*

As neither Crane nor Dunark had any other suggestions to offer, Seaton
brought out the mechanical educator, watching the creature's eyes
narrowly. As he placed one headset over that motionless head the captive
sneered in pure contempt, but when the case was opened and the array of
tubes and transformers was revealed, that expression disappeared; and
when he added a super-power stage by cutting in a heavy-duty transformer
and a five-kilowatt transmitting tube, Seaton thought that he saw an
instantaneously suppressed flicker of doubt or fear.

"That headset thing was child's play to him, but he doesn't like the
looks of this other stuff at all. I don't blame him a bit--I wouldn't
like to be on the receiving end of this hook-up myself. I'm going to put
him on the recorder and on the visualizer," Seaton continued as he
connected spools of wire and tape, lamps, and lenses in an intricate
system and donned a headset. "I'd hate to have much of that brain in my
own skull--afraid I'd bite myself. I'm just going to look on, and when I
see anything I want, I'll grab it and put it into my own brain. I'm
starting off easy, not using the big tube."

He closed several switches, lights flashed, and the wires and tapes
began to feed through the magnets.

"Well, I've got his language, folks, he seemed to want me to have it.
It's got a lot of stuff in it that I can't understand yet, though, so
guess I'll give him some English."

He changed several connections and the captive spoke, in a profoundly
deep bass voice.

"You may as well discontinue your attempt, for you will gain no
information from me. That machine of yours was out of date with us
thousands of years ago."

"Save your breath or talk sense," said Seaton, coldly. "I gave you
English so that you can give me the information I want. You already know
what it is. When you get ready to talk, say so, or throw it on the
screen of your own accord. If you don't, I'll put on enough voltage to
burn your brain out. Remember, I can read your dead brain as well as
though it were alive, but I want your thoughts, as well as your
knowledge, and I'm going to have them. If you give them voluntarily, I
will tinker up a lifeboat that you can navigate back to your own world
and let you go; if you resist I intend getting them anyway and you shall
not leave this vessel alive. You may take your choice."

"You are childish, and that machine is impotent against my will. I could
have def