5 Hello, We Must Be Going!

Chapter 5 HELLO, WE MUST BE GOING! The Time-A-Tron shook like a monster blender. Yergghh! thought Andrew. I feel like a milk shake. Andrew took his finger off the Fast-Back button and flopped into the chair. Judy flopped down next to him. It was so soft and squishy, he felt as though he were sinking into a puffy cloud. The green lights disappeared. Andrew stared through the clear dome of the Time-A-Tron. They weren't inside Uncle Al's

laboratory anymore. It was daytime. They were outdoors! "Bizarre-o!" said Judy. The place looked like the valley where Uncle Al's laboratory had been. But there were a lot more trees. The Time-A-Tron was between some pines. Andrew spotted the path that led to Uncle Al's cabin. It was narrower and there were no lights along the way. "Look!" said Judy, pointing to a herd of shaggy creatures in the distance. "Buffaloes!" "Where are we?" asked Andrew. bong… "We are just where we were before, Master Andrew," said the voice. "The Time-A- Tron follows the atoms of Montana through time. The question is when are we." "Then when are we?" asked Andrew. "And who are you?" bong… "We are in the year 1905," said the voice. "And I am the Time-A-Tron." "Wowzers!" said Andrew.

"Strange-a-mundo!" said Judy. meep… "Look!" said Thudd, pointing to the top of a hill. A man in a plaid shirt was riding a beautiful brown horse. At his side was a silvery gray dog. "That guy looks kind of familiar," said Andrew. Judy leaned forward to get a better look. meep… "Man is Chief Running Wolf," said Thudd. "Uncle Al's great-grandpa! Drewd and Oody's great-great-grandpa!"

"Oh my gosh!" said Judy. "Uncle Al told us about him. Chief Running Wolf built the cabin. He had a herd of three hundred buffaloes." meep… "And pet wolf," said Thudd. "Let's get out and say hi," said Andrew. bong… "Must not do that, Master Andrew," said the Time-A-Tron. "We are visitors in time. We must not change anything." Andrew was puzzled. "We won't change anything," he said. "We'll just talk to Great-Great- Grandpa Running Wolf." bong… "Even talking can change things," said the Time-A-Tron. "Chief Running Wolf would know the future. That might change what he does in his own time. "Visiting the past is like visiting a store filled with delicate glass. It is safest to look and not touch. If he simply sees us, it might change things." Andrew cocked his head. "We don't want to mess up the past," he said. "So I guess we'd better

leave. But how do we get to the time we need to go to?" bong… "To what time do you wish to go?" "We've got to find Uncle Al," said Andrew. "Thudd thinks he's trapped in the time of the mammoths." bong… "We arrived here by Tachyon-Drive when you pressed the Fast-Back button, Master Andrew," said the Time-A-Tron. "But to reach the time of the mammoths, we must go back much further. We must travel by wormhole." "Wormhole!" said Judy. "What's that?" meep… "Wormhole is shortcut through time," said Thudd. bong… "Your silver friend is right," said the Time-A-Tron. "A worm can get to the other side of an apple by crawling around the outside or going straight through the middle. It's a much shorter distance through the middle. We can travel most quickly through time by creating a wormhole." "Weird-a-roony!" said Judy.

bong… "Please buckle up," said the Time-A- Tron. "Wormholes can be frightfully bumpy—and sometimes much worse. Please follow my instructions exactly." Rooof! Rooof! the wolf barked. Chief Running Wolf was riding closer to the Time-A-Tron. His eyebrows rose toward his dark hair. He reminded Andrew of Uncle Al. bong… "Oh dear!" sighed the Time-A-Tron. "Chief Running Wolf has seen us. We are now part of his life." meep… "Maybe chief tell kids about strange thing he saw in buffalo field," said Thudd. "Maybe that why chief's kids and grandkids become scientists. To find out what chief saw." bong… "You are wise as well as clever little one," said the Time-A-Tron. "Miss Judy, when I count to three, please tap the Fast-Back button once. Master Andrew, you must press the Worm- Drive button and hold it down until 'Four million years ago' flashes on the digital display. Then you must let go of the Worm-Drive immediately."