（外文电子版资料）TITAN-JohnVarley_ch08-ch.docVIP

CHAPTER EIGHT Cirocco chose the front end of the gondola-it didnt help any- thing to think of it as a stomach-to be by herself. Gaby was still petrified and Calvin was not much fun to talk to once hed said everything he knew about Whistlestop. He wouldnt discuss the things Cirocco wanted to know. A handrail would have been nice. The gondola wall was clear as glass right down to her feet, and would have been clear there too but for the carpet of half-digested leaves and branches. It made for a dizzying view. .They were passing over thick jungle, much like the country higher up on the clffi. The land was dotted with lakes. The river Clio--broad, yellow, and sluggish-wound through it all: a rope of water thrown to the ground to coil where it wished. , She was astonished at the clarity of the air. There were clouds over Rhea that built to thunderheads on the north shore of the sea, but she could see over them. She could see to the limits of the curve of Themis in both directions. A school of big blimps hovered at various heights around the suspension cable nearest Whistlestop. She couldnt tell what they were doing there, but thought they might he feeding. The cable was massive enough that trees could very well grow on it. Looking straight down, she could see the huge shadow Whistlestop cast. The lower they went, the larger the shadow became. After four hours it was tremendous, and they were still above the treetops. Cirocco wondered how Whistiestop pro- posed to set them on the ground. There was no clear area remotely large enough to accommodate him. She was startled to see two figwes standing at a bend in the river, on the west shore, waving at her. She waved back, unsure if she could be seen. So how do we get down? she asked Calvin. He grimaced. I didnt think youd like this, so I didnt bring it up. No sense in having you worry. We parachute. Cirocco did not react, and he seemed relieved. Its a cinch, really. Nothing to it. Safe as can be. Uh-huh. Calvin, I