CHAPTER 191

"They're not moving off," Bill's voice came from the back seat.

Gary was staring at the herd with a look of despair. "Thank you, Bill. We can see that."

From the driver's seat they heard the sound of a car door unlatching and turned to see Daniel exiting the vehicle with the utmost care. The pistol that had been sitting at the boot of the stick shift was now in his hand.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?" Gary asked.

Daniel did not look at him. His eyes were on the herd. Using the barrel of the gun he put it to his lips and said, "shh." Leaving the door wide open he ventured toward the dinosaurs, moving with slow and steady steps.

Gary put up his arms. "What the hell?" He looked at Bill.

Bill was watching intently as he said, "the man has balls."

Outside the rover Daniel was making his way to the first of the large herbivores. An ankylosaurus was grazing on a bed of ferns. The armored dinosaur crunched loud on the plant matter in its mouth with complete focus until Daniel got within ten feet of the beast. The chewing ceased. Its eyes shifted up to Daniel and it watched him proceed. When Daniel was within five feet the ankylosaur's clubbed tail began to sway.

Daniel stopped. He holstered his gun and put his open palms up. As he took another step forward the dinosaur swung its tail harder and angled its back end toward him.

"Whoa… Whoa… Shh," Daniel whispered. In a steady motion he lowered to his hands and knees, watching the ankylosaur's body language mellow.

The herbivore's tail eased to a mild teeter and the animal's muscle tone relaxed.

Keeping his head low Daniel approached the beast, crawling on his knuckles and toes like an ape.

Watching from the rover Gary said, "who does this guy think he is, Dinosaur Dundee?"

Bill grunted, "very big balls."

Daniel made his way to the head of the ankylosaurus. A nearby stegosaurus and two other ankylosaurs were also watching him now as he proceeded on all fours. There were only two feet between him and the snout of the armored herbivore. The nostrils of the animal huffed and it took a step away. As its four feet repositioned the dinosaur's spiked armor swayed with a sense of extreme mass. Daniel caught a glimpse of the tail club swinging again and he slowed his advances.

Scooting in again he leaned forward, letting the ankylosaurus smell him. The herbivore's nose twitched and its eyes flinched as though Daniel's scent was strange and foreign. After a few sniffs the animal became acclimated and its face relaxed. With a quiet groan of disinterest the ankylosaurus shifted its mouth to a fern that was within reach and began chewing.

With the highest level of respect Daniel sidled around to the ankylosaur's neck and settled back on his haunches to free up his arms. Slow and steady he reached one hand over and placed it on the side of the animal's throat. The ankylosaurus bellowed and stepped away. Not looking the least bit deterred Daniel eased back in alongside the beast.

"What the hell is he up to?" Gary shook his head.

Daniel reached for something that was in a small shoulder bag at his left waist. Gary and Bill could not see what he was doing, but whatever it was made the ankylosaurus bellow and back away with her tail swinging.

Daniel retreated, still moving on all fours, and stowed the mystery object back at his side. He stood up and paused. The ankylosaurus now had her tail turned at him.

"Shh," he hushed the dinosaur as he retreated one slow step at a time. "Shh."

"Whatever that was, I'm glad it's over," Gary said.

Bill sighed, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"What the hell is he doing now?"

Daniel had steered himself toward the closest stegosaurus to him. He approached the animal from the rear, though it was clear by the angle of the herbivore's tiny head that it was watching him.

The plates on the dinosaur's high arching back stiffened up, and it fired a warning lash with its spiked tail that cut through the surrounding ferns. Daniel kept his distance as he circled clear of the tail. Reaching back into the shoulder bag he pulled out the mystery object again, and this time Gary and Bill had a clear view of it.

"What in God's name?" Gary saw what looked like a small silver gun with a needle on the end. Daniel was in the midst of swapping out a cartridge that was filled with a red fluid.

"Son of a bitch. He's collecting blood samples," Bill said.

"For what?"

Daniel was at the stegosaur's thigh. With a jab of the needle he had his sample, and the stegosaurus was miffed to say the least.

Angling its hips it took a swipe at Daniel who flattened himself to the ground as the spikes whooshed over his back. Crawling on his belly he hurried away from the stegosaurus and then jumped to his feet. Looking at Bill and Gary he let out a "phew!" and wiped a hand across his brow. His expression was almost childish as a smile graced his face.

"He's gettin' a real charge outta this," Bill said.

"Yeah, he won't be smiling when we miss that plane," Gary started waving his hands at Daniel to beckon him.

As though Bill suddenly realized they actually did have somewhere important to be he said, "shoot," and started to wave at Daniel with much more vigor than Gary. "Come on, man. We've got a plane to catch!"

"He better have a good explanation for this," Gary said.

They both beckoned him with intense gestures, but Daniel wasn't moving any more. He wasn't smiling either. He was staring through them like they weren't even there. Something else had his attention.