“I wish there were some way to let them know we’ve landed,” Shep said. “That is, if Kalmus hasn’t found out already.”
Shep started to move into a better position to see when suddenly his foothold gave away beneath him. His cry blasted loudly over Rock’s receiver. Rock made an instinctive grab for his friend. He barely caught hold of an anchor ring on the other’s space belt in time to keep him from tumbling all the way to the ground. Rock steadied him as Shep thrust about with his feet for a new foothold.
“I thought I was a goner!” Shep said tremulously.
During the boys’ struggles they had evidently released loose material, for they saw a quantity of the porous stone cascade down the wall and strike the side of the ship.
“We’ve got to scram!” Rock said urgently. “They’re bound to have heard that inside! Now they’ll know we’re on Luna!”
They scrambled downward as fast as possible, without being reckless. It seemed as if the lunabase were more slippery than ever. Twice the boys’ feet slipped, and only timely bracing by the other prevented disaster.
When they were about halfway down, Shep’s foot wedged into a crevice.
“Look what I had to do with my big feet!” Shep groaned.
“Don’t worry,” Rock said. “It’ll take them a few minutes to get space suits on if they have decided to come out and investigate.”
Rock gently but firmly began working on his friend’s imprisoned foot. He moved it back and forth, tugging and pushing. But it held fast. Even after several minutes, Shep was still a prisoner.