The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book: The G-Rex Bones (5 page)

“We have family time every night after dinner,” said Lizzy.

“Not
that
kind of family time!” said Fred.

“Please, Fred, allow me,” Ferdy broke in. “Actually, related like brother and sister isn’t such a bad way of putting it. What Fred is trying to say is that if the new species were
very
closely related to the
T-rex
, sort of like brother and sister, it would also be called
Tyrannosaurus
but would have a different name in place of
rex
. I actually suggested two such names to my uncle. I assumed he would name the creature after himself, as so many fossil hunters do. ‘What about
Tyrannosaurus actualfactualus?
’ I asked him. He said it was too much of a tongue-twister. ‘Well, then, what about
Tyrannosaurus professorus?
’ He pointed out that he wasn’t the only professor in Bear Country. Then he told me that what I should be trying to think up was a replacement for
‘Tyrannosaurus,’
not for
‘rex.
’ Because his examination of the entire set of bones had shown that the new species was not in the same genus as
T-rex
. Now, at twice the height of
T-rex
, the new species was clearly the true king of the tyrant lizards. But, of course, that name is already taken. So I suggested
Gigantosaurus rex
. King of the Giant Lizards. Uncle agreed. And that, my friends, is how the
G-rex
was born.”

“Actually, it hatched out of an egg,” cracked Sister.

“Wow,” breathed Fred. “Ferdy got to name the greatest of all the meat-eating dinosaurs! That must have felt awesome, Ferd!”

Ferdy faked a yawn to hide his urge to grin with embarrassing glee. “Yes,” he admitted. “I did rather enjoy it.”

Chapter 7

Another Field Trip

Papa Bear did agree to drive the Bear Detectives to the desert, and the very next morning they set out in the Bear family’s red roadster. Their plan was simple. First, they would find the mesa from which they’d spied Ralph and the other bears. Then they would climb to the top of it and train their binoculars on the spot where the bears had been. If they could see the big tent where the
G-rex
bones were stored, then they’d know for sure that Ralph was mixed up in some shady deal involving the fossils.

The plan may have been simple, but pulling it off wasn’t. Once they reached the desert, everything looked the same. They couldn’t tell one mesa from another. So they were surprised when Lizzy spoke up. “Stop here,” she said, peering through her binoculars. “I think I see our mesa.”

Papa insisted on going with the cubs. They had already filled their canteens from the water cooler in the trunk, so they put the top up on the roadster, locked the doors, and set off across the desert. But when they reached the top of the mesa and looked all around, nothing seemed familiar.

“What do we do now?” said Sister.

“Wait a second,” said Fred. He opened his map and spread it out on the ground. “It said in the newspaper that the fossil site is in a place called Dead Bear’s Gulch. Aha! Here’s Dead Bear’s Gulch on the map. Now all we have to do is figure out where
we
are so we’ll know what direction to go in. When we get there, we might recognize the place.”

“Okay,” said Sister. “So where
are
we?”

Fred examined the map for a while but got nowhere. Ferdy joined him, and they got nowhere together.

“Step aside, you two,” said Papa. “It takes somebody with experience at map reading to solve a problem like this.” He knelt down and studied the map for a long time. Finally, he stood up. “I’ve got it!” He pointed off into the distance. “See that mesa way over there?”

The cubs nodded.

“Well,” said Papa, “we’re right on top of it.”

Sister put her hands on her hips. “Papa!” she said. “Think about what you just said!”

“Now hold on, Sis,” Brother broke in. “I think the desert sun is making us all a little goofy. We’d better get back to the car before we get even more lost.”

Papa agreed, and they headed for the car. But when they reached it, they couldn’t get in. Papa had left the keys in the ignition.

“Is there a spare key?” asked Brother.

“Of course there is,” said Papa.

“Well, where is it?” said Sister.

Papa looked at the ground and mumbled, “Hanging from a nail in my workshop.”

“That’s just great!” cried Sister. “
Now
what are we gonna do? Our canteens are almost empty, and the water cooler is locked in the trunk!”

Papa and the cubs could already feel their throats going dry. They looked up to see vultures circling overhead.

But then they heard a truly wonderful sound: the drone of an engine coming down the highway.

Chapter 8

Saved!

Moments later Papa and the cubs saw that the droning engine belonged to a bus—a great big tour bus kicking up dust as it raced along the highway.

“Must be headed for Las Grizzly,” said Papa. “Full of gamblers from Big Bear City.”

But as the bus neared, they could make out what was printed in big letters above the windshield:
DEAD BEAR’S GULCH
.

“Dead Bear’s Gulch?” said Brother. “Wow. Some tour company sure acted fast to cash in on the fossil find.”

Papa and the cubs jumped up and down and waved. The bus pulled to a stop. Behind the wheel was a bear wearing a straw hat and green jacket.

“It’s Ralph Ripoff!” said Sister. “He’s organized tours to the fossil site!”

Ralph hopped down from the bus and tilted his hat against the sun’s rays. “Well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t Papa Q. Bear and my favorite cubs. Car trouble?”

“Er … not exactly,” said Papa. “
Key
trouble.”

Ralph chuckled. “Locked yourselves out, did ya? Why don’t you hop on the bus and take the tour? On our way back I’ll tow your car. And I’ll only charge you half price for the tour. Of course, I’ll have to charge you the other half for the tow job. That’ll be twenty dollars each. Cash or credit?”

Grumbling, Papa paid Ralph in cash. Seated next to Brother, he was still grumbling when the bus headed off down the highway again. “Your papa’s a real dummy,” he said. “Locking us out like that.”

Ferdy leaned forward from the seat in back of them. “I disagree, Mr. Bear,” he said. “In fact, it was quite a brilliant thing to do. If you hadn’t locked us out, we’d be on our way home now, having accomplished nothing. But because you did, we’re getting a second chance to do what we set out to do: determine if the fossil site is where Ralph was seen the other day.”

Papa’s frown faded. He grinned at Brother. “Ferdy has a point,” he said. “I guess locking us out of the car was a pretty smart move, after all.”

Chapter 9

Dead Bear’s Gulch

The sun on the highway near Dead Bear’s Gulch was hotter than ever. Fortunately, Ralph had put a big water cooler on the bus so the tour group could fill their canteens before setting off on their hike to the fossil site, which was almost two miles from the road.

As they hiked past a big mesa, Lizzy’s sharp eyes inspected it. “That’s it,” she whispered to Sister. “That’s the one we saw Ralph from. Pass it on.”