Extract from the diary of captain Thomas Cochrane, on an unnamed island off the coast of Portugal, 29. June 1803
"Progress, finally! In the undergrowth we found steps carved into the rock which lead us up into a hidden chasm. There are the overgrown ruins of huts here, clearly the remnants of the Portuguese outpost that we have been searching for so long. At the end of the chasm is something peculiar: a gate that seals the entrance to a cave. It is a massive construction, solid wooden beams reinforced with steel and enormous crossbars. It appears to have been built with the purpose of preventing someone from exiting the cave. In the stone around the cave we found carved symbols or letters that neither of us had ever seen before.
Mr. Lamb is feeling worse. The bite wound on his arm appears to have gotten infected, and he is sweating and mumbling a lot, talking about things that aren't there. The doctor says his arm needs to be amputated, but in this environment it would be a death sentence. We have no time to bring him back to the ship, so I'm afraid he will have to endure until we have finished the exploration.
When I questioned Mr. Slater about the vile creatures that had attacked us, he was evasive and claimed that he hadn't expected to find them on this island. Apparently they are more common on the main land, often in the less civilised rural areas. In smaller groups they are easily disposed of, he says, but a horde of them can be a serious threat to smaller villages."
