Knapp 07

Knapp 07
Knapp Dinosaur Club
Written by
Alfredo Juillet Frascara.
September 2007.

Characters of the plot:
President Ueso, Secretary Tor, Field Director : Lagurnio members : Lacombe, Farthen Dimbor ( lecturer and honorary member),
General (r) Crankcase , Lieutenant Perez, Soldiers from the King Marmun's Army.

Chapters
1.- First Reunion
2.- The Exploration of the northern woods
3.- General Crankcase's Expedition
4.- Decisions at the Dinosaur's Club
5.- At Oredloro City.

Foreword.
The Dinosaur's Club was a small group of Oredlorians, with big interest in Dinosaurs and the plants they eat.

Chapter 1
First reunion .

The meeting was adjourned; the mall in Tor's right hand banged the table, while he said : "The session begins , with our President Ueso and the Design Team present. The last session’s notes will be read"
Tor's voice resounded in the small room ; not more than twenty persons were present at the session on the Dinosaur's Club ; old institution, but now dwindling towards extinction. Tor read the transcription of the last reunion, with a clear voice, but that didn't take out the boredom of it ; in fact, the last reunion had been to get funds for a new exploration in the northern woods, but the war against Rixiaberg sent the program to oblivion.
Tor ends his lecture, and president Ueso said:' Gentlemen, we all knew that the last reunion belongs to a period not to had again; king Knapp was reigning here, and now king Marmun does , together with another parts of this world."
Lacombe rise his hand, and said :' I ask the right to speak, Mr. President."
"Go ahead, Mr. Lacombe."- Ueso said, allowing him to speak.
Lacombe was a tall handsome man, with a green uniform- officer from the Army of King Knapp, now demobilized ; Marmun allowed them to use the uniform, without badges at all.
"Our Club of the Dinosaurs still lives; no matter the changing world we are in, the Club could be resisting extinction , as it is a civilian organization of old . The last meeting was to rise funds to send an exploration team to the northern woods, where we are sure new kinds of animals are breeding . Some notices of it comes to this Club, when our deceased member, Fredonjul Vasquerian was alive and saying strange things about that part or our world. "= Lacombe said.
The president , Ueso, replied :" We are still in shape, Mr. Lacombe! There are certain members of this Club that had been working to show us a glad face to our King Marmun, and had achieved something. Mr. Lagurnio, please explain our future expeditions to Mr. Lacombe."
And Lagurnio, a thin man in his middle age, said :" I personally talk with certain member of the royalty; they assure us we could continues with our explorations, but with one condition: to have a member chosen by them, by the government, to be in our midst."
"A spy !"- Lacombe said, turning red.
"Of course not ! A person who could say a good word in our behalf ! A person who could help us rise funds, and at our return, perhaps a title ! Who knows what lurks in those northern jungles ? Perhaps a new future for medicine, or a new animal to tame and give us food ! "- Lagurnio said.
"And it is in here, that person?"- Lacombe said, looking at the concurrence.
"Of course not ! We are honest, and we first ask ! There are good money in this project : the northern woods could represent the new revival for our old club !"- Ueso said, smiling gently.
"Permit me to inform our associates here ! "- The Tor, the Secretary, said.
"You have the permission."- The President said.
"I can inform you all, that a commission from the actual government, is going to the northern woods; and they asked us to join; we replied we were going to ask to our partners of the Club. It is going to be a four months - trip, with all paid by the government : vehicles, beasts, food, shelter, all provided by them; in all, they said, forty people, with scientific personnel included. Weapons will be provided , also."- Tor said.
"Well, guess there must be a trick, somewhere."- Lacombe said, touching his moustache.
"The trick is that we are going to provide the knowledge attained in previous explorations ! We are going to be some sort of guides , for them ! They had never been out of their cities, and now they are here, in the middle of unknown territory ! So we come handy."- Tor said.
"There are lots of questions to be made, but we must act quick, in order not to be left aside ! We are going to vote, but first, think , everyone of you here present, if they are able to be in an exploration trip. "- President Ueso said.
After a while, they vote: the majority was accepting the offer; then, the voluntaries begin by rising their hands, to be in the team; Lacombe rise his hand, smiling. He was going to be in a far -away exploration, the best for him now that he refuses to marry Lady Marena, one of the riches maids in town, but also, one of the uglier !


Second Reunion. ( Ten days later).

The meeting was adjourned; the mall from Tor banged the table, and he said : "The session begins , with our President Ueso and twenty members of this Club . The last session 's notes will be read"
Tor's voice resounded in the small room ; twelve people were present at the chairs in front of the desk; behind the desk, the President, the Secretary and one of the Directors were seated.
The droning noise of Secretary Tor begin his litany; the offer from the Commission to go on an exploratory trip was mentioned. Then, some other lesser items were remembered.
"Very well, Mr. Secretary; your notes are accepted. "- The President Ueso said.
"There are two items to discuss : first, how it is going the project Exploration of the northern group, and about the acquisition of a stove, as you could feel the cold we have in our session room."- The Secretary said.
"About the project of exploration, funded by the government of Oredloro, Mr. Lagurnio, has something to said." President Ueso said.
Lagurnio rise from his chair, saying :" Good evening, members of the Club ! I had a great pleasure to inform you all, that the exploration team will be departing to the northern woods in a week ! Everyone that is on the list , will be able to join ! Have you the list, Mr. Secretary?"-
Secretary Tor rise his hand, saying :" We had but two names for the list ! Mr. Lacombe is one of them, and the other is myself ! There are no more people in the list."-
Lagurnio rise one eyebrow, saying :' But this is ridiculous ! Are there no more braves in here ?"
"What about yourself, Mr. Lagurnio?" - Lacombe asked, scornfully.
"Of course I could sign myself in, Mr. Lacombe ! But I am a married man, with duties to perform."- Lagurnio said, stiffing.
"Well, did you sent message to all our associates, Mr. Secretary ? Perhaps there are some who hasn't received the note, or they are studying it a little more ."- President Ueso asked.
"All the notes were sent, Mr. President; but perhaps I could go in person, door to door, and ask the members if they want to accept this gift our government is giving us."- Secretary Tor said.
"Well, I cannot sent you in that errand ! Too much of a trouble, for you !"- President Ueso said.
"Perhaps , then, a commission could be appointed; several people could get a part of the list, so the work could be diminished for me."- Tor said.
"Of course ! Count me in."- Lacombe said.
"And me , too !"- Lagurnio said, eagerly; he was trying to give a better impression, after his dismissal from the expedition.
The member list was split in three parts, and President Ueso said, after the delivering:" Hope there could be some ten or so members in that list of volunteers ! Or else, our Club will be looking as an indifferent one, in this important matters."
"Could we advance in the Table, Mr. President ? We had used one hour and a half in this expedition matters."- A member said; so Ueso looked on the table , and said :' Next, it's our exponent 's time ! Mr. Farthen Dimbor will have half an hour to teach us some more about Dinosaurs."
Farthen Dimbor , a fat old man, with a big white moustache, rise from his seat, and standing in front of the concurrence, said:' - Good evening, members of the Club ! It's time we could refresh our knowledge about which beasts we could encounter in that northern woods. I cannot say we have a full knowledge of the fauna there, but the next animals are surely in there, as our scant knowledge said they exist.
First, we have Saurischia n. ("lizard hips") major grouping of dinosaurs that is comprised of theropods and sauropods. Gauthier (1986) formally defined Saurischia as birds and all taxa closer to birds than to Ornithischia (Predentata) --
Sauropoda n. ("lizard feet") clade comprised of quadrupedal, plant eating saurischians --sauropod adj.
scansorial adj. describes an animal with unspecialized limbs allowing it to grasp and climb as well as walk and run
species n. 1. a freely interbreeding population of organisms. The organisms in a species usually share a large number of characters. 2. generally the lowest level in a taxonomy
stabilizing selection n. natural selection where species survive by maintaining existing characters. Individuals that exhibit extreme variations of any critical characters are eliminated, and the population tends to become narrow in the expression of adapted traits. Stabilizing selection does not result in evolutionary changes; rather, the existing state of adaptation is maintained
stem-based clade n. a clade defined as one taxon and all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with that taxon than with another. For example, the stem-based clade Carnosauria is defined as Allosaurus and all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with Allosaurus than with "birds." Despite appearances, stem-based clades, like node-based clades, include the actual common ancestor of the taxa in the clade; the common ancestor of the taxa in the clade is considered to be ancestral to itself. For example, the actual species from which the entire Carnosauria evolved, which we will call the ur-carnosaur, shares a more recent common ancestor with Allosaurus than it does with "birds," thus making it a carnosaur. That common ancestor of Allosaurs and the ur-carnosaur is the ur-carnosaur itself
synapomorph n. 1. apomorphic features possessed by two or more taxa in common. If the two groups share a character state that is not the primitive one, it is plausible that they are related in an evolutionary sense, and only synapomorph character states can be used as evidence that taxa are related. Phylogenic trees are built up by discovering groups united by synapomorphies. 2. in cladistics, an apomorphy that occurs in two related clades and thereby supports grouping of the two clades into a single larger clade --synapomorphy n. --synapomorphic taxon n., pl. taxa 1. a group of organisms of any taxonomic rank, e.g. family, genus or species 2. a group of organisms or other taxa sharing a single common ancestor
taxonomy n. 1. the method of classifying things into groups 2. in biology, the classification of living organisms into taxa. A biological taxonomy is cladistic if all the taxa are clades.
terrestrial adj. living on land
thanatocoenose n. an assemblage of fossils that formed at the actual place of death
therian mammal n. mammal within the marsupial+placental clade
Theropoda n. ("beast feet") major grouping of dinosaurs that is comprised of carnivorous dinosaurs and birds --theropod adj.
total group n. a stem-based clade defined using two crown clades. For example, the total group Crocodylotarsi is defined as the crown clade Crocodylia and all taxa sharing a more recent common ancestor with the Crocodylia than the crown clade Neorni
And Volant describes an animal capable of flight ! We must bear in mind all this scientific terminology, in order to understand each other, and most of all, not to show a complete ignorance, when in front of some scientific personnel."
Farthen Dimbor takes a small cup of water, swallow it, and said :" And so, we must be careful at all times; in the woods the dinosaurs are kings !"
They applauded, and then Mr. Dimbor went out, with lots of members, to rejoice before some glasses of beer.

THIRD REUNION.
Six days after the precedent one.

