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Colt the Armadillo
The Next Chapter
Page 1
Panel 1
Description - Alex and Colt are talking as they are riding. The baby creature
from the previous issue is flying around Colt.
Alex - The plan is for us to go to Panama where I will have our friend shipped
to the museum.
Colt - And what about us?
Panel 2
Description - A close-up of Colt and Alex.
Alex - We are headed to Africa.
Colt (with surprised look on face)- Africa???
Panel 3
Description - Another close-up of Colt and Alex. Alex is holding up the journal.
Alex - That is the next place that Sir Geoffrey traveled.
Colt - And what did he find this time?
Panel 4
Description - A close-up of Colt's face with a shocked look on it.
Alex - A living dinosaur.
Page 2
Panel 1
Description - Colt and Alex are talking. Side view of both.
Colt - You mean those giant lizards that lived a long time ago?
Alex - The very same ones.
Panel 2
Description - Close-up of Colt with a shocked look on his face.
Colt - Couldn't we hunt buffalo or bear?
Panel 3
Description - Close-up of Alex
Alex - We aren't going to capture it, just get a picture of it.
Panel 4
Description - Colt and Alex are walking away. Behind view of the two of them
walking down a dirt path.
Colt - I hope I live to spend my pay.
Page 3
Panel 1 (have this panel take up 3/4 of the page)
Box - In Panama
Description - Colt and Alex are boarding a steam ship. The are in Panama. Alex
is pulling Colt on the ship and he is resisting. Colt has a worried look on his
face.
Alex - This ship is completely safe.
Colt - Nothing this big can stay afloat.
Panel 2
Description - Colt is looking down at the water and Alex is standing next to him
on the deck of the ship.
Colt - I should have learned to swim.
Alex - Stay away from the side and you will be fine.
Page 4
Panel 1
Description - They are in a cabin. Alex is putting the stuff on the bed and Colt
still has a worried look on his face.
Alex - Better get used to the boat, we will be on it for awhile.
Panel 2
Description - Colt is unpacking his stuff when he finds the cat.
Colt - A stowaway. Wonder what will happen if they find her?
Alex - They will probably throw her overboard.
Panel 3
Description - Close-up of Colt with angered look on his face as he clutches the
cat.
Colt - Over my dead body.
Panel 4
Description - Alex is unpacking his stuff.
Alex - Remember they have your guns locked away.
Panel 5
Description - Colt with a smile on his face.
Colt - Not all of them.
Panel 6
Description - Alex and Colt are both unpacking.
Alex - Let's get unpacked. Dinner will be soon.
Page 5
Panel 1
Description - Alex and Colt are sitting at a table. It looks quite fancy. There
is some meat and potatoes on plates in front of them.
Alex - How is your meal?
Colt - Fine but I wish it would quit moving.
Panel 2
Description - Alex is cutting his meat as he is talking.
Alex - We are on a ship on the sea, you gotta expect some movement.
Panel 3
Description - Colt is trying to catch his potato that is rolling.
Colt - This is worse than trying to eat on horseback.
Panel 4
Description - The whole room is tilted a little. The potato rolls off the table
with Colt just missing it.
Panel 5
Description - Colt watches the potato roll away.
Panel 6
Description - Alex and Colt are talking. In the background, a guy slips and
falls.
Alex - Right now a ship is the only way to get to Africa.
Colt (mumbling) - Wanted that potato.
Page 6
Panel 1
Description - Colt and Alex are talking. In the background, the man gets up and
is holding a handful of smashed potato.
Alex - At least the food is good.
Colt (mumbling) - Really wanted that potato.
Panel 2
Box - A few months later.
Description - Colt and Alex are waiting to leave the ship.
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Colt and Alex descend down to a row boat. The boat has two crewmen in the boat
along with Alex, Colt and their luggage. The boat takes them towards the town.
They land in Luanda, a small African port. The ship usually does not land here,
but with the financial incentive, they do. As Colt and Alex leave the boat, they
see a small town with the hustle and bustle of people moving around. As they
look around, they see a mixture of white and black men and women. Alex opens his
book and starts reading. "We are looking for a big game hunter named David
Carruth." Colt looks at Alex and says "Let me guess, the book says to find him."
