"I can't ever find anything in that damn catalogue. Try under spheres: Purple spheres." "Mmmm." He concentrated on the index. "'Parallelopipeds' ... 'pseudospheres' ... 'rhombi' ... 'segmented objects' ... here it is: 'Spheres.' They've got a lot of spheres here! All sorts of 'em. We've got to go by color. You think he's purple?" "Sort of purple." "Here's something violet: 'Spheres, violet. Fire-breathing mammal of Planet III, TRP-U-44476, Sector LKW. Approximately three feet in diameter. Females frequently found with yellow polka dots on underside.'" "Try again. Melancholy here's three times that big." He stooped down and gazed up at the purple sphere from underneath. "Uh-uh, no yellow polka dots either." The purple sphere looked down at him with sad eyes. "What's ochre?" asked Ed Bailey. "God knows!" "Is this thing ochre?" "God knows that too, Bailey." He turned abruptly to the purple sphere: "Are you ochre?" The purple sphere looked at him sadly. "Cut the clowning," rasped Ed. "Here's an index. 'Ochre:--pale yellow.'" "You learn something every day." "Here's a good bet: 'Spheres, Fuchsia.' Would you call it Fuchsia?" "I guess he's pretty Fuchsia." * * * * * "'Spheres, Fuchsia: Most common shape and color of Chameleon Tiger of Planet IV, YAP-A-90909, Sector WKM. Reptile; can assume any geometrical shape and/or color. Is carnivorous, and exceedingly dangerous. Approximately eight feet in diameter.'" "More like it! This boy must be their great-grandaddy. He doesn't look dangerous: Maybe he's senile." "You'd better get away. It might chew off your head any minute. I'll bet you that's what it is: A 'Chameleon Tiger.'" "When we get the boat fixed, let's take him back to--what is it?" "YAP-A-90909, Sector WKM." "Maybe somebody'll hand us a reward. What say, boy?--you, there, with the big eyes--what say to going home?" The purple sphere looked at him with sad eyes. "There any other spheres in there, Ed?" "No more purple babies. This must be him. I wish it'd change into a green cube, so we'd get positive identification. Tell it to change into a green cube." "Hey, boy, can you change into a green cube?" Archie asked. The purple sphere regarded him sadly. "Ed, throw me that old canteen." The canteen was thrown down. "Now look, boy." He carefully drew a circle and a square in the sand. "See this? This is a sphere. That's you, get it?" He pointed to the circle, then to the purple sphere. "This is a cube, see?" He indicated the square. "Now, we want you to change into a cube; get it? A green cube." The purple sphere blinked its great eyes and continued to stare at Archie sadly. "It's an idiot," cried Ed Bailey. "Let me shoot it. Maybe we can make a stew out of it." "Leave it alone. We can't kill it--not with those big eyes. We ought to take it back to earth and slap it in a zoo."