Then strange, many-lensed instruments were trundled into the room and up to the helpless prisoners. Lenses peered; multicolored rays probed; planimeters, pantographs, and plotting points traced and recorded every bodily part; the while the two sets of intelligences, each to the other so foreign, were at last compelled to acknowledge frustration. Seaton of course knew what caused the impasse and, knowing the fundamental incompatibility of the dimensions involved, had no real hope that communication could be established, even though he knew the hypermen to be of high intelligence and attainment. The natives, however, had no inkling of the possibility of three-dimensional actualities. Therefore, when it had been made plain to them that they had no point of contact with their visitors--that the massive outlanders were and must remain unresponsive to their every message and signal--they perforce ascribed that lack of response to a complete lack of intelligence. The chief of the council, who had been conducting the examination, released the forces of his mechanisms and directed his flashing glance upon the eyes of the Terrestrials' guard, ordering him to put the specimens away. "--and see to it that they are watched very carefully," the ordering eye concluded. "The Fellows of Science will be convened and will study them in greater detail than we have been able to do here." "Yes, sir; as you have said, so shall it be," the guard acknowledged, and by means of the trident he guided his captives through a high-arched exit and into another labyrinth of corridors. Seaton laughed aloud as he tucked Margaret's hand under his arm and marched along under the urge of the admonishing trident. "'Nobody 'ome--they ain't got no sense,' says his royal nibs. 'Tyke 'em awye!'" he exclaimed. "Why so happy all of a sudden, Dick? I can't see very much change in our status." "You'd be surprised." He grinned. "There's been a lot of change. I've found out that they can't read our thoughts at all, as long as we don't express them in muscular activity. I've been guarding my thoughts and haven't been talking to you much for fear they could get my ideas some way. But now I can tell you that I'm going to start something pretty quick. I've got this trident thing pretty well solved. This bird's taking us to jail now, I think, and when he gets us there his grip will probably slip for an instant. If it does he'll never get it back, and we'll be merrily on our way." "To jail!" Margaret exclaimed. "But suppose they put us--I hope they put us in the same cell!" "Don't worry about that. If my hunch is right it won't make a bit of difference--I'll have you back before they can get you out of sight. Everything around here is thin almost to the point of being immaterial, you know--you could whip an army of them in purely physical combat, and I could tear this whole joint up by the roots." "A la Samson? I believe that you could, at that." Margaret smiled.