Adventures in the Far Future & Tales of Outer Space — page 308: what you’re looking at

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

“Naw. The dead ones sink into the ground in two or three hours and disappear. Look, I'll blast a couple.” The private went back into his turret and Gedso ambled along at his heels. The arc cannon’s twin electrodes thrust outward, weighty because of the repelling magnet between which kicked the center of the arc half a kilometer in a broadening egg-shaped line. Stewie, or so read the letters on his back below the number, fitted a big fuse into the clips and sat down on the cannon ledge, hands grasping levers. His bright, brown eyes peered through the reducing glass which served as a sight and Gedso, behind him, found that he also could see through it The attack was developing out front as the “things” lumbered forward, breasting a force field and treading upon the flaming ground. Turrets to the right and left were blasting away. Stewie put his weapon into operation by the flip of a switch. An arc made a loop about a meter in diameter and then, as it heated up, began to leap outward like a stretched band. The noise grew and grew and the brilliance of the arc, though cut by the glare shield, became hurtful to the eyes. The “things” had pushed in a salient before this turret, but now into either side of that one In advance the arc began to play. Seen in the reduction glass, its outlines were almost clear. A great blob. No legs. A mouth with horizontal bone lining which now ground together, opened and shut. The thing came on, flanked on either side by a different sort. Gedso blinked when he saw that the arc, gauged around six billion kilo-volts and five thousand amperes, had no perceptible effect upon the gigantic target. As the “things” Came on there were fourteen of them linked abreast by the arc. Force field. Flaming earth white tongued with heat. Six billion— CORniclooo SS CO