text: [Themes: historical, historical]
  
  Governor Henry Buford meets you in his office in Victoria, a bustling little port on the east side of Marco and so far the only British settlement on the island. He is a grey-haired wiry man who examines you critically through a pair of eye glasses before speaking.
  
  "I hoped this would not be necessary but we have had no word from Captain Donovan's party for three months now and the Foreign Minister has seen fit to send you here. We have an expedition fitted out with the necessary supplies and weapons and I have been told you are the person to lead it. I have read about your travels in Africa in Foreign Office dispatches with great interest but I must warn you this is not Africa sir; Marco is far more dangerous than that."
  
  He passes you a hand-drawn map. West of the port of Victoria scrubby green jungle extends as far as a river that appears from an unknown point to the north and vanishes into an unknown point in the south. Just across the river is a building marked Log Fort and beyond the Log Fort all is a blank.
  
  "You are looking at our total knowledge of the interior of Marco Island" Buford tells you with a heavy sigh. "This Fort was built by Captain Donovan on his expedition according to a messenger from the Fort we received last week who drew us this map. Beyond the Log Fort we have no idea of the landscape, it seems that Captain Donovan and twenty men journeyed on west three months ago and have not been seen since."
  
  "Is the Island inhabited by Natives?" you ask frowning at the blank spaces that make up most of the map.
  
  "We've not encountered any" Buford says thoughtfully. "The Jungle itself is home to all manner of man-eating animals and apparently becomes positively swampy near the river where the mosquito and piranha thrive. I've never known a land like this for dangerous animals and I've been to Australia. Your instructions are to proceed beyond the Log Fort, ascertain what fate has befallen Donovan's party and return with a report. If he is still living please bring him back to us. If you are not back in two months we will send help."
  
  You take your leave, promising to find Donovan's explorers or die in the attempt, fateful words!
  
  Note: During this expedition you must keep careful track of your days, explorers and supplies. Your explorers can carry enough food for 30 days but if you travel for more days than you have food then your men will succumb to starvation. Furthermore there are 30 explorers in your expedition and a large number of dangers out there, natural and otherwise. If all your explorers are killed then like your men you will become a casualty of this expedition...
  
  [Author's Note: You are a Victorian Adventurer, a man who explores dangerous places and does dangerous things for the thrill of it. Following your recent expeditions in Africa you have been invited to the island of Marco, recently claimed by the British Government. Landing in the port of Victoria on the east side of the island you soon learn why you are there: a party of fifty men led by a certain Captain Donovan have vanished on an exploration expedition into the unknown jungle interior. Your assignment is to find him and learn what has befallen his men, though you will be lucky if you too do not vanish from sight and knowledge beneath those deadly trees... Author's Note: As this is the first story game I will have posted I am only posting half of it while I get used to the scripting etc. If it is not universally despised I will post the sequel Donovan's Curse (2) as soon as I have written it.]
  
  > begin your journey
  At dawn the next day your expedition gets underway. All of your men are veteran British soldiers, well-armed with rifles and each holding in their backpacks all the tinned foods, biscuits and water canteens they can carry. Armed with a pair of revolvers and a hunting knife you lead your men down the silent streets of Victoria and approach the jungle. Only Governor Buford has come to see you off on this secret expedition, he raises a hand in silent farewell as you pass.
  
  You know the Log Fort is almost due west of Victoria, just across the River which has been dubbed by Donovan (with a remarkable lack of imagination common in Victorian soldiers) Frontier River. The coast bends round to the northwest, offering a strip of beach to walk along. To the west is thick jungle, though the trees are slightly more spaced apart to the southwest. Knowing you have to head generally west these are your free options.
  
  Which direction do you travel?
  
  > Northwest to the Beach
  You lead your men along the edge of the coast for some days, keeping the sea on your right and the jungle on your left. Initially the going is easy but the further you go the deeper your men's boots sink into the sand and the harder it is to keep going. One afternoon on the third day you see a number of strange objects sticking out of the sand, some of your men want to go closer and see what they are but the sand is becoming harder to walk through.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > approach the strange objects
  You lead your men directly towards the objects when all at once several plunge into the sand up to their waists. You and the rest of your explorers retreat rapidly and can only watch in horror as the trapped men struggle to extricate themselves. Some manage it and plastered in mud up to their necks stumble back towards you. Some do not manage to free themselves and vanish from sight, sucked to a terrible death by the viscous quicksand.
  
