Things grow worse. Today, at mess, Murdo was holding forth about a Plutonian ice bear he'd killed. I think he was trying to cover the gloom that has settled over us. Anyhow, he'd just got to the point where the bear was charging down on him when we heard the roar of thunder from outside. Maybe I'd better repeat that for the record. _We heard a roaring through the walls of the space ship. In the void._ Nothing goes through the walls of a space ship in the void but we all heard it and jumped to the port. And we all saw it. An ice bear as big as ten of the largest that ever lived in the Plutonian ice flows. A huge ravening beast that rushed through the void at the ship and tried to tear the port out of its metal seat with teeth as big as the height of a man. The women fell back, screaming. Keebler, in his usual stupor stared blankly as though not realizing what was going on. Kelvey looked to Murdo for guidance. When none came he crouched behind a chair. Murdo fell back slowly, step by step as though his eyes were fastened to the quartz and it was hard to pull away. I don't remember what I did. Murdo was saying "My God--my God--my God," as though chanting a ritual. He tore his eyes from the sight and looked at me. "You wanted big game, buster," I croaked. "There it is." "But it can't be real. It _can't_!" "Maybe not, but if that port gives I'll bet it won't be from vacuum pressure." "Vacuum draws. It doesn't press," Kelvey babbled inanely, but nobody paid any attention to him. The beast made two more charges on the ship, then drew back screaming in rage from a snapped tooth. And all around us, there in the ship, the sparkling fog glittered and tried to talk. Two hours. The beast still rages in the void outside our ship. * * * * * Jane is dead. She was horribly mangled. I put her in her bunk and laid a blanket over her and now the blanket is soaked in her blood. No one could have helped her. It happened in the lounge. She was in there alone. I was in the control room. I don't know where the rest were. I was working uselessly with the controls when I heard a terrible scream mixed with a hideous snarling. I ran into the companionway and stared toward the lounge. Murdo appeared from somewhere and we were shouldering each other on the companion ladder. Murdo fell heavily. Then we were both looking into the lounge. It was too late to help Jane. We saw her there, still and bloody. A shiny black leopard was crouching gory-mouthed over her body with its paws on her breast. It's eyes were black magnets, holding mine. I said, "Get a gun," trying to speak without moving my lips. "But--" "Damn you--get a gun!" Murdo staggered away. It seemed a year before he came back with a Hinzie Special .442. The leopard was tight, ready to spring. I didn't dare move a muscle. I said, "Over my shoulder. Get him. Don't miss."