"I know not—but here in Engelond, as I have said before, there are much fewer of these fiends than elsewhere," he reassured me.
I glanced nervously about the room. "Is it—is it possible that an invisible fiend might be present even here?" I knew that our scientists had produced invisibility in the laboratory, but it was hard to believe—
De Long nodded gravely. "Quite possible," he affirmed, adding sententiously, "Even walls have ears; speak of the Devil and his imps will appear."
"Excuse me," I said falteringly. "I just remembered an important engagement—"
I switched off the telepathor, gathered it up and made a hasty exit. I wanted to consult with Captain Tutwa.
The captain listened with skepticism to my retelling of de Long's account of the dangers of the Blue Planet.
"Bah!" he said, when I had finished. "The Earthman was probably lying, for some reason or other. These fellows have strange motives."
"But why should he tell me such tales?" I persisted. "He seemed perfectly serious. And if such dangers do exist on Earth—"
"The motive becomes perfectly plain to me!" exclaimed the captain, snapping a tentacle in the air. "By telling us of imaginary dangers, the Earthman intends to frighten us away and preserve his sovereignty over the planet."
"That sounds like a plausible reason," I admitted. "But—if he is telling the truth, we are risking Martian lives every moment we remain here! We should at least check the facts."