Sele kusondele inkulungwane ukusukela oko uColonel Percy Fawcett, umkhenkethi oliNgesi ozimiseleyo, wathi shwaka ngelixa wayekhangela impucuko yakudala awayeyibiza ngokuba ngu-'Z' eAmazon. Ngo-1925, yena kunye nonyana wakhe omdala uJack, 22, balahleka, bethatha nawuphi na umkhondo ka-'Z' kunye nabo.
Kangangamashumi eminyaka emva kokuqalisa kwento eyaziwa ngokuba “yeyona mfihlelo inkulu yophononongo lwenkulungwane yama-20,” ifilimu ebalaseleyo igcine iphila. Nangona kunjalo, ngokuqondwa okutsha kweempembelelo zomsebenzi wabantu kwihlathi lemvula ebekucingwa ukuba “lingachukunyiswanga” ngaphambili, ngaba kunokwenzeka ukutyhila iinyani malunga no-'Z' kunye nokuba uphi uFawcett?
Umbhalo wesandla 512
Ngowe-1920, uFawcett wafumana uxwebhu olukwiThala leeNcwadi leSizwe laseRio De Janeiro elithi Umbhalo wesandla 512. Yabhalwa ngumhloli wamazwe ongumPhuthukezi ngowe-1753, ichaza ngokweenkcukacha ukufunyanwa kwesixeko esibiyelwe ngodonga kumbindi wengingqi yeMato Grosso eAmazon. Lo mbhalo-ngqangi wawuchaza isixeko sesilivere esinezakhiwo ezinemigangatho emininzi, iingceba zamatye ezide, kunye nezitrato ezibanzi ezikhokelela echibini. Kwicala lesakhiwo, umhloli wamazwe waphawula oonobumba abangaqhelekanga abafana nesiGrike samandulo okanye i-alfabhethi yaseYurophu.
Abembi bezinto zakudala bazigatya ezi zityholo, besithi emahlathini akanakuzigcina ezo zixeko zikhulu. Nangona kunjalo, kuFawcett, amaqhekeza ephazili ayadibana.
Ngowe-1921, uFawcett waqalisa iphulo lakhe lokuqala lokufumana 'isixeko esilahlekileyo saseZ.' Noko ke, kamsinya nje emva kokuba emkile, yena neqela lakhe baziva bedimazekile ngenxa yobunzima behlathi elinemvula, izilwanyana zasendle, nentaphane yokugula. Uthumo lwakhe lwaphazamiseka, kodwa waphinda waphuma yedwa esuka eBahia, eBrazil, kamva kwangaloo nyaka. Wahlala kule ndlela kangangeenyanga ezintathu ngaphambi kokuba abuye engaphumelelanga.
Ukunyamalala kukaPercy Fawcett
Ukuzingela kukaPercy u-'Z' kugqityiwe ngokunyamalala kwakhe ngelishwa. NgoAprili, 1925, wazama elinye ixesha ukufumanisa 'Z', ngeli xesha exhotyiswe ngcono kwaye exhaswa ngcono ngemali ngamaphephandaba kunye nemibutho equka iRoyal Geographic Society kunye neRockefellers. Ukumjoyina kuhambo yayiliqabane lakhe elisondeleyo uRaleigh Rimell, unyana wakhe omdala uJack oneminyaka eyi-22, kunye nabasebenzi ababini baseBrazil.
Ngolo suku olunzima lomhla wama-29 kuMeyi, 1925, uPercy Fawcett neqela lakhe bafikelela kwincam yelizwe elalingekasetyenziswa kwaphela, apho amahlathi ashinyeneyo ayengazange atyelelwe ngabantu basemzini. Ucacisile kwileta egodukayo ukuba bawela i-Upper Xingu, icandelo elisemzantsi-mpuma woMlambo i-Amazon, kwaye bathumele omnye wabalingane babo abahambahambayo baseBrazil ukuba babuye, benqwenela ukuqhubeka nohambo bebodwa.
Njengoko babesiya kwindawo ebizwa ngokuba yiDead Horse Camp, uFawcett wathumela ukuthunyelwa ekhaya kangangeenyanga ezintlanu kwaye emva kwenyanga yesihlanu, bayeka. Kowokugqibela, ubhale umyalezo oqinisekisayo kumfazi wakhe, uNina, esithi bazakuphumelela ekoyiseni lo mmandla kungekudala. “Sinethemba lokuwugqiba lo mmandla ngeentsuku ezimbalwa…. Akuyomfuneko ukuba woyike nakuphi na ukusilela.” Ngelishwa, esi yayisisihlandlo sokugqibela umntu owakha weva kubo.