The session opens at 23.00 hours, at the President's tent.
Present are : President Ueso, Secretary Tor, Field Director : Lagurnio
members : Lacombe, Farthen Dimbor ( lecturer and honorary member), and five others.
The Secretary opened the session at 23.00 hours, reading the last meeting's minutes. The President accepts the record, and said :' We are having sessions in the middle of a swamp; no matter the insects, we are going to treat this meeting as normally as possibly. For that purpose, I thanks you, members of the Knapp Dinosaur Club, for your resistance. Now, to the first point on our Table: Economics. The Economics are not trouble, as our Field Director Mr. Lagurnio said and assured us; the Government pays it all our expenses here. No doubt we are in a privileged position, if just remembering how our fellow countrymen are at our crumbling Oredloro City. The Chief of our Expedition it's General Carter , retired. He and some other military men are in charge of the welfare and protection of this expedition, strong of 300 men and women, with 93 carts and wagons , with some animals to pull the not motorized ones. We are occupying one of the big wagons, where we are going to slept until ordered; possibly when the terrain became too harsh for the wheels, we are going to walk the rest of the way. Mr. Lacombe is asking the floor."
'Yes, Mr. President ! I wish to thank the Director Lagurnio, as we had a good wagon, good food and shelter; hope this luxuries will keep with us in the future !"-Mr. Lacombe, member of the Club, said.
The Director said we are one of a few team not of Oredloro's origin, and thanked Mr. Lagurnio, saying :" We hope you could present us to the chieftains of this expedition. "
The Director Lagurnio said he will ask for an appointment with the officers in charge, and thanked Mr. Lacombe for his congratulations, saying it is always good to see other people realizing the efforts made.
Mr. Ueso, President, said there are some items already being studied, notwithstanding the fact the voyage has no more than twenty kilometers away from the city of Oredloro, saying the whole Club saw, to-day, some smaller dinosaurs on the road.
Mr. Farthen Dimbor , lecturer of the Club, said :" These dinosaurs are commonly known as the "ostrich-mimics" or "ostrich dinosaurs". They were possibly the fastest of dinosaurs, with conjectured running speeds of 50-60 km.p/h. They all had very large eyes, like their close relatives the troodontids.
A peculiar feature of the ornithomimoids is the toothless, beaked mouth. This indicates that they are one of the few groups of non-avian theropods to abandon a predatory lifestyle, an herbivorous mode of life similar to that of ostriches. Earlier ornithomimosaurs such as Pelecanimimus and Harpymimus still had sharp teeth.
Ornithomimoids are all fairly similar. They had lost the first, inner toe. The ornithomimids are especially difficult to distinguish from each other, and for this reason some feel that they should all be lumped into one genus, Ornithomimus, except for the more primitive, crested Garudimimus.
Ornithomimosaurs are fairly similar in size, from the most primitive ones at 2m to the advanced ones at 3.5-4m. The exception is the giant ornithomimoid Deinocheirus, that I hope we will fail to see in this voyage."-
Mr. Ueso, President, thanked for his remarks, and said :" I hope all of you could maintain a Diary for this trip; it's tremendously important to have a record to show, at our return, and for the future descendants . A pen and some sheets of paper will do; anyone who wills to do as I say, it's entitled to ask me for that pen and that paper, available now thanks of the prevision Mr. The Secretary had."
Then, a person arrives, saying the Administrators of the Convoy ordered all people to quench lights and prepare to sleep, for the sake of the expedition. President Ueso closes the session, and the lights extinguished.

Chapter 2
THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTHERN WOOD.

At the morning of the next day, the Chief of the Convoy, General (retired) Carter, sent some expeditionary in advance, and received the note from the Dinosaur Club; he smiled, and said:" Perez, call them for the morrow at noon; we'll hear them."
"All right, Sir."- Lieutenant Perez said.
General Carter was mounting a jeep, one of the few motorized vehicles in the convoy; the majority was wagons drawn by beasts. That makes the trip very slow . Soon one of the scouts come back; he was using a motorbike, and dismounting at a side of the General Carter's jeep, he said :" Deinonicus ahead, Sir ! The other scout run out to the other side of the road."
General Carter puts an evil eye on the man, and said :" Guide us ! We'll rescue him now ! " - And to the rest of his small retinue, he said :' Follow me , top speed!"
That was necessary, as the rest of his retinue was on dinosaur's backs; soon the jeep and the motorcycle was lost in a poof of dirt, while the drivers sweat in their wake, trying not to stumble down the giant beasts (four female Euplocephalus ).
The jeep of the general was tumbling along the road; in fact, it was more than a trail; as they were near the city of Oredloro, the small traffic had marked the trail for them, but as they get far from the city, the trail became non existent; soon they saw the two creatures; they toppled among the trees with their height; General Carter takes his rifle, and said :" Driver : stop! We'll get a chance over here."
And he shoot several rounds untoward the beast; but as the distance (100 meters ) was too much for his skill, he didn't hit any of them. Deinonicus didn't recognize fear, so they charge towards the general Carter and the vehicles; they had no problem with the road, so very soon they were very near...
The rest of the crew begin to shoot the pair of dinosaurs, but with a lousy aim; soon the first of the Deinonicus begin his daily meal, chopping in two the first of the solders; the rest were fleeing in panic; Only General Carter was standing among the debris they made with the jeep !
At that moment, the Deinonicus one and two were eating the fat soldiers King Marmun brought to them from far away Rixiaberg; General Carter saw the eight drivers, mounting the Euplocephalus, arriving to the scene.
"Help me ! They are out to get me for supper !"- He yelled the drivers; soon they were fighting the big Deinonicus, using the Euplocephalus as battering rams; they , of course, also use their lances.
One of the Deinonicus yelled out loud , when one of his eyes were prickled with a lance; he lost interest in General Carter, and went away; the other bit one of the Euplocephalus in a soft spot, and he ends by tearing all his guts out.
The driver jumped down, and run to the General Carter, who said :" Forget about that beast ! (He was referring himself to the hurt Euplocephalus) and added :" Let's jump on another mount, fast!"
So they run to one of the unhurried dinosaurs, and climbing to the upper part, the General Carter said :" Fast! Get us away from here !"
"All right, Sir!"- Marcol , the driver, responded; he wasn't interested in a bull fight against the remaining Deinonicus...
As they were going, the other Deinonicus, the one hurt on an eye, appeared on the scene, and seeing them fleeing, realized there was some percentage of opportunity to get another piece of meat without too much effort, so he attacked the last one- the one with the general and Marcol; the hit was so big, that they fly among the shrubs with the first impact; the Euplocephalus, sensing he was being attacked, brawled as best as he could, ramming the Deinonicus in a side, breaking some ribs and stomping on the tail of that Deinonicus, who then stop being a nuisance for the rest of the day : he went to the field, panting.
The freed Euplocephalus run to the wood, forgetting his prisoner's life in ten seconds ; the yelling of his former driver were lost for him ! So General Carter climb on another of his subordinate's dinosaurs, and so did driver Marcol, sweating with the cold grip of fear...
"Let's return to the convoy! We must told them to stop, until this beast goes away !"- General Carter said, leaning unto the big neck of the creature...
For some minutes the danger existed, but then they were galloping away from the Deinonicus, who lost interest in them; when arriving to the convoy, General Carter has regained his composure, so he descend from the Euplocephalus with dignity, and said :" Change of direction, now ! There is a better way , to the left of us !"
And to the left some cliffs were present, and the terrain was rocky; so the animals and the wagons had a real tough time, marching ahead; that means delay, and when the sun went down, no more than ten kilometers were gained.
"Form a circle, and our soldiers will mount guard for the night."- General (r) Carter said to his officer in command, Lieutenant Perez."-
"Aye aye, Sir."- That man replied, and soon the wagons were encircling a bonfire, and people were roasting some meat and assorted food; the air was mild and the stars soon shine above them.
"Nice night ! I wonder how much it will last."- President Ueso said; he was near the other Club members, waiting for the food to get hot.
" Winter here it's very impredictable. Some nights and days could resemble summer, but then the cataracts of Heaven fall over us."- Secretary Tor said, smiling in a silly way.
"General Carter seems an able man; so the soldiers look like. Hope they could cope with whichever beast could arrives."- Lacombe said.
"Beast, in this place should only be lizards ! There are no many beast around here."- Lagurnio said, not knowing a word about the Deinonicus .
At a summit, before the last light of day went off, General Carter and some of his staff were looking all around them; no monsters were in sight.
"Guess they are not so hungry as to follow our trail! But just the same, keep a sharp eye for the night."- General Carter recommended his officers.
The members of the Club of the Dinosaur, inside the boxcar, went to bed in their cabins, while the President of the Club, Mr. Ueso, said": Let us learn something more about Dinosaurs and strange happenings of our world, with Mr. Dimbor.; we take advantage of the best opportunity, listening to the Mr. Farthon Dimbor, here present, to listen one of the myths of our race - Knapiana."
Dimbor said : " Members of the club of the Dinosaur: it is a pleasure to be able to illustrate you, so that you could return to Oredloro with something of the old history of our town in your minds.
"As you know, the era Paleozoic opens the way to the Mesozoic one. It is said that a race of very intelligent beings inhabited before us this planet; its bodies didn't left survivor, not even known by the science, of their evolution, but an organic type, in a homogeneous, peculiar and highly specialized end, so near the animal state as of the vegetable.
The cellular action possessed an unique quality that almost it excluded the fatigue and it eliminated the necessity of the dream completely. The nutrition, assimilated through the red appendixes of one of the big flexible members, was always semifluid and, in multiple aspects, completely different to the gender of feeding of the existent animals.
The beings only had two of the corporal senses that we know us: the view and the hearing, this last one centralized in the appendixes similar to flowers of gray shafts of the superior part of their heads. But they possessed other many senses, although not usable, however, for the strange captive minds to their race that they inhabited their bodies. They had located their three eyes so that they gave them a field of superior vision in width to the normal one. The blood was kind of a thick dark green serous liquid. They lacked sex, but they reproduced by means of seeds or spores that crowded in their bases and that they could only germinate under the water. To raise their sprouts they had big tanks of little depth, although in given little number the longevity of the individuals that they reached in general the four or five thousand years of life.
The individuals with marked constituent defects were sacrificed with speed nothing else to show their abnormalities. For lack of sense of the tact and of physical pain, the illnesses and the vicinity of the death were diagnosed by means of visual symptoms. The deceased were incinerated with a solemn ceremonial. From time to time some sharp intellect escaped to the death thanks to the projection in the time; but such cases were not plentiful. When one of these cases, the mind exile of the future took place it was treated with the maximum kindness, until the breakup of their not very normal one «tenancy».
The old race seemed to form a single nation or it ties, very united, with most of the institutions in common, although there were four divisions or perfectly defined classes. The politico-economic system of each unit was kind of a Fascist socialism, with most of the distributed resources in a rational way and with the vicarial power to a small government meeting chosen by the votes of those who were able to surpass certain psychological and educational tests. The family cell didn't have an over reach , although the existent knots were recognized between people of common origin and the youths - they were generally raised by their parents.
The resemblance with attitudes and human institutions were, of course, more marked in those fields where the existence of individual elements was required or where, on the other hand, there was a prevalence from the impulses basic and not specialized communes to all kinds of organic life. Other resemblance or similarities came from the conscious adoption made by the race of the old race that, when sounding the future, it copied what interested him.
The industry, very automated, occupied little time of the available one for each individual; and the abundant leisure spaces were filled with diverse classes of intellectual and aesthetic activities. The sciences reached an incredible development level and the art constituted a vital part of the existence, although in the period of my dreams it had already surpassed what could call you its «age of gold». The constant struggle for the survival and the maintenance of the physical texture of the big cities, threatened by those - prodigious geologic seism of that primitive land , made that the technology possessed enormous stimuli.
The crime was surprisingly scarce and it was repressed thanks to the super police. The punishments went from the privation of privileges to the life imprisonment or the extirpation of the biggest emotions, and they were never applied without a previous and nice study of the criminal's motivations. The war, mainly civil in the last millennia, although it was sometimes carried out against the Old ones, winged beings of starry head that inhabited the polar south, were not frequent although yes infinitely devastating. A numerous army, using weapons similar to cameras that produced tremendous electric goods, stayed in foot with purposes that rarely were mentioned, but clearly related with the incessant fear toward the oldest, black ruins and without windows and with the closed existent peep-holes in the deepest underground.
This fear to the basalt ruins and the peep-holes was more than anything suggestion question.
All that referred to this matter in a specific way lacked in significant way of the existent books in the normal bookcases. It was the only taboo matter among the old race, and seemed to be related equally with horrible last wars and with that future danger that some day would force the race to send mass forward to its best intellects. For imperfect and fragmentary that were the other things appeared in the dreams and legends, this matter was still foggier. The vague myths of the antiquity avoided it, or maybe, for some reason, all the allusions had been expurgated. The members of the old race never referred to the matter in an intentional way and what could be peeked only came from the intellects captive more observers. According to these pieces of information, the base of the fear constituted it a horrible old race of beings in strange end, semipólips that came crossing the space -incalculably - from universes distant and that they dominated Knapp and other three planets of the system about six hundred million years ago Knapiano.
They were partially material, as we understand us the matter, and their conscientious type and their half perception differed very much of the other organisms knapianos. That of the view was not among their senses, and their mental world was a strange group of non visual impressions. However, they were the sufficiently material ones as to use tools of normal matter when the cosmic areas contained them and they needed lodging, although of certain peculiar class. In spite of the fact that their senses could cross all the material barriers, their substance not; and certain electric power forms were able to destroy them. They possessed the ability of the air movement, in spite of the lack of wings or of any other visible system of levitation. Their minds were of a such texture that the old race could not make the smallest exchange.
When these things came to Knapp, they built powerful compound basalt cities for towers without windows, and how many beings they found they were their preys. It was then when the minds of the old race crossed the hole from their dark world transgaláctic . Those recently arrived ones, with the instruments that had created, found easy to dominate the entities predators and to force them to took refuge in those caverns of the interior of the underground that already constituted their inhabited homes.
Then they closed the entrances tightly and abandoned to their luck; later they occupied most of their big cities and they conserved certain important buildings, more for superstitious reasons than for scientific restlessness, courage or indifference.
But with the course of the eons sinister and vague manifestations were noticed that indicated that those old things went multiplying and strengthening in the internal area of the planet. Sporadic irruption of a particularly abominable type took place in some of the old cities that it didn't populate the old race, places where the accesses to the inferior caverns had not been fenced or watched over appropriately.
Then they took bigger cautions and many of these accesses were closed forever, although some few endowed with hermetic peep-holes were left to use them in a strategic way in the fight against the old things, if they ended up leaving for unexpected places.
The irruption of the old things should reach a character of indescribable surprise, since they affected in a permanent way the psychology of the old race. To such an extent the horror culminated that was done without of even mentioning the aspect of the creatures. Veiled suggestions were captured about a monstrous plasticity and of temporary lapses of visibility, while other fragmentary whispers referred to their capacity to dominate and to use the big inventions militarily. Singular noises similar to whistles and colossal footfalls made up of five circular prints corresponding to other so many fingers seemed to have some association with the old things."
Lacombe lifts its voice, saying": that is to say, Mr. Dimbor, this has no connection with those of the terrestrial Federation?"
"Nothing at all indeed, Mr. Lacombe! It is something but old and terrifying what existed here; it is even but: it is said that in the caverns, there are even of those old beings, strengthened by centuries of peace. Maybe some day they leave to the surface, pushed by the overpopulate - woe of us, humans , when that day arrives"! - Farthon Dimbor said , sure of having put the fear in as many brains as people they had in the boxcar!
Lacombe said, from its bed": I don't believe that it is true such a thing! Any race that can enslave other, will grasp the opportunity, without waiting centuries upon centuries!"
The Secretary Tor that were in the inferior cabin, retorted " : Why not? maybe don't think like us, and their logic is different."
Outside , eighteen soldiers mounted guard, clever to repel any attack of fierce; the general (r) Carter Crankcase, without sleeping until two hours of that night, supervised the different points, seeing that nobody was sleeping during their appointed watch ...
Four days of the voyage were made by rocky sectors, and at the fifth day they arrived to a woody plain and grass fields ; with some big dinosaurs in sight. The general Carter Crankcase sent scouts to see if there was danger in crossing for the center of the plain; he didn't want insoluble problems afterwards ...
The climate was tempered, and there were dinosaurs distributed between the cicadas and ferns of the place; the air was humid and with many classes of flying insects. They also saw crocodiles near a course of water; they had four meters long, and so dangerous as a Carnosaur .
The dinosaurs sometimes gave long farts that resonated as laments among the leaves, their vast stomachs they provided from heat to their bodies, not without sudden expulsions of gases.
They continued advancing, after the browsers returned, saying": General, ahead just are vegetarians at sight!"
They saw gingko and coniferous, toward the right of them.
The lecturer Farthon Dimbor sat down in the davit, beside the driver, an old soldier originating from Rixiaberg, to which he told ": it Hurts that all these dinosaurs reproduce by means of eggs; now that there is many predators of eggs, its survival are in danger."
"The danger is with us, Mr.! When these animals believe being in danger, where do you thing they escape"? - replied the driver.
"Away from the danger ! It is the logical thing"! - accepted Farton Dimbor.
"It is not logical with them! They simply charge right against what they consider an offensive presence! Just as some people also do ". - clarifies the driver, with a light smile in his lips...

