Do you always breathe like that when you’re thinking? I wasn’t aware that I was breathing. That’s what worried me. I think I know… said Trillian. Shhhh! said SlArtibartfast in alarm, and his thin trembling hand motioned them further back beneath the shadow of the tree. Suddenly, as before in the tape, there were lights coming along the hill path, but this time the dancing beams were not from lanterns but electric torches not in itself a dramatic change, but every detail made their hearts thump with fear. This time there were no lilting whimsical songs about flowers and farming and dead dogs, but hushed voices in urgent debate. A light moved in the sky with slow weight. Arthur was clenched with a claustrophobic terror and the warm wind caught at his throat. Within seconds a second party became visible, approaching from the other side of the dark hill. They were moving swiftly and purposefully, their torches swinging and probing around them. The parties were clearly converging, and not merely with each other. They were converging deliberately on the spot where Arthur and the others were standing. Arthur heard the slight rustle as Ford Prefect raised his Zap gun to his shoulder, and the slight whimpering cough as Slartibartfast raised his. He felt the cold unfamiliar weight of his own gun, and with shaking hands he raised it. His fingers fumbled to release the safety catch and engage the extreme danger catch as Ford had shown him. He was shaking so much that if he’d fired at anybody at that moment he probably would have burnt his signature on them. Only Trillian didn’t raise her gun. She raised her eyebrows, lowered them again, and bit her lip in thought. Has it occurred to you, she began, but nobody wanted to discuss anything much at the moment. A light stabbed through the darkness from behind them and they span around to find a third party of Krikkiters behind them, searching them out with their torches. Ford Prefect’s gun crackled viciously, but fire spat back at it and it crashed from his hands. There was a moment of pure fear, a frozen second before anyone fired again. And at the end of the second nobody fired. They were surrounded by pale-faced Krikkiters and bathed in bobbing torch light. The captives stared at their captors, the captors stared at their captives. Hello? said one of the captors. Excuse me, but are you… aliens? “你想事情的時候呼吸都這麼大聲嗎？” “我沒注意到啊。” “這讓我很緊張。” “我想我知道……”崔莉安道。 “噓！” 司拉提巴特法斯警覺地噓了一聲，顫抖的手朝樹影背後的遠方指去。 他們見到了和錄象帶相似的景象。一些燈光沿着山間小道緩緩移來，不過，不是燈籠光，而是手電筒光——算不上什麼鉅變，可他們幾個仍是心驚膽戰。那些關於鮮花、農場和死了的狗狗的歌兒，已不復耳邊。他們聽見的，是壓低了聲音的激烈的爭論聲。 空中莫明地劃過一道光柱。阿瑟汗毛倒豎，哽了一下。 很快，出現了另一撥人。他們從黑漆漆的小山另一面過來。他們行動頗爲迅速，而且顯然是有目的的。他們手裏拿着電筒四處掃蕩。 那撥人顯然在搜山，而且，搜的不是別人，正是阿瑟一行人。 阿瑟隱約聽見，福特把槍舉了起來；司拉提巴特法斯哽咽着，也把槍舉了起來。阿瑟摸摸手中那把冰冷沉重的槍，也顫顫地舉了起來。 他笨拙地推掉保險栓，像福特一樣，接上了超級危險栓。他抖得很厲害。如果此時開槍的話，他恐怕會在對方身上烙出簽名來呢。 只有崔莉安沒舉槍。她擡起了眉毛，又放下了。她咬着嘴脣。 “你們有沒有……”她開口道。可惜現在沒人想說話。 身後一束亮光投來。他們轉過身去，又一羣版求人，正站在他們面前，手裏都拿着電筒。 福特奮力開了兩火，可是後坐力太猛，槍給震脫手了。 恐懼的沉默。沒人再開槍。 終於，沒人再開槍。 他們被面色蒼白的版求人包圍了。四周全是手電筒的光柱。 獵物盯着獵人，獵人盯着獵物。 “你好？”一個獵人開口了，“不好意思，請問你們……是外星人嗎？”