Alex gives Colt a dirty look. They walk down the street and towards a house off
to the left. It is a larger house and looks very nice. As they walk up towards
the main door, an older black gentlemen comes out and greets them. "I am Arthur,
how may I help you?" he says with a smile on his face. "We are looking for David
Carruth, is this his house?" Alex asks as he puts his hand out to shake the
man's hand. A sad look comes over the man's face as he says "It is his house,
but he no longer resides here." Alex has a puzzled look on his face "Where can I
find him?" The man motions for him to follow and he walks down a path next to
the house. As they walk along the path, they see a nice flower garden on both
sides of the path. The man picks a flower from a bush as he walks along. Once
they reach behind the house, he walks over to a cross that is above a newer
grave and places the flower on it. The cross is made of stone and does not say
anything on it. Robert has a shocked look on his face as he now understands what
the man meant. "I am so sorry, how did it happen?" The man looks down at the
grave as he says "He hunted some of the greatest animals that ever lived but he
could not survive the bite of an insect. Robert is puzzled but does not ask
anymore. The man then says "I am sorry you came all this way for nothing, but
please come in and enjoy a meal with me." Alex smiles and says "It would be my
honor."
Inside the house, they are sitting down at a large table, eating what looks like
roasted chicken. On the walls around them is the stuffed heads of different big
game animals. There is a lion, a rhino, a cape buffalo, a leopard and others.
Colt is looking up at them as he eats. Arthur is talking with Alex and asks
"What business did you have with David?" Alex drinks from his glass as he says
"I was looking for a dinosaur in the Congo and hoped to hire him as a guide."
Arthur looks puzzled "What is a dine-o-sore?" Alex pulls out the journal and
opens to a page with a dinosaur drawing (that looks like a brontosaurus) and
shows it to him. Arthur's eyes light up as he says "Mokele mbembe!" Alex smiles
and says "Yes, mokele mbembe! You have heard of it." Arthur shakes him head yes
and says "The stories of the giant lizard are told by the pygmies." Alex asks
him "Do you know who could take us to find him?" Arthur stares at him and says
"You do not want to look for him. Very dangerous." Alex looks back and asks "Why
is it dangerous?" He looks at him and smiles as he says "Cannibals." Robert has
a stunned look on his face. He has heard of such people, but never has he really
believed that there were men who would eat other men. This worried him. But he
was determined to get his pictures of Mokele mbembe. Alex then asks "Did David
ever try to hunt Mokele mbembe?" Arthur smiles as he says "On two occasions,
David went in pursuit of the creature. But he never found him." This intrigues
Alex when then asks "Did he leave any notes or maps about his hunts for Mokele
mbembe?" Arthur gets up and walks into another room. After a few seconds, he
comes out with a small wooden box. The box is rectangular in shape and has some
carvings of animals on the top of it. He hands it to Alex and says "Here is his
journals and items from his hunts, I hope they help you." Alex gets up and
shakes his hand and thanks him. "Thanks for dinner and for this box." Alex says
as he shakes his hand. Arthur then responds "Please, stay here the night. In the
morning I can take you to someone who may help you." Alex accepts his offer. He
then shows them to their room.
The next morning Alex and Colt are packing their stuff up as Arthur greets them.
"Leave your stuff here while we go visit a friend." he says with a smile. They
follow him as he takes them to a building. As they go in, they find a man
sitting at a table, cleaning his gun. He looks up and says "Hello Arthur!"
