Ted made a quick orientation of their position in relation to the arena and underground city. “My guess is the cave ought to be in that direction,” he said, pointing southward around the bend of the arena. “What do you think, Randy?”
“It sounds right,” Randy agreed. “Let’s get started.”
They had no more than set out again when Ted suddenly pulled up sharply in his tracks, nearly toppling over backward in the motion.
“Gee! Look what I almost stepped on!” he shouted, pointing in the dust ahead of him.
It was a matlike object, lying flat in the red dust, with rows and rows of fine hairs vibrating over its surface. Ted remembered the deadly carpet plant from his study of Martian botany in school.
“Ted!” Jill screamed, as she saw the danger.
To study the action of the plant for himself, Ted picked up a broken shard of pottery and tossed it onto the plant. Instantly the voracious plant rolled up tightly, enveloping the shard in its sucking folds.
“That’s what would have happened to your foot if you’d stepped on it, Ted,” Randy said in a shivery voice.
They carefully skirted the carpet plant and hurried on, bearing southward in the direction they hoped would bring them to the mouth of the cave that had been the original cause of their trouble.
“How much air time, Randy?” Ted asked, beginning to pant a little.