"I should know?" asked Kane with a shrug. "He's drunk--and though it is
deplorable that he should pick this time to get that way, I, for one,
don't blame him."
"Well, after the circumstances, neither do I," agreed Mantley with
a sympathetic smile. "Those female predators would drive any man to
murder with their thoughtless questions. But look, Kane, this tale of a
nomad planet that preferred peace to association with Terra sounds too
complicated to be the figment of a drunken imagination."
"How could it be anything but?"
"Not a drunken figment," blurted Guy. "I was there, I should know."
"It must be a wonderful place," said Mantley soothingly.
"It is a paradise," insisted Guy.
"And you were there?"
"How would I know about it otherwise?"
"All right," laughed Kane. "Prove it!"
"How can I? They destroyed every shred of evidence."
"Who did?"
"You did--you and your kind. Didn't want Mars to know about
_Mardinex_--shot up the lifeship. Made me mem'rise forged log--forged
by Ertinians to fool you--and then burned log. Ha!" and Guy went into a
paroxysm of laughter. "You forged a log from a forged log."
"When was this visit?"
"When--right after capture by Martians. Came home to Terra."
"Kane," said Mantley, "there may be nothing to this wild yarn. But
to stop any wild talk on the part of observers here, I'm going to
investigate thoroughly."
"Please do. I'm certain that it will kill any rumors. Guy went through
part of the Martian idea of torture, I think, and it may have deranged
his mind somewhat."
"I'll look into it," said Mantley.
"We can permit no ugly rumor to mar the record of Guy Maynard,"
insisted Kane. "He is too high a figure now to permit rumors--and there
are those who would spread such rumors."