l to do tricks you have to know more than it
does."

"Why, you ..." Gorton started forward, his face aflame, while the other
men roared with laughter at the rough wit.

But the big guard did not reach Hanlon. One of the newer guards, a giant
Swede named Jenssen, stopped him. "Aw, lay off the kid, Gort. He's okay.
That stunt of feeding the Greenies fertilizer makes 'em turn out lots
more work, and we'll get us bigger bonuses 'cause of it."

But Gorton was not the type to know when to quit. Nor was he high enough
in the ethical scale to know appreciation for the fact that it was the
very man he had been reviling who was the first to go to his aid when he
was hurt.

Hanlon had come to realize that the big man was determined to provoke
him to another fight. He knew that tempers were edgy and explosive in
this enervating heat, and usually tried to bear Gorton's insults and
petty meannesses in silence. He wouldn't demean himself by descending to
the big guard's low level ... although occasionally, when the heat was
too much even for him, as tonight, he couldn't resist making some
answer.

Gorton, he had long since decided, was one of those men who, having
nothing of worth to offer the world, did their utmost to tear down and
humiliate anyone who had. And his smallness of soul and intellect were
shown by the sort of tricks he was continually pulling, thinking them
smart.

Such as scrawling with chalk on Hanlon's room door, "Super's pet";
continually upsetting Hanlon's beverage cup, or "accidentally" dropping
things in Hanlon's plate of food.

The young SS man could have moved to another place at the table, but he
wouldn't give the big guard that satisfaction.

But one of Gorton's tricks backfired to such an extent that it had
disastrous results for Gorton himself. That was the night he, knowing
that Hanlon had been the last at the compound, sneaked out and unlocked
all the gates. He figured, of course, that it would be apparent to
everyone that it was Hanlon's rank carelessness that had allowed all the
Greenies to escape.

But to the surprise of everyone--except Hanlon--not a single one had
left; all were inside their huts the next morning.

Philander came running when he heard about it. "Who did it?" he demanded
angrily.

"Th' punk there, o' course!" Gorton sneered.

Philander swivelled about, surprise on his face. "You, George? Did you
forget to lock the gates?"

"No, sir, I locked them all when I went in t