Arthur walks over and shakes his hand as he says "I want you to meet some
people." The man gets up and shakes Alex's hand "Just call me Bridger." Alex
shakes his hand. He then looks at Colt and says "Good Lord, what are you?" Colt
gives him a dirty look as he says "I am Colt the Armadillo." The man laughs as
he says "An armadillo? Never heard of such a beast. But you do look very much
like an aardvark." Colt gives him a dirty look and mumbles "At least he didn't
call me a rat." Alex then speaks "We are looking for someone to lead an
expedition into the Congo." The man smiles as he says "Why does a city boy like
yourself want to go into the Congo?" Alex looks him in the eye and says "We want
to find Mokele mbembe." The man just laughs. Alex then says as he puts down a
stack of money "I am willing to pay very handsomely." Bridger picks up the money
and flips it as if he is counting it. His eyes light up as he realizes there is
allot of money there. "This will cover the supplies and other men, but we still
need to talk about my share." Alex looks at him and says "I will pay you double
that. Half when the leave and half when we come back." Bridger puts the money in
his pocket and says "And what if you don't find this mokele mbembe?" Alex
continues staring at him and says "You will still be paid the same whether or
not the expedition is successful." The man stands up and shakes Alex's hand "If
you are willing to throw away good money on an imaginary creature, then I am
willing to take it." They shake hands and then he says "What do you intend to do
with the creature if you find it? Take it to a zoo?" Alex smiles and says "I
want to take its picture." The man laughs again, this time even harder.
The next day, Alex and Colt have their stuff packed and they head over to
Bridger's house. When they get there, they see two other white men with Bridger.
Both are dressed up in hunter's outfits with large guns, pith helmets and white
outfits. There are also a dozen African men who are either carrying the packs or
leading the animals that are carrying the packs. There are two oxen who are
pulling a cart full of stuff. Arthur is also with them but he is not carrying
anything. He greets the two of them as they come up to the expedition. Alex is
impressed with the amount of people and supplies that are there, but then he
knows it is a long journey. He is hoping that Bridger knows what he is doing and
that all these people are necessary. He also notices there is a large number of
weapons on the cart. He walks over to Bridger and says "Are all these weapons
necessary?" Bridger slaps him on the back and says "You obviously have never
been to Africa. This is not the United States." Alex gives him a dirty look as
he says "You don't think the US is dangerous?" He smiles at him as he replies
"Not like Africa.." Alex then looks at the boxes that are piled up. "What are in
the boxes?" he asks. Bridger smiles as he says "That is alcohol. We trade it for
supplies and possibly our lives." This makes Alex nervous and is enough for him
to not ask anymore questions.
As the men head out, Alex is walking along and talking with Arthur. "So exactly
what did you do for Mr. Carruth?" Arthur smiles and says "I am an interpreter. I
speak many languages, including English, French, Portuguese and many African
languages." Alex then asks "Did he take you on his expeditions to look for
Mokele mbembe?" Arthur smiles and says "Yes, I can also speak the Pygmy
language." Alex then pulls out the journal the David left and begins looking
through it "Do you believe in Mokele mbembe?" Arthur smiles and says "We saw his
footprints in the forest mud." Alex looks with a shocked face "So he does
exist!" Arthur smiles and says "Yes, he does exist, but he hides well."
A few days later, they are walking through a grassland. Colt is looking in
amazement as he sees giraffes feeding on the trees. "What kind of animal is
that?" he asks Bridger, who is walking next to him. "That is a giraffe. " Colt
pulls out his pistol and asks "Is it dangerous?" Bridger smiles and says "It
will not bother you." As they keep walking, Colt looks over and sees a herd of
zebra running by. "Look at those strange horses." he says. "Bridger laughs and
says "Those are zebras. Good luck trying to tame one of those." Colt looks at
him and says "I have tamed tougher horses than that." Bridger laughs and says
"But never a zebra. They will die before being domesticated." Colt goes over and
grabs a rope off the wagon. He walks over towards the zebras, who look up at
him. He makes a lasso with the rope and slowly steps forward. The zebra snorts
at him and steps back a step. He then moves closer and starts whirling the rope
above his head. The zebra stares at him and snorts again. He then throws the
rope and it goes around the zebra's neck. It immediately rears up and pulls Colt
off his feet. It then starts to run away, pulling Colt with it. As he is being
pulled along, he struggles to hold on. The zebra then turns around and heads
back at Colt. He sees the zebra running at him with an angry look in its eyes.
He struggles to get up as he sees the zebra rear up and come down with its
hooves aimed at him. He rolls out of the way and barely misses getting kicked.