Iqela lalivakalise injongo yalo yokuba lihambe unyaka, ngoko xa ababini bedlulile kungekho lizwi, abantu baqala ukuxhalaba. Iqela lamaqela okukhangela athunyelwa ngaphandle, amanye awo atshabalala ngendlela efanayo noFawcett. UAlbert de Winton, intatheli, wathunyelwa ukuba aye kukhangela iqela lakhe yaye akazange aphinde abonwe.
Lilonke, kwaqaliswa uhambo lwe-13 kwiinzame zokuphendula ukunyamalala okungachazwanga kwe-Fawcett, kwaye abantu abangaphezu kwe-100 babulawa okanye bajoyina umhloli ekunyamaleleni kwakhe ehlathini. Uninzi lwabantu lwazinikela ukuya kuhambo, kwaye uninzi lwabo lwaya kukhangela uFawcett kumashumi eminyaka alandelayo.
Ngaba umntu wabulala uPercy Fawcett?
Ingxelo esemthethweni evela kwimishini yokuhlangula yacebisa ukuba uFawcett wabulawa ngenxa yokukhubekisa inkosi yaseIndiya, ibali elivunyiweyo. Noko ke, uFawcett wayesoloko eyibethelela imfuneko yokugcina ulwalamano oluhle nezizwe zasekuhlaleni yaye iinkumbulo zabantu basekuhlaleni zibonakala zivisisana noko wayekubhala.
Enye ingcaciso enokubakho yeyokuba yena neqela lakhe basenokuba bafe ngenxa yengozi embi, njengesifo okanye ukurhaxwa. Okwesithathu kusenokwenzeka ukuba bahlaselwa ngabaphangi bengalindelanga baza babulawa. Ngaphambi kolu hambo, kwabakho uvukelo-mbuso kuloo mmandla, yaye amanye amajoni angabavukeli ayezimela ehlathini. Kwiinyanga ezilandela olu hambo, abahambi baye babika ukuba bamisiwe, baphangwa, yaye kwezinye iimeko, babulawa ngabavukeli.
Ngowe-1952, amaIndiya aseKalapalo akuMbindi weBrazil azisa ngeendwendwe ezazityhutyha umhlaba wazo zaza zabulawa ngenxa yokungabahloniphi abantwana bale lali. Izinto ezithe ngqo kwibali labo zithetha ukuba abangasekhoyo yayinguPercy Fawcett, uJack Fawcett, noRaleigh Rimmell. Emva koko, umhloli waseBrazil u-Orlando Villas Boas waphanda indawo ekucingelwa ukuba babulawelwa kuyo kwaye baphinda babuya nentsalela yabantu, kunye nezinto zobuqu kubandakanya imela, amaqhosha kunye nezinto ezincinci zentsimbi.
Iimvavanyo ezininzi zenziwa emathanjeni, kodwa akukho sigqibo siqinisekileyo sinokufikelelwa ngenxa yokungabikho kweesampuli zeDNA kumalungu entsapho kaFawcett, abanqabile ukunika nayiphi na. Okwangoku, amathambo agcinwe kwiziko leForensic Medicine Institute ekwiYunivesithi yaseSao Paulo.
Nakubeni uColonel Percy Fawcett wodumo 'lwesiXeko Esilahlekileyo saseZ' engaziwa, izixeko ezininzi zamandulo namabhodlo eendawo zonqulo ziye zatyhilwa kumahlathi ashinyeneyo aseGuatemala, eBrazil, eBolivia naseHonduras kutshanje. Enkosi kwinkqubela phambili yetekhnoloji yokuskena, kuyacingeleka ukuba isixeko esinokuba siphembelele iintsomi zika-'Z' sinokuchongwa ngexesha elithile kwixesha elizayo.
Emva kokufunda malunga nokunyamalala okungaqondakaliyo kukaPercy Fawcett kunye neSixeko esilahlekileyo saseZ, funda malunga UAlfred Isaac Middleton ekuthiwa wafumanisa iSixeko esilahlekileyo saseDawleetoo kunye nebhokisi yegolide.
