he would be protected should the monster
be able to rise and fight again.

Sighting carefully on the base of the monster's neck, he squeezed the
trigger of the shock rifle. A full energy charge hit the tyrannosaurus
in its most vulnerable spot. It jerked under the sudden blast,
involuntarily tried to rise to its feet, and then fell back, the ground
shaking under the impact of its thirty tons. Then, after one convulsive
kick with its hind legs that uprooted a near-by tree, the beast
stiffened and lay still.

Tom waited, watching the beast for signs of life. After five minutes he
stepped forward cautiously, his rifle ready. He circled the
tyrannosaurus slowly. The great bulk towered above him, and the cadet's
eyes widened in amazement at the size of the fallen giant. Stopping at
its head, which was as wide as he was tall, Tom looked at the jaws and
teeth that had torn so many foes into bloody bits, and shook his head.
He had come to the jungle to kill just such a beast. But with Astro
missing and Roger unconscious the thrill of victory was somehow missing.
He turned and headed back down the trail.

Connel had finished the litter by the time Tom returned, and the officer
was leaning over the blond-haired cadet, examining his back again.

"We'd better move out right away, Tom," said Connel. "I still can't tell
what's wrong. It may be serious, and then it may be nothing more than
just shock. But we can't take a chance."

Tom nodded. "Very well, sir." He adjusted his shoulder pack, slung both
rifles over his shoulder, and started to pick up his end of the litter
when suddenly the jungle silence was shattered by a deafening roar.
Connel jumped to his feet!

"Corbett!" he cried. "That's a rocket ship blasting off!"

"It sure sounded like it, sir," replied Tom.

"And I'll stake my life it's not more than a half mile away!"

The two men jumped out into the trail and scanned the sky. The
unmistakable roar of a spaceship echoed through the jungle. The ship was
accelerating, and the reverberations of the rocket exhaust rolled over
the treetops. Suddenly a flash of gleaming metal streaked across the sky
and Connel roared.

"We've found it, Corbett!" He slapped the cadet on the back. "The
Nationalists' base! We've found it!"

Tom nodded, a half-smile on his face. "We sure have, Major." He
hesitated a moment. "You know, sir, if Roger is really badly hurt we
might not make it back to Sinclair's in time, so--" He stopped.