American Science Fiction #41 — page 11: what you’re looking at

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

' fear-ridden STOPWATCH. ON THE WORLD 11 ] asked oe naturedly. “After having ‘seen Mr. Disney I didn’t ex- pect to have to carry my papers around with me. They're a down- _right nuisance to carry around in this outfit Pm wearing.” I gestured - to the khaki shorts and short-sleeved shirt I had on. 7 He laughed, a_ forced, “ hollow Jaugh. He was uncertain of his ground. : “Of course,” I went on, “if. you wish, we | could go to scopoldube and... “No, that won't be necessary. I’m sorry. I lost my temper. iving alone in this jungle wears a person’s nerves a little thin.” - I nodded understandingly. “Dr. Pilon, I really came down here to eo inquiries about Doctor eels ZS 93 “Yes?” His eyes took on that cun-- ning look again. He knew something, I was-sure. I wondered how much. “You knew him, I believe.” “1 did. In fact, if visited him once, ‘ you know.” He looked at me, a sup- pressed grin trembling inthe cor- ners of his thin mouth, with the air of a mouse that has deftly sidestep- ped the swiping paw of a cat. “A peculiar man, wasn t. he? Had some strange ideas.” “Peculiar, yes. In the same sense that Mahatma Ghandi was peculiar,” he snapped at me, the blue eyes gleam- ing with a fanatic’s adoration. “As for strange ideas, bringing peace to this planet can hardly be called one.” H, so Pilon knew! He realised immediately he had given himself away and became morosely truculent; I had reached the end of the line with him. But I had one card left: Pilon’s ~ diary. : While talking to him, I had spot- ted the. marble-edgéd ledger on the _ crate-improvised table in the corner of the tent. I was sure it was his journal; I hoped eapestly that it was. . We drank a final cup of coffee in silence while I ransacked my brain for some sunier tee to get Pilon out of the. tent. _thing was very simple.. In the end the whole I asked him if the jeep was ready to take me back to Katanga. He went outside to see. I went quickly over to the table, slipped. the ledger from under two other books, technical journals, and leafed swiftly through the pages. They were dated. I was in luck; it was a diary. I turned to the ate of Pilon’s. Te- ported visit with. Sete: and there I found the entry: JUNE 21:—Visited Dacai Chetz- isky to-day, A brilliant man; deep- ly concerned for the world. His words moved me as he spoke of policing the world into peace. His hopes, he told me in strictest con- fidence, rest on. an ore discovery by Ian MacRoberts of British Col- umbia, a university geologist, who seems to have found a new radio- active element easily controlled. The Doctor has received a sample from MacRoberts to-day to verify the preliminary spectroscopic analysis. When I left- Doctor Chetzisky shook my hand warmly. I wished him suc- cess and promised secrecy. He is one of the obscure great men of our times. I barely finished reading when Pilon’s footsteps sounded outside. I closed the book quickly and greeted _ him when he entered. The jeep was ready, he said, and wished me a pleasant*and safe trip to Katanga. The jeep was just starting off when a native ran up, shouting that Bwana Pilon wanted to see the driver, I sat in the car, waiting uneasily, re- membering that I hadn’t slipped the ledger back in place; I hoped Pilon hadn’t noticed. Fifteen minutes went .by. I climbed out of the jeep and went in search of the driver, who. was sit- ting in Pilon’s tent, . regarding his watch from time to time. “Doctor Pilon asked me to wait here for twenty minutes before go- ing,” the driver explained. “He said something about he might have a package.” Sa Cconnicloooks.Ccomnn)