zone, as near water as you can...."




2


They were flung off their feet again, this time backward along the boat.
As they picked themselves up, Seldar Glav was shaking his head, sadly.
"That was the ship going up," he said; "the blast must have caught us
dead astern."

"All right." Kalvar Dard rubbed a bruised forehead. "Set course for
Tareesh, then cut out the jets till we're ready to land. And get the
screens on, somebody; I want to see what's happened."

The screens glowed; then full vision came on. The planet on which they
would land loomed huge before them, its north pole toward them, and its
single satellite on the port side. There was no sign of any rocket-boat
in either side screen, and the rear-view screen was a blur of yellow
flame from the jets.

"Cut the jets, Glav," Dard repeated. "Didn't you hear me?"

"But I did, sir!" Seldar Glav indicated the firing-panel. Then he
glanced at the rear-view screen. "The gods help us! It's yellow flame;
the jets are burning out!"

Kalvar Dard had not boasted idly when he had said that his people would