“Another full day’s journey for you two, and maybe half the next. At this speed we can’t expect to cut it any shorter,” Kimber replied. “Jorge’s been working on the engine again. But there isn’t much he can do without other tools.”
The big man grinned. “Well, these here plasta-boots of our’n are holdin’ up pretty well. We can keep sloggin’ a while longer. And there’s nothin’ to be afraid of.”
“Don’t be too sure of that,” cautioned the pilot. “Keep your eyes open, you two. There may have been other booby traps scattered around. Since we were shot down, I don’t trust even a clear sky!”
The second day’s routine followed the first. Except, in the arid desert land, it was tougher going and they did not make time.
Dard’s head went up and his nostrils expanded as he started to pick his way down a series of ledges into a sandy- floored ravine. There was a musky, highly repellent stench arising from below. And he had sniffed something very much like it before! The putrescent remains of the duocorn! Below an organic thing was very dead! Santee worked along to join him.
“What’re you stoppin’ for?”
“Smell that?”
Santee’s bearded face wrinkled. “Yah, a big stink! Somthin’ dead!”
Dard studied the ground before them carefully. If they tried to double back on their trail through this up and down country they were going to lose hours of time, After all, what had made that kill below-if it were a kill-might have been gone for days. He decided to leave it up to Santee.
“Shall we go down?”