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chapter 4
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"Are you hurt?" Asa asked her. She reached for his shoulder to steady herself as she climbed out of the machine.
"I guess not," she said. "But taking a fall in this gravity is no fun. From the way my face feels I ought to be getting a black eye pretty soon."
"What happened?"
"I made a fool of myself." She made a face back in the direction of the settlement. "Dorr wasn't going to come after you. He said anyone who talked back to him should try arguing with the Sliders."
She looked up at the machine-gun on the helicopter.
"They feed at night, you know. And they eat their own kind," she said. "The Slider you killed would draw them like ants to jam."
Asa glanced around quickly to make sure no Sliders had already come. He eyed the helicopter with distaste at the thought of what a flimsy fort it would make.
"Anyway," Harriet said, "I told him he couldn't just leave you here and we started arguing. I lost my temper. He thought he had brought me to Jordan's Planet on a fancy tour. I told him the real reason I was here was to check up for my father on the way he was running things and there seemed to be a lot wrong. So he told me very politely I could run things to suit myself and he walked off."
She shrugged1, as if to indicate that she had made a mess of things.
"And you took the helicopter by yourself," Asa said, as if he could hardly believe it yet.
"Oh, back on Earth I can make a helicopter do stunts2. But I wasn't used to this gravity. I don't suppose you could make this machine stand up straight?"
Asa tugged3 at the body of the Slider until he got it off the skids4 of the plane. He pulled with all his strength at the rotor blade sunk in the mud, but the weight of the helicopter was upon it and the mud held it with a suction of its own. After a few minutes he had to give up.
"We fight off the Sliders, then," she said, as matter of factly as if that problem was settled. "If it's any comfort, I know how to handle the machine-gun."
"Nope. In this drizzle5, at night, the Sliders would be on us before we could see them. We've got to try to get back." He stood in thought while she stared at him patiently. "What happened to the other muck men who went out today?" he asked.
"They were called in when the 'copter came out the first time. Some of them may not have got back yet."

Asa started talking into his radio.
"Calling all muck men. This is Asa Graybar. All muck men, listen. This is Graybar. I am five miles out with Miss Hazeltyne, who came to rescue me after I saved Kershaw from a Slider. The helicopter is smashed. We're slogging in."
He looked at her for a nod of confirmation6 and repeated the message.
"Graybar?" came a voice in his earphones. "What do you want?"
Asa grinned at Harriet as he continued.
"Go on back to the settlement. Tell the others. Then organize a party to come help us. Bearing 150 degrees."
"Right," said the unidentified voice.
"I got it too," said another voice in the headset. "Muck men stick together."
Good, Asa thought. At least two muckers were still out. They would tell the others.
"Cancel all that," said a third voice. "This is Dorr speaking. Nobody goes out until I give the word."
Asa didn't fancy waiting.
"By authority of Miss Hazeltyne," he said rapidly, "Dorr is no longer manager. I am acting7 manager." He saw Harriet's eyebrows8 go up, for she couldn't hear the other end of what was going on. "Disregard Dorr," he continued. "If you can help us get back, Miss Hazeltyne will make changes to benefit all of us."
Before he could say any more his ear was stricken with the noise of loud static. Dorr was making sure no more radio messages got through. Asa quickly told Harriet what had happened.
The girl smiled with one side of her mouth.
"Fine," she said, "but how am I supposed to cross the muck?"
"On my back," Asa turned and entered the helicopter cabin. All the time he had been talking he had been worrying about the fact that he had only three rockets left for his gun. Quickly he checked the ammunition9 for the machine-gun, found it was the same caliber10, and felt that at last one break had gone his way. He took the plastic ammunition belts outside.
"Load your pockets with these," he told the girl, pulling the rockets from their loops. Then, tying the plastic belts together, he fashioned a sling11 she could sit in with her legs at his sides. Finally he handed her his gun.
"If you see a Slider," he said, "shoot for the head. Now climb on and hold tight to my gun harness and we'll try our luck."

