Tree branches had broken the lifeboat's fall, the bow rockets had burned out in emergency blast, and the swamp had cushioned the landing a bit. It was still a crash. The battered1 cylinder2 sank slowly into the stagnant3 water and thin mud of the swamp. The bow was well under before Jason managed to kick open the emergency hatch in the waist. There was no way of knowing how long it would take for the boat to go under, and Jason was in no condition to ponder the situation. Concussed and bloody4, he had just enough drive left to get himself out. Wading5 and falling he made his way to firmer land, sitting down heavily as soon as he found something that would support him. Behind him the lifeboat burbled and sank under the water. Bubbles of trapped air kept rising for a while, then stopped. The water stilled and, except for the broken branches and trees, there was no sign that a ship had ever come this way. Insects whined7 across the swamp, and the only sound that broke the quiet of the woods beyond was the cruel scream of an animal pulling down its dinner. When that had echoed away in tiny waves of sound everything was silent. Jason pulled himself out of the half trance with an effort. His body felt like it had been through a meat grinder, and it was almost impossible to think with the fog in his head. After minutes of deliberation he figured out that the medikit was what he needed. The easy-off snap was very difficult and the button release didn't work. He finally twisted his arm around until it was under the orifice and pressed the entire unit down. It buzzed industriously9, though he couldn't feel the needles, he guessed it had worked. His sight spun10 dizzily for a while then cleared. Pain-killers went to work and he slowly came out of the dark cloud that had enveloped11 his brain since the crash. Reason returned and loneliness rode along with it. He was without food, friendless, surrounded by the hostile forces of an alien planet. There was a rising panic that started deep inside of him, that took concentrated effort to hold down. "Think, Jason, don't emote," he said it aloud to reassure12 himself, but was instantly sorry, because his voice sounded weak in the emptiness, with a ragged13 edge of hysteria to it. Something caught in his throat and he coughed to clear it, spitting out blood. Looking at the red stain he was suddenly angry. Hating this deadly planet and the incredible stupidity of the people who lived on it. Cursing out loud was better and his voice didn't sound as weak now. He ended up shouting and shaking his fist at nothing in particular, but it helped. The anger washed away the fear and brought him back to reality. Sitting on the ground felt good now. The sun was warm and when he leaned back he could almost forget the unending burden of doubled gravity. Anger had carried away fear, rest erased14 fatigue15. From somewhere in the back of his mind there popped up the old platitude16. Where there's life, there's hope. He grimaced17 at the triteness18 of the words, at the same time realizing that a basic truth lurked19 there. Count his assets. Well battered, but still alive. None of the bruises20 seemed very important, and no bones were broken. His gun was still working, it dipped in and out of the power holster as he thought about it. Pyrrans made rugged21 equipment. The medikit was operating as well. If he kept his senses, managed to walk in a fairly straight line and could live off the land, there was a fair chance he might make it back to the city. What kind of a reception would be waiting for him there was a different matter altogether. He would find that out after he arrived. Getting there had first priority. On the debit22 side there stood the planet Pyrrus. Strength-sapping gravity, murderous weather, and violent animals. Could he survive? As if to add emphasis to his thoughts, the sky darkened over and rain hissed23 into the forest, marching towards him. Jason scrambled24 to his feet and took a bearing before the rain closed down visibility. A jagged chain of mountains stood dimly on the horizon, he remembered crossing them on the flight out. They would do as a first goal. After he had reached them, he would worry about the next leg of the journey. * * * * * Leaves and dirt flew before the wind in quick gusts25, then the rain washed over him. Soaked, chilled, already bone-tired, he pitted the tottering26 strength of his legs against the planet of death. When nightfall came it was still raining. There was no way of being sure of the direction, and no point in going on. If that wasn't enough, Jason was on the ragged edge of exhaustion27. It was going to be a wet night. All the trees were thick-boled and slippery, he couldn't have climbed them on a one-G world. The sheltered spots that he investigated, under fallen trees and beneath thick bushes, were just as wet as the rest of the forest. In the end he curled up on the leeward28 side of a tree, and fell asleep, shivering, with the water dripping off him. The rain stopped around midnight and the temperature fell sharply. Jason woke sluggishly29 from a dream in which he was being frozen to death, to find it was almost true. Fine snow was sifting30 through the trees, powdering the ground and drifting against him. The cold bit into his flesh, and when he sneezed it hurt his chest. His aching and numb31 body only wanted rest, but the spark of reason that remained in him, forced him to his feet. If he lay down now, he would die. Holding one hand against the tree so he wouldn't fall, he began to trudge32 around it. Step after shuffling33 step, around and around, until the terrible cold eased a bit and he could stop shivering. Fatigue crawled up him like a muffling34, gray blanket. He kept on walking, half the time with his eyes closed. Opening them only when he fell and had to climb painfully to his feet again. The sun burned away the snow clouds at dawn. Jason leaned against his tree and blinked up at the sky with sore eyes. The ground was white in all directions, except around the tree where his stumbling feet had churned a circle of black mud. His back against the smooth trunk, Jason sank slowly down to the ground, letting the sun soak into him. Exhaustion had him light-headed, and his lips were cracked from thirst. Almost continuous coughing tore at his chest with fingers of fire. Though the sun was still low it was hot already, burning his skin dry. Dry and hot. It wasn't right. This thought kept nagging35 at his brain until he admitted it. Turned it over and over and looked at it from all sides. What wasn't right? The way he felt. Pneumonia36. He had all the symptoms. His dry lips cracked and blood moistened them when he smiled. He had avoided all the animal perils37 of Pyrrus, all the big carnivores and poisonous reptiles38, only to be laid low by the smallest beast of them all. Well, he had the remedy for this one, too. Rolling up his sleeve with shaking fingers, he pressed the mouth of the medikit to his bare arm. It clicked and began to drone an angry whine8. That meant something, he knew, but he just couldn't remember what. Holding it up he saw that one of the hypodermics was projecting halfway39 from its socket40. Of course. It was empty of whatever antibiotic41 the analyzer had called for. It needed refilling. Jason hurled42 the thing away with a curse, and it splashed into a pool and was gone. End of medicine, end of medikit, end of Jason dinAlt. Single-handed battler against the perils of deathworld. Strong-hearted stranger who could do as well as the natives. It had taken him all of one day on his own to get his death warrant signed. * * * * * A choking growl43 echoed behind him. He turned, dropped and fired in the same