g, there was somehow a strange beauty to them.

He noticed that when two or more faced each other they often worked
their mouths, and guessed they were conversing, although not a sound
could be heard coming from them, other than a peculiar, faint rustling
as they moved.

It was the latter that gave him the clue. _Animated trees!_ That's
what they reminded him of. That skin of theirs was like new bark; their
limbs were irregular, suggesting the branches of a tree, rather than the
graceful roundness of human and Terran animal's limbs.

He turned excitedly to Philander. "Hey, those natives are partly
vegetable, aren't they? Like trees that can move and think?"

"That's what they say," Philander said shortly, "though I don't know
about the 'think' part. No one's ever been able to figure 'em out. They
don't talk, and can't seem to hear us, no matter how loud we yell. We
have to show 'em everything we want 'em to do, and give 'em orders by
signs. Whips don't do any good when they loaf--they don't seem to feel
'em. So we use electric shock-rods, like you see that guard there
carrying."

Hanlon was silent for several moments, but his mind was attempting to
probe into that of the native nearest him. Nor was he surprised to
discover that this native had a really respectable mind--alert and keen.

Hanlon could read quite easily pictures of various things--but he could
not interpret them. Yet he could feel their sense of shame and
degradation at such an enslaved condition, and the dull anger they felt
for the humans who had made them so.

This promised to be a fertile field for study, and the young SS man felt
a thrill that he could do a lot of prowling and studying without seeming
to break the rules Philander had laid down for his conduct. "This
certainly is my field," he thought. "I'm sure glad I decided to take the
chance of coming here--the Corps must learn of this situation."

The superintendent broke in on his thoughts. "I've got to go back to the
office before dinner. Go to the commissary store, there, and get your
chronom exchanged for one that runs on Algonian time. Yours will be
stored for safekeeping and changed back if or when you leave here."

As he walked away Hanlon thrilled to the knowledge that he had gained
two valuable pieces of information.

First, and most important, the name of this planet--Algon. Second, but
this one a bit dismaying, that there might be some doubt as to whether
or not he would ever