impossible to read another's mind or that he hadn't discovered the
method. However, he could roughly direct the other's actions. Jenkins
had been becoming increasingly nervous so Mel became even more subtle in
his experimenting. He'd wait until the assistant was idle and then
either make him cross his legs or put one or the other of his hands up
to scratch his head. He finally became so smooth and accurate in his
control that it lost most of its interest as a means of recreation.

He began to extend his range. Wood and concrete offered no impedance at
all. Metal, with the exception of aluminum, cut the intensity roughly
about half. Jenkins was in Mel's room when he first probed Neil's brain.
His partner's mental resistance was much higher and he pressed slowly
but methodically so that the break-through would be controlled. To his
surprise, he found that Neil's brain was much easier to control than
that of Jenkins had been.

It was about this time that he found he was beginning to master the
sharing of his host's eyesight. While he might not be able to read
another's mind, it would be a big help to know what someone else was
doing or what he was looking at. He tried searching outside the building
but found nothing, other than an occasional small spot of resistance
that would probably indicate a small animal. This wasn't surprising
since the lab was hidden in caves in a secluded canyon that had no
attraction to the casual wanderer.

His next concentration was on the animals he encountered every so often.
His first few attempts resulted in sudden and complete collapse of
resistance and he sadly concluded that his control had been too powerful
and resulted in their death. He tried more carefully and was overjoyed
when he established contact with their visual senses. The sensation was
almost as over-powering as if he had suddenly gained eyesight of his
own. For the first time in months, he revelled in seeing the country
around the outside of the lab and never before had he thought it so
beautiful. Once, while in control of a rabbit's mind, he saw an eagle
flying overhead. He quickly transferred and, before the bird flew far
enough away to make control impossible, he enjoyed the far-reaching
vision of the bird's eyes as it swept on towards some hidden nest. He
could even see the city in the distance.

* * * * *

Several times he neglected to notice Neil's entrance into the room, so
absorbe