The little red monkey screamed and chattered its hate as Johnny and Ed stepped through the doorway of the cabin after their eventful flight. Johnny had noted that the cabin door was the only exit.

As was usual on Venus, the exit was a double door. When the outer door was open, the inner one could not be opened. It was just like the school door. If Johnny could once get through the outer door and block it open, it would be a while before the men could break the lock on the inner door and get out. Getting out the first door would be the problem—but not too big a problem. The outlaws didn't think that he could go into the jungle without armor, so they did not watch him or the door too carefully.

As soon as they were inside, Ed took off Johnny's oversized armor and locked it away. He then winked at the other men and sat Johnny down in front of him on a high stool.

"You know who I am?" Ed asked him.

"Sure," Johnny said. "You're Ed."

The big man cuffed him so hard he fell from the stool.

"Boy," he said, "you never saw me before." He frowned, making his scarred face as evil as he could. "When you go back to that colony, you're going to forget you ever saw us. Do you know why?"

From the floor Johnny shook his head.

"Because if you tell anybody our names or anything about us, you know what we're going to do?" Ed asked.

Again Johnny shook his head.

"We'll catch you and take you out into the jungle and tie you to a tree without any armor on, and leave you for the arrow-birds. You understand?"

Johnny nodded his head. They thought they were scaring him.

They talked a little while longer, describing things they might do to him if he told their names, and Johnny pretended to be afraid.

"All right," Ed said after the lecture. "Get back to the kitchen."

"Can I play with your monkey?" Johnny asked.

"Play with that monkey!" Ed's pale eyebrows went up. "He'd chew an ear off you. I've been trying to tame him for a month—and he don't do anything but bite. You leave him alone."

"He won't bite me," Johnny said. "I don't think he will." The monkey would be a big help in escaping, if only they'd let Johnny get close to him. "I'll just go get some sugar cubes from the kitchen."

"Let him, Ed. It'll teach the brat a lesson," the narrow-faced Barney put in.

"O.K." Ed said. "Get bit, if you want to."

Johnny rushed through the open door into the kitchen. Rick was sitting at the table with a book beside him.

"You got any candy, Rick?" Johnny asked. "Or maybe some sugar cubes?"

"You better not fool with that monk, Johnny," Rick said. "He's plenty mean, like all the Venus creatures."

"He won't hurt me," Johnny said. He saw a box of sugar cubes in the cupboard and grabbed it. "Monkeys just love sweets."

"No." Rick leaned over and a big freckled hand closed around Johnny's small brown one. He took the box of sugar away. "I'm going to tell them you got scared. Only two things will happen if you try playing with that monk. You'll get bitten, and they'll get a big laugh."

"Please let me, Rick," Johnny said. He paused a minute and whispered, "I've got an idea how I can get away."

"What!" Rick exploded. He closed the door and went on in a whisper, "It's impossible. You haven't any armor. You don't have any weapons or a tank. Don't be silly." He paused, and looked at Johnny. "Well, how were you going to do it?"

"Simple," said Johnny. "First I make friends with the monkey. Then I'll let him go and tell him to run around and jump on Ed and the rest. While they are chasing him, I'll open the inside door. I'll let him out first and dive through myself. I'll wedge open the outside door, and by the time they get their armor on and break the lock on the inside door, I'll be over the wall and gone." The words tumbled out of him.

Rick shook his head. "Johnny, that week in the jungle has gone straight to your head. In the first place, how are you going to make friends with the monkey? Then how are you going to tell him anything? And how are you going to get any armor?"

"Rick," Johnny said, "I don't need any armor."

"Oh, Johnny!" Rick exclaimed, exasperated.

"They just won't bother me." Johnny took a deep breath. "I can talk to them, same as I can talk to the monkey!"

"What!"

"Now, listen, Rick," Johnny whispered earnestly, "I wasn't hurt when I came here, was I? I'd been in the jungle six Earth days without any armor."

Rick was looking at him with a strange expression.

"Do you remember," Johnny went on, "how I looked when you rescued me from the rhinosaur?"

Rick nodded.

"Did I have any armor on then?"

Rick stared at Johnny for a few seconds.

"By golly!" His mouth was slightly open in amazement. "You didn't have any armor on!"

"I wasn't hurt, was I?"

Rick shook his head slowly.

"No," he said, "but what about that leopard and the rhinosaur?"

"The leopard wasn't hurting me," Johnny said. "She was trying to get me away before the men got me. She was my friend. As for the rhinosaur—well, Baba and me hadn't learned for sure about them, yet."

"But how can you talk to them?" Rick asked in wonder.

