"Check outside air pressure." "Seven four two." "Terrain indicator." "Level." "Altimeter." "Four thousand three hundred. Going down a hundred per second." "Let her down." Anxious seconds of jockeying, Jon's eyes flashing from indicator to gauge to telltale to screen, his hands and feet moving here and there on the controls. The two others gasped as they saw the ground rushing toward them so swiftly. The ship landed--but with a jar that shook them all. "Off bow retarders," Jak yelled. The roar of the tubes ceased and they were almost stunned by the sudden silence. "Down landing props." The grind of a motor, then a gentle jar and the ship seemed to straighten a bit. "Props down." "Close fuel petcocks." "Closed." "Shut off fuel pump." "Shut." "All controls in neutral." Jon's hands flashed over several levers, knobs and switches. "Everything neutral." He turned in his seat then, and his face wore a wide grin of triumph. "We did it. We're down." He noticed his mother's white, strained face, and called to her, "Relax, Mom. I set you down in one piece, just as I said I would." Jak broke in with a scoffing comment--although his eyes showed the secret pride he felt in his younger brother's ability--"Lousy landing. What's the big idea, jolting us all like that? Want to bust up the ship?" "Now, Boys," their mother hastened to break up this incipient quarrel before it had the chance to get started--which was exactly what Jak intended--"I think Jon did exceptionally well, considering it was his first solo landing. I'm not hurt at all, and I'm sure the ship isn't, either." Jak pretended to look ashamed, although neither of the boys could completely hide their grins, and had to face away from her. "Yes, I was just steaming off. It was really a swell job, Chubby." But Jon had already pushed out of his seat and was at one of the window-ports, peering eagerly outside. However, he did fling back over his shoulder, "You helped a lot, Owl. Couldn't have done it without you." The other two came up quickly to stand beside him, staring at this strange, new world. The clearing in which the ship rested, they could see now, was about a hundred acres in extent. Near the ship the strange grass with which the clearing was carpeted was seared and black from their landing blasts, and burning in places. But toward the huge trees that walled the clearing, the grass was in its natural green state, covered with tiny, whitish blossoms. The trees visible from the ship were mostly very tall, averaging well over three hundred feet, the Carvers estimated. They looked somewhat like Douglas firs, but with a difference the Terrans could not at the moment figure out. The three could see no animal or bird life, but guessed this did not mean there was none. The jungle might be teeming with life, but it would probably have been frightened away for the time being by this strange, fire-breathing monster that had descended from the skies to land on their world.