Weird West 04 - The Doctor and the Dinosaurs by Mike Resnick Read Free Book Online Page B

from the bones your two expeditions are digging up.”
    “Either way we die,” said Younger, “so why does Geronimo care?”
    “Because he doesn't think the medicine men can kill as many monsters as they resurrect, and if they do resurrect them to drive you off, they'll start roaming away when they're done with you, and some of them will wind up in Apache territory.”
    “Bullshit!” said Younger. “If they make it that far, and he's half as powerful as you think, he'll just order them to turn back.”
    “I believe I can answer that, Mr. Younger,” said Roosevelt, who'd been sketching a pair of prairie dogs in the dying light while he listed to the two shootists.
    “Cole,” Younger corrected him.
    “Cole,” Roosevelt amended. “I'm no expert, but from what little I've read about these dinosaurs, they are about ninety-nine percent instinct and one percent brainpower. It may be that their brains are so small the medicine men, including Geronimo, can't control them.”
    Younger considered what Roosevelt said for a moment, and then responded. “If you know it, and Geronimo knows it, then surely the Comanche medicine men know it.”
    “They know they'll endanger a lot of Comanche lives,” agreed Roosevelt. “But what we don't know is how important that is to them. If the ground is truly sacred to them, maybe it's more important for them to chase the expeditions away or kill them, so the Comanche who die at the same time will find peace in the sacred burial ground.” Roosevelt grimaced and shrugged. “Or maybe they've already resurrected one or two and learned that they can control them. Geronimo's powerful, but he's not infallible.”
    “What do you get out of this, Doc?” asked Younger. “What's Geronimo paying you to do his dirty work for him?”
    “My health.”
    Younger stared at him and frowned. “Bullshit,” he said. “You move like everything hurts, I can hear you breathing from where I'm sitting, and I saw you cough some blood into your kerchief a few minutes ago. I'd hardly call that health.”
    “Everything's relative,” said Holliday with a rueful smile. “A few days ago I was in a sanitarium, waiting to die. I couldn't sit up without help, and I couldn't walk even with help. I was going to die in less than a day. Geronimo gave me a year in exchange for my coming here and trying to get the two expeditions to go east to Dakota or south to Colorado.”
    “That Apache sure as hell did a half-hearted job of restoring your health,” noted Younger.
    “He explained his reasons to me.” A grim smile. “Needless to say, I thoroughly disagree with them.”
    “So you're here to convince Professor Cope to pack up and leave?”
    “Cope and Marsh both.”
    Younger stared at him for a moment before replying. Finally he said, “You want an honest opinion?”
    “Always happy to have one,” replied Holliday.
    “You got more chance of getting Geronimo to convert to Christianity,” said Younger with a smile. “The most important thing in either of these guys’ lives is digging up some new bone before the other one can. I don't know what started it, but I don't think I've ever seen two guys hate each other as much as these two.”
    “Those are comforting words,” said Roosevelt.
    “Doc,” said Younger, “your friend's as crazy as they are.”
    “Anything's possible,” answered Holliday. “But he usually has a reason for what he says.” He turned to Roosevelt. “Theodore?”
    “Cole, you said it yourself,” said Roosevelt with a smile.
    “Said what?”
    “The most important thing in both their lives is digging up some bone before the other one does.”
    “So?” demanded Young.
    “So we only have to convince one of them to leave,” continued Roosevelt. “The other will follow him because he'll be sure he's found a better spot to dig, and he'll want to be there to pull out the better specimens before his rival can.”
    A slow grin spread across Younger's face. “You know, he's got