Whoever else has walked these hills was not interested in fossils. The shark teeth lying on the ground represent at least seven species, and Pendergraft knows each at a glance. He knows from 23 years of experience what he is seeing. He uses a hunting knife to pry loose a three-toed horse's tooth only slightly buried in the sand. Dugong ribs are everywhere.
Dugongs are an ancient cousin of the modern manatee.
On the hunt All afternoon, Pendergraft methodically scrutinizes hill after barren hill, wiping sweat from his brow and the back of his neck. He looks up only to locate the position of the draglines. He remembers where the draglines were from his last visit and follows their movement as if on some sort of migration. He climbs deeper and deeper into the landscape. On the way out of the mine, he stops on the sandy road to listen to the pipes that also line the landscape.