He gets on his feet and pulls the rope tight. This pulls the zebra towards him.
He then runs to the side, pulling the rope in towards him. The zebra rushes
towards looking to bite him. He then pulls the rope tight, pulling the head of
the zebra down. The animal struggles to pull up but Colt holds tight. The zebra
is kicking its feet up and bucking to get loose. Then the zebra pulls its head
to the side and starts running in that direction. This once again pulls Colt off
his feet. Before he has a chance to regain his footing, Bridger shoots the rope
and the zebra runs off. Colt gets up from the ground and brushes the dust off.
Bridger comes over to help him up. "You are brave but foolish." he says to Colt
who is still brushing the dust off. "I almost had him." Colt says to Bridger.
"No, he almost had you." Bridger says as he walks away.
That night they pitch tents and make a fire. As they sit around the fire, they
hear noises. As Colt looks out in the darkness, he sees eyes in the darkness.
"What's that?" he asks. Bridger looks over and says "Those are hyenas. They
won't bother us as long as the fire is going." Colt throws another stick on the
fire. That night he is sleeping in a tent when he hears something outside his
tent. The fire is low and he only sees shadows. He sees the shadow of a large
cat as it walks past his tent. He grabs his gun and pulls it close to him. He
watches to see if it comes back. In a few minutes, he hears a gunshot. He jumps
out and runs out to see Bridger standing on top of a dead female lion. He looks
over at Colt and says "No other lions will bother us tonight."
A week later, they are at the Congo River. Bridger is talking with a man who is
standing next to a big steam ship. The paddle boat is large and looks out of
place on the Congo River. Bridger is giving the man some booze and some money
and he has agreed to take the men aboard. Bridger then walks over to Alex and
Colt and says "He will take us upriver. Will save us much walking." Alex nods in
agreement.
As Colt is looking over the side of the boat, Bridger comes up to him and says
"Don't fall over the side or the crocs will get you." Colt turns to him and asks
"What is a croc?" Bridger points to the crocodiles that are sunning themselves
on the shore and says "Those are crocs and they will kill you if the hippos
don't get you first." Colt then looks up in the trees and sees the monkeys
jumping back and forth. He smiles at them.
Alex is busy reading the journals of David Carruth as Arthur comes over and sits
down next to him. Both are sitting on the boat deck. Arthur asks "Anything
interesting in there?" Alex looks up from his book and says "He believes that
Mokele mbembe lives around Lake Tele." Arthur smiles as he says "Lake Tele is in
the heart of Pygmy country. We must be careful." Alex looks at him and asks
"What is a Pygmy?" Arthur smiles and says "Pygmies are small men who guard the
forest." Alex looks at him and says "How small?" Arthur then shows him with his
hand being about 4 feet high. "They are great hunters with their blow guns and
poison darts."
As Colt is looking over with Bridger, some of the African men who were hired to
carry the supplies come up and say something to Bridger. In their native
language they say "What kind of animal is he?" Bridger speaks back in their
language "He is an armadillo, like an aardvark." They all laugh and say "He
looks more like a warthog to us." Bridger laughs too. Colt looks at him and asks
"What did they say?' Bridger looks at him and says "They think you look like a
warthog." Colt has a mad look on his face as he says "I don't know what a
warthog is, but it doesn't sound good."
The next day, Alex, Colt and Bridger are fishing over the side of the boat.
Their poles are just tree branches that have been stripped and carved to look
like a rod. They are all sitting there and trying to catch fish. Suddenly,
Alex's pole bends in. "I have a bite!" he says as he struggle to pull up the
fish. He grabs the string and starts pulling it up. After a few pulls, he pulls
out a big catfish. It is a big fish, at least two feet long. He pulls it up and
yells out to Arthur "Look what I caught!" Arthur runs down to see the fish. As
Alex is waiting for Arthur to come over, the fish is hanging there, trying to
get loose. Bridger yells "Pull it in." Alex turns around to see what he is
saying only to see a large crocodile jump out of the water and swallow the
catfish. The crocodile pulls in the pole in the water and it goes under the
water. Bridger turns to Colt and says "That is why you don't want to fall
overboard."
