pped out irresolute, Adam stood stunned. But Porfirio
Villa, afire with the heady make-believe carnage of the afternoon, was
as quick to act as his fourth cousin Pancho could have been. A dozen
waddling leaps, a swift swing of his legs over the side, and the Mexican
landed in the little red vehicle with the vast control board, the car
that only he had been able to master. Pressing buttons, pulling
plungers, sliding levers, he whirled it around and sent it at the
towering adult.

The beast skipped out of his way, blaring anger; he came about sharply,
gunned his "motor"--if it was that--and rammed the gigantean enemy on
the leg. There was the clear sharp snap of bone breaking. As Villa's car
overturned, the creature fell at full length, with a crash like an
elephant dropping out of a tree. It contracted its body and gripped its
ankle with both hands, honking dismally.

Summersby was running. He skidded up to the groveling Villa, yanked him
to his feet and shoved him out of range of the injured beast. The two
children had broken into the barks that were their equivalent of
weeping, one drawing its goading rod. Summersby crouched, went toward
it, hoping to bring it down before it stunned him. As he came within
diving range, though, the orange airship streaked over his head and
jammed its nose into the child's belly. It folded over with a whoosh,
grabbing its middle, as the toy wobbled off in eccentric flight.

Mrs. Full, the expert at flying the miniature vessel, was hectically
jamming her blocks along their metal rods; something had gone wrong with
the mechanism at the crash. Her husband hauled her off the seat and
rushed her toward the door.

The remaining child stood in the middle of the floor, staring at its
groaning, breathless playmate and at the maimed adult, honking a little
frightened song to itself. Skirting it, the humans made for the door as
fast as they could go.

Summersby overtook Watkins. "I found it okay," panted the crook.

"Can you work it?" They were through the door now, the two of them in
the lead, running across the first of the rooms.

"There were other adults," said Watkins. "Three or four saw me. I don't
know where they went."

"_Can you work it?_"

"The matter transmitter?" He grinned briefly. "Sure. There's two
principles I don't get, but--"

The doorway before them was crowded by several of the giants. They came
through, not hurrying, talking rather placidly; their movements had the