AT THE NORTHERN FOREST.

General Carter advances in his jeep for several kilometers, ahead of the convoy, realizing that they were really lucky : not a predator was on the land.
"Ah, seemed to be the paradise for vegetarians"! - said general Carter Crankcase, getting off the jeep for a while ; the driver and two soldiers descended, too.
The woods were at the near left side of them; the rest were with patches of trees with those big beasts feeding themselves away.
"We could kill one of them to eat, General ! People at the wagons will be glad for the meal!"- Lieutenant Perez suggested.
"Could be! But we'll choose a smaller one - no need to kill a big bull, whose meat will be rotten without being fully used ! - General Carter said, but his inner motive was that the calves had tender meat...
Perez and the soldiers begin the approach - General Carter stayed near the vehicle, ready for the rescue, if something goes wrong with the hunt.
For himself, General Carter mumbled:" Here are a vast variety of forms of life, most wonderfully co-adapted , most closely connected, most richly adorned, yet they are all the lineal descendants of those which generations has never once been broken, and that no cataclysm has desolated the world."
It was in that moment when he perceives some movement in the near-by forest. Suddenly strange riders atop Ornitolestes come out from the woods and straight at him.
He pointed his rifle against the newcomers, and fired the LASER beam against them.
Three Ornitolestes went down, legs a-missing, and a fourth jumped back, throwing its driver towards the ferns , where he lies. Crankcase run to the spot where the raider was lying, and to his surprise, he realizes it was a big fish!
The other raiders were also fish, with a resemblance of humanoid in them : tall 1.40 meters, with round eyes, and capable of to stand upright if helped only. Their voices weren't existent, so the General couldn't talk to them . He takes them by the tails and put them in a row.
When the soldiers come back, four hours later, the fish on the sun were dried and panting.
"What are those, General ?"- Lieutenant Perez asked, astonished.
"Fish-men ! Did you heard about them ?"- General Carter said.
"Of course ! But never saw one."- Perez said.
Same thing the other three soldiers said. As the fish were dying, General Carter ordered them to be shot.
"No river near there, so we must kill the abhorrent things."- General Carter said later...
The soldiers had killed one calf, and when the wagons arrives to the spot , they butchered the animal and roasted at the same place.
After the meal, the night come and General Carter sent soldiers to mount guard around the wagons ; Farthen
Dimbor invites one of the soldiers (who had witnessed the demise of the human -fish , to talk about it on the wagon.
The members of the Dinosaur Club were at their beds, and the soldier and Farthen Dimbor were seat on two stools, as the interior of the vehicle was crammed with bags and boxes.
"This, are the voyageurs of the Dinosaur Club , from Oredloro city, who knows you was a witness of the remarkable event ,to-day. Could you tell what you saw? "
The soldier, a fat man in his thirties, scratched his hair and said:" When we arrive to the spot, our General Carter was already there, and the six bodies were lying in a pile. Some of them were in pretty bad shape, panting under the sun. Perhaps the best for them was to be shot, thing we did."
"And did they had any weapon, utensils , something man-made ?"- President Ueso asked.
"Not that I recognize ! The dead animals- badly severed- were roasted, as you saw- but for the fish-people, those we burnt ."- The soldier said, with an involuntary shiver.
"We made a sketch out of them- pity we didn't dissect a body, but perhaps in the future , we'll have the occasion to do it."- President Ueso said.
"Well, Sirs, I must get going ! Duty, you know, ask me."- The soldier said, descending from the wagon to the night.
The President Ueso said :" First encounter of our allegedly scientific expedition , and it ends on a killing ! Not good at all !"
Secretary Tor said :" But, Mr. President, General Carter told to his men that the Fish- Men were the ones who attacked him, so he merely defends himself!"-
"Of course. But , did you hear the soldier ? He said the Fish- men weren't armed ! "- President Ueso replied.
" Not armed, but mounted on dinosaurs the like that could kill a man, if running through him ! That were their weapons, Mr. President !"- Secretary Tor said.
"And you, Mr. Dimbor, what could you tell us about this encounter ?"- President Ueso asked him.
Farthen Dimbor said :" The fish- people did exist. In the sea, where life begin, up until this case, no intelligent being was found. Until now, animals evolved to be creative and with self awareness on land. Out of the sea. Some animals evolved ; to some extent they did, and then they return to the sea , better prepared for the struggle of life. But once in the salt sea, they stop in their mental development .
Why the fish- men evolved to the self awareness ? And exactly, to which extent ? We must gain more knowledge about them - as you see here, fish people just cannot live too much time out of the water !"
He heard some snorting, so Dimbor went to his bed, while the voice of Ueso was saying :" Very good lecture, Mr. Dimbor !"
At the next day, the General Carter sent the scouts into the forest, in order to give the scientist time to study the flora and fauna; the team of scientist spread in a 300 meters 's circle , finding specimens and learning about them in the spot.
"This is wonderful! They found 30 new specimens of insects, two new dinosaurs and five lizards not know to science !"- Mr. Dimbor told the other members, when lunching at noon, behind some giant ferns.
"This is good ! I'm writing every new on my sketch -book! I pretend to give a complete affidavit of our voyage , to the Club members, at our return."- Secretary Tor said, eating a fruit.
"Of course ! The fish- men are one of your items?"- Lacombe asked him.
"Yes ! A good theme; perhaps we could see more of them, before we come back ! Perhaps some more facts about them are necessary, don't you think?"- Tor asked him.
"I am sure they will search for their missing team ! Seems to me- they were scientists just like our team ! That's why they don't carry fire -arms !"- Lacombe said.
Later, they hunt a Teinurosaur , that was a small creature walking in four legs; the members of the Club asked the General to let them have it; and he accepted, saying :" Hope you don't vivisect the poor creature !"
President Ueso replied:" Of course not, General ! It's a young specimen, good for to study their manners from the very beginning !"
"Of course."- General Carter said, departing - he was of the idea that as soon as the dinosaurs grow to maturity, in their minds everything tamed disappeared, together with any sense of loyalty that he could had possessed, and their "masters" or keepers were to be perfect strangers.
The convoy begin to move again, and the Teinurosaur was roped to the back of Wagon number 80, the one of the Dinosaur Club's members . The beast was unrest, trying to get loose, as he was feeling his liberty was being taken from him.
Soon one of the scouts come to General Carter's presence, saying :" Sir ! There is a ravine ahead ! No way the wagons could cross that place."-
"Right. But, the convoy could turn and keep on going by the side of it. See if there is some way to went to the other side, soldier!"- General Carter said.
But there were none; before sundown, the two motorcyclist come back with the bad news: ' No way to cross, Sir ! The least distance between the two sides, is here !"
"I cannot believe it ! "- General Carter said, finding - at last- a challenge to his training: to do whatever in whichever situation! So he went to his wagons, with the officer and the two scouts, and with some maps, sketched by himself in that afternoon, he said :' We have this convoy here; there is the ravine, and that is the other side of it; then: if we went to the sea, that must be in that direction ( the West), we'll see how this super walls of rocks will dwindle to nothing !'
"Of course, that could be, General ! But that sea could be very far from here- remember we walked to the north, and the continent grew large in that direction. Large and wide, I mean."- The scout number one, Sargent Socro, said.
"Yes, I understand your objections to my plan."- The eyes of the General Carter sends some deadly messages in his direction, and keep on saying :" But I guess we will find the sea in a week or two; no more ! And the members of the Dinosaur Club- they need not to be informed; simply, we goes by this side of the ravine, never loosing sight of it, and in two weeks, perhaps three, we'll see how the ravine will loose its height, and we'll be crossing to the other side."-
"Good thing it will be to ask, if I may, why are you so eager to go there ? Must be like this side, don't you think ?"- The other scout, Sargent Asix, said. He was tall and with a black beard, now somewhat dusty with the trip on the motorcycle.
"Of course, I'll answer your question: perhaps you know something of anthropology, Sargent Asix ? The tale they said about humans? That we were at the other side of a ravine, evolving better than the others at the west woods? So you see, in one side the simians, and at the other side... hominids ! Now, you know that Oredloro and Oxiborion, peopled by humans, are at this side of that big ravine; who knows what lurks at the other side ? Simian people, monkeys, gorillas?"- General Carter said, talking as a good terran would had donned.
"Your guess is a good one, General!"- Sargent Socro said, who had been retaining his breath since his companion had asked that very impertinent question to a General of the Kingdom!
"Of course is good ! We are here with several purposes, but the most important, it's to bring back a good surprise to show our suffering mates ! Yes, I know we win the war against the Oredlorians, but at which extent? Several hundred dead, mostly humanoids like you and me- I don't count those contraptions of Hell, the saurian people, who were indifferent to death - perhaps because they are not really people."- General Carter said.
"Are we going to explore in advance, Sir ?"- Sargent Socro asked.
"Of course ! Both of you will went as far as your motorbikes could go in one day ! And you are going to wait for us in the place your motorbikes run out of fuel; of course, you are going not to dwindle among the trees, but as close to the ravine as you could.
"Fine, Sir. "- Socro said.
"You can go out , now."- General Carter said, yawning; the people under his command went out, and he stretched his arms and legs (being seated) . The night was cold, and he closed the door; the wagon was for himself alone, but also, it was like a cargo wagon: weapons, utensils , clothes, some food was storage there, in ordered boxes with the titles on the side; his bed was not as wide as he would had wished, but he didn't make a fuss about it; he just simply used it when totally tired; he takes a book, and begin to read from it; the theme was the woods and its inhabitants; it was an old book, so he was very careful when moving the pages.
The two scouts departed early in the dusk of the morning, in their motorcycles, with the lights on ; they already knew what they would find in the hundred kilometers voyage , and they were now resolved to surpass the previous mark amply ; and after some hours of ride , they saw two enormous Tarbosaurios, buried in a fight ; it was dangerous to continue, and they hide among the overgrowth.
"Bad luck ! This delayed us too much ". - Sargent Socro gave his to sergeant Socro.
"But worst would have been to meet with them at full speed ! ". - Asix said, yawning; soon he was asleep.
The Tarbosaurios finished their fight two hours later , with the smaller of them retiring limping ; it was then that Socro saw the reason of that fight; a female Tarbosaurio that appeared timidly from behind a grove; the winner was proud to have won her favor, even with the bleeding scars on his hide ! Socro looks at Asix who slept , and he decided to leave the place to look nearer what the two dinosaurs were going to perform ; so he hide his mortorbike in the bush, and walked five hundred meters to saw how the male Tarbosaurio covered the female, who gave some orgiastic sounds ; soon the Tarbosaurio felt the chills, and when he take out its enormous reproductive organ, a bathroom of liquid ran down the paws of the Tarbosaurio. The male, finished his work and finished also his heat , went to another place, without worrying any more of the female.
Their step would lead his body , unfortunately for Socro, in its address, reason why Socro run towards a side; the animal seemed to listen his steps , and giving a snort, it began chasing the stranger , so the terrified Socro soon was running in zigzag
At the end of a run , he entered in a fissure in the floor, quite deep, an old mark of a stream on the soft land; there was even mud in its bottom; and there Socro, hearing the thumping of the animal close, give him his biggest terror, realizing it was nearer than he thought beforehand !
As there was mud , he anoints himself with the hands his , and the clothes, in order to erase his scent of prey that guided the animal in his tracks ; this was successful, because soon afterwards the Tarbosaurio moves away, he no longer stop to return; Socro leave its confinement, when he saw a Sauriopelta pass jogging to less than twenty meters of he, so he returned to the hole, and it was he waited unto the night ; he could no longer leave until the following day, since to walk in search of the motorcycle was practically impossible, without light enough to see.
When arriving to the site where the motorcycles , although he saw stains of oil in the floor, there was no sight of them ; that puzzles him, since Axis could not possibly had mounted in both! He decided that it was not possible to continue speculating there, and he began to walk to meet with the convoy - while he walked, he thought what could have happened to the motorcycles !
Before evening, he saw some dinosaurs Caemagnato jogging in the distance; while in hidden, they get lost of view ; he walked until coming closer to the steep cliff, and there he saw the other side of the reddish gulch under the sun of the evening... Night came and he spent the night in a hole on the cliff, less than ten meters from the summit; he preferred to be in that precarious situation that it has more than enough similar to the branches of a tree, one that but of a dinosaur could ascend.
With regard to Sergeant Axio, his return to the camp at night, arriving at three of dawn; he presents before the General Crankcase, saying": My General, bad news! I lost my Sergeant Socro in the forest!"
The General Crankcase looks at him, furious, and said " Why you escape leaving him there - afar ?"
"NO, my General! Certain that there was two Tarbosaurs fighting, but we stopped until they retired of the way ; I mused for a while alone , and then I didn't see the Sergeant Socro where I left him sleeping ; I believe that he moves away for some reason, and then he didn't know how to get back to the place ". - Axio said.
"Not a fact!” - The general Crankcase was mad at him.
“But then I decided to return, to tell you what happened". - Axio said, still terrified by the vision of those giants of the forest...
"And the Sergeant's motorcycle? Or did it also get lost, together with him"? - Asked the general Crankcase.
"No, my General! That it isn’t lost! I hid it, if he returned! And maybe it arrives here tomorrow, because the motorcycle is in good shape ". - Axio said.
"I understand; but later we will speak of delusions. Now, allow me to sleep". - General Crankcase said, returning to his bed.
The other ones asked Axio for the whereabouts of Socro, but this little one just said that he would already arrive in his moto!
At dawn, and not seeing person arrived with the resemblance of late Sergeant Socro, the General requested Axio to return at the place and tried harder to locate his partner. Axio agreed and left immediately; but has he has a bad intuition with regard to returning to the place where the Tarbosaurs make such a fun , he instead of going to the place aforementioned , just went fifty kilometers ahead of the convoy in march, and there he rest the whole day; and returned at evening , lying on the matter.
"I didn't see anybody, General. The motorcycle did not continue in the same position, but sergeant Socro wasn't available."
“What a hindrance! I think we should preserve the only moto that we have left; does the other one could be picked up tomorrow, or are we still very far"? - Asked General Crankcase.
