"In case you don't like it here," Furston said, "you can get a week knocked off your sentence for every egg you bring in. Now get out there and work that muck."
Furston sent Graybar and Kershaw out together so that the veteran could show Asa the ropes. Asa had already learned that the wall around the courtyard was to keep Sliders out, not muck men in. He leaped over it and hopped5 along after Kershaw.
Feet slapping against the mud, they went about five miles from the Hazeltyne station, swimming easily across ponds too broad to jump. The mud, if not precisely6 as pleasant to the touch as chinchilla fur, was not at all uncomfortable, and the dripping air caressed7 their skins like a summer breeze back on Earth. Tiny, slippery creatures skidded8 and splashed out of their way. Finally Kershaw stopped. His experienced eye had seen a trail of swamp weeds crushed low into the mud.
"Keep your eyes open," Kershaw said. "There's a Slider been around here lately. If you see something like an express train headed our way, start shooting."
At each leap along the trail they peered quickly around. They saw no Sliders, but this meant little, for the beasts lived under the mud as much as on top of it.
Kershaw halted again when they came to a roughly circular area some ten yards in diameter where the weeds had been torn out and lay rotting in the muck.
"We're in luck," he said as Asa skidded to a stop at his side. "An egg was laid somewhere here within the last week. These places are hard to spot when the new weeds start growing."
Kershaw took a long look around.
"No trouble in sight. We dig."
They started at the center of the cleared area, shoveling up great gobs of mud with their hands and flinging them out of the clearing. Usually a muck man dug in a spiral out from the center, but Graybar and Kershaw dug in gradually widening semi-circles opposite each other. They had to dig four feet deep, and it was slow going until they had a pit big enough to stand in. Each handful of mud had to be squeezed gently before it was thrown away, to make sure it didn't conceal9 an egg. As he worked, Asa kept thinking what an inefficient10 system it was. Everything about the operation was wrong.
"Got it!" Kershaw shouted. He leaped out of the pit and started wiping slime off a round object the size of a baseball. Asa jumped out to watch.
"A big one," Kershaw said. He held it, still smeared11 with traces of mud, lovingly to his cheek, and then lifted it to eye level. "Just look at it."
The egg was flashing with a mad radiance, like a thousand diamonds being splintered under a brilliant sun. Static crackled in Asa's earphones and he thought of what Kershaw had said, that the scintillation of an egg was an effect of its calls to a mother Slider for help. Asa looked around.
"Jump!" he shouted.
At the edge of the clearing a segmented length of greenish black scales, some two feet thick and six feet high, had reared up out of the weeds. The top segment was almost all mouth, already opened to show row upon row of teeth. Before Asa could draw his gun the Slider lowered its head to the ground, dug two front flippers into the mud and shot forward.
Asa leaped with all his strength, sailing far out of the clearing. While he was still in the air he snapped the mouthpiece of his radio down from where it was hinged over his head. As he landed he turned instantly, his gun in his hand.
"Calling the 'copter!" he spoke12 rapidly into the mouthpiece. "Kershaw and Graybar, sector2 eight, five miles out. Hurry!"
"Graybar?" asked a voice in his earphone. "What's up?"
"We've got an egg but a Slider wants it back."
"On the way."
Asa hopped back to the clearing. Kershaw must have been bowled over by the Slider's first rush, for he was trying to hop4 on one leg as if the other had been broken. The egg lay flickering13 on top of the mud where Kershaw had dropped it. The Slider, eight flippers on each side working madly, was twisting its thirty feet of wormlike body around for another charge.
Aiming hastily, Asa fired a rocket at the monster's middle segment. The rocket smashed through hard scales and exploded in a fountain of gray flesh. The Slider writhed14, coating its wound in mud, and twisted toward Asa. He leaped to one side, firing from the air and missing, and saw the Slider turn toward the patch of weeds where he would land. His legs were tensed to leap again the moment he hit the mud, but he saw the Slider would be on top of him before he could escape. As he landed he thrust his gun forward almost into the mouth of the creature and fired again.
Even as he was knocked aside into the muck, Asa's body was showered with shreds15 of alien flesh scattered16 by the rocket's explosion. Desperately17 pushing himself to his feet, he saw the long headless body shiver and lie still.
Asa took a deep breath and looked around.
"Kershaw!" he called. "Where are you?"
"Over here." Kershaw stood briefly18 above the weeds and fell back again. Asa leaped over to him.
"Thanks," Kershaw said. "Muck men stick together. You'll make a good one. I wouldn't have had a chance. My leg's busted19."
