we are low on bullets - they almost seem to bounce off them!… clear that they want the hammer… McL frantic to keep it… god, the sight of Rachel torn to pieces by that thing! … Sir C says let them have it and the dead bodies, the devils… Rachel! Rachel! … the others say the attack is over, we can go home, so why can I still hear her screaming? … we will destroy all the carvings, thank the Lord that none of the others know I have been keeping this diary, this way it is only I who will carry the terrible burden of remembrance…