"I don't believe that we could arrive tomorrow, General! I see the column has advanced a lot, but not enough; but well! I believe that in two days we will arrive to the point". - Axio worked out.
"Well! Don't I believe we are in a mess, with this problem? “- The General said
The day after the General shortened lunches and rests; certain that allowed the animals to worked harder, but also, when being in progress, they were urged to maintain an alive step .
The scientists weren't able to go into in the forest looking for specimens; and this all contributed to the speed , so sooner than thought, they were near the place.
Finally, they found Sergeant Socro walking towards them; he was already barefoot, with their clothes made shreds; and without the motorcycle.
"I have something to count "! - He said, but all the soldiers urged him to rest; he began to say something on dinosaurs and pyramids, and the General Crankcase visits him while on a wagon, and recommended him to eat something and rest before he could give the relation of his adventures; it was as well that he slept that whole afternoon, and already at night wanted to relate the facts, but they impeded it, fearing that his brain had suffered some dysfunction that maintained him in that feverish state.
This way, the up-to-date information of him was received by the General Crankcase in his booth, next morning at eleven hours, with some other military people there listening the account given by Socro, which seemed to have recovered his poise.
"It was this way: I saw three thin dinosaurs, walking in two paws like some of them accustomed to do, and of the class named Gravitolo, of three meters long. They joined stones conforming a barrow, and I saw them make this per hours; following this was a rain, so I left my viewing place and I go away looking for food - I find eggs and I ate it in a cavern, from where I saw pass the entrance a lot many Gravitolos, and so I dive out with curiosity, while I continued without being seen by those creatures."
'A feat". - Commented General Crankcase, knowing of the cunning of the dinosaur race.
"Truth ? Well, there I saw them unite stones upon more stones, to make walls and this were enormous; they moved the thick stones as if they were made of butter and feathers ; they conformed a rectangular temple, with scales of big steps. A number of Gravitolos was urged in this work, and they formed a pyramid of four sides, high of twenty meters, in a working day's elapsed time."
"Incredible". - The Sergeant Axio said, who began to think that the solitude had sipped him the brains...
"In a summit I waited for the full moon, and when this phenomenon rises from the East, their howls filled the night with horrible tones ". - Socro said.
"Truly thrilling". - Commented the President Ueso , who had arrived at the meeting without being invited.
"That is not everything; little time afterwards they ended the work, I saw a lot of dog -men being herded into the summit, and when the moon was at his zenith, there and then the Gravitolos began throwing them over the flat sides of the pyramid - many Kreatures died, but some other ones, rushed later, began to fall on their moribund congener, and being done with life, they escaped to the forest, throwing wonderful howls". - The motorist Socro said.
"And you, were not discovered"? - Asked the sergeant Axio, doubting of the whole narration.
"Mounted astride in a thick branch, covered with a net of branches and leaves, I went unnoticed by both races! Truth is that the men - dog has little time to being looking for curious at the scene". - Commented Socro.
"Those the men - dogs! I have listened anecdotes saying that the females of that race has a crash for male men”! - Told them the President Ueso, from the door.
“Clear it is! Who will want to be inseminated by a dog"? - Sergeant Socro said, moving the head in a negative form
After that account, General Crankcase said: ' We will stay here, for now, so that sergeant Socro could recover a little better. Mr. Ueso, you can leave to explore with your team". -
"Thank you; we will do it". - He said , retiring to his boxcar ;and there he gathered the members of the Club of the Dinosaur, saying": Today we won't move of this place as a column ; so we will be able to leave on foot to explore the vicinity . "
And they made this ; in fact, they didn't hunt dinosaurs , but they saw the animals at a distance, and with that they conformed to. They also picked up samples of the flora; this leathery ferns were living in that sector, inedible for the humans - although boiled.
At evening, the President warns them there would be a session, and from their bunks, all could listen and share the session of that week.
"The session opens being the 22 hours; Present are Mr. Ueso, President; Mr. Secretary Tor,
Partner Lacombe, Mr. Tatose, Mr. Farden Dimbor; the Treasurer Mr. Negio Varema, Mr.
Escon Fargas, and partners in number of six. The previous session act is read , and is approved.
Then, Mr. President said": The scientific investigations carried out this far give us nine classes of newly discovered plants, some insects and the discovered of not yet classified dinosaurs, of which some outlines were made."
The Treasurer gives account of the money - then he says": Being in a lonely place where nothing could be borrowed , our account is rising ."
Lacombe makes fun, saying that neither the return is insured, reason why considers to join money something a bit ridiculous, in the current circumstances.
The Treasurer Mr. Nergio says that when there is will everything is possible, and that in the pessimism there is a black void where all you can see is darkness , and that with this defeatist attitudes , the Club could be attracted to the Bad side of Luck!"
The Mr. President takes the word and he says that a parallel course is continued in reference to the narrow canyon, and this because the depth was such that a descent is a suicide.
Mr. Fargas communicates that general Crankcase will stop the convoy as much as the sergeant's recovery last , and that depended on the health of the military if they began or not the march ...
Mr. Director gives a task to all the partners: to write on what they will see in tomorrow's day, in the individual explorations or group exploration, to organize; this revives the spirit of them all, and Mr. Farden Dimbor adds that he commits them all to read their reports at the following session , so he asks them not to extend the relation too much. He is given an applause .
The session ends at 23 hours Knappian Time ."
The following day, the scouts found the pyramid and the man-dog remains disseminated at its foot; they ascended to the summit, twenty meters high, and they were surprised by the perfection of design.
"Without doubts, these beings have intelligent reasoning in their dinosaur brains. Should be useful to establish contact and to arrive to an understanding with them". - President Ueso asserted.
"Just they had no pity on the race Kreature". - General Crankcase said -" The race coming from the dinosaurs..."
"Gravitolos, my General ". - Reminds him sergeant Socro.
"Gravitolos; they can have a reason of sorts , but it is cruel. Which is the reason to kill those beings? It will be necessary to investigate and to discover the reason of it". - Assert the General Crankcase.
It was in this way, then, that the convoy rested in the same place, located a kilometer in distance from the pyramids. The General Crankcase gathered his people - military - and said": We will Proceed by several parts. This where we stand with the wagons, will be the Base: I mean, where the boxcars are. Then six monitoring stations will be built by us, to hide personnel who will be observing . I want them standing looking towards the pyramid. Each observation point took an number; the next to the Base will be called the One, and so forth. We will have a good time !"
"And what will we do if they develop again their ritual of death , my General "? - Asked lieutenant Pérez.
" Nothing ! It is merely a work observation. ". - Said General Crankcase.
In the following days, all hands helped at the works - President Ueso received securities that members of the Club would be allowed in the observation towers .
"There is no problem allowing them to go as volunteers, and but obey orders or I will not responsible of any mischief ! ! Mr. President, this can be, also, dangerous. Could be that the Gravitolos could replace men = dog with us, men". - General Crankcase said.
"In all scientific mission there is some risk that goes amok , General"!. - Ueso Commented...
So, the day when the towers of observation were in position, peopled with clever eyes on the look up, arrives, and so they spent the first night observing , hiding inside those towers - camouflaged with branches and leaves. The President Ueso and the Secretary Tor were both at tower six, half way between the Base and the Pyramid; and like in the previous days, dinosaurs Gravitolos were not be seen in the surroundings...
"Maybe they got bored of their game". - Perez commented, in the observation post number 12.
"Maybe! We don't know anything about their mental processes". - The General Crankcase- who was also present, reply.
"To kill a rival ; it is the only thing that I am thinking happened there ! Maybe the dog-men eats some allowances that the dinosaurs has as necessary edible thing ; maybe they also eat their eggs, and that would make the matter very personal." - Lacombe said , while looking towards the pyramid.
"So many species of dinosaurs in so many millions of years ! And it is said that the current man has a hundred thousand years of existence, not more ! We are the example of life of a minuscule and insignificant branch in the register of Life on Earth . Capable that we are just a gleam in the night of the times and anything else is vanity ". - The President said , in the tower 12.
Secretary Tor replied :" A gleam or not, we should make a heck of a noise before we departed !"
"Yes ! Perhaps to build a couple of Universes, now the Branas are discovered and tamped with, somehow!"- President Ueso said .
Two weeks later, there was not many people wanting to continue staying in the place. Neither a building dinosaur had wanted to come closer to none of the observation positions, neither to the recently ended pyramid.
"We will lift the camp, Gentlemen! It is no longer much to make of use , here"! - General Crankcase croaked.
"Really, it is little matter what has been made". - President Ueso said .
"The truth, Mr. President, is that everything lacks ! We have not been able to obtain the secret of the building Dinosaurs! But our people get bored and , apart from few flora outlines and fauna, truly anything is already done here". - General Crankcase said .
"It would be clever you permits me, and some other members of my Club, stay ? Maybe the dinosaurs returns and we would be here, and in this way, in disposition of seeing them". - He requested,.
"I will think about it , Mr. President". -Replied General Crankcase.
The preparations for the departure didn't stop, and President Ueso gathered his acquaintances, saying ": The General Crankcase will continue; but he left unconcluded the investigation ,so I offered myself as a volunteer, to continue here . Maybe, helped by some voluntary members among you The work would not stop."
An oppressive silence continued to its words; all understood that the President was not want to stay there alone - that's his "offer", but each of them didn't want to keep on being waiting there .
Lacombe was the first one that left the astonishment, and said " Really you doesn't want to leave, President? Here there is no action, and we have grown drowsy seeing how the wind moves the leaves ! I believe that every day its a test but you should realize that the famous Gravitolos will no longer return here until maybe another planetary conjunction."
"Interesting! A year of term? It could be". - Exclaimed President Ueso, arching the brows with eyes a-fire, but in that moment, a messenger from the General arrived and said : :' Mr. Ueso, your application has been refused by the general Crankcase: nobody lags behind in this expedition."
"Tells him that I understand . When we leave"? - President Ueso asked , calmed down now that it had no choice to fight the Man in Power .
Two hours later , the boxcar numbers 80 went behind the others, with soldiers of the General Crankcase as much in the vanguard as in the Rearguard.
12023
The general Crankcase smiled, satisfied. The President of the Club of the Dinosaur obeyed is order without a word !
President Ueso revised the album of notes. They had seen hundred eighty dinosaurs, from the beginning of the expedition; twenty of them were not known before, but they didn't have dissected any animal; neither measured their bones .
"Will we end up becoming famous, President? - Lacombe asked him .
"Never so much, Mr. Lacombe! Perhaps a comment or two at the Court, and to be in the news for a week ! Then the layer of the indifference will fall on us again." - Ueso said gloomily , who had already similar projects, ending with little diffusion and null economic help.
"At least, in the scientific circles it will be known"? - I ask Lacombe.
"Obviously! "- Replied Mr. Ueso, feeling ill at ease with Lacombe who, as partner of the Club of the Dinosaur, should already know they were not working for fame and fortune .
Ueso read the dinosaur's list, in high voice:' Iliosuco, Indosaurio, Inosaurio, Janensquio, Kagasaurio, Saurosuco, Labocanio, Lametasaurio, Lelinasaurio, and the Gravitolos ."
"I always thought a Troodon will show us true intelligence". -Commented Chartist Farden Dimbor.
"Ah! The intelligent hunter! Certainly he has a great brain, in relation to the size of their body! Three meters long and a weight of fifty kilos! But their intelligence resembles that of a parrot"! - Ueso mumbled .
"Yes , they are thin and light! My favorite ones, with their pair of big eyes that seemes to hypnotize their prey! "- Dimbor said.
"Now that we are moving away from the well-known lands who knows which other races could we see
"? - Lacombe asks president Ueso.
As if responding to his question, they saw , flying toward the side of the gulch, four enormous flying dinosaurs.
"Quetzalcoatl’s! Big specimens"! - Dimbor said, looking by a porthole. President Ueso said " Good omen this is !"
12026
General Crankcase checked that the slope was not possible to be descended by the wagons , and said to his assistants": The military part of this expedition will Continue; the civilians stayed here up, until our return."
The news doesn't like anybody: the military ones didn't see reason why to go down narrow canyons, if they won't make scientific experiments. And the group of the Club of the Dinosaur, seeing vanishing their opportunity to walk by unknown places, were very gloomy.
General Crankcase abandon the convoy at 07 hours the following day, and with his troop , they began the descent, under a cloudless sun.
"Good-bye to the other side of the narrow canyon! But we won't lose the time: we will explore this side." - Warns his associates the president Ueso , who had recovered already of his disillusion, and he wanted to take out some profit of the situation they were in.
In this way, they continued with the carts until a place on high, where the horizon was seen in full .
"The ocean"! - They exclaimed. And it is that they were in view of the liquid expansion that renewed the encouragement. The brackish air arrived them in healthy blasts of wind.
"President! I propose we move down to the beach ! General Crankcase certainly will take his time to return here, so we have a lot of days for our explorations " - Lacombe said.
President Ueso said: “We could do it, only if someone stays here , to take care of the beasts!"
To this follows a short but heated discussion, at the end of which nobody wants to stay, so the President rise his voice , saying" The surroundings were to be explored, only!"
12027
And soon after, leaving bundles to the animals, they went away , in search of curiosities on the fauna and native flora.
They were not disappointed: they peeked a couple of Uranosaurs mating: the groans of the female shakes the earth . They found insects of forty centimeters long that resembles tree branches, with carnivorous tendencies.
Mr. Tatose, designer, twisted himself a foot, when climbing to a tree to draw a strange flower specimen, and falling to the floor in a bad way. The lecturer Dimbor blindfolds the foot, and they made him a cane, to return to the camp, distant eight kilometers of stones and rock . At the arrival, Mr. Tatose had his ankle swollen ; Dimbor heated water and I apply compresses of hot water , that which alleviate him the pain and deflate the ankle.
"I believe that tomorrow you don't go to field exploration". - Dimbor said ; Tatose shrank his shoulders; such a thing he won't discuss, since the pain was intense.

