The cat balls

Candidates begin at the same time in their shapeless cat balls.

They can hardly agitate themselves in their balls.

On a hill above them the cat-attendant of the prince stalks.

The candidates may move only when the cat-attendant says "spruce chin up"

and then turns to face away.

By the application of polymorpher rhythms and changing intonations,

the cat-master tries to confuse the balls.

Only at the end of a passage are they evacuated in the way

one who separates the hill from the paper clip is evacuated.