s body forward.

It raised its right foot in a slow arc, employing a double-jointed,
breaking action of its leg. For a long moment it rested its entire
weight on its lumpy right foot, while its momentum carried its body
sluggishly forward. Then it repeated the motion with its left leg; then
again its right. All the while evidencing great exertion and
concentration of effort.

"It is making what it considers a mad dash for freedom," Remm said.
"Probably at the ultimate speed of which it is capable. That would be
ridiculous except that it's normal for its own environment. This is
definitely a slow-motion world."

The creature was a third-way to the door now. Once again its head turned
in its slow quarter-circle, to look at them. As it saw that Remm and
Macker had not moved it altered the expression on its face.

"It seems to express its emotions through facial contortions," Remm
said. "Though I suspect that the sounds it makes with the upper part of
its trachea during moments of agitation are also outlets of emotional
stress, rather than efforts at communication." He called across the room
to Toolls. "What did you find out about its speech?"

"Extremely primitive," Toolls replied. "Incredible as it may appear to
us it uses combinations of sounds to form word-symbols. Each word
indicates some action, or object; or denotes degree, time, or shades of
meaning. Other words are merely connectives. It seems to make little use
of inflections, the basis of a rational language. Thoughts which we can
project with a few sounds would take it dozens of words to express."

"Just how intelligent is it?" Macker asked.

"Only as intelligent as a high degree of self-preservation instinct
would make it."

"Are you certain that it is a member of the dominant species of life on
the planet?"

"There's no doubt about it," Toolls replied. "I've made very careful
observations."

"This attempt at escape is a pretty good example of its intelligence,"
Remm said. "This is the sixth time it has tried to escape--in exactly
the same way. As soon as it sees that we are farther away from it than
it is from the door, it makes its dash."

* * * * *

The creature was one step away from the space ship's open portal now and
bringing its foot up to cross the threshold. Remm walked over and lifted
it off the floor.

"Its legs are still moving in a running motion," Macker said. "Doesn't
it realize yet that you've pic