“I’ve heard of you!” Tom snapped. “And I’d like an explanation of why you caused our camp to be wrecked and had us kidnapped!”
Tom’s words stung Eldreth. “You have brought disaster on yourself!” the professor ranted. “I warned you not to continue. But you paid no heed. For years I have pursued my experiments peacefully. Your highway would have brought 162 REPELATRON SKYWAY
people to the forest and ruined my lifeworkl”
“The highway will serve the people of Ngombia,” Tom replied. “Besides, it runs above the jungle and wouldn’t interfere with your work.” Tom added, “Incidentally, I’d like to hear about your experiments. My father and I have studied your technical papers.
We’re interested in your theories about the breeding of throwbacks.”
Professor Eldreth’s angry expression relaxed as he realized that Tom was sincere.
“I’ve often heard of Mr. Swift,” he said. “You too, I’m told, are an outstanding scientist.
Very well-perhaps you can appreciate what I’ve done.”
He led the boys inside his bungalow. The giant native followed, keeping a watchful eye on the two prisoners. Tom glanced around the room at the array of scientific equipment. It was a fully equipped biological laboratory!
“Most scientists sneer at my work,” Eldreth confided. “But here, working alone in the jungle, I have proved my theories! I have succeeded in breeding throwbacks to the dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago!”
“It’s amazing!” Tom said. “How did you do it?”
“The race of dinosaurs died out, as you know, leaving no descendants,” Eldreth replied. “But the crocodilians evolved from the same stem. I therefore began my experiments with crocodiles taken from these jungle rivers.”