Later that evening, Alex is talking with the ship captain. The man is in his
early 50's and has thinning hair. He is steering the boat as Alex stands next to
him. "So have you ever seen Mokele mbembe in your travels?" The man looks ahead
as he says "Never seen the beast, but I have heard the tales." Alex then asks
him "What tales have you heard?" The man looks over at Alex and says "He is a
god of the Pygmies. He stands higher than two elephants and is as long as five."
Alex then asks "Do you believe the tales?" The captain looks back and says "Not
sure. I have seen some big things come out of the jungle, so it's possible."
This intrigues Alex and he asks "What kind of big things?" The man looks at Alex
and says "Crocodiles that are over twenty feet long and snakes that can swallow
a man whole and still be hungry."
A week later, they are standing on the bank. In the distance is a huge jungle.
There is a small town where they are. There are people fishing in boats. The
captain is shaking Bridger's hand as they look around. Bridger then comes over
and says "This is as far as he will take us. The rapids up ahead are too rough."
Alex then asks "Do we stay here for the night?" Bridger thinks for a second and
says "I think it would be good for the men to get a good night's rest."
That night there is a big feast in honor of the guests. There is a roasted pig
and lots of other food. The men are all around the fire drinking and eating.
Some are talking to women in the village or other men. The kids are over looking
at Colt. He is trying to eat as they keep watching him. He gets up and tries to
walk over to the other side of the fire. All the kids follow him. Alex and
Arthur laugh as they watch Colt trying to avoid the kids. He then tries to scare
them by turning around and saying "Boo!" They just laugh and say "Boo!" back at
him. He finally goes into his tent and closes it.
The next day, the men are walking down a trail with the oxen in the cart. There
is jungle on both sides of the trail. Alex is swatting away bugs that keep
landing on him. "These bugs don't quit." Colt smiles at him and says "Glad I
don't have to worry about that." Alex looks at him and asks "Why don't the bugs
bite you?" Colt smiles as he knocks on his shell "My skin is much thicker than
yours." Alex gives him a dirty look as he swats another bug. Bridger walks
between them and hands some liquid to Alex "Rub this on your skin and the bugs
will leave you alone." Alex rubs it over his face and arms and asks "What is
it?" Bridger answers "Don't know but a witch doctor gave it to me and it works."
A few days later, they come to the end of the trail. In front of them is dense
jungle with no tracks. Bridger and Arthur both yell out orders to the men in
their native language. Soon they begin taking all the items off the cart and
putting ropes around them and strapping them to their backs. With some of the
alcohol and food gone, there is less to carry. The men are able to grab most of
the stuff. The rest they leave in the cart. They then go and cut the oxen free
and shoo them off. As much as they want to keep the oxen, they know if they
leave them tied up to the cart, a leopard or another predator will kill them.
Once the oxen run off into the jungle, Bridger turns to Alex and says "We are at
the point of no return." Alex nods in agreement.
As they make their way into the jungle, two of the Africans lead the way with
machetes. They are hacking a path through the jungle with Bridger next with his
rifle ready. Arthur is next leading the other Africans who are carrying the
supplies. At the end of the group is Colt and Alex. Colt has a pistol out and is
watching carefully behind him. Bridger told him tales how leopards will often go
after the last person in a group. They will attack and drag the body into the
jungle before the others even know they are gone. Everyone is hot and sweating
as it is very hot and humid in the jungle. As they walk through the jungle, they
hear Bridger call out. Colt and Alex heads up there to see what he is wants. As
they go up there, he shows them some footprints in the mud. "Elephants have been
through here, we must be careful." Alex is puzzled "I thought Elephants only
lived in the grasslands?" Bridger corrects him "These are forest elephants,
smaller than the grassland cousins but much more dangerous." Alex looks at the
tracks and asks "How many are there?" Bridger looks hard at the tracks and says
"Hard to say as they tend to walk in a row." Colt looks at the large tracks and
asks "What's an elephant?" Bridger smiles and says "They are the biggest and
most dangerous animals in Africa."
That night they are sitting around the fire when they hear a noise. It is a
trumpeting sound. Bridger jumps up and yells out "Everyone to the trees!" All
the Africans start climbing up the nearest tree. Alex and Colt look at Bridger
and ask "What's going on?" He runs towards a tree and starts climbing it
"Elephants are coming, get up quickly." Not sure what to do, they listen to him
and climb up the same tree. As they get up about ten feet, they see two
elephants come through the jungle and into their camp. These elephants are
slightly smaller and have smaller ears than regular African Elephants. Also
their tusks are straighter. They are moving fast and head right at the fire.
They both move over and start stomping on the fire. Colt looks with a scared
look on his head. He has seen some large animals in his time, but nothing comes
close to an elephant. The elephants both stomp on the fire and within seconds,
the fire is completely out. They then raise their trunk and trumpet loudly. The
elephants are looking right at Colt and Alex in the tree. They then turn and run
off into the jungle. After a few minutes, everyone climbs down and looks at the
extinguished fire. Bridger comes over to Alex and Colt and says "Elephants are
nature's firemen." With that, everyone decides to retire to their tents. Bridger
yells to Alex and Colt "Keep a gun handy. Without the fire, we may get
visitors."
The next day they stop at a small river going through the jungle. Bridger fills
a flask with water and then puts a cloth over the flask and drains the water
into a canteen. After he finishes, he pours out the flask and a handful of bugs
and small fish fall out. "Always filter your water before drinking it." He hands
a cloth to Alex and Colt to use. As they are all getting water by the river, a
snake is slowly moving through the jungle towards them. The head of the snake is
moving slowly through the jungle with its tongue flicking out as it smells them.
Down the river a little, two of the Africans are gathering fruit from a tree.
Their back is turned to the snake that slowly is moving up. Before they know
what is happening, the snake bites one of the men and holds him as its body
begins to wrap around it. The snake is a good thirty feet long and over two feet
in diameter and has the man covered in a matter of minutes. The other man
screams and runs off to get the others. He yells something and Bridger hears him
and starts to run over. Colt, Alex and Arthur chase after him as he heads into
the jungle. As he nears the snake, he sees that it is too late. The man has
already been constricted to death. The snake sees him coming and rises to meet
him. The snake is now taller than him and hissing loudly at him. Pythons are one
of the few snakes that will kill just to kill and not just to eat. Bridger knows
this and also knows he has two choices, run away or kill it with one shot.
Knowing it is doubtful he can kill it with one shot, he runs off. As he runs
past Colt and Alex, they wonder what is up. They then see the giant snake, still
standing up and also run away. The snake then goes back to the dead African and
begins swallowing him.
Back at the camp, the other Africans are spooked. They are talking among each
other. Arthur comes over to Alex and says "They feel you have angered the gods
by looking for Mokele mbembe and he sent the snake to warn us to leave." Alex
goes over to Bridger and asks him "Is there anything you can do?" He looks at
him and says "I will offer them more money, but after what happened, I don't
think it will help." He goes over and talks to them. They look very animated as
they make gestures and have scared expressions on their faces. After a few
minutes of talking with the men, he comes over "Seven men are leaving, Four will
remain but want the others share of the money." Alex looks at him and says
"That's fair." He goes over and talks with them. After he is done, the eight men
walk back the way they came and disappear into the jungle. The others come over
to him and ask for guns. He gives each one a weapon. He then looks at Alex and
says "We will have to leave most of the supplies behind. It means I will have to
hunt for our food. Two of the men lift up part of the supplies and carry them.
The other two men put rifles over their shoulders and go back to cutting through
the jungle with their machetes. The two white hunters then follow after them
with Alex and Arthur next followed by Colt and Brider leading up the rear.
After a few uneventful days in the jungle, the finally reach Lake Tele. As they
move up to the lake, they look out to see what looks like a primitive lake. Lots
of jungle growth, tons of birds flying, crocodiles and hippo in the water.
