to move!

A hundred feet to the left was a wild thicket of ground thorns, their
needlelike tips bristling. Even the snake would stay away from them. It
was his only chance should the snake get loose from the tyrannosaurus
again. Making up his mind quickly, the cadet opened the end of the
sleeping bag and shoved his weapons out before him. Then hugging the
ground, he dashed across the clearing. This gave the tyrannosaurus its
final advantage. The snake pulled back, momentarily attracted by Astro's
move, and the tyrannosaurus struck, catching the snake just behind the
head in a grip of death.

The thorns ripped at Astro's tight-fitting jungle dress, tearing into
his flesh as he dove into the thicket. But once inside the cadet lay
still, pointing his rifle at the tyrannosaurus who was methodically
finishing off the giant snake. In a few seconds the snake was dead and
the tyrannosaurus began to feast.

Astro stayed in the thicket, watching the monster devour nearly all of
the dead reptile foe and then rise up and move off through the jungle.
Astro knew that in no time the scavengers of the jungle would be
swarming over the remains of the snake. Once again he had to move.

Getting out of the thicket was painful. From every direction the thorns
jabbed at him, and but for the toughness of his jungle suit, Astro would
have been ripped to shreds. After easing his way back into the
clearing, the cadet pulled out the remains of his jungle pack. He then
saw that his suit was torn to ribbons, and the many slashes on his chest
and arms were bleeding profusely. The scent of the blood would attract
the carnivorous creatures, so he stripped off the bloody jungle suit,
dropping it back in the thicket, and hurried away. A short time later he
came to a water hole where he sponged himself off and applied medication
from his emergency kit to the scratches. Finished, he took stock. The
night's sleep had refreshed him, and except for the loss of his
protective clothing, he was in good shape. He shouldered the pack,
strapped the paralo-ray gun to his hips, and gripping the rifle tightly,
he moved off through the jungle once more. He decided to follow the
tyrannosaurus. The beast would leave a path for him, saving him the
effort of hacking his way through the vines and creepers, and should an
enemy patrol be out, it would stay away from the tyrannosaurus. Finally,
he knew Tom, Roger, and Connel would go after the beast if they saw it.

The