branches in the way~but he was going to try. With the other hand, he swung
his cheek microphone into position.
“Birn calling base camp. I’m treed by something over here. Nothing we’ve
seen before. It’s big and obviously carnivorous. I’m going to take some
shots at it, but I may need help.”
“O’Kung here. I read you, Bim. I’m sending a squad. Try not to damage it
too much-Biology will want to look at it.”
“I’ll try,” Jorn said disgustedly and swung the mike away. Leaning back
against his safety belt, he steadied the pistol with both hands and tried
to lead the animal back and forth in its pacing. It was, as he had antici-
pated, difficult to do; the tree bole kept getting in the way. But if he
could have it in the sights just as it stopped to sigh-
It stopped and he squeezed the trigger. He did not hit it-not by several
feet, at least-but the result was utterly unexpected. He watched with
incredulity for nearly five minutes; and then, holstering the pistol, began
to climb carefully down to the ground.
He was looking down at the colorful corpse when the cautious party from
camp arrived. ‘
They dragged it back to camp and into the improvised surgery tent, where
Dr. Chase-Huebner, the ship’s surgeon and the chief of biology were already
set up to perform an autopsy. The beast, looking somehow smaller, was
hauled up onto the table,
_J
116 James Blish
where it lay in a peculiarly floppy position, like a child’s toy.
“What a face,” Dr. Chase-Huebner said. “Like a devil. What happened, Jorn?”
‘I wish I knew. I know I didn’t hit it. But at the sound of my gun it
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