Bridger walks up to the lake and says "Here is Lake Tele, the supposed home of
Mokele mbembe ." Alex looks out over the lake and then brings out his camera to
take a picture of it. Bridger then calls out to the men to make camp. They make
the camp, a hundred feet from the shore. That night, they are all sitting around
the fire while Alex and Bridger go over the crude maps left from David Carruth.
"David believed that Mokele mbembe moved from the main lake to these lagoons."
Bridger looks over it and says "He could use the lagoons to feed during the hot
day and then use the lake to travel at night." As they are talking, one of the
men looks up and screams. The others look at him and then look up as well. They
see men coming out of the jungle, lots of them. Bridger and the others stand up
and look to see Pygmies who number in the twenties, coming out of the forest.
They have blowguns and small spears. They are small in stature but the amount of
them is enough to worry everyone. Bridger calls out "Everyone stay calm and
don't reach for your weapons." Arthur then stands up and begins talking to them.
He holds his hands up and walks slowly towards them. After a few minutes, he
looks over to Colt and waves for him to come over. Colt slowly stands up and
walks over towards the Pygmies. They look at him with much curiosity. Arthur
then points to his tail and his shell and talk to the Pygmies. They reach over
and touch his tail, and his shell. After a few minutes of them investigating
him, they smile and pat him on the back. They then leave to the forest and
disappear from sight. Colt looks at Arthur with an odd look on his face and asks
"What did you tell them?" He smiles and says "I told them you were a turtle god
and came here to bless the lake." And just shakes his head.
As they are walking along the lake shore, one of the Africans screams out and
waves for them to come. They all rush over to see him pointing at the ground. As
they look, they see a set of footprints leading into the lake. As they look into
the jungle, they can see a path made by a very large animal. Bridger kneels down
and looks at the tracks. "These were made in the last few hours." Alex pulls out
his camera and takes a picture of the footprints. He is smiling as he says "I
knew it existed." Alex begins measuring the footprint and writing the details
down in his journal. Bridger then walks over to the path it made and yells out
"Let see where it came from." The men pack up and they start walking down the
path made in the jungle by Mokele mbembe. Bridger led the pack with his two
hunter friends behind him. They all had their guns out and ready. At the rear of
the group was Alex and Colt. Colt whispers to Alex "Don't they seem too eager to
shoot the animal?" Alex looks at Colt and whispers back "They are just being
cautious." But Bridger does have a smile on his face, a cruel smile.
As they follow the path through the jungle, it leads them to one of the lagoons.
As they come to this lagoon, they see it is fairly large and full of plants and
animals. There are some bongos drinking on the shore across from them. As they
see the men, they run off into the forest. There are monkeys in the trees making
noise. Birds and butterflies are flying around as well. As they look around the
lagoon, they hear a strange sound across the lake. They see something moving
around the jungle but unlike most animals, it is moving quite slowly. Bridger
signals to the men to move around one side of the lagoon while he moves on the
other side. As they slowly stalk after it, the rest of the party watches. As
Bridger is slowly moving through the jungle, he sees something up ahead. He
cannot make out what it is, but he can tell it is quite large. He slowly moves
up on it and has his gun aimed. As he gets closer, he notices that it is a baby
dinosaur. A baby Mokele mbembe to be exact. He animal is trying to hide but its
great size makes it hard for it to hide. It stands about five feet at the
shoulder and its long neck is another four feet higher. It looks at Bridger who
looks back. The animal does not appear to be hostile, instead it looks curious.
Bridger looks around for something to capture it with. He sees the other hunters
come over and as he sees them, he says "Go get a rope."
As Bridger is standing there keeping the baby dinosaur's attention, one of the
hunters comes over with the rope and slowly sneaks up on the animal. First he
ties one end to a tree and then he then fashions a lasso and swings it and
throws it over the animal's head. The baby dinosaur looks confused at first, but
when they pull it tight, the animal screams out. It then tries to run away,
pulling the man along with it. But the tree keeps the baby from going far. He
pulls on the rope and even bends the tree some, but it holds strong. Bridger and
the other guy come over and look at the struggling baby. "You are going to make
me a very rich man" he says to the animal. But the animal is making too much
noise. Alex, Arthur and Colt come over and see what is happening. "What are you
doing?" Alex screams out. "We are taking this animal back and selling it."
