erneath us.

A confusion of rumbling voices sounded. Blurred giant shapes were
outside. The room jolted and swayed as the boat landed and Polter
disembarked.

Babs stood clinging to me. We, at least, were normal in this metal
barred room, Babs and I. But outside was the abnormality of largeness. I
think that in relation to us, the men were of over two hundred-foot
stature, and the hunched Polter a trifle less. It seemed as he walked
that we were lurching at least a hundred and fifty feet above ground.

"You had better hide," Babs urged. "He might stop and speak to someone.
If anyone looked in here you would be seen; no chance then, even to get
across the room."

It was true. But for a few moments I lingered. I could distinguish
vegetation on their flat roof-tops, as though flower gardens were laid
there.

We passed a house with its hundred-foot oval windows all aglow with
light. Music floated out--a distant blare of sounds, and the ribald
laughter of giant voices. I had seen no women among these giants of the
island. But now a huge face was at one of the ovals. A dissolute,
painted woman of Earth, staring out at Polter as he passed. It was like
the enormous close-up image on a large motion picture screen. She
shouted ribald jest as he went by.

"George, please go back. Suppose she had seen you?"

We were ascending a hill. A distance ahead a great oblong building
loomed like a giant's palace, which indeed it was. We headed for it,
passed through a vast arching doorway into the greater dimness of an
echoing interior. I scurried back across the lurching room and again
wedged myself under the couch. Babs stood at the lattice ten feet away.
We dared to talk in low tones; the rumbling voices and footsteps outside
would make our tiny voices inaudible to Polter.

I was tense with my plans. I had told them to Babs. With the one
remaining partially used pellet of the diminishing drug we could make
ourselves small enough to walk out through the bars. Then my black vial
of the enlarging drug, as yet unused, would take us up, out to our own
world. We could not use the drugs now. But the chance might come when
Polter would set the cage on the ground, or somewhere so that we might
climb down from it, with a chance to hide and get large before we were
discovered. I would fight our way upward; all I needed was a fair start
in size.

But I lay now with doubts assailing me. This was the first moment I had
had for calm thoughts