Beware the Dog : Roald Dahl [6 of 32]

• He looked at his altimeter. Twenty-one thousand. To test himself he tried to read the hundreds as well as the thousands.
• Twenty-one thousand and what? As he looked the dial became blurred, and he could not even see the needle.
• He knew then that he must bail out; that there was not a second to lose, otherwise he would become unconscious.
• Quickly, frantically, he tried to slide back the hood with his left hand, but he had not the strength.
• For a second he took his right hand off the stick, and with both hands he managed to push the hood back.
• The rush of cold air on his face seemed to help. He had a moment of great clearness, and his actions became orderly and precise.