Bridger screams out. "But we just came to take a picture, not capture any
animals." he screams back. Bridger then yells out "You can either help us or get
lost." Alex yells out "I am paying for this trip and I say let the baby go."
Bridger then turns and shoots at Alex. He stops in his tracks and just looks at
Bridger. Then the other men aim their guns at them. Colt and Arthur turn to run
and Alex also turns around. They all run into the jungle, while Bridger's two
friends run after them. "Kill them all" Bridger yells out to the men as they run
off. As they are running through the jungle, they follow the trail towards the
lake. As they are running, gun shots ring out. Alex is hit and falls to the
ground. The other shot bounces off Colt's shell, knocking him over. Arthur stops
to help them. He sees Colt getting up all right as he says "My natural defenses
saved me." He then goes over to Alex, who is laying face down in the mud. The
two hunters move closer and aim their guns at Arthur and Colt. One of them says
"Your shell won't save you this time." He aims right at Colt's face. Before he
can pull the trigger, a dart hits him in the throat. He falls to the ground,
dropping his gun. Before the other guy can react, a spear flies out and stabs
him right through the back. He falls down. Within seconds both men are dead. As
Arthur and Colt look around, they see the pygmies coming out of the jungle. Six
of them go over and grab Alex and carry him off. They motion for Colt and Arthur
to follow. They lead them through the jungle to their village. When they get
there, an older pygmy walks over to Alex and looks at him. He calls out to the
other pygmies to carry Alex to his hut. Arthur and Colt try to follow but he
shoos them away. A few pygmies with spears watch the entrance.
Back in the jungle, Bridger is still holding onto the dinosaur. The baby is
screaming out. He then feels the earth shake and he hears screaming. He then
sees the Africans running through the jungle. He yells for them to come back but
they are not listening. He then sees the trees bending and breaking. Out of the
jungle comes the adult Mokele mbembe. The creature looks over and sees Bridger
with the rope around the babies neck. It heads towards him. He is scared and
aims his gun and shoots at the dinosaur. The bullet hits it but it does not slow
it down. He turns to run but falls down, tripping over the undergrowth. As he
looks up he sees the dinosaur as it prepares to step on him. He screams out as
the giant foot lands on him, crushing him.
Back in the pygmy village, the chief comes out and motions for Arthur and Colt
to go into the hut. As they go in, they see that Alex is sitting up with a
bandage make of leaves on his shoulder. Colt comes over and asks "How are you
doing?" Alex smiles at him and says "I have been better but I am still alive."
He then looks over at the pygmies and says "Thanks to them." They smile at him.
Colt then walks out of the tent and is immediately greeted by pygmy children who
are standing around him and looking at him. He then leans down and picks one of
them up and puts them on his shoulders and runs around with them as they laugh
at the ride. When he drops the kid off, all the others are jumping around him,
waving their arms and hoping to be next to get a ride.
A few days later, when Alex is feeling better, they are talking with Arthur and
the pygmy chief. Alex tells Arthur to ask the chief if he can lead him to Mokele
mbembe, so he can get a picture. Arthur turns and talks with the chief as he
tries to make him understand what a camera is and how it does not hurt anyone.
After he convinces him that it is safe, he takes a picture of the chief to prove
it. He then calls out to the other pygmies and tells them to lead them to Mokele
mbembe. So they begin the trek to one of the lagoons. From there, Alex looks
down and sees there are four adults and two children around the lagoon. They are
hiding in the jungle and the creatures do not notice them. Alex looks over and
sees the baby with a parent with a wound on it. The wound already looks to be
healing. He slowly moves out and aims the camera and takes a picture of the
dinosaurs. They then disappear into the jungle.
Back at Arthur's house, he is talking with Colt and Alex over a meal. "So you
travel around the world and find extinct animals?" Alex replies "Sorta like
that, we are trying to prove that mythological creatures do exist." Arthur then
says "Well, I hope your journey is fruitful." Alex then raises his glass and
says "Here is to good friends and good travels." They all clink their glasses.
The End
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