rocedure. That should cover a lot of ground
in eight days. If anything's moving around out here, besides what should
be here, we'll find it. From now on, we'll have a scout. Astro, you know
the jungle, you take the point, about five hundred yards ahead. If you
see anything, signs of a patrol or any danger from the jungle, fall back
and report. Don't try to do anything yourself. Four guns in a good
position are better than one popping off by itself."

"Aye, aye, sir," said Astro. With a quick nod to Tom and Roger, he moved
off through the jungle. In ten feet he was invisible. In thirty seconds
his footsteps were lost in the thousands of jungle sounds around them.

"I'll take the lead now," said Connel. "Corbett, you bring up the rear.
All right, move out!"

From above, in the leafy roof covering the jungle; from the side, in the
thick tangle of vines; and from below, in the thorny underbrush, the
eyes of living things, jungle things, followed the movements of the
three spacemen, perhaps wondering if these new beasts were a threat to
their lives.

CHAPTER 10

"Hal-loo-ooo!"

Astro's voice boomed out over the tops of the trees, where the birds
fluttered in sudden fright. It echoed through the darkness around him,
where smaller creatures crawled and slithered into the protection of
their holes. The voice of the big cadet was loud, but it was not loud
enough for his mates to hear.

Astro was lost.

He couldn't understand how it had happened. Over and over during the
past six hours he had retraced his steps mentally, trying to visualize
the trail, trying to locate the telltale marks he had made with his
jungle knife, and so find Major Connel, Tom, and Roger. It was dark now
and the big cadet had to face the dangerous jungle alone. He laughed
ironically. Connel had given him the point because he knew the jungle!
And now he was lost.

Astro was a little frightened too. It was his frank realization of
trouble that made him afraid. He knew what was in the jungle, and though
he had been there alone before, he had never been in it as deeply as
this, nor had he ever been lost in the nightmarish place after sundown.

While he was desperately anxious to find his unit mates, he had not
fired his rifle. The threat of exposing his position to a possible
Nationalist patrol prevented him from signaling with the blaster or even
from building a fire. During the last hours of the day, when the
suspicion that he was lost b