"Well now, that's wonderful. Perfect. I've never seen anything like it. Marvelous. Can they do anything else, too?"
"Certainly," and Hanlon explained rapidly the various other things he had trained his roches, individually and as a group, to do.
"Well now, we certainly can use this. The people have never seen anything like it. They'll be enraptured. Let's talk terms."
Hanlon faced the roches, who had not moved. "At rest." They relaxed and lay down, although still keeping their places. Most of them hung out their tongues and panted in the manner of dog-like animals everywhere. Nor did they move from their places during the half hour or so Hanlon and Yandor were talking business.
All during that discussion Hanlon carefully watched the mind of the man before him, paying more attention to any stray and extraneous thoughts than he did to their talk about bookings—which actually did not especially interest him. For he had begun to find that in those side thoughts of the natives during a conversation usually lay his greatest mine of information.
Hanlon was becoming more and more certain that this man Yandor had much on his mind besides the entertainment business that was his front. He was not able—yet—to get any direct clues as to who Yandor's superior or superiors might be, but he did glean enough to make him certain there were such higher-ups.
Just as they were closing their interview Hanlon said, "I understand, nyer, that you have quite a collection of rare animals."
"Well now, that's right. I do have quite a number, and am always looking for new and unusual ones."
"Do you happen to have a Terran cat among them?"
"A cat? What is that? I never heard of such an animal."