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Connel hesitated. "It's due north," he said finally. "We've come a full day west and should be making a turn north. We'll follow the tyrannosaurus's trail for a full day." Roger and Tom grinned. They knew Connel was making every effort to find Astro, while still keeping his mission in mind. The three spacemen moved along the trail quickly, eyes alert for any sign Astro might have left.
The three cadets quieted down after that, walking carefully, stepping around dead brush that might betray their presence. After working their way along the tyrannosaurus's trail for several hours, Connel called a halt, and after a quick look at his compass, motioned for them to cut away from the monster's tracks. "We'll start working around in a circle," he said.
Get as much information as you can, in case only one of us can escape." "Yes, sir," whispered Tom. "Do you think they might have Astro?" "It's a good guess. We were following the tyrannosaurus's trail when they caught us, and I'm pretty sure Astro had been doing the same thing." "Stop that talking!" snapped Drifi, suddenly whirling on them.
Astro had expected a long march, but to his surprise, he was pushed along a well-worn jungle trail for only three hundred yards in from the tyrannosaurus's track. Finally they stopped before a huge teakwood tree. The leader pounded his rifle butt on the trunk three times. Mystified, Astro watched a small section of the trunk open to reveal a modern vacuum-tube elevator shaft.
With three coils wrapped around the tyrannosaurus's body, the snake was trying to wrap a fourth around its neck and strangle it, but the monster was too wily. Rearing back, it suddenly fell to the ground, its weight crushing the three coils around its middle. The snake jerked spasmodically, stunned, as the tyrannosaurus scrambled up again.
Maddened now beyond the limits of its endurance, hit at least twenty times and wild with pain, the great king of the Venusian jungle bore down on the two cadets. Roger and Tom saw that their fire was not going to stop the tyrannosaurus's charge.
The ground trembled and branches were ripped from near-by trees. All around the jungle had been leveled. Everything fell before the thrashing monsters. Recovering, the snake's head darted in again, trying to circle the tyrannosaurus's head and complete the last and fatal coil, but the giant beast lunged, its massive jaws snapping, and the snake drew back.
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