Behind him, Gerd van Riebeek's voice was saying , “ Hold it, all of you; get your hands up . You, too , Kellogg ."
Kellogg , who had fallen , pushed himself erect . Blood was gushing from his nose , and he tried to stanch it on the sleeve of his jacket . As he stumbled toward his companions , he blundered into Ruth Ortheris, who pushed him angrily away from her . Then she went to the little crushed body , dropping to her knees beside it and touching it . The silver charm bell on the neck chain jingled faintly . Rith began to cry .
Juan Jimenez had climbed down from the airboat ; he was looking at the body of Kurt Borch in horror .
"You killed him !" he accused . A moment later , he changed that to " murdered ." Then he started to run toward the living hut.
Gerd van Riebeek fired a bullet into the ground ahead of him , bringing him up short .
"You'll stop the next one, Juan," he said . " Go help Dr. Kellogg ; he got himself hurt."
"Call the constabulary , " Mallin was saying . " Ruth, you go ; they won't shoot at you ."
"Don't bother . I called them . Remember ? ”
Jimenez had gotten a wad of handkerchief tissue out of his pocket and was trying to stop his superior's nosebleed . Through it, Kellogg was trying to tell Mallin that he hadn't been able to help it.
"The little beast attacked me ; it cut me with that spear it was carrying ."
Ruth Ortheris looked up . The other Fuzzies were with her by the body of Goldilocks ; they must have come as soon as they had heard the screaming .
"She came up to him and pulled at his trouser leg, the way they all do when they want to attract your attention , " she said . "She wanted him to look at her new jingle . ” Her voice broke , and it was a moment before she could recover it . "And he kicked her , and then stamped her to death ."
"Ruth , keep your mouth shut !" Mallin ordered . "The thing attacked Leonard ; it might have given him a serious wound . "
"It did !" Still holding the wad of tissue to his nose with one hand , Kellogg pulled up his trouser leg with the other and showed a scar on his shin . It looked like a brair scratch . "You saw it yourself. "
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