  Stunned by your experience you now give the objects a wide berth you move around to the south and from a closer viewpoint you suddenly realise what they are. The rotting heads of several animals, unidentifiable now, stick from the sand, trapped in the quicksand they blundered into until dying of hunger and exhaustion. The view is sobering and you turn away quickly. To the west the beach gives way to a green foul-smelling marsh that gives way to the sea to the northwest while to the southwest is the jungle, thicker than ever.
  
  Which direction do you go?
  
  > West into the Marsh
  The trees thin out and fade away altogether as you find yourself in a marsh with few patches of dry land grouped around mangrove trees. The going is difficult and mosquitoes and flies buzz incessantly around you and your men as you struggle through knee deep water. Your men's mood turns sour as they slip and stumble on the slippery ground and slap constantly at the flies. To the south the bog gives way to tropical jungle but to the west it stretches on.
  
  Which way do you go?
  
  > South into the jungle
  Trekking through the jungle your men use machetes to hack a path through the thick vines and closely-growing trees. The jungle canopy stretching up over your head turns the sunlight green, strange animal cries fill the air and despite the heat and hard work spirits are generally good. That changes when without warning a fire hose drops from a tree right into the middle of your party and thrashes about wildly. After a few moments of shock you realise it isn't a fire hose but an enormous black snake and it is trying to bite your men.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > order your men to shoot it with their rifles
  Gunshots ring out and gun smoke fills the air as your men fire wildly at the snake which rears up and lunges at a group of your men. A volley from the rest of your party hits several of your men but also hit's the snake which thrashes around in agony on the ground. Running up to it one of your men hews it's head off with a mighty swing of his machete. Three of your men lie dead or dying from gunshot wounds while two others have minor wounds. This has been a costly victory over the snake.
  
  Trekking on grimly the jungle trees soon start to give way and climbing a high tree that evening you see that ahead of you a river snakes it's way across the horizon: the Frontier River that Donovan's expedition crossed before vanishing. To the northwest the ground is green and swampy but to the west and southwest it is green and lightly wooded all the way down to the river. Descending the tree you consider your next step.
  
  Which direction do you travel in?
  
  > Northwest towards the river
  Marching on into the marsh you find after three days hard going through knee-deep water that the land gives way entirely and to the west and north there stretches nothing but salt-water. Mosquitoes dance across the surface and it seems that you must surely turn back, unless you are so determined to press on that you are willing to risk ordering your explorers to swim west in the hope that this stretch of water is not wide.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > turn away to the south
  You keep marching until you reach the Frontier River, which stretches away to the north and south. There seems to be no way to cross but it does not look particularly wide at this point and possibly you and your men might be able to swim across. Looking north up the river you see the riverbanks become more marshy while looking south you see they become flatter and more rocky but there seems to be no crossing in either direction.
  
  Which direction do you travel in?
  
  > South down the river
  Trekking in the vicinity of the Frontier River after three days you are relieved to find signs of human activity. Downstream you sight a rough wooden bridge which has been made out of hewn tree trunks and nearby a makeshift signpost pointing west reads Log Fort 10 miles. Gladdened by these signs of Donovan's earlier expedition you lead your men gingerly across the bridge and follow the sign to the west.
  
  > The next day you reach the Fort
  Marching west for three days you follow the signpost's directions until you crest a summit and a small log Fort comes into sight. You initially believe it is deserted but as you lead your weary Explorers towards it a dozen men clothed in rags and looking weary emerge from the Fort. Their leader is a tall, middle-aged man with a receding hairline who looks gaunt but still reasonably alert. His tattered uniform is that of an officer.
  
  "Lieutenant Williams at your service sir" he says shaking your hand. "Are you our relief?"
  
  "Who are you men?" you ask.
  
  Williams indicates the group. "We are the men who didn't go with Donovan up into the mountains sir. There used to be more of us but seven died on the journey here, five died in the Fort of fever and one vanished walking alone outside the Fort one night. We'd have marched back to Victoria in a few days if you hadn't shown up. We sent a man with a message there a month ago but we feared no one was coming. Now you have arrived you can have the Fort and you're welcome to it."
  
  You examine his weary party. "What about Captain Donovan, what news of him?" you ask. Williams shrugs. "The last we saw of him he was heading northwest with twenty-four men towards the mountains. We've searched in that direction as far as the mountains but found nothing. Where he is or why he has not come back I could not say. He would have run out of food long ago, we've been surviving on the birds we shoot and the fish we catch in the river and were doing well until the fever struck."
  
  Lieutenant Williams news is sobering. Conditions inside the Fort are poor and the survivors look in a poor situation. Your journey thus far has consumed a good deal of your supplies and though Lieutenant Williams shares what food he can spare you are worried about your return journey. Nonetheless your mission was to find definite trace of Donovan's men and you know that you must press on. The next morning you part ways, Williams providing you with wrapped parcels of fish meat.
  
