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Once, he saw a glimmer of light and his heart pounded but it filtered down from ahole too difficult even for himself and utterly impossible for Sam. His air got low; he paid no attention, other than to adjust his mix to keep it barely in the white. He went on searching. A passage led to the left, then down; he began to doubt the wisdom of going further and stopped to check the darkness. At first his eyes saw nothing,then it seemed as if there might be a suggestion of light ahead.Eye fatigue?Possibly. He went another hundred feet and tried again. It was light! Minutes later he shoved his shoulders up through a twisted hole and gazed out over the burning plain. Hi! Sam greeted him. I thought you had fallen down a hole. Darn near did. Sam, I found it! Knew you would.Let s get going. Right.I ll dig out my other ski. Nope. Why not? Look at your air gauge. We aren t going anywhere on skis. Huh? Yeah, I guess not. They abandoned their loads, except for air and water bottles. The dark trek was made piggy-back, where the ceiling permitted. Some places Bruce half dragged his partner. Other places they threaded on hands and knees with Sam pulling his bad leg painfully behind him. Bruce climbed out first, having slung Sam in a bowline before he did so. Sam gave little help in getting out; once they were above ground Bruce picked him up and set him against a rock. He then touched helmets. There, fellow! We made it! Sam did not answer. Bruce peered in; Sam s features were slack, eyes half closed. A check of his belt told why; the blood-oxygen indicator showed red. Sam s intake valve was already wide open; Bruce moved fast, giving himself a quick shot of air,then Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html transferring his bottle to Sam. He opened it wide. He could see Sam s pointer crawl up even as his own dropped toward the red. Bruce had air in his suit for three or four minutes if he held still. He did not hold still. He hooked his intake hose to the manifold of the single bottle now attached to Sam s suit and opened his valve. His own indicator stopped dropping toward the red. They were Siamese twins now, linked by one partly-exhausted bottle of utterly necessary gas. Bruce put an arm around Sam, settled Sam s head on his shoulder, helmet to helmet, and throttled down both valves until each was barely in the white. He gave Sam more margin than himself,then settled down to wait. The rock under them was in shadow, though the Sun still baked the plain. Bruce lookedout, searching for anyone or anything, then extended his aerial. M aidez! he called. Help us! We re lost. He could hear Sam muttering. May day! Sam echoed into his dead radio. May day! We re lost. Bruce cradled the delirious boy in his arm and repeated again, M aidez! Get a bearing on us. He paused,then echoed, May day!May day! After a while he readjusted the valves,then went back to repeating endlessly, May day! Get a bearing on us. He did not feel it when a hand clasped his shoulder. He was still muttering May day! when they dumped him into the air lock of the desert car. Mr. Andrews visited him in the infirmary at Base Camp. How are you, Bruce? Me? I m all right, sir. I wish they d let me get up. My instructions.So I ll know where you are. The Scoutmaster smiled; Bruce blushed. How s Sam? he asked. He ll get by. Cold burns and a knee that will bother him a while. That s all. Gee, I m glad. The troop is leaving. I m turning you over to Troop Three, Mr.Harkness . Sam will go back with the grub car. Uh, I think I could travel with the Troop, sir. Perhaps so, but I want you to stay with Troop Three. You need field experience. Uh Bruce hesitated, wondering how to say it. Mr. Andrews? Yes? Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html I might as well go back. I ve learned something. You were right. A fellow can t get to be an old Moon hand in three weeks. Uh . . . I guess I was just conceited. Is that all? Well yes, sir. Very well, listen to me. I ve talked with Sam and with Mr.Harkness . Mr.Harkness will put you through a course of sprouts; Sam and I will take over when you get back. You plan on being ready for the Court of Honor two weeks from Wednesday. The Scoutmaster added, Well? Bruce gulped and found his voice. Yes, sir! [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |