rested in
comfortable contour chairs. They chatted idly, stopping only to listen
to the wild calls of birds and animals out in the jungle as George, or
Sinclair, identified them all. George told of his experiences on
tyrannosaurus hunts, and Astro described his method of hunting as a boy.

"I was a big kid," he explained. "And since the only way of earning a
living was by working, I found I could combine business with pleasure. I
used to hitch rides over the belt and parachute in to hunt for baby
tyrannos." He grinned and added, "When I think back, I wonder how I ever
stayed in one piece."

"Land sakes!" exclaimed Mrs. Hill. "It's a wonder you weren't eaten
alive! Those tyrannos are horrible things."

"I was almost a meal once," confessed Astro sheepishly, and at the
urging of the others he described the incident that had cured him of
hunting alone in the jungles of Venus with only a low-powered shock
blaster.

"If I didn't get it at the base of the brain where the nerve centers
aren't so well protected with the first shot, I was in trouble," he
said. "I took a lot of chances, but was careful not to tangle with a
mama or papa tyrannosaurus. I'd stalk the young ones. I'd wait for him
to feed and then let him have it. If I was lucky, I'd get him with one
shot, but most of the time I'd just stun him and have to finish him off
with a second blast. Then I'd skin him, take the hams and shoulders, and
get out of there fast before the wild dogs got wind of the blood. I'd
usually hunt pretty close to a settlement where I could get the meat
frozen. After that, I'd just have to call a couple of the big
restaurants in Venusport and get the best price. I used to make as much
as fifty credits on one kill."

"How would you get the meat to Venusport?" asked Roger, who, for all his
braggadocio, was awed by his unit mate's calm bravery and skill as a
hunter.

"The restaurant that bought it would send a jet boat out for it and I'd
ride back with it. After a while the restaurant owners got to know me
and would give me regular orders. I was trying to fill a special order
on that last hunt."

"What happened?" asked Tom, equally impressed with Astro's life as a boy
hunter.

"I had just about finished hunting in a section near a little settlement
on the other side of Venus," began the big cadet, "but I thought there
might be one more five-hundred-pound baby around, so I dropped in."
Astro paused and grinned. "I didn't find a baby, I