  Your men are quiet and nervous as they watch Williams lead his gaunt survivors out of the Fort for the return journey. At the last moment Williams turns aside and beckons you towards him for a last quick talk.
  
  "I hope you find Captain Donovan but I should probably tell you he was an ambitious man... If he thought he could cross the island he would try it or if he found himself in some other dangerous situation his inclination was always to press on and chance it. He was strong-willed, decisive and clever in a cunning way so he could always get his men always followed his lead. I don't know if you will find any trace of him but if you do..." Williams looks like he wants to say more but only shakes his head, shrugs and turns away.
  
  Leaving the Fort you consider the second leg of your journey. To the west and northwest two mountains rises out of the surrounding woodland forming a valley between the two. They valley looks like the easiest approach and from what Williams has said it seems Donovan and his companions were last seen three months ago they were heading towards it. You spend a minute or two in the Fort's gateway mentally planning your route.
  
  Which direction do you go?
  
  > West towards the mountain
  You lead your men up the steep mountain side towards the summit. The going is difficult and after three days struggling you still have not reached the top. The north-facing slope is smooth and looks easier to descend into the valley though that route will cost you valuable time and supplies. From the top of the mountain you expect you will be able to get a good view of the island and possibly spot some traces of Donovan's group.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > turn north and descend into the valley
  You lead your men through the trees until the ground begins to rise and you approach the mouth of the valley. By the third day you find yourself between the two mountains, the one to the north has an ominous cloud of smoke hanging over it. Your men become excited as they spot a dozen goats grazing on the scattered sprigs of grass that grow between various rocks on the valley floor. Some of your men eagerly ask you for permission to shoot them.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > let them fire at the goats
  As soon as you give permission several of your men snatch up their rifles, take aim and begin firing at the goats. Three go down but the rest move with remarkable speed, bounding effortlessly over the rocks and soon vanish off down the valley. Skinning the kills you find the animals are thin so the meat is tough and stringy but it is meat none the less and wrapping it in leaves your men preserve it carefully in their packs.
  
  You advance down the valley until nightfall before making camp and considering your route. The valley continues on to the west while the mountains give way to rocky ridges both to the northwest and southwest. To the southwest you can see a stream of sorts trickles down the mountain while to the northwest the rocky ground looks bleak and desolate. You have still found no trace of Donovan's expedition.
  
  Which direction do you go?
  
  > Northwest to the ridge
  Climbing up out of the valley onto rocky high ground you and your men increasingly notice a foul smell like rotten eggs in the air and in places the ground seems unusually hot. Your men feel uneasy about this place and don't like it at all, that is until you unexpectedly discover a rocky basin filled with water. Testing it carefully you are surprised to discover that it is hot. After close to a month's marching you and your fellow explorers do not smell your best and several of your men are keen on the idea of taking a quick bath.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > let them bathe
  Taking off their clothes several of your men slide with deep sighs into the water and begin to splash around. Their companions are on the verge of joining them when suddenly the men begin to cry out in pain and then start screaming. With frantic splashes they swim for the sides of the pool, heat blisters breaking out on their arms and legs. Most are pulled from the water in time but three lose their heads completely and remain in the water, screaming in cries of pure agony until almost at the same time they all go silent, their motionless bodies continuing to blister before sinking from sight.
  
  The wounded men are in terrible pain from their burns which are treated with cold water and bandages as well as they can be. You look to the smoking mountain to the east and can only conclude that terrible forces of heat are constantly moving through the rocks beneath you. Camping a safe distance from the pool you scan the area to consider your next steps. To the west the ridge continues on but to the southwest the valley gives way to closely-growing trees.
  
  Startled you spot first one distant flickering orange light among the trees and then another and another. Your men share your discovery and with excited chatter several declare those lights are surely campfires. "It's Donovan's men" declares one excited man but staring at the lights others are more nervous. "It might be savages" one man declares and others murmur their agreement. Nevertheless in the morning's light you turn southwest and descend towards where you saw the fires.
  
  > Cautiously you enter the jungle...
  You descend down towards where the fire lights were seen the previous night, entering thick steamy jungle where the trees grow closely together. As you walk the air presses in hotly around you and you sweat heavily despite your light clothes. In the middle of the afternoon the trees suddenly give way before you and to your surprise you find a man-made clearing opening up ahead. In the middle of the clearing are several roughly-hewn log cabins that appear deserted. The most amazing thing is that the cabins look like European constructions.
  