Johnny knew he had no choice, he had to trust Rick completely.

"It was Baba," Johnny said. Then, very quickly, he explained about Baba's clicks, and told Rick about his three secrets.

"Jeb said something about those clicks one time," Rick said thoughtfully. "I never dreamed it could be true."

"It is true, though," Johnny insisted.

Ed stuck his scarred face through the doorway.

"Well, kid, getting cold feet about the monk?"

"No, sir!" Johnny said. "Rick was just getting me some cube sugar."

"Well, hurry it up." Ed went back out.

"Johnny," Rick said, "you show me with that monk, and by the moons of Saturn, I'll come with you, armor or no armor!"

Johnny was bewildered. This was something he hadn't counted on. He wanted to explain that there was a chance even he, alone, could not succeed without Baba. Just as Johnny started to speak, Ed appeared in the doorway again.

"Well?" he said in his heavy voice.

Johnny took the sugar cubes from Rick and followed Ed into the main room. As he always did, the monkey screamed and chattered at them as they entered. The little animal was chained to its perch. A spring catch too strong for its tiny fingers fastened the chain to its collar and kept it from getting away. The outlaws began to gather around.

"You'll have to stay at the table, way over at the other end of the room," Johnny said to the men. "He's scared of you." He pointed to the table, which was as far as possible from the door leading outside.

"All right, all right." The four men seated themselves where Johnny pointed, ready to watch the fun.

Johnny walked slowly up to the tiny monkey. As he did so, its little red face twisted and it showed its razor-sharp fangs. It screamed at him. Then it leaped out, only to be jerked back cruelly as it came to the end of its chain. But it ran out as far as it could and clawed at Johnny, its eyes red.

"Friend-pet, friend-pet," Johnny clicked very low in the back of his throat. The animal stopped screaming and cocked his head at him. It looked from one side to the other, as if looking for a marva behind Johnny. Johnny repeated the phrase again and again, holding the sugar out where the red monkey could see it and smell it.

Johnny didn't have any idea how much the little animal could understand, but he went on clicking. "I'm your friend. We are going to get away from these men." He repeated this many times. Then he remembered that Rick was going to try, too. "You and I and the big man in the other room are going to escape."

As Johnny talked, he moved forward. Soon he was well in range of the little monkey's nails. It jumped forward. Johnny put a sugar cube in its paws. With a gurgle of pleasure, the monkey swallowed the sugar and put out its paw for more.

"Jump on my shoulder," Johnny clicked. The little creature regarded him silently. Then, with a graceful hop, it was on his shoulder.

"I don't believe it," Ed's voice rumbled.

As soon as the hunter outlaw spoke, the little monkey growled and bared his teeth at him. The man muttered something under his breath, angry that a small boy had done what he couldn't do. He started out toward them, and was quickly in range of the creature's teeth.

"You'd better not," Johnny said. "He'll—"

The monkey dived at Ed, his teeth slicing into the man's shoulder. The outlaw jumped back, cursing. Blood ran down his shirt.

"I'm sorry, Ed," Johnny said. "Let me work with him just a little while, and maybe he'll make friends with you, too." In his anger the man had picked up a heavy stick to hit the monkey. The other men broke into laughter.

Ed grunted something, and threw his stick at the men who were laughing. "Come on," he said, "let's play cards." Johnny turned back to the monkey.

For almost half an hour Johnny talked to the monkey in the marva clicking language while the outlaws played cards across the room. He guessed the little animal could understand a little more than the mother leopard could. That wasn't too much, but it was enough. He made the creature understand that when he was released, he was to fly at the men. He wasn't to hurt them, but make them chase him until Johnny could get the door open. Then the monkey was to leap for the opening. The hardest job was getting the monkey to understand that he shouldn't harm Rick if the ex-bodyguard came with them. Johnny wasn't sure the monkey understood.

With his back turned to the outlaws, Johnny undid the collar about the monkey's throat. Keeping the little animal out of their sight he walked toward the exit door. He picked up an old boot to use on the outer door.

"Hey," Ed suddenly shouted, "where's the monk?"

"After them," Johnny clicked. The monkey leaped at the oncoming Ed. He clawed his face, then leaped at the other men. He made great jumps by swinging from light fixtures by his long black tail. Ed wheeled and charged like a bull after the tiny screaming creature.

"The kid let the crazy thing loose!" he shouted. "Catch it!"

"Shoot him!" yelled Shorty, drawing his ato-tube pistol from its holster. Ed knocked it from his hand, and it went sliding along the floor.

"Want to kill us, too, you fool?"

