"That spool is the mentape of 4W382ZT, the prisoner who escaped. You'll see what it's used for in a minute or so."
There was a firm tap at the warden's door. Purnell mentally chalked up a note to commend Hughes for efficiency when he sent in his report. The warden touched a button on his desk and the door swung open violently, pushed aside by two creatures which bounded into the room.
Purnell jumped up from his chair and bit his lower lip to keep from screaming. Then two tall men followed through the door and the biting, tearing flashes faded out of his mind. He slumped back into his chair. His forehead was covered with fine droplets of perspiration and his shirt fluttered to his heart's violent throbs. Yet Greg Purnell was a hard man who had come face to face with death many times on many strange planets.
Purnell looked over towards the desk in the corner. The trusty had dropped a set of cards and was trying to pick them up. His hands shook so violently that in three trials he succeeded in getting only two cards back on the desk. His face was pale and the sound of his breathing rasped through the room.
The warden looked over towards the man. "I'm sorry, Jim, I forgot it was your tour of duty. You can leave now."
Jim hastily went through the side door of the room. Purnell turned back towards the warden's desk. Rol and Dorta, for Greg decided that these must be their names, were not men, though almost human. Their faces had two eyes, a nose and a mouth, but no ears.
Purnell had seen natives of many different planets and knew how difficult it was to try to interpret the meaning of an alien expression. But he was certain that Rol and Dorta had absolutely no expressions on their faces. The two mertha walked on all fours and had heads which were more carnivorous looking than the men. They did not have any ears, either. Their appearance would not have disturbed Purnell, except for the memory of his sensations when they had bounded into the room.
The men and the animals were clustered about the squat machine and each one wore a headset from it. The machine was buzzing softly. The buzzing stopped and Rol and Dorta took off all of the headsets. Warden Hughes spoke aloud to them, Purnell supposed out of courtesy to him, although the Zirthans are telepaths.
"Now you know the thought-pattern of the escaped prisoner. The weather over the valley has turned bad, too bad for the helicopter. There are two zerda ready below. Cross the Malu by the lower bridge and cast along down the river. He will probably have turned off through the forest. If he doesn't try to hide there, he will head over the ridge towards Zadda City. He mustn't reach it."