Argosy: The Short Story Magazine — page 136: what you’re looking at

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

136 JOHN WYNDHAM A few moments later a crowd of ragged men, and quite a number of women with them came pouring out of the woods, making away from the scene of the intended ambush, and towards the firing. A few were obvious deviations, but most of them, at a distance and seen only briefly, looked normal. They were armed with bows and spears, with only two or three guns among them. I saw the spider-man, standing taller than the rest, and called to him, but he was too busy to notice. Nobody was paying any attention to us any longer. We could have run, had we known which was the safe way to run. *'What’s happening? ” I asked Michael. ‘‘ Was that your lot shooting? ” ‘No, that was the other party. ‘They’re trying to draw the Fringes people across so that we can come in from the opposite side and take them in the rear.’ ““'They’re succeeding,” I told him. I explained that we were beside the biggest tent, near the middle of the clearing. ** Tl try to join you there, and we’ll make a break for it,’ he said. There was a sound of more firing from the same direction as ‘before. A clamour and shouting broke out. A few spent arrows dropped into the clearing. Suddenly, there was a strong, clear question: “ Are you still safe? ”’ Petra loosed off a blindingly urgent reply. * Steady, child, steady! We’re coming,” told her. More arrows started to fall into the left side of the clearing. A few ragged men appeared, retreating out of the trees. More followed them quickly. ‘They dodged, and took cover behind the tents and hovels. Still more came running back out of the woods, arrows spitting after them. Presently, more arrows began to fall in from the other side of the clearing. ‘The ragged men and women made the discovery that they were between two fires, and started to panic. Horsemen appeared, riding out from the trees on the right. *‘ What’s that? ’’ asked Petra suddenly. ‘‘ What’s that noise? ”’ Quickly the Zealand woman came in: “ Don’t be frightened. We’re coming now. Stay where you are.” I, too, could hear the noise now; a strange drumming sound that gradually swelled. One of the horsemen reined i in abruptly. He pointed upwards, and shouted. I looked up, too. There was something above us like a bank of mist, but shot with quick, iridescent flashes. Above it I could make out, as if through a gauze, one of the strange flying craft that I had dreamt of as a child. The white, fishlike body was glistening through the veil, with something half invisible whizzing round above it. It grew bigger, and the noise grew louder, as it dropped towards us. ; the Zealand woman comicooks.comn)