"The helicopter ought to be here pretty soon," Asa said. He looked over at the dead Slider and shook his head. "Tell me, what are the odds20 on getting killed doing this?"
"Last time I was here there was about one mucker killed for every six eggs brought out. Of course you're not supposed to stand there admiring the eggs like I did while a Slider comes up on you."
Asa hopped over to the egg, which was still full of a dancing radiance where it rested on the mud. He scooped21 a hole in the muck and buried the egg.
"Just in case there are any more Sliders around," he explained.
"Makes no difference," said Kershaw, pointing upward. "Here comes the 'copter, late as usual."
The big machine circled them, hovered23 to inspect the dead Slider, and settled down on broad skids24. Through the transparent25 nose Asa could see Tom Dorr and Harriet Hazeltyne. The company manager swung the door open and leaned out.
"I see you took care of the Slider," he said. "Hand over the egg."
"Kershaw has a broken leg," Asa said. "I'll help him in and then I'll get the egg."
While Kershaw grabbed the door frame to help pull himself into the helicopter, Asa got under his companion's belly26 and lifted him by the waist. He hadn't realized before just how strong his new body was. Kershaw, as a muck man, would have weighed close to three hundred pounds on Earth, close to six hundred here.
Dorr made no move to help, but the girl reached under Kershaw's shoulder and strained to get him in. Once he was inside, Asa saw, the cabin was crowded.
"Are you going to have room for me too?" he asked.
"Not this trip," Dorr answered. "Now give me the egg."
Asa didn't hesitate. "The egg stays with me," he said softly.
"You do what I tell you, mucker," said Dorr.
"Nope. I want to make sure you come back." Asa turned his head to Harriet. "You see, Miss Hazeltyne, I don't trust your friend. You might ask him to tell you about it."
Dorr stared at him with narrowed eyes. Suddenly he smiled in a way that worried Asa.
"Whatever you say, Graybar," Dorr said. He turned to the controls. In another minute the helicopter was in the sky.
A round trip for the helicopter should have taken no more than twenty minutes, allowing time for Kershaw to be taken out at the settlement.
After an hour passed Asa began to worry. He was sure Dorr would return for the egg. Finally he realized that Dorr could locate the egg approximately by the body of the dead Slider. Dorr could return for the egg any time with some other muck man to dig for it.
Asa pulled down the mouthpiece of his radio.
"This is Graybar, calling the helicopter," he said. "When are you coming?"
There was no answer except the hum of carrier wave.
If he tried to carry the egg back, Asa knew, Sliders would attack him all along the way. A man had no chance of getting five miles with an egg by himself. He could leave the egg here, of course. Even so he would be lucky if he got back, following a hazy27 compass course from which he and Kershaw had certainly deviated28 on their outward trip. There were no landmarks29 in this wilderness30 of bog31 to help him find his way. The workers were supposed to home in on radio signals, if they lost their bearings, but Dorr would deny him that help.
What was the night like on Jordan's Planet? Maybe Sliders slept at night. If he could stay awake, and if he didn't faint from hunger in this strange new body, and if the Sliders left him alone....
A whirring noise made Asa jump in alarm.
Then he smiled in relief, for it was the helicopter, the blessed helicopter, coming in over the swamp. But what if it was Dorr, coming back alone to dispose of him without any witnesses? Asa leaped for the carcass of the dead Slider and took shelter behind it.
No machine-gun blast of rockets came from the helicopter. The big machine swooped32 low dizzily, tilted33 back in an inexpert attempt to hover22, thumped34 down upon the mud and slid forward. As Asa jumped aside, the landing skids caught against the Slider's body and the helicopter flipped35 forward on its nose, one of the rotor blades plunging36 deep into the mud.
Asa leaped forward in consternation37. Not only was his chance of safe passage back to the settlement wrecked38, but now he would have the extra burden of taking care of the pilot. When he reached the nose of the helicopter he saw that the pilot, untangling herself from the controls to get up, was Harriet Hazeltyne.
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1
pouches
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| n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋 | |
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2
sector
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| n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形 | |
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sectors
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| n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形 | |
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4
hop
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| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
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5
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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6
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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9
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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10
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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11
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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12
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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13
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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14
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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16
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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17
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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19
busted
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| adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词 | |
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20
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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21
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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22
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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23
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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24
skids
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| n.滑向一侧( skid的名词复数 )；滑道；滚道；制轮器v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的第三人称单数 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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25
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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26
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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27
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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28
deviated
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| v.偏离，越轨( deviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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30
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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31
bog
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| n.沼泽；室...陷入泥淖 | |
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32
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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34
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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36
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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37
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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38
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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