But there were so many places here thatburned his skin and drove him back! This building was the only one completelysafe.

      The giant appeared again in the doorway.The boy threw his rock and reached for another. But this time the man jerkedaside, letting the missile glance off his bulging thigh, and heaved a length ofrope forward. The boy found himself entangled and, in a moment, helpless. Itwas as though that rope were alive, the way it twisted and coiled and jerked.

      The man bound him and slung him over onetremendous shoulder and carried him out of the room and up the stairs and fromthe building. The man's brute strength was appalling. The boy tried to squirmand bite, but his teeth met flesh like baked leather.

      His skin burned as the man passed througha hot region. Was the monster invulnerable to this too? He had charged throughseveral similar areas on the way in-areas the boy had meticulously avoided. Howcould one fight such a force?

      In the forest the man set him down andloosed the rope, making man-sounds that were only dimly familiar. The boybolted as soon as he was free.

      The rope sailed out like a striking snakeand wrapped itself about his waist, hauling him back. He was captive again."No," the man said, and that sound was a clear negation.

      The giant removed the rope again, andimmediately the boy dashed away. Once more he was lassoed.

      "No!" the man repeated, and thistime his huge hand came across in a blow that seemed nearly to cave in theboy's chest. The boy fell to the ground, conscious of nothing but his pain andthe need for air.

      A third time the man unwound the rope.This time the boy remained where he was. Lessons of this nature were readilylearned.

      They walked on toward the main camp, stillfar distant. The boy led, for the eyes of the man never left him. The boyavoided the diminishing patches of radiation, and man and animal followed. Byevening they had come to the place they had seen each other the previous day.