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1 Quicksand! “The New Conquest of Central Asia” In 1922, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City sponsored one of the most ambitious scientific expeditions ever attempted. Led by the legendary explorer Roy Chapman Andrews (1884–1960), the expedition traveled to China and Mongolia with a huge caravan of seventy-five camels (each carrying 180 kg or 400 pounds of gasoline and other supplies), three Dodge touring cars and two Fulton trucks, and a large party of scientists, guides, and helpers (Fig.1.1). The party included not only Andrews, but also paleontologist Walter Granger (1872–1941), a veteran of many fossil-hunting expeditions in the U.S. and elsewhere , who had prior experience hunting fossils in China. There were also two geologists (Charles P. Berkey and Frederick K. Morris) and many other assistants to drive the trucks and cars and camels, cook the food and set up the camp, and act as guides and interpreters. The expedition was sent by famous paleontologist and American Museum Director Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857–1935) to find important fossils from Central Asia. Osborn believed that Asia was the center of origin of most mammal groups, including humans, and could contain the legendary “Missing Link” that was long predicted by biologists and paleontologists. Osborn used this argument not only to authorize the expedition, but also to raise funds from his many rich friends who were donors or trustees of the Museum. Osborn told Andrews, “The fossils are there. I know they are. Go and find them.” Andrews provided a colorful and detailed account of all the expeditions in his massive volume with a very un-politically correct imperialist title, The New Conquest of Central Asia. One of the most incredible finds of all occurred in the third field season (1925), as described by Andrews (1932, pp. 279–280): The credit for the most interesting discovery at Loh belongs to one of our Chinese collectors, Liu Hsi-ku. His sharp eyes caught the glint of a white bone in the red sediment of the steep hillside. He dug a little and then reported to Granger who completed the excavation. He was amazed to find the foot and lower leg of a Baluchitherium STANDING UPRIGHT , just as if the animal had carelessly left it behind when he took another stride. Fossils are so seldom found in this position that Granger sat down to think out the why and wherefore. There was only one possible solution. Quicksand! It was the right hind limb that Liu had found; therefore, the right front leg must be farther down the slope. He took the direction of the foot, measured off about nine feet, and began to dig. Sure enough, there it was, a huge bone, like the trunk of a fossil tree, also standing erect. It was not difficult to find the two limbs of the other side, for what had happened was obvious. When all four legs were excavated , each one in a separate pit, the effect was extraordinary [Fig. 1.2]. I went up with Granger and sat down upon a hilltop to drift in fancy back to those far days when the tragedy had been enacted. To one who could read the language, the story was plainly told by the great stumps. Probably the beast had come to drink from a pool of water covering the treacherous quicksand. Suddenly it began to sink. The position of the leg bones showed that it had settled slightly back upon its haunches, struggling desperately to free itself from the gripping sands. It must have sunk rapidly, struggling to the end, dying only when the choking sediment filled its nose and throat. If it had been partly buried and died of starvation, the body would have fallen on its side. If we could have found the entire skeleton standing erect, there in its tomb, it would have been a specimen for all the world to marvel at. I said to Granger, “Walter, what do you mean by finding only the legs? Why don’t you produce the rest?” “Don’t blame me,” he answered, “it is all your fault. If you had brought us here thirty-five thousand years earlier, before that hill weathered away, I would have the whole skeleton for you!” True enough, we had missed our opportunity by just about that margin. As the entombing sediment was eroded away, the bones were worn off bit by bit and now lay scatted on the valley floor...

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