His attempt at telepathic hypnotism brought a small, silent reply:
I must call the others. It is my duty to call the others. The others are hungry.
A shudder passed through Monk's hot, tight body. A few minutes ago he had delighted in the coolness of the desert. Now the heat seemed to be pressing down upon him like the fiery hand of Satan.
"You're a scout, aren't you?" he asked. "You find food for the others. You go back and tell the others what you've found?"
I tell the others. The others are hungry.
"But you're hungry, too. Why share what you've found? Why not take it all for yourself?"
No reply appeared in Monk's mind. He continued:
"Come closer. Look at me. You're hungry. You're too hungry to waste time calling the others."
The Aab came closer. It passed out of the shadow of the Devil's Egg. It came to within two feet of Monk. It crossed the small dune. Slowly, slowly, its legs labored through the thin sand. At last it stopped some six inches from Monk's face.