When she was astride his back Asa checked his compass and started jumping. At once he knew that the going would be much harder than he had imagined. Alone he could leap twenty-five yards, but her weight cut him down to about five yards. He kept going, realizing that the task was almost beyond his strength and not daring to tell her that even if his strength held out they might not even find the settlement in this drizzle.
Hopping13, sometimes staggering, skirting the wider pools in the swamp. Asa managed to go about a mile before he had to stop and rest. Harriet climbed out of the sling and settled down on a patch of weeds, a wet and slippery mat upon the mud.
"We're going to make it," she said cheerfully.
"I hope so," he said. "Not just for ourselves. A lot of changes should be made. There must be millions of eggs on this planet. You're getting only a couple hundred a year."
He was panting between sentences and stopped talking until he could catch his breath.
"For one thing," he continued, "rockets are the wrong weapon against the Sliders. Flame throwers would be better. Of course they're a lot heavier than guns. But everything about the way you go after eggs is wrong. It's criminal to send one man out alone. It's utterly14 irresponsible to have only one helicopter. You're putting a price on eggs in terms of human lives. Muck men are human, you know, no matter what we look like."
"You are very human," she said softly, "and very brave."
He returned her smile, adding, "And we'll both be very dead unless we get going."
They had traveled considerably15 less than a mile when he had to stop again.
"How would you run things here?" Harriet asked.
"Start with new premises16. There's no need to make monsters out of the muck men. Double their strength, and perhaps give them web feet, but why legs like a frog? If I could walk normally I could be pulling you on a sled. And why shovel17 hands instead of proper tools? Of course you would still have to give them a skin for this weather."
Harriet's clothing was sodden18 and streaked19 with mud, and her hair was hanging down her head in wet, dark tangles20 that looked like so much boiled spinach21. The bump when the helicopter fell had raised a blue-black swelling22 around her left eye. Yet, it occurred to Asa, she hadn't voiced the slightest complaint. She was listening intently to his advice.
"I would send parties of three men out in a helicopter," he continued. "One would guard the ship while the other two hunted eggs. As soon as they found an egg they'd hop12 into the ship and be safe."

They started off again. At the first leap Asa saw a Slider a hundred yards away. As soon as his feet hit the ground he whispered to Harriet. She climbed out of the sling and held her gun ready while he drew his knife to wait. Long minutes passed before he decided23 they had not been seen and it was safe to continue.
Next time they stopped the girl turned to Asa with a frown and asked, "Just how does Dorr think he can get away with this?"
"Simple." Asa shrugged. "He'll say the Sliders got us despite all he could do. No muck man who could tell a different story will live long enough to get back to Earth."
The sound of a rocket explosion came from somewhere off to their right. It was the loveliest sound Asa had ever heard.
"The rescue party!" he shouted. "Let's go!"
Knowing that rockets meant Sliders, but knowing also that no Slider was a match for a team of armed men, Asa leaped forward with renewed vigor24. Once he misjudged his strength and landed in a puddle25, splashing both of them with slimy water, but the girl on his back only laughed. They heard the sound of another rocket, and Harriet fired three shots of her own to attract attention. In a few more minutes they were happily welcoming six muck men.
"I heard your message," said one of them, "and back at the settlement Kershaw told us what had happened. Furston tried to stop us and wound up with a knife in his belly26. A couple of the others were afraid to come, and two were shot from the tower by Dorr, but the rest are with you."
"Tom Dorr will be tried for murder," Harriet promised grimly.
With different men taking turns carrying Harriet for short distances they began to make progress rapidly. The Slider the men had been firing at was dead and no more were sighted before they came to the settlement.
Dorr was waiting for them. He fired from the tower, his machine-gun burst of rockets cutting through one man in mid-leap. Asa's party hugged the mud and fired back. Plastic showered from the tower window, and dust spurted27 from the concrete around it.
"Keep me covered," Asa shouted. He took the gun from Harriet and leaped madly forward until he was under the shelter of the side of the dome28. He waited for one more salvo from his party and jumped to the tower itself.
Dorr had vanished, driven out of the tower by the rockets. Asa waved to the others to come forward and hopped29 into the main quarters of the dome.
He had never been in this part of the settlement. Dorr could be lying in ambush30 for him. Asa moved cautiously, but he was confident that his own adjustment to the gravity of the planet would give him the advantage in any sudden meeting.

He looked around the corner and down some stairs just in time to see the discredited31 manager, holding a sack in one hands, struggle to open a door. Asa fired and missed. The next moment Dorr was outside. Asa leaped to the floor below.
One of the normal humans who lived in the settlement came out of another room, saw Asa and dodged32 back out of sight.
Outside, Asa could see Dorr laboring33 to run along the paved road that led to the spaceship a quarter of a mile away. The fugitive34 turned once and fired wildly as Asa leaped after him. The mist was turning into heavy rain, and it was getting harder to see.
Another rocket exploded somewhere out in front of Asa. The sound was followed by a scream. One more leap and Asa began firing himself.
A Slider was gently taking into its mouth three eggs spilled from the sack lying beside what was left of Tom Dorr.
One of Asa's shots destroyed the Slider, destroying the eggs, too as the monster's head exploded. Asa didn't think the eggs mattered much right now.
He shuffled35 slowly back to the settlement, deciding to accept when Harriet offered him the managership. Some day, if he had his way, Slider eggs would be as common on Earth as diamonds.

