o dinner."

"He's lyin'. He was th' last one t' bring up his gang."

"That's true, I was. But I know I locked all the gates very carefully,
as always."

One of the engineers spoke up. "I saw him doing it, Pete. I also saw one
of the other guards leave the messhall for a few minutes just before we
sat down to eat. When he came back I saw him grinning mysteriously as
though very self-satisfied about something."

"Who was that?"

"Sorry, I name no names."

"I tell," big Jenssen spoke up. "It was Gort. He's got it in for George.
He's one big fool!"

Philander wheeled in rage. "I told you, you brainless slob, to leave
Hanlon alone, and by Jupiter, I mean it! Cut it out! One more stunt, and
you go into irons, then back to Sime for an interview with His Highness.
You go back next trip anyway. I'm done with you."

The rest of the men stood by in hostile silence, and it was clear from
their attitudes that this time Gorton had gone too far. How it happened
none of the natives had run away, puzzled them all.

But Hanlon guessed, and when he had taken his crew down to work he
called Geck to him, and by means of the transformer asked about it.

"Was one Guddu in hut by main gate who first see gate were open. Him
mind-tell all we to run far into forest. This crew us stop all they.
Tell other Guddu how kind are you. How you get we 'oigm'-food. Tell how
you's work to make all we free; make free all Guddu everywhere. Us say
maybe so we's all get free now small time. But say come humans with
shock-rod, hunt we, hurt we, make we work more hard, be more cruel to
we. Say then plan of you never get chance to make all we free all time."

Hanlon bowed his head in silent thanks for the tremendous compliment. "I
only hope I can justify your faith in me, Geck," he said humbly. "It
will be a miracle if I can bring it about, but I certainly intend to
keep on trying. It will take some time, you know that. I can't possibly
do anything until after I leave here. But if it's humanly possible, I'll
bring the fleet here to free you."

"Us know will be hard, that maybeso it never come we be free," the Guddu
said. "But us know you are only hope. So us help you all us can. Guddu
in mines try get more rock out as you say. But Guddu who help humans
build big egg you call 'ships' do most. Each day some of they find way
break something, do wrong thing. Two Guddu spoil much metal when jump in
vat where metal be melt."

"Oh, no!" Hanlon cried in sh