ed.

"Sarge," the old man told one of the youths, "post a guard over
this flying machine. Don't let anybody meddle with it. And have
all the noncoms and techs report here, on the double." He turned
and shouted up at the truncated steeple: "Atherton, sound 'All
Clear!'"

A horn up in the belfry began blowing, apparently to advise the
people who had run from the fields into the forest that there was
no danger.

They went through the open doorway of the old stone church and
entered the big room inside. The building had evidently once been
gutted by fire, two centuries ago, but portions of the wall had
been restored. The floor had been replaced by one of rough
planks, and there was a plank ceiling at about ten feet.

The room was apparently used as a community center. There were a
number of benches and chairs, all very neatly made; and along one
wall, out of the way, ten or fifteen long tables had been
stacked, the tops in a pile and the trestles on the tops.

The walls were decorated with trophies of weapons--a number of
M-12 rifles and M-16 submachine-guns, all in good, clean
condition; a light machine rifle; two bazookas. Among them were
cruder weapons, stone-and metal-tipped spears and clubs, the work
of the wild men of the woods.

A stairway led to the second floor, and it was up this stairway
that the man who bore the title of Toon Leader conducted them, to
a small room furnished with a long table, a number of chairs, and
several big wooden chests bound with iron.

"Sit down, gentlemen," the Toon Leader invited, going to a
cupboard and producing a large bottle stoppered with a corncob
and a number of small cups.

"It's a little early in the day," he went on, "but this is a very
special occasion.

"You smoke a pipe, I take it?" he asked Altamont. "Then try some
of this, of our own growth and curing."

He extended a doeskin moccasin, which seemed to be the tobacco
container.

Altamont looked at the thing dubiously, then filled his pipe from
it.

The oldster drew his pistol, pushed a little wooden plug into the
vent, added some tow to the priming, and, aiming at the wall,
snapped it. Evidently, at time the formality of plugging the vent
had been overlooked: there were a number of holes in the wall
there.

This time, however, the pistol didn't go off. The old man shook
out the smoldering tow, blew it into flame, and lit a candle from
it, offering the light to Altamont.

Loudons got out a cigar and l