The End

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1 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 stunts d1bd0eff65f6d207751b4213c4fdd8d1     
n.惊人的表演( stunt的名词复数 );(广告中)引人注目的花招;愚蠢行为;危险举动v.阻碍…发育[生长],抑制,妨碍( stunt的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He did all his own stunts. 所有特技都是他自己演的。
  • The plane did a few stunts before landing. 飞机着陆前做了一些特技。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 skids babb329807fdd220b6aa39b509695123     
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
参考例句:
  • The aging football player was playing on the skids. 那个上了年纪的足球运动员很明显地在走下坡路。 来自辞典例句
  • It's a shame that he hit the skids. 很遗憾他消沉了。 来自辞典例句
5 drizzle Mrdxn     
v.下毛毛雨;n.毛毛雨,蒙蒙细雨
参考例句:
  • The shower tailed off into a drizzle.阵雨越来越小,最后变成了毛毛雨。
  • Yesterday the radio forecast drizzle,and today it is indeed raining.昨天预报有小雨,今天果然下起来了。
6 confirmation ZYMya     
n.证实,确认,批准
参考例句:
  • We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
  • We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前,我们需要书面确认。
7 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
8 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
9 ammunition GwVzz     
n.军火,弹药
参考例句:
  • A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
  • They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。
10 caliber JsFzO     
n.能力;水准
参考例句:
  • They ought to win with players of such high caliber.他们选手的能力这样高,应该获胜。
  • We are always trying to improve the caliber of our schools.我们一直在想方设法提高我们学校的水平。
11 sling fEMzL     
vt.扔;悬挂;n.挂带;吊索,吊兜;弹弓
参考例句:
  • The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。
  • By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。
12 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
13 hopping hopping     
n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
  • I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。
14 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
15 considerably 0YWyQ     
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上
参考例句:
  • The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
  • The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。
16 premises 6l1zWN     
n.建筑物,房屋
参考例句:
  • According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定,场内不准饮酒。
  • All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行,不用送到外面去做。
17 shovel cELzg     
n.铁锨,铲子,一铲之量;v.铲,铲出
参考例句:
  • He was working with a pick and shovel.他在用镐和铲干活。
  • He seized a shovel and set to.他拿起一把铲就干上了。
18 sodden FwPwm     
adj.浑身湿透的;v.使浸透;使呆头呆脑
参考例句:
  • We stripped off our sodden clothes.我们扒下了湿透的衣服。
  • The cardboard was sodden and fell apart in his hands.纸板潮得都发酥了,手一捏就碎。
19 streaked d67e6c987d5339547c7938f1950b8295     
adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹
参考例句:
  • The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白,脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句
20 tangles 10e8ecf716bf751c5077f8b603b10006     
(使)缠结, (使)乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Long hair tangles easily. 长头发容易打结。
  • Tangles like this still interrupted their intercourse. 像这类纠缠不清的误会仍然妨碍着他们的交情。
21 spinach Dhuzr5     
n.菠菜
参考例句:
  • Eating spinach is supposed to make you strong.据说吃菠菜能使人强壮。
  • You should eat such vegetables as carrot,celery and spinach.你应该吃胡萝卜、芹菜和菠菜这类的蔬菜。
22 swelling OUzzd     
n.肿胀
参考例句:
  • Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
  • There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。
23 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
24 vigor yLHz0     
n.活力,精力,元气
参考例句:
  • The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
  • She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在,她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。
25 puddle otNy9     
n.(雨)水坑,泥潭
参考例句:
  • The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑,沿着人行道跑了。
  • She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下,跌在水坑里。
26 belly QyKzLi     
n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛
参考例句:
  • The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
  • His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。
27 spurted bdaf82c28db295715c49389b8ce69a92     
(液体,火焰等)喷出,(使)涌出( spurt的过去式和过去分词 ); (短暂地)加速前进,冲刺
参考例句:
  • Water spurted out of the hole. 水从小孔中喷出来。
  • Their guns spurted fire. 他们的枪喷射出火焰。
28 dome 7s2xC     
n.圆屋顶,拱顶
参考例句:
  • The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
  • They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。
29 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
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
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
30 ambush DNPzg     
n.埋伏(地点);伏兵;v.埋伏;伏击
参考例句:
  • Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
  • Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。
31 discredited 94ada058d09abc9d4a3f8a5e1089019f     
不足信的,不名誉的
参考例句:
  • The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷,不得人心。
  • Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。
32 dodged ae7efa6756c9d8f3b24f8e00db5e28ee     
v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 );回避
参考例句:
  • He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时,他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》
33 laboring 2749babc1b2a966d228f9122be56f4cb     
n.劳动,操劳v.努力争取(for)( labor的现在分词 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转
参考例句:
  • The young man who said laboring was beneath his dignity finally put his pride in his pocket and got a job as a kitchen porter. 那个说过干活儿有失其身份的年轻人最终只能忍辱,做了厨房搬运工的工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • But this knowledge did not keep them from laboring to save him. 然而,这并不妨碍她们尽力挽救他。 来自飘(部分)
34 fugitive bhHxh     
adj.逃亡的,易逝的;n.逃犯,逃亡者
参考例句:
  • The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
  • The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。
35 shuffled cee46c30b0d1f2d0c136c830230fe75a     
v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼
参考例句:
  • He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
  • Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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