  "It's Donovan's camp" one of your men cries out and before you can stop them your men break into a run and burst from the trees, racing towards the cabin. Without warning gunshots suddenly ring out from the cabins and several of your men go down. Screaming dark-skinned warriors covered in brightly-coloured paint and swinging brutal looking wooden and stone clubs burst from the cabins and race towards your men. "Fall back" you shout but your surviving men are already running back to the safety of the tree-line, leaving three of their number dead on the ground.
  
  "Fire at will!" you shout drawing your pistols and a deafening volley of rifle fire bursts out of the trees. A dozen warriors go down and the rest immediately check, turn and run shouting strange cries back towards the cabins. "Reload" you order and a series of clicks and clacks are made as your men follow the order. The Natives are milling around their cabins, apparently in some confusion and it seems that some are fighting amongst themselves.
  
  Before your amazed eyes a dozen white men wearing the tattered red remnants of British infantry uniforms run towards your men. They are shouting and throwing aside their rifles as they run but the Natives are howling and racing after them, clubbing the slowest to the ground and smashing their skulls in. "Those British boys shot at us" one of your men exclaims in amazement and some of your men call out angrily. The whiten fugitives and their native pursuers are getting closer to your men every second.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > order your men to fire a second volley
  "Pour it into them, open fire!" you shout. Some of your men are reluctant to fire on fellow countrymen but others, mostly friends of the men killed at the start of the ambush, fire enthusiastically. White men and Natives alike go down and again the Natives break before the storm of gunfire and flee back towards the cabins. "Stop firing" the few white survivors scream as they run closer and you echo their order, shouting "cease fire!"
  
  Just three white men have survived your volleys and the Natives' attacks and they stop running just short of your explorers, panting and shaking with terror. Back at the cabins the Natives are shouting and yelling angrily but show no inclination to attack again, between twenty and thirty bodies (white and black) like scattered in the grassy clearing between your men and the cabins, some still moving or crawling feebly.
  
  "Reload" you order but the Natives show no wish to continue the fight. After a few moments of confusion they run west in a great crowd of at least fifty men and vanish through the trees directly opposite you. Your men cautiously advance from the trees towards the cabins, rifles held at the ready. The surviving wounded are finished off before you reach the cabins. Turning to your three white prisoners you raise your eyebrows. "I think you have some explaining to do" you tell them.
  
  > The prisoners tell you their story...
  Sitting on a tree trunk you survey your three prisoners with a loaded pistol in each hand while your men cautiously explore the camp.
  
  "Why did you fire on us and kill three of my companions?" you demand of the terrified men.
  
  "Sir, you have no idea of the hell we have been through in the last three months" the designated spokesman of the trio declares. "Captain Donovan, he's gone insane! The Yantu think we're gods and they think that he is the chief god of all. He lives in their sacred temple in New Paradise now and has given orders that any white men who come looking for him are to be killed as soon as they set foot this side of the mountains!"
  
  You take a moment to absorb this news and glance round to see your fellow explorers have crowded round and are staring with open-mouths.
  
  "Why do the Yantu think you are gods and where is this New Paradise?" you demand.
  
  "It all started when we first arrived" the talkative deserter says eagerly. "Two of our men died of fever crossing the mountains and when we came here the Yantu attacked us. We shot a dozen and the rest were terrified: they've never seen guns before and it seems like magic to them. Eventually some approached Donovan and by drawing pictures in the dirt he told them we were gods. They loved us after that and took us to New Paradise.
  
  New Paradise is their village about a few days march to the southwest on the sea shore where several hundred Yantu live. They have a temple there where... special plants grow and it had been sealed because before these plants caused a lot of fighting when they were made into tobacco and smoked. Donovan had this temple opened and smoked the plants. He's become more crazy since then, now he lives in the temple with his nine most loyal men and fifty of the most beautiful Yantu women. He's made the old Yantu King Kulu his prisoner and given orders that any white man trespassing in his kingdom is to be killed."
  
  "So that is why you ambushed us" you say thoughtfully. "Why did your Yantu allies attack you and your companions?"
  
  The man looks pale. "There were fourteen of us but in your first fire you hit two of my friends. The Yantu thought we were gods who could not be harmed by weapons, when they saw us bleed they went crazy and turned on us. That is why I am here with you now and my friends... are not." The man begins to weep gently and you turn away contemplating all that you have heard.
  