motion. It was all over before his conscious mind was aware it had happened. Pyrran training had conditioned his reflexes on the pre-cortical level. Jason gaped44 at the ugly beast dying not a meter from him and realized he had been trained well. His first reaction was unhappiness that he had killed one of the grubber dogs. When he looked closer he realized this animal was slightly different in markings, size and temper. Though most of its forequarters were blown away, blood pumping out in dying spurts45, it kept trying to reach Jason. Before the eyes glazed46 with death it had struggled its way almost to his feet. It wasn't quite a grubber dog, though chances were it was a wild relative. Bearing the same relation as dog to wolf. He wondered if there were any other resemblances between wolves and this dead beast. Did they hunt in packs, too? As soon as the thought hit him he looked up--not a moment too soon. The great forms were drifting through the trees, closing in on him. When he shot two, the others snarled47 with rage and sank back into the forest. They didn't leave. Instead of being frightened by the deaths they grew even more enraged48. Jason sat with his back to the tree and waited until they came close before he picked them off. With each shot and dying scream the outraged49 survivors50 howled the louder. Some of them fought when they met, venting51 their rage. One stood on his hind6 legs and raked great strips of bark from a tree. Jason aimed a shot at it, but he was too far away to hit. There were advantages to having a fever, he realized. Logically he knew he would live only to sunset, or until his gun was empty. Yet the fact didn't bother him greatly. Nothing really mattered. He slumped52, relaxed completely, only raising his arm to fire, then letting it drop again. Every few minutes he had to move to look in back of the tree, and kill any of them that were stalking him in the blind spot. He wished dimly that he were leaning against a smaller tree, but it wasn't worth the effort to go to one. Sometime in the afternoon he fired his last shot. It killed an animal he had allowed to get close. He had noticed he was missing the longer shots. The beast snarled and dropped, the others that were close pulled back and howled in sympathy. One of them exposed himself and Jason pulled the trigger. There was only a slight click. He tried again, in case it was just a misfire, but there was still only the click. The gun was empty, as was the spare clip pouch53 at his belt. There were vague memories of reloading, though he couldn't remember how many times he had done it. This, then, was the end. They had all been right, Pyrrus was a match for him. Though they shouldn't talk. It would kill them all in the end, too. Pyrrans never died in bed. Old Pyrrans never died, they just got et. Now that he didn't have to force himself to stay alert and hold the gun, the fever took hold. He wanted to sleep and he knew it would be a long sleep. His eyes were almost closed as he watched the wary54 carnivores slip closer to him. The first one crept close enough to spring, he could see the muscles tensing in its leg. It leaped. Whirling in midair and falling before it reached him. Blood ran from its gaping55 mouth and the short shaft56 of metal projected from the side of his head. The two men walked out of the brush and looked down at him. Their mere57 presence seemed to have been enough for the carnivores, because they all vanished. Grubbers. He had been in such a hurry to reach the city that he had forgotten about the grubbers. It was good that they were here and Jason was very glad they had come. He couldn't talk very well, so he smiled to thank them. But this hurt his lips too much so he went to sleep.
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battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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whined
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| v.哀号( whine的过去式和过去分词 )；哀诉，诉怨 | |
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whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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industriously
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spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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erased
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| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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platitude
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| n.老生常谈，陈词滥调 | |
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grimaced
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| v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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triteness
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| n.平凡，陈腐 | |
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lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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debit
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| n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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sifting
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| n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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numb
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| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
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trudge
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| v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行 | |
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shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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nagging
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| adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责 | |
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pneumonia
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| n.肺炎 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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reptiles
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| n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 ) | |
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halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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antibiotic
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| adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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43
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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44
gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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45
spurts
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| 短暂而突然的活动或努力( spurt的名词复数 )； 突然奋起 | |
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46
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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47
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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48
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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venting
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| 消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风 | |
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52
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
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53
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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