"That's another thing. That Martian suit—how'd you get it?"
"They had come this far. We found the suit, with its occupant long turned to dust. We kept it for such emergencies. When the space ships foundered nearby a few years ago, we refrained from molesting this woman, thinking that she might some day be a fine decoy."
"You watched me in the suit," said Circe.
"We did. We had not seen a human in a long time." The djinni paused, then said, "The Martians had space travel when Earthmen were barbarians. They came to Terra, and we, sensing danger in them, drove them out. We saw to it that the Martians would tell tales of the horrors of Earth life, and never come back."
"By God," said Pink, "that's why they never colonized Earth, though they had spaceships! It's one of the biggest problems we've known."
"Then I've solved it for you. Will you do me a favor in return?"
"What?"
"Have you any lead left?"
"A little."
"Then lay it on my chest, and give me a quick death."