ore chance that might work," and Brandon stepped over to the
communicator, demanding that Verna Pickering be brought at once. She
came in as soon as the air-locks would permit, and the physicist
welcomed her eagerly.

"This fellow's fighting so he's tearing himself to pieces. We can't make
him receive a thought, and von Steiffel's afraid to use an anaesthetic.
Now it's barely possible that he may understand hexan. I thought you
wasted time learning any of it, but maybe you didn't--see if you can
make him understand that we're friends."

The girl flinched and shrank back involuntarily, but forced herself to
approach that awful head. Bending over, she repeated over and over one
harsh, barking syllable. The effect of that word was magical. Instantly
Kromodeor ceased struggling, an eye curled out, and that long, supple
tongue flashed down and into the syrup. Not until the last sticky trace
had been licked from the bowl did his attention wander from the food.
Then the eye, sparkling brightly now, was raised toward the girl.
Simultaneously four other eyes arose, one directed at each of the men
and the other surveying his bonds and the room in which he was. Then the
Vorkul spoke, but his whistling, hissing manner of speech so garbled
the barking sounds of the hexan words he was attempting to utter, that
Verna's slight knowledge of the language was of no use. She therefore
put on one of the headsets, motioning the men to do the same, and
approached Kromodeor with the other, repeating the hexan word of
friendly import. This time the Vorkul's brain was not sealed against
the visitors and thoughts began to flow.

"You've used those things a lot," Brandon turned to Stevens in a quick
aside. "Can you hide your thoughts?"

"Sure--why?"

"All I can think of is that power system of theirs, and he'd know what
we were going to do, sure. And I'd better be getting at it anyway. So
you can wipe that off your mind with a clear conscience--the rest of us
will get everything they've got there. Your job's to get everything you
can out of this bird's brain. All x?"

"All x."

"Why, you didn't put yours on!" Verna exclaimed.

"No, I don't think I'll have time. If I get started talking to him now,
I'd be here from now on, and I've got a lot of work to do. Steve can
talk to him for me--see you later," and Brandon was gone.

He went directly to the Vorkulian fortress, bare now of hexan life and
devoid of hexan snares and traps. There he a