eads his flock
out, we hide among the sheep and make our escape. At least that's how it
happens in the encyclopedia."

Glaudot swallowed hard. He had never had a great deal of physical
courage....

Just then they heard a great fluttering, groaning sound. Robin said:
"You see, he's asleep. He's snoring."

"I--I don't think I could possibly--"

"He's liable to want us for breakfast. Come on."

They got up swiftly and silently, and crept to the walking stick. It was
the size of a young tree. It would be heavy, perhaps too heavy for them
to handle.

"Easy now," Robin said. She nimbly climbed the ledges on the cave-wall
and tipped the great walking stick, then leaped down and grabbed the
front end as Glaudot got a grip on the rear of the big pole.

"Heavy," Glaudot said.

"But not too heavy, I--I think."

"Try to lift it," said Glaudot.

They tried. Together they could barely get it overhead.

"Try to poke it at something," Glaudot said.

They could not. Robin sighed. They put it down slowly, quietly. It would
take more than the two of them. It would take them and two or three more
men to do the job.

"We wait," Glaudot said bleakly.

Robin stared up in frustration at the smoke hole, through which smoke
from the Cyclops's fire poured out into the gathering night. It was
hopelessly over their head, although help could reach them through it
from the outside. But how could they possibly expect help to come...?

"We wait," Glaudot said again, hopelessly.

"For breakfast," Robin said.

Glaudot broke suddenly. "I don't want to die!" he cried. "I don't want
to die ..."

* * * * *

The feeblest of Crimson's three suns came over the horizon, lighting the
landscape with the illumination of three or four full moons on Earth.

"I told you I smelled smoke!" Charlie cried, pointing triumphantly at
the thin tendril of smoke that rose through the cooling air against the
weak sunlight.

"Is it a campfire?" Chandler asked.

"Chimney hole, probably. Come on."

They left the two stallions grazing at the base of the rocky escarpment.
They began to climb. Once Chandler stumbled and went sliding down the
rocky slope, but Charlie caught his arm, all but wrenching it from the
socket. Charlie thought: we have to hurry. Their lives may depend on it.
Already we may be too late....

The smoke from the chimney hole was acrid. It was very strong now.
Suddenly Charlie could feel the slightly i