Read Darwin Expedition for Free Online Page A

balls. I heft one of the bigger rocksand lob it down the slope. It rolls a couple of times and then catches air, bouncing down the slope. Behind, it leaves a light-colored wake of the smaller rock.
    Tej whistles. “It’s like liquid rock.”
    â€œOr snow. We can boot-ski.”
    Tej looks at me. “It’ll shred you if you fall.”
    â€œI don’t plan on falling.”
    â€œThat’s because you’re an idiot.” He peers down the gully. “It’s a friggin’ double black diamond.”
    â€œSounds like you’re scared.” I make a chicken sound.
    â€œSmart and scared are not the same thing. I just happen to know the logical consequence of doing something stupid.”
    I ignore the superior tone in his voice. “You even smell like a chicken.” I sniff the air. “Like you’ve pissed yourself. Again.”
    â€œI don’t smell anything.” Tej sniffs too. “Oh wait, I do. It smells like you, only more.”
    A rock slithers past us on the scree slope.
    I say, “You smell like a tipped port-apotty.”
    â€œOnly you would tip a port-a-potty.”
    â€œYou’ve tipped port-a-potties.I’ve seen you do it.”
    He says, “Okay, only you would tip a port-a-potty, then smell it.”
    Another rock dances past us on a crazy descent. Tej and I look up at the same time.
    At the same time we say, “Uh-oh.”
    The bear. Same big brown face, same black eyes. I had a good look at it yesterday, and I know it’s the same bear. It’s above us, one big paw paused on the rocks, as if it was going to cross the gully and then it saw us. It is ten feet away. I want to swallow, but I have no spit.
    The bear looks down as if it’s embarrassed we spotted it. A load of bear poo plops out its rear.
    â€œStay still,” Tej hisses. “It wants to get to the grass at the other side of the gully.”
    I glance across. Along the scree trail, grass grows in a tall swath.
    More rock skitters down from the bear’s paw.
    I say, “If that thing steps onto the scree, it’ll slide down and end up in our laps.”
    Tej shakes his head. “It’ll clear the gully in one stride.”
    â€œSo why isn’t it?”
    Just then, the grass on the other side of the gully starts to thrash. A massive brown hump appears above the grass. Then a set of ears. Big ears. Really big ears. Mama bear ears.
    She’s the mother bear, and we’re between her and her cub.
    â€œDamn.”
    The big bear rolls her head and looks right at us. Her head is as wide across as my chest and as big as a medicine ball. Her big black nose works the air, her nostrils flaring as she tries to catch our scent. She was chewing on something, grass maybe, but she’s stopped chewing as she looks at us.
    â€œTej, we have to move.”
    Tej’s jaw hangs open.
    The female bear drops her head. Her jowls puff out and she huffs, a sound that’s so deep in her chest it’s more like a growl. The yearling bawls.
    I’m on my feet in a low crouch, but Tej seems frozen in his boots.
    The mother bear thrusts her head through the grass and pops her jaw, wide. Suddenly we have a view of all her teeth. She lets out a rumble that sounds like a truck.
    I grab Tej by his pack and hoist him to his feet. “Go!” I point him downhill and shove him onto the slope.
    The sow bear takes a leap toward me that makes the ground shudder. The yearling hightails it up the scree slope, its back legs windmilling in the rock for traction. The young bear slips back a bit and then digs hard to make its way up the slope. Rocks fly off its back paws and careen down the slope. One zings past my left ear and I duck.
    The mother bear lunges again. For an instant, I think about the sheep Tej’s dadvideotaped. I wonder if the sheep knew the bear was going to get it. I wonder if the sheep felt anything just before the bear sunk its claws into it