Chapter 3
General Crankcase 's Expedition

Characters :
General Crankcase, Sergeant Socro , Sergeant Asix ; Lieutenant Pérez, Marcol, Tarat, Plocion AND twenty others .
When arriving to the base of the narrow canyon, to the surprise of them all , with a slope relatively easy to a person on foot ; there was thought among the troop that to leave the scientists up on the plateau had not been a good idea (they could have accompanied them easily, if not attached to the wagons ) but nobody dared to comment the orders with General Crankcase ...
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"A Plain of two kilometers wide ; the other side not too far; stay watchful, for dinosaurs ". - Ordered the general Crankcase, walking fast . He saw a depression on the road, and suddenly a Camarasaur sprout there, lifting their body with a bellow; the expeditionary force almost falls on their backs , when seeing the dinosaur elevate her head twelve meters high ; they didn't think it twice and they ran from there, bound for the opposed hillside.
Satisfied the herbivore of having been able to drive away the intruders, returned to the nest, beside which she maintain a loving guard of her eggs.
Raised of the nervous tension, the group gave a laugh , making some comments .
"Marcol became pale and he ran like a deer ". _ Sergeant Socro said .
"You was not so bad at running, too "! - Sergeant Marcol said (recently ascended to that range by the general (r) Crankcase. In fact, the retired General had no authority to make true ascents; but it was a way of communicating to their assistants that he was satisfied with their behavior and he was going to make a Report to the Army , requesting that the appointment should be corroborated or backed up .)
They crossed a stone field , with many big rocks six seven meters high and width in between ,that had descended from the high side of the cliff.
They found a puddle of muddy water and drinking there were eight Ornitolestes ,
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those which, when seeing them, they put on a belligerent attitude. General Crankcase shot his firearm immediately, hitting on the bigger of them in the neck that didn't make too much hurt, but only inflame the beast with rage ; the other expeditionary men lifted their rifles and they also began to shoot; and at their third shot, the group of eight Ornitolestes was already on them , not giving time to another shoot .
Now there was the sound of cracking and crushed bones that one could listen ; the Ornitolestes had a late hunger of five weeks, and they didn't forgive neither the marrow of those bones.
Two hours later, they were lying on the ground, resting the ingest.

