Other prints which Hanson showed them were rounder and broader-like outsized elephant tracks, except for projecting clawmarks.
“Brand my coyote cutlets, they’re plumb spooky lookin’.” Chow shuddered.
“Whatever critter left them tracks, I sure never seen one in Texas!”
Apparently several animals had taken part in the weird assault on the skyway. After studying the prints, Tom turned to Auber and Creel.
“What do you fellows make of them?”
Luke Auber shrugged. “They’re new to me. Only way to find out is to trail the brutes.”
“I’ll go with you!” Creel volunteered eagerly.
“So will I,” Bud put in. “Okay, Tom?”
The young inventor caught Bud’s meaningful glance. Evidently he intended to keep an eye on both.
“All right. But watch it-these babies are nothing to fool around with from the size of their prints. Better take a walkie-talkie along.”
Tom would have liked to join in the hunt for the mysterious creatures, but repairing the damaged skyway was more urgent. After that, he still had to tackle the hot-mud problem.
As Auber, Creel, and Bud started off into the
TERRIFYING TRACKS 139
bush, the young inventor plunged into the job of supervising repairs. He summoned the Sky Queen from Imbolu, and began cutting away the shattered span.
Meanwhile, Arv was checking the toppled transmitters. Some could be re-erected after fixing the electronic gear. Three were beyond repair.
Soon after lunchtime, Bud reported by radio. “We’ve trailed the monsters to a river,”
he told Tom. “We found plenty of fresh tracks along the bank, but we didn’t see any of the beasts.”
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