Doree obeyed, and thus did not see the snake. But her fright was apparent. Mike moved a slow hand toward the buckle on his chest. The serpent's head flicked around at the movement. Mike's cold hand gripped the buckle. He knew the snake's length was such that it could reach him in a single long strike. He could only hope the serpent would hesitate for a few seconds. The snake's head came around, then drew back. At that moment a voice broke the silence. "You--beautiful serpent. Gorgeous green and gold clothes line. Over this way. Here I am." Nicko's voice and with it the little Martian unbuckled his strap and put his feet on the floor. A hiss. The snake struck. Doree turned her eyes downward and screamed. The snake's great head slammed against Nicko's leg. The Martian laughed. The snake ricocheted backward, dazed from the contact, two of its fangs broken off on Nicko's steel-hard scales. Nicko got up and walked over and put his heel on the serpent's head and crushed it. As the long body lashed and writhed, Nicko looked down at it with a kind of compassion. "Good-bye, little sister." Nicko looked over at Mike in assumed surprise. "Was my pretty cousin bothering you? She only wanted to say hello." "All right," Mike barked. "You've had your little joke. Let's find out where we are." "In a jungle I guess--from the nature of the welcoming committee." Mike helped Doree from her couch. She had sustained no injuries other than a slightly sprained wrist. Mike got a rifle from the gun cabinet, gave another to Nicko and armed Doree with a small pistol which she tried to refuse. Investigation showed the hull to be intact but two of the hatches had been torn off their hinges and were nowhere in sight. "A beautiful glide," Nicko commented, looking back at the broad furrow that gave evidence of how the _Space Queen_ had come in. It was a good thing for them. * * * * * "A lucky one," Mike replied. He scanned the thick tropical vegetation on every side. "We could be down in the green jungles of Terra," Nicko said. "We could at that. There is a river around here somewhere." "How do you know?" "I got a flash of a river as we glided in. Thought we were going to hit it. Then we went over. It ought to be in that direction. Let's go." Doree, still stunned by the episode of the snake, was mute and pale as she followed close behind Mike. Nicko brought up the rear. The going was hard until Mike broke through into a comparatively open area. He pointed. "There it is." A silent, ominous river, dark under the hot rays of a high sun. Around them, nothing moved; only the black waters of the river rushing onward toward some distant rendezvous with the sea. Doree shuddered. * * * * * Mike drew her into the circle of his arm. "Don't be afraid. This is a break--just what we wanted. All rivers go somewhere and this one saves us from fighting our way through the jungle an inch at a time."