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luck would have it, his car had broken down on the primitive road. This
was unfortunate for Davis and Barton, who would have to walk to
camp for lunch, since
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Professor Fowler was driving Henderson back in the jeep. They were quite
prepared to put up with this if their wait was indeed coming to an
end, as the others had more than half-hinted.
They had stood talking by the side of the jeep for some time before the two
older scientists had driven away. It was a rather strained parting, for
each side knew what the other was thinking. Finally Barton, as
usual the most outspoken, remarked:
Well, Doc, if this Der Tag, I hope everything works properly. I d like a
photograph of a brontosaurus as a souvenir.
is
This sort of banter had been thrown at Henderson so often that he now took it
for granted. He smiled without much mirth and replied, I don t promise
anything. It may be the biggest flop ever.
Davis moodily checked the tire pressure with the toe of his boot. It was a new
set, he noticed, with an odd zigzag pattern he hadn t seen before.
Whatever happens, we hope you ll tell us. Otherwise, we re going to break in
one night and find out just what you re up to.
Henderson laughed. You ll be a pair of geniuses if you can learn anything
from our present lash-up. But, if all goes well, we may be having a little
celebration by nightfall.
What time do you expect to be back, Chief?
Somewhere around four. I don t want you to have to walk back for tea.
O.K. here s hoping!
The machine disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving two very
thoughtful geologists standing by the roadside. Then
Barton shrugged his shoulders.
The harder we work, he said, the quicker the time will go. Come along!
The end of the trench, where Barton was working with the power drill, was now
more than a hundred yards from the main excavation. Davis was putting the
final touches to the last prints to be uncovered. They were now
very deep and widely spaced, and looking along them, one could see quite
clearly where the great reptile had changed its course and started, first to
run, and then to hop like an enormous kangaroo. Barton wondered what it must
have felt like to see such a creature bearing down upon one with the speed of
an express; then he realized that if their guess was true this was exactly
what they might soon be seeing.
By mid-afternoon they had uncovered a record length of track. The ground had
become softer, and Barton was roaring ahead so rapidly that he had almost
forgotten his other preoccupations. He had left Davis yards behind, and both
men were so busy that only the pangs of hunger reminded them when it was time
to finish. Davis was the first to notice that it was later than they had
expected, and he walked over to speak to his friend.
It s nearly half-past four! he said when the noise of the drill had died
away. The Chief s late I ll be mad if he s had tea before collecting us.
Give him another half-hour, said Barton. I can guess what s happened.
They ve blown a fuse or something and it s upset their schedule.
Davis refused to be placated. I ll be darned annoyed if we ve got to walk
back to camp again. Anyway, I m going up the hill to see if there s any sign
of him.
He left Barton blasting his way through the soft rock, and climbed the low
hill at the side of the old riverbed. From here one could see far down the
valley, and the twin stacks of the Henderson-Barnes laboratory were clearly
visible against the drab landscape. But there was no sign of the moving
dust-cloud that would be following the jeep: the Professor had not
yet started for home.
Davis gave a snort of disgust. There was a two-mile walk ahead of
them, after a particularly tiring day, and to make matters worse
they d now be late for tea. He decided not to wait any longer, and was already
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walking down the hill to rejoin
Barton when something caught his eye and he stopped to look down the valley.
Around the two stacks, which were all he could see of the laboratory, a
curious haze not unlike a heat tremor was playing.
They must be hot, he knew, but surely not that hot. He looked more carefully,
and saw to his amazement that the haze covered a hemisphere that must
be almost a quarter of a mile across.
And, quite suddenly, it exploded. There was no light, no blinding flash; only
a ripple that spread abruptly across the sky and then was gone. The haze had
vanished and so had the two great stacks of the power-house.
Feeling as though his legs had turned suddenly to water, Davis
slumped down upon the hilltop and stared open-mouthed along the valley.
A sense of overwhelming disaster swept into his mind; as in a dream, he
waited for the explosion to reach his ears.
It was not impressive when it came; only a dull, long-drawn-out whoooooosh!
that died away swiftly in the still air. Half unconsciously, Davis noticed
that the chatter of the drill had also stopped; the explosion must have
been louder than he thought for Barton to have heard it too.
The silence was complete. Nothing moved anywhere as far as his eye
could see in the whole of that empty, barren landscape. He waited
until his strength returned; then, half running, he went unsteadily down the
hill to rejoin his friend.
Barton was half sitting in the trench with his head buried in his hands. He
looked up as Davis approached; and although his features were obscured by dust
and sand, the other was shocked at the expression in his eyes.
So you heard it too! Davis said. I think the whole lab s blown up. Come
along, for heaven s sake!
Heard what? said Barton dully.
Davis stared at him in amazement. Then he realized that Barton could not
possibly have heard any sound while he was working with the drill. The sense
of disaster deepened with a rush; he felt like a character in some Greek
tragedy, helpless before an implacable doom.
Barton rose to his feet. His face was working strangely, and Davis saw that he
was on the verge of breakdown. Yet, when he spoke, his words were surprisingly
calm.
What fools we were! he said. How Henderson must have laughed at us when we
told him that he was trying to see into the past!
Mechanically, Davis moved to the trench and stared at the rock that was seeing [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]