David Digs with the Dinosaur Hunter by Ailynn Collins

Author:Ailynn Collins [Collins, Ailynn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dinosaurs; archaeology; paleontology; science; Triceratops; John Bell Hatcher; fossils; fiction for grades 3-6; historical fiction; Smithsonian; American history; immigration; discrimination; racism; Chinese culture
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2021-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Raising a Dragon

For the next several weeks, David rose with the sun, just like everyone else in the camp. They worked long hours, doing much the same thing each day. Digging for fossils was slow and tiring work. But David didn’t mind. As all the workers got to know each other, they got along better. They grew friendlier as time went by, and it helped that everyone had enough food to eat.

As summer arrived, so did days of rain. Digging and sifting were almost impossible on those days, so everyone was tasked with helping to pack the fossils into wooden crates. David would pack his small bones and teeth into large cans. Then, wagons would arrive to take the crates away for shipping to the museums back east.

On days when it rained hard, David noticed that Mr. Hatcher would stay inside his tent.

“He suffers from rheumatism,” his mother told him. “It must be very painful, especially on rainy days.”

“What’s ‘room-a—tiz?’” David asked.

His mother sighed, as if she were thinking of Mr. Hatcher’s pain. “It is when the joints in your hands or feet are stiff and painful. It is an illness that is common to many, especially the elderly. It’s such a pity that he has to suffer with this condition at such a young age.”

David didn’t think of Mr. Hatcher as a young man, but started watching him more carefully. He noticed that Mr. Hatcher often touched his hands. He was also often grumpy. David imagined that he, too, would be pretty grumpy if his body hurt all the time.

Toward the end of June, the days stretched out longer, and the sun shone bright. The weather grew warmer, and the work became more tedious. David had a feeling that the work would soon come to an end. He’d noticed that there were fewer mammal bones being found, and his parents were nearly done with excavating the Ceratops skull. Sam and the others had even dug up several ribs, some foot bones, and other parts that they couldn’t identify.

“That skull probably weighs a ton,” David overheard Sam say to Mr. Hatcher one day. “We need all the help we can get.”

David ran to the site. There were several new men standing around with their mules. Mr. Hatcher was hovering over the frill section of the skull.

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