Chapter 4
Decisions at the Dinosaur's Club.

Unaware of this tragedy, President Ueso and the rest of the expedition explored for three days the nearest beach and its surroundings , from where they took out a hundred kilos of different mollusk's shells that then they toiled in to classify and to keep in well storage .
"Scientific treasure, but if instead it were gold , we would be rich "! - President Ueso said .
"It is our way, President! Had you seen this Panochthini already? It is of a big size ! The ornamentation of the armor shows a primitive pattern, the same as the skull!"
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President Ueso smiled , saying ": The nervous system of a mollusk is something curious; this compound for masses medularias; the main one is the brain, with its ganglion cerebriformes, surrounding the esophagus, and communicating with nervous hebrillas with other secondary ganglion, spread by the body."
They already had two cars loaded with samples; the days passed, and the General and their expeditionary force didn't return.
"Something wrong happens with them! I have that premonition! "- Lacombe said, finally.
"Here we are not making anything! "- Commented the secretary - Tor, and this was worth him a reprobate look by the President Ueso, whom exclaimed ": Nothing , is not what we have been doing here ! We have gathered many evidences of new classes of mollusks, to take to Oredloro. Maybe the delay of the military ones doesn't have to do with problems, but with the delay of the General Crankcase, who perhaps finds possible marvels of the Flora and Fauna at the other side of that gulch!"
"It is a madness to continue nailed here! We already take eighteen days waiting"! - Commented Lacombe, with his legs submerged in the sea.
"Do I understand your to feelings ? Yes ! But it is not preferable to stay still in here? - Tor responded him who also insisted in taking out mollusks of the water. And it is that now not alone they collected shells of bivalve, but rather they also eats them; to the sector they arrived Pachicephalosaurs mostly, which didn't fall when being impacted by arrows (the shots had finished soon after leaving the General Crankcase the site ).
"Our mission is to explore. Stopped here, nothing new we will be able to see". - Lacombe assured them .
The following day, the President Ueso makes a new session of the Club, to see the new items and other points of interest - for this , here it's the transcription of that session:
"At May 30 , the session opens up, being the 18:10 hours, and with the presence of the Mr. President Ueso, Secretary Tor, etc.
The previous Record is read , being fully approved. It is the basic point that we should walk away and not wait any longer for the General Crankcase . The President Ueso offers the word, to give opinions in this respect. Mr. Lacombe, partner, says that in the current point of events we had already explored and that it should be continued ahead and beyond .
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Mr. Farden Dimbor, lecturer , says that to continue ahead is a very vague order and he asks to specify the address or direction .
Mr. Lacombe intends to arrive by the sea to the other bank (since there is a wall of rocks to the exit of the big ravine , that impedes the way in both sides). The Secretary Mr. Tor asks what they would do with the boxcars, if they left for the sea, and Mr. Lacombe replies that they would be given away.
Mr. Escon Fargas, lecturer , says that he has give a lot of time and effort in the acquisition and summary of shells and their data , to abandon them now as if garbish .
Mr. Tatose intends to leave the boxcars , liberate the simian-steeds and to return for the same road, after the voyage for sea; they would recover the boxcars that could perhaps be used again with some of the simian steeds that they could had stayed close.
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Mr. Director requests voting to continue after General Crankcase, or to return to Oredloro. After the voting , gives forth the following results: to stay: 3 votes. To continue by the sea, 4 votes.
Seen that , Mr. Pdte. Ueso decides to announce that, for simple majority, they would stray the boxcars in sure place; the simian steeds will be liberated and they would proceed to give each partner a bundle to carry on the trip. All this would be made to the brevity.
Mr. Tatose requests to stay under the care of the convoy of carts, until the return of the expedition, because he says he is not be able to walk as much as it will be - according to the - necessary. His proposal is accepted and the simian-steeds were not liberated.
The following day, Tatose saw them leave, with a knot in his throat, because he would be alone, in the border of an enormous cliff, with hundreds of kilometers around , where fierce animals were not imagination.
In turn, those of the expedition saw him waving his arm , ascended to one of the carts, and they thought if they would return alive to that place.
When arriving to the beach sector , they begin cutting hoist, and then tying them, forming a raft that was finished at the fifth day; in their center there was a square full with sand, in which the passengers sat down, while to stern, a helm or palette, in charge of the President Ueso, because: who could be better to govern the destinations of the Club? And to the sail , made with wide leaves and braided lianas, attentive, was secretary Tor.
The sea was calm , with deep long waves of a greenish shade
; some winged creatures flew to some eight hundred meters away of them, seemingly feeding on fish .
"Good climate"! - Negio Varema said, looking as each wave shone, oily, under the potent lighthouse of the star.
"And good tide! Look at those rocks! We would have taken days in crossing on foot"! - Said Lacombe, indicating to the closed step that meant those rocks that covered the entrance of the great expanse.
"Some day the sea will enter over there, and will fill that tortuous and cyclopean channel"! - Lagurnio said, although after saying such a thing, was doubtful- perhaps only some powerful tsunami will make it true !
The wind finished taking the raft to the other side of the great gulch. The beaches extended for about two kilometers, separated by rocky promontories.
As the raft was not possible to be guided towards the shallow part of the beach, Director Lagurnio said ": Take your bags and let us swim towards the beach!" And saying this, he plunged into the sea, but nobody imitates him; between screams and ranks (that he didn't obeyed ) they saw him come closer to the beach, fighting not abandon his bag.
The wind began to take them towards high seas; the coast was going away in time , and the waves rotates the raft that soon lost helm and veils.
"We should have imitated Lagurnio"! - Lacombe complained .
The waves grew in the darkness of the night above them and they didn't see the coast any more .
Farden Dimbor get asleep there in the square of sand, sure that the end of its days had arrived, amid the sea.
The President Ueso was the first one in waking up in the following dawn; to his surprise, the coast was hardly at twenty meters, being two hundred meters the whole width of the gulf . There under, he saw white sand, with some shells
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shining as diamonds, less than six meters deep.
"Hey! Wake up all! We have arrived"! - He warned , his voice pleasant but unexpected emotion, before the surprise that the night currents had solved the enormous problem of their immediate subsistence.
All marveled of their good luck, and going down to the water, they swimed throwing the raft toward the bank, and they heaved unto the sand partly, so that the sea didn't take it away .
"A very beautiful place"! - Farden approved , smiling; he looks towards mainland at the greens hoist, the undergrowth of ferns that almost formed a wall.
"This is a good place "! - Tor said , not wanting to have any more problems.
"The friend Lagurnio is lacking ! Maybe we could find him, if we look at the other beaches"! - Requested the President Ueso, putting in dry his handbag.
With strings they tied the raft at two trunks , so that the tide, when ascending, didn't take it to the sea ; and this because they had the idea of returning in the raft , after finding the military ones , or Lagurnio .
The forest was dense, but it ascended abruptly towards the peak of the narrow canyon; Dimbor said": We doesn't have any object to continue here! We have to revise the coast!"
They walked among thorny branches difficult to cross; and although several times they found beaches of white sands, and the splendid sea behind, they didn't see Ligurnio ; they ended arriving near the heap of rocks, and neither there signs were seen.
Soon arrives the night, and they hid among rocks that easily were transformed in true tunnels; Dimbor said": it is safe to be here; no big dinosaur can enter among this mixture of rocks."
"We will be quiet, but armed - who wants to make the first guard"? - Asked President Ueso, when the darkness arrives. As nobody said anything, he added ": I will make the first watch ! But the following one, somebody must kept ; I cannot be all night without sleep !"
"I Accept the second watch ; but it is incredible, we have not found Lagurnio"! - Tor said.
"Maybe we should ascend on the edge of the cliff and from there looks for rakes of the General Crankcase and their people". - Escon Fargas yawned out .
"" And Lagurnio ? - Tor said .
"We already looked for him, and he was not ; now we ascend to look for the General and at the return, again we will be able to see for Lagurnio"! - Lacombe said.
And it was made that way. The following day, after a refreshment with fruits, the group ascended for the hillside until arriving to the plain that was cut towards the side of the Great Gulch.
"Incredible! I can see at a hundred kilometers away from here"! - Exclaimed Lacombe, and it was certainly this way. The opposed side of the gulch, brilliant under the star, it was not very discernible at that early hour, due to some fog .
Looking down, they saw some Deinonicus jogging toward the opposed side to the sea. Heaths, rocks and some Stoquesosaurs that nibbled the vegetation were notorious in that moment.
"Neither people's signs!": -Lacombe Commented .
"It would be necessary to see if it is possible to ascend to this side, in easy form ; and there begin looking for prints". - Negio Varema said.
That advice was immediately accepted for the other ones, and they began to walk by the border of the cliff, moving away from the Ocean side .
"A hot day". - Commented president Ueso.
"Without water". - Adds Lacombe.
" Not a problem! In the forest there is fruit - we will leave below in mid afternoon, if we don't find an acceptable step down before that hour ". - Negio Varema commented .
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Before that period of time, they saw an easy place to lower and to ascend; because from the deep of the cliff several rock terraces were made before them.
"We will went down . But carefully! Looking always if there are prints "! - Ordered president Ueso. But it was not an easy thing to do . At the four hours of initiated that descent, they hardly moves but with difficulty. They ate the little thing that it was with them, and they continue the descending .
"Finally! What now ? " - One asks in high voice , when they were walking by the ravine.
Lacombe revises the surroundings with his view, and he said": If they ascended by here , a thing very probably , they didn't leave prints! "
"We will see if we find them in the path that they should have taken! "- The president Ueso said, tossing to walk toward the opposed side of the gulch. Soon they crossed among a tangle of ferns, in the reining heat.
"It is necessary to see like if they puncture some branches"! - Farden Dimbor said , with hands bleeding due to the ferns . They found a pond, in which some small beings swimed.
"Nobody drink of this water! This is polluted "! - Warned president Ueso.
While they advanced , they found metallic buckles among organic remains. Cleaning them against the dirt, they realized that they had been
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of the military personnel of the Kingdom of Rixiaberg.
"A tragedy! Those are remains of the expedition of the retired General Crankcase!' - President Ueso said, very alarmed..
"Poor men! Who will have eaten them "? - Escon Fargas asked .
Farden said": I Remember those Deinonicus! They should have been the culprits ! We are, therefore, in their hunting grounds limits ! "
And before that exclamation ends ,they all looked around, afraid. And as after an incantation, they listened to furious bellows in the distance...
"Soon it will be dark! We are almost hidden, in this density of ferns! I propose that we look for a better hiding place, to hide until tomorrow!' - Negio Proposed .
"Better we leave here completely ! "- Lacombe said.' - I didn't want to stay the whole night shivering!"
"A voting? "- Farden proposed , but then was another bellow, and already nobody wanted to leave the ferns.
In a depression of the land, they all take cover , piling stones surrounding a circle ; The night amid the gulch was silent, and not the soft rumor of the sea was heard . But rumors of footfalls made them tremble with panic; they listened and they imagined silhouettes being materializing before them - the rumor of the leaves with the wind was fancied as dinosaurs steps , and vice versa.
Before dawn there were some noises and running , but when arriving the golden light of dawn , they removed great part of the fear from their hearts....
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" All in good health, so we go before the problems begin ! - Ordered president Ueso...
All made their way , bending over when the grass grows too thick, ; before arriving to the steep ascent , Lacombe saw a Deinonico at the earthy plain of the gulch, and Lacombe , with a scream of terror, ascended as quick as he can by the boulders ; the rest continued him, after to look which was the object of is terror.
Fortunately, the Deinonico could not arrive to them, due to its weight and to the abrupt of the ascent; but it accompanies them long while with hoarse bellows of anger.
"Animals ! I almost faint of terror "! - Escon Fargas said, breathing hard by the effort. Already far from the bottom of the ravine, appeared smiles on their faces and they realized the damages on toes and nails after the precipitate ascent...
When arriving to the summit, they rested a good awhile under the rays of the star. They remembered also their hunger, and they went toward the forest, looking for its shade and the fruits that would calm their hunger.
They found fruits, and also some small dinosaurs Sinornis, that strolled over there in search of roots to eat.
Negio drawing the Sinornis immediately, in their outline block.
"Perfect! You have sketched them very well"! - Lacombe approved, after looking in the block the result of the partner's first drawing .
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They walked towards the north, avoiding some Protoceratops, quadruped herbivores, of a hundred eighty kilos weight, on the average, with their two meters long that although they had little height and a horn, they were dangerous for their bad genius . The land was full of trees with eatable fruits , very convenient for herbivore animals .
"Good place, Mr. Negio Varema! I see that you had drawn one of our friends, the Protoceratops"! - Said President Ueso.
"Undoubtedly ! It is an unique opportunity! These animals are really exotic in our country - but even, today, after the invasion of the Rixiabergianos, the more so !" - Negio responded, now more at leisure since they weren't Rixiabergians in sight...
"It is this way the ideal one ! Hope that in the future we can organize true civilian safaris towards this place, and that deaths don't exist without a good reason, but rather people that wants to come and admire these creatures in their habitat without killing and maiming them !" - President Ueso said .
Later on their trek , they found a lagoon with some Estegosaurs eating aquatic plants of the bottom. There Mr. Varema draws until evening, while their partners build a place where to sleep, on branches of some bit trees .
Soon the scientific team of the Club was up there, resting at the platforms seeing as the light went diminishing, and with it the flight of the big Pterodactyls, and some Quetzalcoatls - these to more height.
"A different world! And to think that we are
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in the same world that Oredloro and Oxiborion! "- Commented Negio Varema.
"Allow me to say that these lands are excellent to increase knowledge". - Croaked Farden Dimbor.
Soon they slept, wrapped in their blankets and a lot more comfortable than previously. The President Ueso mounts guard, and then he made secretary Tor keep on until the new dawn.
They got off the platforms, and they ate fruits that were abundant over there; only they had to be frighten of small Xuanuasaurs that fed equally on those fruits.
Soon they saw many Riojasaurs watering in a channel that ran full of water. The designer Varema takes advantage of making numerous sketches.
When the lunch - that consisted on eating fruit - the lecturer Dimbor said": The origin of the prosauropods is interesting. They are considered as the first group with tendencies toward the ingest of plants, in the clado (branch) of the saurischian. The anatomical condition of the pelvis (it leaves of the skeleton of the vertebrates that serves from point of union to the bones of the later members)
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and spine of the Herrerasauridae gathers derivative characters that leave them outside of the group Prosauropoda.
"Ah, and you believe that "? - Tor asked.
"It is that the pubis (the previous of the three bones that form the coxal.) traversely narrow in their extreme distal and with an axial expansion; the dorsal vertebras with neural thorns axially short; the reduced scapular leaf; the ileon with the sheet reduced postacelabular and the hand with the reduction of the very derivative external digits". - Dimbor said.
"And that tells me much of these Riojasaurs? " - Lacombe inquired - he wanted to be illustrated something more deeply, to be able to boast of to be a scientist when returning to Oredloro..
"The widespread skull of the Riojasaurs shows suggestive similarities with that of Coelophysis in the extensive region preorbital, the low and lengthened of the skull, the morphology of the temporary opening and of the characters of the bones that limit it, it lines her alveolar relatively direct, the sector previous of the yugal participating in the opening preorbitaria. That is to say, he resembles the Coelophysis. The difference is that the Coelophysis, in its spine, has six vertebras with thorns but the alone Riojasaur in four vertebras. It is believed that there is a near common predecessor starting from which an evolutionary dicotomia has been operated, differing the prosauropodos and the ceratosaurs Triassic". - Dimbor said.
