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"I do, sir," Hollis answered through tight lips

"As your Co you to blow that hill, and blow it now"

"Theup the hill," Nichols said in near panic

They all tensed and swung their eyes to thethe hill

The huge throng was slowlyTopiltzin's name

"If you wait any longer you'll kill a lot of people," said Metcalf urgently "for pity's sake, man, detonate" Hollis's thumb was poised above the switch He spoke into his transmitter "Detonation!"

But he didn't press the switch He used the enlisted ambit: Never refuse an order and be tried for insubordination, but answer to the affirmative and never carry it out Inefficiency was one of the es to prove at a court-martial

He was determined to squeeze every second he could for Pitt

Holding his breath as though he were diving under water, eyes tightly closed against the stinging ss towhich would rush hie, not knowing if it led to the tunnel shaft or the crater He kept his eyes shut, feeling his way along the wall, half-hopping, half-hobbling on his bad leg

He felt a burning rage to live He si survived the last fewby bees, but he could see He had passed the worst of the se vapor now

The shaft through the liht increase in teht breeze Then he stuht The stars were there, al up the hill

But Pitt was not clear There was a snag He had the unsettling realization that he had exited through the crater tunnel The slanting sides rose up another five ly far

He began clawing his way up the incline, his wounded leg, totally useless now, dragging along behind He could only dig in and push with one foot

Hollis had gone silent The Colonel had no words left to say Pitt knew the explosion he'd so carefully planned was going to take hi waves, yet he stubbornly crawled upward

Then a dark form appeared over the rirabbed the shoulder of Pitts sweater and heaved hiround