would be crushed by the walls
before we were sufficiently tall to leap out.

"But we're not going to do as I did, and climb all the way up. Instead
we will stay here at the bottom until we are as large as we can
conveniently get between the valley walls. Then we will stop growing and
climb up the side; it will only be a short distance then."

The Very Young Man nodded his comprehension. "Unless by that time the
walls are too smooth to climb up," he remarked.

"If we see them getting too smooth, we'll stop and begin climbing," the
Chemist agreed. "We're all ready, aren't we?" He began measuring out the
estimated quantities of the drug, handing it to each of them.

"Say, I'm terrible sorry," began the Very Young Man, apologetically
interrupting this procedure. "But you know if it wasn't for me, we'd all
starve to death."

It was several hours since they had eaten last, and all of them were
hungry, although the excitement of their strange journey had kept them
from realizing it. They ate--"the last meal in the ring" as the Big
Business Man put it--and in half an hour more they were ready to start.

When they had reached a size where it seemed desirable again to stop
growing the valley resembled a narrow canon--hardly more than a deep
rift in the ground. They were still standing on its floor; above them,
the parallel edges of the rift marked the surface of the ring. The side
walls of the canon were smooth, but there were still many places where
they could climb out without much difficulty.

They started up a narrow declivity along the canon face. The Chemist led
the way; the Very Young Man, with Aura just in front of him, was last.
They had been walking only a moment when the Chemist called back over
his shoulder.

"It's getting very narrow. We'd better stop here and take the drug."

The Chemist had reached a rocky shelf--a ledge some twenty feet square
that jutted out from the canon wall. They gathered upon it, and took
enough of the diminishing drug to stop their growth. Then the Chemist
again started forward; but, very soon after, a cry of alarm from Aura
stopped him.

The party turned in confusion and crowded back. Aura, pale and
trembling, was standing on the very brink of the ledge looking down. The
Very Young Man had disappeared.

The Big Business Man ran to the brink. "Did he fall? Where is he? I
don't see him."

They gathered in confusion about the girl. "No," she said. "He--just a
moment ago he was