"It was caused by one of these."
What he held up was the size of a grain of sand. Marshal could not see it in detail.
"There was another city of you bug-eyed beasts there," said the small martinet. "You wouldn't know about it. It's been a few hundred years. We decided it was too close. Now I have decided that you are too close."
"A thing that size couldn't crack a walnut."
"You floundering fop, it will blast this town flat!"
"What will happen to you?"
"Nothing. I don't even blink for things like that."
"How do you trigger it off."
"You gaping goof, I don't have time to explain that to you. I have to get to Washington."
It may be that Marshal did not believe himself quite awake. He certainly did not take the threat seriously enough. For the little man did trigger it off.