“Stand aside!” Mr. Swift advised the onlookers as he and Tom pulled up the hatch from the rest of the fuselage. Everyone gasped.
A strange, scaly reptile lay huddled inside!
It had what resembled wings, folded close to its body. The creature’s head seemed large compared to its total size, with long, spiky-toothed jaws. Hooded eyes stared dimly out at the two startled humans.
“Good night!” Tom murmured in awe. “Looks like a pterodactyl from ages backl”
Cautiously the Swifts coaxed and prodded the reptile out of the space craft. It seemed gentle enough and gave no cause for them to fear it. The other crewmen, now over their first shock at seeing the strange creature, clustered around it with intense curiosity.
“So this is the space souvenir your friends were talking about,” Bud remarked. “Frankly, I doubt if Sandy would care much for this as a pet.”
“Maybe not, but as a scientific specimen it’s priceless!” Tom said.
The watchers hastily backed off in alarm as the creature shook itself for a moment and began to
134 COSMIC ASTRONAUTS
open its wings. Then the mysterious reptile quieted again, but its breathing was labored.
“Poor critter looks mighty weak to me,” Chow said sympathetically.
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Mr. Swift agreed. “We’d better get the animal settled somewhere at once and see what we can do for it.”
After hasty consideration, the reptile was moved to an empty stowage compartment. Water was offered, but the creature showed no interest. Its torpid eyes had closed almost completely.