million miles away!

"_Hello.... This is the voice of Spud O'Malley. I speak to you from
Harlow Field in the United States of America. My voice is being sent to
you by a newly invented Amplification Unit developed by Dr. Paul Shalt
at this experimental base. This is the first time such an operation has
ever been tried. We extend our heartiest greetings, our deepest
felicitations ..._"

It went on, the high, squeaking voice, friendly, humorous, alive;
sending back to them the words that Crawford had spoken into the
microphone a few minutes before.

Crawford studied the faces of the other men. They had worked and planned
a long time for this single moment, the realization of a long pursued
dream. Colonel Meadows was rubbing his hands together gleefully. The
voice was reaching its climax. Success was assured. History had been
made!

There was a little silence as Spud finished speaking. The technician
reached across leisurely to shut off the resonator.

Suddenly the voice started again. The technician's hand froze in
mid-air. The same high, squeaking tone, the same inflections, the same
pitch. But this time it was commanding, authoritative.

"_This is Mars. We have received your voice. We know of you, know your
language. We want you to know that we do not like intruders. We want no
contact with you. Seek us out no more. The voice was received clearly.
It fits our frequency well. We will keep it so that no more
communication from you is possible. Let this be a warning. Stay away! We
do not want you!_"

The voice stopped and there was silence again. Then Colonel Meadows
chuckled. "Very clever, Crawford! You really startled me for a moment."

"Yes," said Dr. Shalt, smiling. "So you made a little joke at the end.
Very clever."

Crawford's back was to them as he stared at the loudspeaker. His face
was contorted in a surprised grimace and the flesh was suddenly white
and lifeless. He turned to face them, his body rigid and his mouth
trembling as he whispered:

"That voice--that last voice--it wasn't mine! _That wasn't me
speaking!_"

Dr. Shalt laughed. "Superb actor. A great performance, Mr. Crawford. We
are most grateful to you."

"Robbie's a born comedian," added Colonel Meadows, his eyes sparkling
with the humor of the situation. "Never misses a chance to clown."

"Don't you understand--_it wasn't my voice_!" screamed Crawford. He
looked from one man to another, his eyes pleading for belief. "The
second part