"The disc suddenly wasn't there--after the others had hit, I imagine. I don't know for sure--but suddenly, the thing just sort of--turned off. It wasn't there. I looked around and saw the pillar of smoke far off to my left and rear but no following ships. I swung around and tried to contact my men. No result. I went over the spot where the fires were and recognized them immediately as--the remains. I contacted the base. While I was hanging around up there, I had a lot of time to think. I realized then what I've already told you--that each of the men thought the disc was directly before him. Each followed it--to his death. I wasn't operating manually--my auto-pilot--" he smiled strangely--"isn't susceptible to--hypnotic suggestions--so it flew a straight course--at thirty-thousand." "You believe that you--and the others--were hypnotized into thinking you were seeing a flying disc. Is that it?" the general said dryly. "I believe that we caught someone--some _thing_--off guard when we took off on an unannounced flight," Martin said with firm conviction, ignoring the sudden reaction they showed. "I'm sure we were heading in a direction where some secret lay--without sufficient advance warning for whatever holds that secret to cover up. I'm positive we were hypnotized--lured away just like a mother quail pulls the broken wing stunt to get a dog away from her nest." "Doesn't that explanation strike you as unbalanced, to say the least," Saunders said slowly. "What person could possibly have such powers--or devices, to hypnotize four men flying thirty-thousand feet above the earth at eight-hundred miles an hour?" "No power on earth," Martin said softly. "The Panamint Indians won't go near those mountains." He gestured to the tinted window and beyond, to where the great range of jagged mountains gleamed luridly orange and purple under the slanting rays of the desert sun. "They have positive beliefs--not legends--about beings from other worlds who dig in the hills for shining metals.... Who have great ships that fly. Beings who can make a man who comes too near die of thirst even though he carries water at his belt. Beings who can control the minds of men." He hesitated. "That's why they named those mountains--the Superstitions." "I'm afraid you'll have to find a better explanation than that," the general said stiffly. "You have the written reports of the radio men on duty," Martin said. "They all heard Ryan, Morelli and Sayers talking. They back up every word I've said. You asked my opinion and I've told you. Someone--something, didn't want us snooping around when they weren't prepared for it--and they simply drew us away by means of delusion or mind control of some kind." "We've photographed every inch of this entire corner of the state," the general said. "You have stated that the camera doesn't lie. We have observed nothing unusual in any of the many excellent photographs made of the area you flew over yesterday."