Dinosaur Hideout by Judith Silverthorne Read Free Book Online Page B

on Daniel. Then he seemed to reach some decision. He motioned to Daniel, turned and edged back down the hill toward his cabin. As he opened the rickety door, it threatened to fall off its hinges. He took no notice and went inside, stopping Bear, who wandered off to sniff out some tracks in the snow.
    Daniel hesitated at the threshhold, reluctant to continue. What if the stories the kids on the bus had told were true? Was he walking into certain death? No one knew where he was. Should he leave while he could? Or stay and have his curiosity satisfied? Surely someone interested in paleontology wouldn’t harm him? Or would he?
    While he stood in the doorway trying to figure out what to do, Pederson turned to him in surprise. “Well, come in. Don’t stand there all day. You’re letting the heat out.”
    Daniel felt his face burning with embarrassment as Pederson turned away. Guess it’s now or never, he thought and took a step forward. He stumbled inside the entryway and stopped short. The atmosphere was musty and earthy, but also warm. The place appeared to be a large one-room cabin, although it was hard to tell through the gloom.
    When his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Daniel realized it was no wonder he’d tripped. The floor was nothing but old boards laid over mounds of packed dirt, that took a sudden dip towards the far wall, then disappeared under the makeshift cot. A woodstove sizzled in the middle of the room, its pipes contorting and rising out of the rafters. A small wooden hutch, which seemed to serve as a kitchen cupboard, leaned precariously against one wall.
    As Pederson stoked the fire, Daniel shifted his weight. A clattering made him jump. He’d touched a chipped enamel dipper that hung on a nail on the wall, and sent it banging to the floor. Beside him, a metal pail full of water sat on a stool, and on the other side of the door stood a wood box full of firewood.
    He bent quickly to pick up the dipper, realizing that Pederson didn’t seem to have any running water. He peered around to see if there were any signs of electricity. There were some cords strung about, and one lamp by an old stuffed armchair.
    Next he quickly checked out the weathered boards that served as shelves all along the length and height of one side wall. Stacks of books and magazines filled the bottom shelves. The top ones were lined with a myriad of jars, bottles, and tins in all shapes and sizes.
    Daniel felt a clutch of fear. Maybe these were the ingredients for making poisons? Maybe Craig and Brett were right and Pederson planned to poison him. He gulped and eyed the recluse across the room. He had his back to Daniel and was removing his parka in between coughing fits.
    He was probably harmless enough. He was an old man. Besides, he was sick. Daniel could probably outfight him and outrun him. And Bear was still outside so the odds were better. But what was in all those containers?
    Daniel crept forward and examined the contents more closely. There were little labelled jars of dried plants, powders, crushed blossoms, dehydrated berries, and seeds in various shades of greens, browns, and yellows, all assembled neatly in alphabetical order. Just as he reached the last of the jars, Pederson poked him from behind.
    Daniel jumped.
    “Over here,” the old man said and headed across the room.
    Daniel took a deep breath and followed. The place was larger than it first appeared, he realized, as Pederson yanked on a chain and one side of the cabin flooded with light.
    Daniel stopped short and gasped. Beneath the slanted ceiling of the shorter wall squatted a long rough-hewn table covered with dinosaur bones and various samples of fossil imprints! Even more than he’d glimpsed through the window.
    “Wow! You’re a real paleontologist aren’t you?” Daniel stared at the old man.
    Pederson nodded.
    Daniel could hardly contain his excitement as he walked along the table, investigating the findings. He made sure not to touch anything, even