I pushed my chair close, taking in the pages of sketches, the charts, the endless stream of sentences.
“There appears to be two distinct sections,” he said at last, after he had paged through the book. “One that is more personal—about his relationship with the female creature—and another that is more professional. Clearly, he meant to do something more with the field notes. Perhaps write a book or a scientific treatise, as that section is very well organized. The other parts are a bit haphazard. It may take some time for me to translate the personal bits, but the professional notes are quite easy to understand. I could read a few paragraphs to you now, if you like.”
Sitting back in my chair, I was filled with anticipation for what Leopold’s notes would reveal about the Icemen. As Basil began to read, I closed my eyes and listened as the village of the Icemen and its inhabitants came alive.
Interstitial
June 1814
THE FIELD NOTES of LEOPOLD MONTEBIANCO
“HIGH MOUNTAINS SUFFOCATE ME.”—Chateaubriand
POPULATION:
The population of the iceman village is comprised of sixty-four individuals, fifteen males, thirty-two females, and seventeen children.
They live communally. I am reminded of the tribes of the South Seas, particularly those natives described by Captain James Cook on his voyage to New Holland. Namely, they are primitive creatures, but intelligent, with a system of communication, rituals, and family structures. Food, shelter, and clothing are shared among the tribe. Activities such as cooking and hunting are shared among the group. Tight couples are formed, although it is often the case that males have two or more female mates. Whether this is due to the lack of males in the current population—females outnumber males two to one—or mating preference is not certain. Children are raised communally, and no paternal identification appears to take place.
There is evidence that the population was once much larger, perhaps as recently as two generations ago, as is evidenced by cave art depicting large groups of males hunting game together. Great quantities of artifacts such as jewelry, spears, stone knives, and animal skins confirm that the population was once more populous than the sixty-four individuals now living in the community.
Fertility is robust, but child mortality is high. I witnessed the birth of six babies in the twenty-eight months I lived among the icemen. Five of these infants died within the first months of life. The length of gestation is longer than that of humankind, approximately fourteen months. Labor is shorter, and delivery less dangerous due to the anatomy of the female, namely a wide pelvis, which allows for fewer complications during delivery.
CONCLUSION: While the birth rate is strong, the survival of infants is less certain. The iceman village is in decline. Isolation is crippling the icemen. If they mix their blood with the human population below, and bring hearty stock to their kind, strength and longevity would certainly ensue. I have instructed them to do so.
LOCATION:
The icemen’s caves are located approximately two kilometers northwest from Montebianco Castle, to the southeast of Mont Blanc. Although I have followed various routes, the least arduous, most direct trajectory from the valley of Nevenero can be found by following a path carved into the side of the mountain. It is my opinion that this path was created by the iceman himself, as the result of uncountable journeys to and from Nevenero over the course of centuries, perhaps to gain access to the rich hunting grounds of the valley. The path is marked by glacial ice formations and waterfalls of spectacular beauty.
PHYSIOLOGY:
The adult male iceman measures between 110 centimeters and 180 centimeters at full height. The female is larger, measuring between 115 centimeters and 190 centimeters. Weight varies between the sexes, with female creatures being heavier. Among the sixty-four icemen of the village, I have observed that females carry larger supplies of fat and muscle. Such reserves of nutrition aid in fertility and ensure milk production for infants. But it may also explain the survival rate for females: females outnumber males and are, in general, more resilient.
The flesh of the iceman is exceptionally white, without the variation in pigmentation one sees in human beings. No freckles, moles, or any other variety of coloration marks the surface of the skin. The eyes are uniformly blue and the hair is uniformly white. Hair covers much of the body of the male iceman and 60 percent of the female. The feet of both male and female are wide and flat. The nails on fingers and toes are thick