g foolish piloting. Jason hauled the control wheel into a tight
turn and the autopilot gentled it to a soft curve.

Through the port he could see the big ship blaring fire in a much
tighter turn. Jason didn't know who was flying it or what they had in
mind--he took no chances. Jamming the wheel forward into a dive he
cursed as they eased into a gentle drop. The larger ship had no such
restrictions. It changed course with a violent maneuver and dived on
him. The forward turret fired and an explosion at the stern rocked the
little boat. This either knocked out the autopilot or shocked it into
submission. The slow drop turned into a power dive and the jungle
billowed up.

Jason pulled the wheel back and there was just time to get his arms in
front of his face before they hit.

Thundering rockets and cracking trees ended in a great splash. Silence
followed and the smoke drifted away. High above, the spaceship circled
hesitantly. Dropping a bit as if wanting to go down and investigate.
Then rising again as the urgent message for aid came from the city.
Loyalty won and she turned and spewed fire towards home.

XXIII.

Tree branches had broken the lifeboat's fall, the bow rockets had burned
out in emergency blast, and the swamp had cushioned the landing a bit.
It was still a crash. The battered cylinder sank slowly into the
stagnant water and thin mud of the swamp. The bow was well under before
Jason managed to kick open the emergency hatch in the waist.

There was no way of knowing how long it would take for the boat to go
under, and Jason was in no condition to ponder the situation. Concussed
and bloody, he had just enough drive left to get himself out. Wading and
falling he made his way to firmer land, sitting down heavily as soon as
he found something that would support him.

Behind him the lifeboat burbled and sank under the water. Bubbles of
trapped air kept rising for a while, then stopped. The water stilled
and, except for the broken branches and trees, there was no sign that a
ship had ever come this way.

Insects whined across the swamp, and the only sound that broke the quiet
of the woods beyond was the cruel scream of an animal pulling down its
dinner. When that had echoed away in tiny waves of sound everything was
silent.

Jason pulled himself out of the half trance with an effort. His body
felt like it had been through a meat grinder, and it was almost
impossible to think with the fog in his he