Back and forth, back and
forth, moved the claws. Watching them produced almost a hypnotic effect,
and the reason for such a maneuver was totally beyond the human watchers.
But Queex knew what it was doing all right, Ali's fingers closed on
Dane's arm in a pincher grip as painful as if he had been equipped with
the horny armament of the Hoobat.
Something, a flitting shadow, had rounded one vat and was that much
closer to the industrious fiddler on the floor. By some weird magic of
its own the Hoobat was calling its prey to it.
Scrape, scrape--the unmusical performance continued with monotonous
regularity. Again the shadow flashed--one vat closer. The Hoobat now
presented the appearance of one charmed by its own art--sunk in a
lethargy of weird music making.
At last the enchanted came into full view, though lingering at the round
side of a container, very apparently longing to flee again, but under
some compulsion to approach its enchanter. Dane blinked, not quite sure
that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He had seen the almost
transparent globe "bogies" of Limbo, had been fascinated by the weird and
ugly pictures in Captain Jellico's collection of tri-dee prints.
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