"And you Do believe that we could find that common predecessor"? - Tor asked, mildly .
"Undoubtedly that it is possible! For some reason, there are always hindrances of animals among the new races; they don't disappear completely; and if we are lucky, we could find such an animal". - Dimbor declared .
"And how do you call them ? "- President Ueso asked, who followed the chat of the sincerely Mr. Dimbor.
" Prephyriojasaurio I would call him! Would we all know what animal would be referring, when calling it in such a way, or not"? - Asked the lecturer..
"Undoubtedly ! " - Lacombe said .
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President Ueso looked at him for some instant , and he said, while they walked : ' Mr. Lacombe! Humans seems to need the deceit and what if human depends on those deceits, in a pragmatic sense. Some of those deceits occur in deep levels of our human condition, and if they are threatened, they can also threaten our humanity. Some sciences can incur in these threats toward the deceiving models. Some of the sciences can leave us , in this way , literally sick in a very fundamental way. We should solve these conflicts before continuing ahead. Previous changes of caused paradigms for the science have allowed us to stay in the ingenuousness on ourselves. Nowadays we should begin to be honest on our deceits and to choose to support them consciously before continuing merely in the way of conscious ignorance".
Lacombe moved its head, saying:' THAT IS TO SAY, Mr. President, you Does tell us that some of those deceits happen very deeply in the levels of our human condition, and if they are threatened, can they threaten our humanity ?"
"Certainly; there are facts that some human ends in rags if without that thing called religion". - Clarified president Ueso.
"That is to say, some sciences can incur in challenges toward those central deceit models. This way some science literally can make us feel sick in fundamental ways"? - Lacombe almost repeated literally .
" Us" , yes, we can solve those polemics before continuing ahead". - Repeated Mr. Ueso.
Lecturer Dimbor could not control himself of not to say something about it, , so he uttered ": The deceit is an executed act to convince another person of a not true given information . The deceit, or lie, involves concepts like the propaganda, removing the attention on the main component of the deceit, and the concealment. The fiction, sometimes manipulative, it' s not a deceit unless it shows as the whole truth; it is not necessary to confuse it with the stockings truths. In some cases it is difficult to distinguish the deceit, of the missed information given by ignorance.
One of the reasons for this is that the person or an organization can have ended up believing in something mistaken because he doesn't want to see the parts that don't coincide.
The self - deceive it is a process to deny or to rationalize, moving away the importance, significance or relevance of an evidence against logical argument.
It has been said that the humans are, without exception, highly susceptible of self - deceived, since all have emotional ties with their beliefs that it is irrational in some cases. Some biologists evolutionist, as Robert Trivers, they have suggested that, since the deceit is such an important part in the human behavior (and generally animal behavior also), a self instinct deceive can give that person a selective profit: if somebody can be believe his own lie (for example, its representation that is partially toward his own interest), the theory says that they consequently will be better qualified to persuade others of HIS " truth."
This notion is based in the following logic. In the humans, the realization of the fact that one
is acting deceivingly gives clear signs of deceit. Therefore, the self -deceive allows somebody to believe its distortions, it didn't present those signs of being lying and therefore HE WILL APPEAR AS SAYING THE TRUTH. Example of this are Priests and preachers , and the old gone Ufologists ...
One can also say that the ability of lying, or self deceived, it is not the selected characteristic but rather a sub product of a feature that primarily has been selected. The abstract thought allows many such evolutionary advantages as flexibility, behavior, adaptive and innovation.
Since the lie is an abstraction, the mental process of creating a lie it can only happen in animals with a sufficiently complex brain that allows them the abstract thought."
They arrives to a field of hoist fruit-bearing; a solitary Estenopelix ate a yellowish fruit philosophically, and looked at them with still eyes.
"Ah, we have sweet company! "- Lacombe laughs, and try to play with it , but the animal escaped immediately. So, Lacombe tastes the fruits and said : ' Delicious! And this it is not known, or I'm making a mistake, Mr. Fargas ? "
"Clearly ; is not known in Oredloro , see? "- He said , tasting it; then he agreed with a nod of his head, saying " : It is jolly good."
The other ones chose well-known fruits; the place was very warm, so they perspired, for the joy of some flying insects that tried to settle in its exposed places to suck; Lacombe said " : Condemned flies - moscos! They are not when it is cold."
The Estenopelix returned, as if nothing had happened , and now he didn't look at them with mistrust; they could come closer, and the animal faked not to see them. All smiled before the passivity of the animal, and the president Ueso said: " It is just as we did ! Humans when don't want to see something worrying ; we ignore it until it is possible . Many times this trick gives good results . "
"As not looking for those like general Crankcase, or the unfortunate Lagurnio"? - Asked them Negio Varema; the President looked at him with inflamed stare , saying: ' We are looking for them twenty three hours a day , don't you realize ? At each step that we give, I look for them , searching prints on the soil . "
Then, they arrived to a promontory of rocks, and on them were some Licorinos. They took the heat of the star; they were of greenish color, with their loins of an old yellow ; the females possessed colored paws of black, and the males had white foreheads ; with big eyes, their lids stood out, helping to protect the irises. Varema o draws them, and the other ones, after a swift observation for a while, retired quietly , in order to gather fruits.
Varema was finishing his third drawing, when he saw a silhouette that was clipped in the high of the promontory; it seemed a man dressed with a blanket made of leaves and branches. The eyes of the bearded one focused him, and a hoarse groan springs from his chest ; in its right hand was a garrote made of wood .
"Negio Varema"? - Grunted the recently arrived one, getting off the promontory without frightening the Licorinos. Varema puts aside the block and the pencil, to see closely at the bearded one.
"Lagurnio"? - Asked then, when looking at the eyes of the other - the one that was now crying , tears running over the powdery beard.
"Finally I find you ! Where is everybody " ? - Lagurnio asked , looking at him undecided. Varema gave him a clap at the shoulder, saying :' Calm now! We look for you but there was no sign of your arrival to mainland! The other ones are now looking for fruits; they will return soon."
"I lost my clothes and my backpack - for the blame of a dinosaur that almost devours me, the first night that I arrived to this place! Look ! I have scars to prove it .' - Lagurnio Said, showing a long scar in the right leg and some thinner ones .
'Bad luck! But also, fortunate in not having been devoured later! Looking for to the general Crankcase, we find remains of their suits - it only survived the metal things". - Varema explained , taking his notes and the pencil from where he had left them.
"Ah! Clearly , the dinosaur defecates and there they left the buckles and bellboys! Bad luck; it is that these animals run very quick ! They said that a man cannot leave them behind! But I am a living sample that it could be donned ! Terror is a thing that breathes you in your neck whole road long "! - Lagurnio said , leaving the garrote ( of club) at the floor.
"I have something of clothes in my handbag; I will give you some so that you could change yourself". - Varema said, and taking out of his handbag the change of clothes, he gives it to Lagurnio , who throws away the spoil of his rags, saying " See if you have an extra couple of slippers! I already got bored of hurting my feet with the thorns all over ! "
Varema gives him the only extra couple that he had , and then looked at Lagurnio; now only the beard and his wild looks denoted he was on the wild nature of the place for some scary days ...
"I have to take a bath! Must Be at a lake, some kilometers from here to the west! I had come from there; a lot of fishing, if only you know how to fish them with the bare hands! "- Lagurnio said , while he saw arriving the rest of the partners of the Club of the Dinosaur , whom greeted him effusively ; President Ueso gave him a hug, saying ": Less bad than he has not died, friends ! Did we fear for their life ; did we not? And we also traveled twice the coast , while looking for him!"
"Ah, the beach! Let us move away from it , because Yangchuanosaurs walks over there; one almost get his dinner with me flesh , in the first day here". - Lagurnio expressed , laughing hoarsely.
"I imagine the picture ! Well, now that we are all here , and also that we know that the group of the General Crankcase cannot return, because they were devoured , it is the hour when we could return to the boxcars, and undertake the went back to our civilization". - President Ueso said .
Nobody wanted to stay in the wild ; they all feared that in any moment some hungry carnivorous dinosaur gave account l of them, like it had happened to the military rixiabergians ...
That day they return to the proximity of the beach, and while Lagurnio peeked for Yangchuanosaurs , the other ones cut trunks and then tied them with lianas; they made the central box and they armed a canopy with leaves and branches, made a sail and they carved an oar - helm, using sharp stones .
Two days later, they made to the sea, and at the afternoon , that was when the wind blew in the right direction ; the raft took two days to arrive to the other side of the great barrier of rocks; knowing the currents, and seeing that the raft didn't took earth , they threw themselves to the sea, abandoning the handbags, and so they swim towards the beach.
"A refreshing bath ! Now, to look for the boxcars". - The president said Ueso ordered , and that same afternoon they arrived to the boxcars, that were taken care by Tatose, who received them with happiness.
" I take care of everything! Not a single steed - simian is missing ! And I have a good provision of fruits! I collected for you "! - Tatose said , presenting two baskets with fresh fruits...
While they ate of the delicious fruit, the president Ueso said": Now it will be necessary to work in order to return to the homeland! As the military ones are not, each one of us will be in charge of a boxcar; beast included ! Do you agreed with it ? "
"Totally " ! - They said ; they were aware that now the dangerous part of the trip was on ; if they had been able to arrive there under the aid of the military ones, now there was not who could assist them with guns .
"We have no hard weapons! But we will travel slow; every time that we see dangerous dinosaurs, simply we go away, if it is possible, or we stop and form a defensive ring; it is in waiting that we could be lucky " . - Commented president Ueso.
After the refreshment, the animals were revised, and after harnessing them properly , they started immediately afterwards ; they crossed by wooden country in those few useful hours, and when already at night, they made a circle with the wagons , and the president said : ' Two watchers to each side of the ring ! Be not asleep , and everything will come out well!"
This way, during the night, Tatose and Lagurnio made the watch, until dawn; when they started again, after giving to drink and eat to the animals, they sleep in the carts , so that they made up for the hours of vigil.
The road went by woody land , and there they could harvest fruits; they also hunted some laosaurios, those same were roasted at night; the flames illuminated happy faces , after so many days without eating meat !
That second night the guard was on the president and the secretary, to both sides of the circunsference; they strolled revising the environment, not to have misfortunes ; that same night brings a Futabasaur, causing great fear on the secretary , who run to tell the President about it .
"Ah, they should be the scent of those steeds - simians that attracts him ! Tomorrow we will try to give them a bath ! But now, maybe with lit firebrands we could be able to move him away "! - Ueso said, and with lit firebrands they were - planted in front of the great dinosaur, who bellows twice ,going away later.
"Ah, this is incredible"! - The president said, sitting down in the floor, after he was sure that the carnivorous dinosaur had gone away from there. To his side was Tor, saying": Really, they fear the fire! Otherwise, we would have had seen the last of each other "
"Have optimism, gentleman ! The only way to live life"! - The President warned him , leaving now to his appointed side of the ring of wagons , to get on with his night watch ...
At dawn, Tor rises before the rest, and he walked at random by the forest ; he was mad at president Ueso, since always he was sponsoring him initiatives; always saying the final word; it is not that they had discussed or quarreled each other , but the feeling of being low on the organization , somehow, he had prolonged it towards his real life, and now he seems to be the president's secretary for life ; a reason which that gives Tor the ambition to be the new President of the Dinosaur's Club, a thing he will propose at the next general reunion .
He ascended to a tree, to discharge some energy, and there , hanging on a branch, he realize he must wait for a bigger meeting - it could not have an election with a handful of people in the middle of a trip ! Also, he doubted that the current partners wanted to change anything; they were tired of an adventure if really exciting, was also dramatic- with the loss of so many lives like it had been ... the group of the general Crankcase .
When descending from that tree, he went by a sector of low ferns - then he sighted a great yellow egg that gets his full attention and made him stop, to observe it; it was forty centimeters high, and it rested in a bed of branches that impeded its side fall. Around that place there were footfalls of a big animal...
Tor marvels of finding such a discovery in solitary, and it went to tell Mr. Farden Dimbor, who was supposed the expert in this matters . He had already gave forage to the steeds simians; when hearing about the egg, he left what he was doing, and said :" A yellow egg forty centimeters long ?
It is something that I have to see!"
"It is over there"! - Tor said, indicating with the finger; its conversation wasn't ignored by the others, and they were brought to Mr. Ueso, saying": What did you find , Mr. Tor? Some kind of an egg ?"
Getting angry by that sentence that reduced (according to him ) his discovery, Tor said, with a sinister look "It's not small, Mr. President!"
And he went to the place of his discovery, with the rest after him , full with curiosity. The egg was still there, and each one give his verdict : ' It is an Diplodocus egg ! I know them; strange, of course ! It should be near the water". - Commented president Ueso.
"It is an egg of Stegosaur! That bed of branches under it tells everything"! - Escon Fargas asserted , remembering some of his chats on that matter.
" No, not! I believe that you are all mistaken ! It is a typical egg of Edmontosaur ! It belongs to a big animal, thirteen meters long when full grown ! Because that is what the Edmontosaur measures! And he walks, as we know, in two legs ! It' s leathery body, of clear brown color .The Edmontosaur is an herbivore ! "- Farden Dimbor said , in lecturer's tones .
"I believe that it is a Quentrosaur"! - Lacombe said .
"Ridiculous! A Quentrosaur here? "- Farden Dimbor retorted , with a wave of his hand.
"NO, I'm not speaking about the egg ! See over there : he's coming, and seems angry"! - Lacombe screamed , while he ran far from there; they all saw the brown stain that approached jumping skillful and sinister, and they spread in all directions ...
The Quentrosaur gave a powerful bellow, and went near to her egg, looking if the intruders had made him something bad ; satisfied now that they had not damaged the shell, give some more bellows , that drive away the onlookers of the Club , now inside the wagons .
"Incredible! A furious herbivore! I wonder if all do the same, in similar circumstances"! - Escon Fargas said, shaking the powder of his clothes.
"Don't make that here! You filled us with powder! Is it that you fell, or something"? - Negio Varema said , while coughing.
"Undoubtedly that I fell ! And several times". - Escon responded , smiling ; it was happy not to be attacked by the jealous animal ...
"A thing is clear; we all make a mistake identifying the egg, except Mr. Lacombe!" - Negio Varema said, laughing.
They move the wagons in the right path, encouraged ; now they had a flavorful anecdote to tell , when arriving to Oredloro!
Days later, without another setback, they did arrive to that city, by the principal road; carts with vegetables were to be seen, arriving from the fields near Oredloro , and they saw warriors on parade ; the general atmosphere, in spite of being in good weather , it was but very dismal.
When they gave up the wagons to the Army on the king Marmun 's barracks , the colonel in charge, Fejes Odir , heard about the disappearance of the soldiers , they were interrogated for the rest of the day ; finally Fejes gathered them in his office, saying : ' The death of the retired general Crankcase will thoroughly be investigated! King Marmun must be informed yet - he is busy right now - , so this matter is pending! Don't abandon the city, for any reason ! I will put some soldiers to watch over you ! Any intent to leave town, will end with you in prison ! "
The colonel's voice was pregnant with threats... The president Ueso takes air , and said : " We are saying the truth, and the rest we could recovered we already surrender to your team ! The remains of the soldiers that we find in the Great Gulch were unrecognizable ."
"Well, you can leave now ". - The colonel Fejes said, ending the interrogation for the day...
Already in the street, the president Ueso said:' Meeting to be adjourned tomorrow ! Secretary, see you tell this to the rest of the members of our Club ."
"Correct, Mr. President". - Tor responded, and after saying goodbye each others, they went to their homes, with soldiers watching them .

