apparently have taken to hibernating. A strange thing: Station Sevenreported that they had thought the bipeds were growing heavier coats. Thereseem to be quite a few of them in that area, and they often see them off inthe distance. They looked to be shaggier. Closer observation, however,revealed that some of them were either carrying or were wrapped in the skinsof dead animals! Could it be that they are more intelligent than we havegiven them credit for? This hardly seems possible, since they were testedquite thoroughly by the Bio Team before we set the machines in operation.Yes, it is very strange.

"The winds are still severe. Occasionally, they darken the sky withash. There has been considerable vulcanism southwest of here. Station Fourwas relocated because of this. I hear Sanza singing now, within the soundsof the machine. I will let her be awakened the next time. Things should bemore settled by then. No, that is not true. It is selfishness. I want herhere beside me. I feel as if I were the only living thing in the wholeworld. The voices on the radio are ghosts. The clock ticks loudly and thesilences between the ticks are filled with the humming of the machine, whichis a kind of silence, too, because it is constant. Sometimes I think it isnot there; I listen for it, I strain my ears, and I do not know whetherthere is a humming or not. I check the indicators then, and they assure methat the machine is functioning. Or perhaps there is something wrong withthe indicators. But they seem to be all right. No. It is me. And the blue ofDeadland is a kind of visual silence. In the morning even the rocks arecovered with blue frost. Is it beautiful or ugly? There is no responsewithin me. It is a part of the great silence, that's all. Perhaps I shallbecome a mystic. Perhaps I shall develop occult powers or achieve something