head," the sheriff suggested. "These wild
teledepth programs they look at give them all kinds of ideas."

"It isn't in my head," Jimmy said violently. "I saw him. He stepped on
the ground and stuck his foot into it. I talked to him. And I know
something else. He stutters."

"What?" said the sheriff. "Now I know you're lying."

The father started dragging the boy by the arm. "Come on home, Jimmy.
You got one more licking coming."

Jordan, however, was sure the boy was not lying. "Leave him alone," he
said. "He's right. He did see him." He took a fast look at the timepiece
on his panel board. "I'll be down in an hour and a half. Wait for me."

He flicked the switch off, and kicked up the motors. The ship shot
southward almost as rapidly as a projectile.

He had topped the Sierras and had just turned into the great central
valley of California when, with the impact of a blow, a frightening
thought occurred to him.

He flicked the screen on again, and he caught the sheriff sitting behind
his desk industriously scratching himself in one armpit.

"Listen," Jordan said, speaking very fast. "You've got to send out a
national alarm. You must get every man you can down to the power plant.
You've got to stop him from getting in."

The sheriff stopped scratching himself and stared at Jordan.

"What are you so het up about, young man?"

"Do it, and do it now," Jordan almost shouted. "He'll tear the pile
apart and let the hafnium go off. It'll blow half the state off the
planet."

The sheriff was unperturbed. "Mr. Star boy," he said sarcastically, "any
grammar school kid knows that if someone came within a hundred yards of
one of those power-house piles, he'd burn like a match stick. And
besides why would he want to blow himself to pieces?"

"He's made out of permallium." Jordan was shouting now.

The sheriff suddenly grew pale. "Get off my screen. I'm calling
Sacramento."

* * * * *

Jordan set the ship for maximum speed, well beyond the safety limit. He
kept peering ahead into the dusk, momentarily fearful that the whole
countryside would light up in one brilliant flash. In a few minutes he
was sweating and trembling with the tension.

Over Walnut Grove, he recognized the series of dams, reservoirs and
water-lifts where the Sacramento was raised up out of its bed and turned
south. For greater speed, he came close to Earth, flying at emergency
height, reserved ordinarily for police