Mastodonia

TWENTY-NINE

Ben phoned Courtney, while Rila and I listened in on other phones. We were a fairly sober lot.

“Court, we have bad news,” said Ben when Courtney came on the line. You know one of the safaris is overdue.”

“Yes, a couple of days or so. Nothing to worry about. Found better hunting than they expected. Or drove farther than they realized. Maybe vehicle break-down.”

“We thought the same,” said Ben, “but this morning I got a call from Safari in New York. They were a little nervous. Asked if we could check. So Asa and I went in. Asa’s on the phone with me now. So is Rila.”

Suddenly, Courtney’s voice took on a note of worry.

“You found everything all right, of course.”

“No, we didn’t,” said Ben. “The expedition was wiped out. All of them dead….”

“Dead? All of them?”

“Asa and I found no survivors. We didn’t try to count the bodies. Not bodies, really — skeletons. It was pretty horrible. We got out of there.”

“But dead! What could …”

“Courtney,” I said, “the evidence is they were attacked by a pack of carnosaurs.”

“I didn’t know carnosaurs ran in packs.”

“Neither did I. Neither did anyone. But the evidence is they do. More footprints than would be made by just two or three …”

“Footprints?”

“Not only footprints. We found the skeleton of a large carnosaur. Not a tyrannosaur. An allosaur, more than likely. Quite a bit bigger than rex.”

“You talk about skeletons. Not bodies, but skeletons.”

“Court, it must have happened quite a while ago,” said Ben. “Maybe shortly after they went in. Looks as if the scavengers had a while to work on them.”

“What we want to know,” said Rila, “is where we stand legally. And what do we do next?”

There was a long silence on the other end, then Courtney said, “Legally, we are blameless. Safari signed a waiver to cover each group that went in. The contract also makes it clear we are not responsible for anything that happens. If you’re wondering if they can sue us, I don’t think they can. There are no grounds.”

“How about the clients they took along?”

“Same thing. Safari is responsible if anyone is. I suppose the clients also signed waivers, holding Safari blameless. I would think it would be regular procedure.

What we have to worry about is the impact on Safari’s business. Once this is known, will clients cancel out?

What will be the impact on public opinion? Will some damn fool come out screaming that safaris into the past must be stopped? You must remember, too, that Safari has paid only half of the contract fee. The other half is due in six months. They could hold up payment, or refuse payment on the second half.”

“It all depends,” said Ben, “on how Safari takes this news.”

“They’re hard-headed businessmen,” said Courtney.

“Sure, this is a tragic thing, but tragedies do happen. Miners are killed in mines, but mining still goes on. If too many clients cancel, if others don’t come in and sign up for the hunts, then they will be concerned.”

“Some may cancel,” said Ben. “Not many. I know the breed. This will only make it more zestful. Something big back there, something dangerous, let us go and get it. A bigger trophy than anyone has ever dreamed.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Courtney. “Safari is the-only deal, so far, that we have going for us. It does beat hell. We thought there’d be other big deals knocking at our door, but they’re slow developing.

The same with things we worried about. We figured the IRS would hassle us. They did come sniffing around, but that is all, so far.”

“Maybe they’re lying low,” said Ben, “trying to figure out a line of approach.”

“Maybe so,” said Courtney.

“How about the movie people?” Rila asked. “Is this lost safari going to scare them off?”

“I doubt it,” Courtney said. “All of the periods are not as dangerous as the Cretaceous, are they, Asa?”

“The Jurassic could be hairy,” I told him. “Those two would be the worst. Every period would have its dangers if you don’t watch your step. It’s all unknown country.”

“The immediate question is how to let Safari know,” said Ben. “I can phone them. But I thought we should fill you in before we did anything.”

“Why don’t you let me phone them, Ben? I know them a little better than the rest of you. Except Rila, perhaps. How about it, Rila?”

“You go ahead,” said Rila. “You’ll do a good job of it. Better than any of the rest of us.”

“They may want to call you back. Will you be there?”

“I’ll be here,” said Ben.