  It is clear that Donovan has turned renegade and if allowed to remain chief of the Yantu he may incite them to war against any British expansion into this part of Marco. At the same time your explorers are heavily outnumbered by the Yantu, the only thing you have on your side is their absolute terror of gunfire. You could return to Victoria with this news about Donovan but so close to him now you know you have no choice but to press on, meet him and demand he return with you to Victoria or face the retribution of the British Empire. Your thoughts are distracted by one of your men asking "what do we do with the three prisoners then sir? Shoot them?"
  
  What do you order?
  
  > That the renegades be shot
  "Those men are traitors" you say coldly. "Execute them!" One of the prisoners bursts into tears at this news and the others turn pale but they are lined up and forced to stand against the wall of one of the cabins. A firing squad is assembled and at the given order the rifles explode into life. The men fall to the floor and as two are still moving a second volley is fired into them. As the men fall out another man brings you some wrapped fish he found in one of the cabins which your men are happy to put in their packs.
  
  Add 3 to your Supplies.
  
  You know from the prisoners' reports that New Paradise is somewhere to the southwest. To the west the jungle thicket continues while to the south it thins a little and a stream runs through the jungle heading west. You also know that you are entering Yantu territory and there may be more hostile Natives.
  
  Which direction do you go?
  
  > West into the thicket
  You march on into the jungle but it is easier than you expected: people (which can only mean the Yantu) have recently hacked a path through the thick undergrowth heading west before curving southwest. You and your explorers are wary of attack and for good reason: on the third day the ambush comes. Without warning a dozen dark-skinned Natives come racing around a bend in the path, screaming their war cries and waving clubs.
  
  What do you do?
  
  > order your men to open fire
  "Volley fire" you shout and rifles explode into life all around you. Half of the Yantu are dropped in their tracks and as is to be expected the rest turn and run in terror. "Reload" you order but the threat is gone. The fallen Yantu are all very dead and though you advance very cautiously for the rest of the day there are no more attacks. By evening you have reached the edge of the jungle: below you a plain sweeps down to the sea. Nestled between a cliff and the sea is the largest village of wooden huts you have ever seen. It is New Paradise and tomorrow you will go there to meet Captain Donovan.
  
  > Your search is at an end...
  Add 1 to your Days and Subtract 1 from your Supplies.
  
  The next morning you assemble your remaining men. Every man checks to make sure his rifle is loaded and grimly shoulders his pack. You lead your weary but undaunted explorers down towards New Paradise and the sea, aware of the fact that you have led them right across the island of Marco, no small undertaking. As you approach the village you are aware of a great crowd of Yantu assembling at the edge of the village and a dozen of them walk out of the crowd towards you.
  
  When this group gets closer you can see that only two of the group are Yantu, an old tired-looking man and a strong young warrior, all the rest are white and wearing the tattered remains of British army uniforms. Their leader is short with dark hair and an almost skeletal look about him. The only thing that seems truly alive about him are his eyes which have the intensity of an x-ray. He is smiling mockingly as though finding this whole thing rather ridiculous. His white companions are a grim bunch and all hold rifles in their hands. Finally your group and his stop a short way apart.
  
  "Why are you here?" the white leader asks in an amused tone.
  
  "Captain Donovan?" you ask and the man nods. "Captain Donovan, I was sent to find you and your men by Governor Buford of Victoria. He would like you to return and make a full report on your travels and encounters."
  
  Captain Donovan sighs and shakes his head. "How tedious. If I wrote one down perhaps you could take it back to him?"
  
  "My orders were to retrieve you" you snap back, losing your temper for the first time since coming to Marco. "Do not forget you are an officer and have responsibilities. Because you have been playing god out here men's lives have been lost while I have been trying to find you. Also my men have been attacked by yours under what I am told was your orders. I think you have a lot to answer for and if you do not return with us peacefully I will be compelled to make you return by force."
  
  As your angry tones fade away the two Yantu shift uneasily and chatter amongst themselves. "King Kulu and his son Longa" Donovan says dismissively introducing them. He seems to be mulling your words carefully and suddenly offering a smile he reaches into his pocket and produces a pair of thickly rolled cigars. "Have you encountered the Magic Plant yet? The Yantu believe this is what gives the Gods their strength and I think we should smoke them while we talk. What do you think?"
  
  You look at the two wrapped plant joints lying innocently in his hand...
  
  THE END OF PART 1
  
  Author's Note: I am afraid this is where The Lost Expedition (1) ends and Donovan's Curse (2) will begin at this point with a choice between accepting and rejecting Donovan's "magic" cigars. There will be total continuity, the days, explorers and supplies numbers will remain the same. Please let me know what you liked and what you didn't so I can take the feedback on board when I come to publishing the sequel. Finally many thanks for taking the time to read my scribbling.