ar--fear
that the mighty stranger called Tharn might return.

* * * * *

A weaving, bobbing sensation was Trakor's first impression as his hurt
brain struggled back to consciousness. Beneath him was warm smooth
flesh, and now and then he felt the brush of leaves or a vine against
his back and sides.

When he opened his eyes he found himself being borne at a rapid pace
through the forest top. For a moment he was unable to grasp the meaning
of his strange position, then a familiar voice said, almost in his ear:

"Lie still for a little while. We are almost there."

It was Tharn's voice and with it came the memory of what had transpired
before Gerdak's fist struck him unconscious. With a sigh, Trakor let the
tenseness leave his body and he lay quietly across his new friend's
broad shoulder.

Onward went Tharn, threading his way among the tangled labyrinth of
branches with practiced ease. Broad boughs bent alarmingly beneath the
double burden as he neared their tips while passing from one tree to
another; but always he found the next before the weight proved too
heavy. Yet so accustomed to such jungle highways was the cave lord that
he seemed fairly to be flying through the trees.

Finally Tharn came to rest upon a wide branch high above the ground.
Gently he deposited Trakor to a sitting position beside him, permitting
the boy to rest his back against the tree's bole.

So intense was the darkness about them that Trakor was barely able to
make out the form of his rescuer although he was only a few inches away.
Trakor grasped a small branch to insure him from slipping from his high
flung perch and for a little while said nothing, waiting until he could
be sure the words would come out without a quaver.

"Where are we, Tharn?" he said finally, pleased at the matter-of-fact
tone he was able to muster.

The darkness hid Tharn's understanding smile. "A short distance from the
caves of your people."

"They are no longer my people," Trakor said hotly. "Even when I told
them you were my friend they were against you."

He was silent for a moment. Then: "What happened after Gerdak struck
me?"

Briefly Tharn told him of what transpired in the clearing. When he was
finished, the boy was thoughtful for a little while. The realization was
strong that never as long as Gerdak lived would he be able to return to
his own people. That alone did not cause him to regret what had
happened; it was t