Astounding British Edition, Volume 8, No. 11 — page 60: what you’re looking at

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

58 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION ——s™ SS Taylor’s victim had not yet revived by the time they reached the only inn pos- sessed by the ragged looking town ‘that passed for the Terran capital of Rerv IV. Ferris and Taylor obtained a room and sat down to piece together the information that the former had extracted from their hosts on the ride, The hotel, a magnificent two stories in a rambling metropolis of one-storied build- ings of dun bricks and stucco, was at least relatively cool because of its thick walls. It was staffed by Rervites, quiet amphibians who seemed depressed at being ashore. “They're what make the business go,” said Ferris, rising to point out the deeply recessed window at a pair of Rervites plodding along the street below. The natives were about four feet tali and rotund after a streamlined fashion. They were more or less bipedal—heavy tails showed below the tunics they wore. The fine, greenish scales did not show at this distance, but the mouthful of teeth dis- played when one of them opened his mouth would have been visible half a light-year. The eyes set in the otherwise featureless round faces, however, were large and gentle. “There’s about a hundred Terran factors here,” Ferris continued, “and very few actually go underwater to work their tohkine plantations.” “Dunno why Fuller is so interested in the stuff,” said Taylor. “It’s no use to Terrans.” “Ssh!” cautioned Ferris. “Don’t mention his name!” He moved cat-footed to a curtains that served as a door, and peeped into the hall. Satisfied that they were not being spied upon, he returned to the chair by the win- dow. “He never said,’ he explained, “but it’s easy to figure out. Tohkine, or drugs taken out of it, stops colds in a whole class of nonhumans that trade on Terra. Some of them can die from a cold, and by now they’ve all carried the sniffles back to their own planets. With some of them, a shot of tohkine is like a vaccination.” “You'd think they could make syn- thetics,” said Taylor. “You can bet they’re tryin’. Maybe they will some day; but right now, they gotta get it from underwater plantations on Rerv IV an’ nowheres else. That’s why these vacuums had it so good till the Lrymians tried to push in.” “They had nothing much to do, the way Fuller put it.” “That’s right,” agreed Ferris. “The Rer- vites work the plantations an’ dry the weed on the beaches. But the Terrans control the export, an’ you know what that means.” “Keeping the price up by shipping out just so much?” “Sure. Now these hungry wonders from around Lryme are trying to cut in. You'd think a planet would be big enough for everybody, but maybe not. This is the only land for a base, an’ the Terrans got here first.” “You think that’s Puller’ s angle, to chase the monsters out?” “What else?” Ferris shrugged. “That’s his business, seein’ to it that Terrans get the inside orbit on any trade through Sol. I think he got us here to start some sort of riot after we get the Terran factors organized the way he told us. Then, either we pitch the Lrymians out, or he can call for government help.” “Why can’t he anyway?” asked Taylor. “Or start the riot himself, if he wants one?” “I guess he thinks it ain’t legal for a man in his position,” grinned Ferris. Taylor snorted. “What’s the matter?” Ferris prodded. “The idea of doin’ something illegal bother you?” In spite of a brief struggle with himself, Taylor had to smile. “Tll tell you one thing, though, to tuck away in your atomic little head,” he de- clared. “I got a theory that what would bother Fuller would make me turn white. And you, too!” Ferris grinned and shrugged, but offered no argument. At dusk, following the lingering after- noon of Rerv IV, they descended to the main hall of the inn for dinner, The green- scaled Rervite waiter brought them a variety of seafood which he assured them—in mushy speech barely understandable as Terran—would be acceptable to their stomachs. Some of the dishes consisted of shellfish of exotic appearance, some resembled fish, and some caused Taylor to remark about “pickled spinach.” Having visited many — planets, however, the two visitors were inured to unfamiliar foods, They were finishing with a jug of some- thing very like wine — invented by the Terrans from. a sea growth, the waiter told EComicbookssco