He saw other men.  They seemed to move restlessly around the lighted area.

The muttering was louder now.  He could almost catch the words.  He made another hundred yards toward the rocket and the voice changed again.  Then he was dazed.  The voice was speaking to him!  Calling him by name!

"Lockley!  Lockley!  Don’t do anything crazy!  Everything can be explained!  You’ll recognize my voice.  You talked to me on the telephone from Serena!”

Lockley did recognize the voice.  It was that of the general who’d sounded pompous and indignant as he refused to listen to Lockley’s statements.  Now, coming out of many loudspeakers and echoing hollowly from cliffs, it was the same voice but with an intonation that was persuasive and forthright.

“You startled me,” said the voice crisply. “You’d found out there were humans involved in this business.  It was important that the fact be suppressed.  I tried to browbeat you, which was a mistake.  While I was talking to you your suspicion was reported on short wave by the Wild Life driver.  I tried to overawe you.  You’re the wrong kind of man for that.  But everything can be explained.  Everything!  Here’s Vale to prove it!”

There was only an instant’s pause.  Then Vale’s voice came out of the loudspeakers spread all about.

“Lockley, this is Vale.  The whole thing’s faked.  There’s a good reason for it, but you stumbled on the facts.  They had to be kept secret.  I didn’t even tell Jill.  This isn’t treason, Lockley.  We aren’t traitors!  Come out and I’ll explain everything.  Here’s Sattell.”

And Sattell’s voice boomed against the hills.

“Vale’s right, Lockley!  I didn’t know what was up.  I was fooled as much as anybody.  But it’s all right!  It’s perfectly all right!  When you understand you’ll realize that you had to be deceived just as I was.  Come on out and everything will be explained to your satisfaction.  I promise!”

Lockley grimaced.  How did Sattell get up here?  And the general in command of the cordon?  More than that, why did they call his name instead of simply trying to kill him?  Why post watchers on the hillsides if they were anxious to explain and not to murder?  How could they hope to deceive him after Jill....

There was a pause, and then what was evidently considered a decisive message came.  It was Jill’s voice, weary and desperate.  It said, “Please come out and listen!  Please come and let them explain everything.  They can do it.  I understand and I believe them.  It’s true.  It’s not treason.  I—­I beg you to come out and let them tell you why all this has happened....”

Her voice trailed off.  It had trembled.  It was tense.  It was strained.  And Lockley cursed softly, shaking with rage.  Then the first voice returned, “Lockley!  Lockley!  Don’t do anything crazy!  Everything can be explained.  You’ll recognize my voice.  You talked to me on the telephone from Serena.”