Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 149: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Rigel whose population specialized in travel of space and time. Very carefully, he observed one special harbor, where little steam-launches patrolled the waters day and night on the alert for smugglers. He saw, at last, a strangely dressed man, not at all like the ape people, appear out of nowhere and splash into the harbor’s waters. And he knew, with an abstract admiration, that the man was himself. He watched this other Striker investigate the ways of the world of the millionth year, saw him sitting on the tundra where the ball lightning had been seen. He saw him taken up by the human beings from Rigel and transported to the hall they had built for him in space out of free electrons. “—and have the toughness to resist panic and explore we Shall give you that power,” Striker rubbed his eyes, found that he was in the hall in space. The organ notes of the human being from Rigel were still Sounding in his ears. He had covered the million years in the blink of an eye. Assembling his memories and visions of the past, he said: “It was a very great message. | could not have borne it any other way. Why—” The creatures anticipated him, of course. They not only knew what he would say, they Knew why he would Say It; they could probe down to the deep motives that were lost even to Striker himself. “Because,” said the organ-voice, “you are a man. We too are men.” Striker knew that there was something more, something that the man would not tell him, something that he would have to feel... He was silent for a long time, sensing the currents of thought that beat from the three creatures. Finally, the voice said: “We shall send you back.” And 150 then he got it; snatched out and got it like a brass ring from the feeder at a merry-go-round. As he was whirling through space in the electronic arms of the blue spheres he cried, strangled: “No... wait... ’Il—” CORniclooo SS (SO)