"Would you mind telling me what you're so happy about?" inquired Zesmo with pardonable acerbity.
"Merely that we've all made a very silly mistake," gurgled Ikleek, recovering a portion of his composure. He flipped a contemptuous tentacle toward the animal which Zesmo had been examining. "Intelligent creature, bah!" He began to rock back and forth uncontrollably once more.
"Explain yourself," ordered Captain Tutwa sternly.
For answer, the second in command bent over the "robot," and, wrenching off its metal head-covering, revealed the face of an unconscious living being.
I need not describe the Earthman, since the form and appearance of this race have become familiar to all Martians from the photographs and descriptions which we brought back from Earth. I will only mention that this specimen was a male, and consequently was rather hairy about the lower portion of the face as well as on the top and back of the head.
Zesmo made no comment, but popped his eyes in and out of his head at an expressive rate.
"Here's your Earthman!" chortled Ikleek gleefully, tapping on the creature's metal chest-protector. "He's only wearing armor, a great deal like a spacesuit."
"Maybe he'll die if you leave his helmet off," exclaimed Zesmo in alarm.
I picked up the helmet and examined it. "His armor isn't airtight," I informed the company. "It must be worn for some other reason."
We were all considerably puzzled by this, and determined to revive the Earthman as soon as possible, in order to question him on this subject and others. With some difficulty we carried him back to the ship.