“If they’re some kind of giant reptiles, they may live in the water,” Tom conjectured.
“That’s Creel’s guess. But I doubt if the water’s deep enough to hide anything that big.”
Tom frowned thoughtfully. “Are they traveling together as a herd?”
“They seem to be,” Bud replied. “Auber can’t figure out why, since they’re different species. To him, that’s the most puzzling angle of all.”
“I agree. And it’s odd how they ganged up to wreck the skyway-unless they were battling among themselves… . What do you plan to do now?”
“Well, we can keep scouting along the bank,” Bud said, “to see if they came out.
Trouble is, we don’t know whether they headed upriver or down.”
Tom considered a moment. “Better give up and come on back,” he decided.
“Somehow I have a hunch we’ll run into those animals again.”
140 REPELATRON SKYWAY
Bud chuckled dryly. “Same here, pal.”
It was almost twilight when Bud and his two companions returned. The native workers, who had acted nervous and upset all day, seemed relieved that the trio had come back empty-handed.
Chow barbecued a side of beef that night. As the boys ate around the campfire, Bud remarked:
“The more I think about it, Tom, the stranger it seems. I mean, the way those dinosaurs did that midnight wrecking job and then scrammed before daylight-like a sneak raid.”
“It’s peculiar, all right,” Tom agreed.
Bud shot a troubled glance at the young inventor. “You don’t suppose that-well, that your enemy could have arranged it somehow?”
Tom shrugged. “It seems too fantastic to be possible, Bud. Dinosaurs are bad enough-but can you imagine anyone bossing a gang of dinosaurs?”