In the excitement Johnny worked the latch on the exit door, and pressed the button that opened it. He saw Rick half way through the kitchen door. Rick reached down and grabbed up something from the floor. The monkey was jumping from head to head among the yelling outlaws. Not one of them noticed what Johnny was doing.

The door was open. Johnny nodded his head toward Rick, who came at a dead run. When Rick was almost there, Johnny clicked as loud as he could, "Come, friend-pet! Come!"

In one leap the little animal sailed across the room and landed on his shoulder. Johnny and Rick pushed through the door, slammed it behind them, and opened the outside door.

Johnny paused a second and wedged the boot he had picked up into the outer door. The outside door could not close and the safety lock would keep the inner door closed.

"Come on, Johnny," Rick shouted. "This way!" He rushed through the helicopter landing space toward the tank entrance. Rick pulled the switch that opened the duro-steel door.

"Dive for the nearest tree trunk," Rick shouted. "They have gun mounts on the roof."

Johnny ran after Rick, his short legs unable to keep up with the older man. The little monkey was riding on top of his head, shrieking and chattering. As soon as they reached the forest the monkey jumped into a tree.

Johnny stopped dead. He needed that monkey. The little animal could tell other animals he and Rick were friendly.

"Friend-pet monkey, friend-pet monkey," he clicked, "come with me." For an instant he was afraid the animal had not heard. Then, with a shock, he felt it drop down on his head.

"Rick, Rick," he yelled, "stay with me." With relief he heard the big man coming back. "You gotta stay with me," Johnny panted. "Arrow-birds." Rick nodded, and ran along beside Johnny.

They ran among the great pillars of the diamond-wood forest until Johnny thought his breath would come no more. His feet were heavy against the springing leaves, his legs began to twist with fatigue. When he was about to fall, Rick whisked him up in his arms.

The little monkey screamed and jumped at Rick's head.

"No, no!" Johnny clicked. The tiny creature jumped back on Johnny's head, but he had left red claw marks on Rick's face.

Far in the distance they heard the noise of a tank motor starting. The diamond-wood trees were beginning to thin out. Soon they would be in the jungle of meat trees which always surrounded a grove of the giant trees. The sound of a helicopter motor starting up was added to the sound of the tank. The noise of the tank motor lessened. The outlaws had headed in the wrong direction. The helicopter was the great danger now. Hiding under a meat tree, with its heavy leaves, was their best chance.

"We'd better get under something, Rick," Johnny said. His breath had returned. "Let me down."

Rick nodded. His breath was coming in great gasps. A heavily leafed tree surrounded by brush was a few hundred yards ahead of them. Johnny pointed to it and Rick nodded. Johnny prayed that there were no arrow-birds feeding there. This close to the hunters' lodge there shouldn't be many animals—but arrow-birds were always on the watch.

As they worked through the brush to get under the meat tree Johnny really missed Baba. The first branches were too high for either Johnny or Rick to reach. If Baba had been there they could have easily climbed up into the protection of the tree's leaves and branches. Luckily the brush was high and thick around it, screening them from view from the side. The tree itself screened off the sky.

Once they had reached the trunk of the tree, they stood wordlessly for a while, breathing hard.

"Any idea where we are, Rick?" Johnny asked in a whisper.

Rick's big, bony face broke into a smile. He reached into a pocket. Out came a small map of the Venus continent.

"Not for sure," he said. "But we can't be far from the lodge." He pointed to a mark on the map. "Once we see the lay of the land, we should be able to tell." Suddenly Rick froze stone still. Johnny looked up.

An arrow-bird had flown into the tree. Since its head was not in position to strike, it was probably looking for a meat fruit. Just as Johnny saw it, its head turned toward them.

Johnny clicked out a sharp command for it to leave them alone.

As the little purple eyes sought them out, its head snapped into striking position. But as Johnny clicked on, it moved its head back to a friendlier position. Its little purple eyes stared directly at them.

Rick regarded Johnny with wonder.

"I don't know what that little bear taught you, but it sure is a miracle," he said. He then reached into his shirt. "I'm still glad I got this. Did you see Ed knock it out of Shorty's hand?" He pulled an ato-tube pistol out of the shirt.

As soon as the gun came out, the red ape leaped from Johnny's head, screaming. The arrow-bird snapped its head into position to strike.

"Drop it, Rick! Drop it!" Johnny yelled.

Amazement swept over Rick's face.

"But why—?"

"Bother us not, friend-pet," Johnny clicked loudly. At the same time he knocked the ato-tube from Rick's hand.

He was too late.

The arrow-bird shot with a sickening smack into Rick's shoulder. Almost as quickly it withdrew its blood-stained beak and was hovering in the air for another strike.