Chapter 5

AT OREDLORO CITY .


"The present meeting opens up, being the 21.46 hours ; with the President Mr. Ueso presiding ,and the following members : Mr. Secretary Tor, e Mr. Negio Varema, treasurer, lecturers Farden Dimbor and Escon Fargas; and the rest of the members entering the quantity of 37.
Mr. Treasurer has the word.
"After two months of our return to Oredloro, we have $390.000 rolos in the Bank; it was a good idea to have that exploration, because after our return the whole city wanted to visit our Club and to meet the volunteers that went to the northern forest. Interviews were not allowed for the Press, but lectures and information and accounts was allowed at our Club ; that made people to register in the numbers of a thousand new members ; 400 rolos being asked for each one, the quantity was enough to buy this good property in where we are , and to buy vehicles and communication devices . For that reason the sum of $390.000 that I am presenting, after all the discounts of payments and made acquisitions, is what we have in account."
The President Ueso asks to the assembly if the bill was accepted just as it was presented, or they wanted to listen the list of things bought. The assembly accepts the bill. The President Ueso requested an applause for the Treasurer , and it was granted.
Next, the President said that they were leasing as bedrooms some parts of the property of the Club, for people that lived alone; those money are entering a Fund and they are good to palliate the normal expenses and several services. At the request of Mr. Secretary, an election for the title of President would be made for the period of ten months ; the names are: Acroi Ueso, Taeri Tor, Ladion Lacombe. The voting by ballot it is made. The result is as follows : Mr. Acroi Ueso, 20 votes. Mr. Taeri Tor, 9 votes; Mr. Ladion Lacombe, eight votes. It has been elected Mr. Acroi Ueso for the period of ten following months.
The Secretary requests the word; and he expresses his irrevocable decision of resigning from the position that he has as Secretary , and also, that he retires as a member of the Club Of the Dinosaur.
Mr. President Ueso, recently elected, accepted both things, respecting the invoked irrevocable decision. He requests Mr. Tor that he continued until the end of the session as a Secretary, and also that he edits the present meeting; also that he should give his charge to the future elected Secretary at the next meeting of the Club, in which a new Secretary will be chosen. Mr. Tor accepts what he requested.
The Mr. President expresses his gratitude towards Mr. Secretary Tor, to whom classifies as a good partner, cooperative and enthusiastic, and he requests an applause vote for him .and it is granted.
The session rises at the 23.00 hours.

That was the last record available of the Club of the Dinosaur .Without knowing it , Mr. Tor was not captured by the police haul that was made at the following meeting of the Club , where all members who had participated in the Exploration to the Northern Woods were arrested. They took them and nobody knew ever after about their whereabouts; the building was confiscated by the government, and sold later on.
Mr. Tor - that had been sick at the day of the last meeting - was informed of this misfortune, and so he waited until feeling better, and he went towards the city of Oxiborion where he followed a new life under the name of Sofin Dros, not to be jailed by King's Marmun 's Police .

THE END.
AJF - 21-10-2007 22:24 ( Finally translated and Edited 6.11.2007 01:13 )
Knapp 07 - Knapp Dinosaur Club Alfredo Juillet Frascara 03-10-07