e girl, Alice Krim, were bathing
his bruised forehead. Robbie Boone was peering wildly through a
porthole at the sunlit tangle of green jungle outside. From Mrs.
Milsom came a shrill, steady wail of terror.

"Stop that screeching," Murdock told the dumpy dowager brutally.
"You're not hurt. Gloria, are you others all right?"

Gloria raised her white face from her task. "Only bruised, Hugh."

She did not look at Kenniston or the big Jovian as she spoke.

Robbie Boone's teeth were chattering. "Murdock, what are we going to
do? We're wrecked, on this hellish jungle asteroid--"

Murdock paid the frightened, chubby youth no attention. Captain Walls,
Bray, and four of the crew were entering the cabin. The captain and
pilot had belted on atom-pistols.

Captain Walls' plump face was paler. "Two of the crew were killed and
our telaudio wrecked by that meteor," he reported. He glared at
Kenniston. "You damned pirate! You're responsible for this!"

"If you hadn't dragged me away from the controls, the cruiser wouldn't
have been struck," Kenniston denied. "And I'm not a pirate--"

Murdock interrupted. "We'll settle with those two later," he told the
enraged captain. "Right now, we'll have to get out of the ship. We
can't stay in here until we get it righted on an even keel."

Holk Or rumbled a warning. "Better be careful about going outside.
Those cursed Vestans are thick in these jungles."

"I'll have no advice from you two pirates!" flamed the captain. "Bray,
you and Thorpe keep your guns on them every minute."

The heavy main space-door was opened. Pale sunlight and warm, steamy
air laden with rank scents of strange vegetation drifted in. Outside
lay a raw clearing the falling ship had crushed out of the jungle.

Captain Walls supervised as they all donned lead-soled weight-shoes to
compensate for the weaker gravity. Then they emerged, young Lanning
being supported by Murdock and Robbie. Kenniston and the Jovian were
last to emerge, under the watchful guns of their guards.

The crew and passengers were looking around with wonder and revulsion.
The silvery bulk of the _Sunsprite_ lay awkwardly heeled on its side.
The symmetrical torpedo shape of the cruiser was now badly marred by
the crumpled condition of its bow.

* * * * *

All around them in the thin sunlight rose slender trees whose enormous
green leaves grew directly from the trunks. This grotesque forest was
made more dense by