Free Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear Page A

It floats along with the river and attacks anything that comes near. Deadly poisonous. And then there are the ants. Some ants make their cities in trees, and if you bump that tree, they send armies out to swarm you. Make you wish you'd never been born. Ants are the real bosses of the forests. They can be big, and the worst of them are called veintecuatros because if they bite you, you have twenty-four hours to decide whether to live or die."
    Gluck looked up from his cheeks and records. "Joey, don't sscare the boy," he said dryly. "None of uss was ever bitten."
    Joey raised his eyebrows. "Last time we were in the forest, I brushed ants out of Mr. Gluck's sleeping bag every night," he said in an undertone, winking. "Big ants. And when you go swimming or dip your hand in the water to cool off--look out for thecaribe! Some folks call thempiranha."
    "There are nocaribe orpiranha in the Caron� Gluck said with a smile. Clearly, he appreciated the showmanship Joey was demonstrating.
    "But the tepui is better," Joey continued, "for it is cooler. High up, and covered with clouds. Not as many insects as on thesabana, but what there are, you watch out for . . . Mosquitoes big as starlings and biting flies like hot needles zuzzing through the air!"
    "He exaggerates," Gluck called from across the parlor.
    "Not much," Joey said.
    Peter stared at them in shock, speechless. He turned to look at Anthony, who was gathering his camera equipment.
    "I thought we were going to Tampa," he said. Joey laughed and slapped his knees.
    Anthony raised his brows innocently. "They're going to unload the animals. Want to come see?"
    ***
    "Whereare we going, Father?" Peter asked as they walked alongside the brightly colored animal cars.
    "I thought you would have figured it out by now," Anthony said.
    "Did they tell you?"
    "They told me to be prepared. And I'm still keeping my mouth shut until we're on that ship--if we ever get aboard. We've been disappointed before. I'll let Cooper and Schoedsack confirm things."
    Peter clenched his fists.
    They met Harryhausen and O'Brien near the biggest train car. The dismantled cages from the center ring had been mounted on a huge wooden pallet. A big rolling crane on its own tracks had straddled the train, lowering on thick steel cables a hook almost as big as Peter. Stevedores--dockside workers, big and brawny and wearing sweat-stained T-shirts-- joined with the circus roustabouts to strut and tell stories, waiting for the action to begin. Anthony wandered off to take pictures of the men.
    "What do you know about this?" Peter whispered to Harryhausen
    Harryhausen said, "OBie says we may have more work than we thought--for several months, at least. Monte and Coop--Mr. Schoedsack and Mr. Cooper--didn't want the newspapers to know until it was a sure thing. Whateverit is."
    O'Brien's camera crew and several reporters and newsreel photographers were also waiting. Harryhausen introduced them to the two-man crew: Caleb Shawmut and Stony Osborne. Shawmut stood little more than five feet tall, and with his round grizzled blond head and short jaw, resembled a pugnacious bulldog. Osborne was dark and lean and intense and seldom said anything.
    Osborne complained about giving up the lease on his apartment in Los Angeles. "Took the goddamned airplane," he said. "Last minute flight. My first time. Got sick in the little bag. This better be good, OBie!"
    O'Brien warned the newsreel men to stay out of his sight lines. Harryhausen drew diagrams on a big sketch pad and pointed out camera positions. Shawmut and Osborne efficiently laid steel track for the dolly.
    Anthony surveyed the shadows and bright sky, then took his Leica up and down the length of the Libertad for the sixth time that morning.
    "Your dad's particular," O'Brien said.
    "He just wants to know where to be when the action begins," Peter said.
    "Me, too," O'Brien said. "Only I've got two guys behind big hunks of metal. Not very flexible once we're set up." O'Brien