Astounding British Edition, Volume 8, No. 11 — page 61: what you’re looking at

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

BLUFF-STAINED TRANSACTION them—when a distant hubbub came to their ears. “Something popping out in the street,” muttered Taylor, setting down his tapered cup. “Coming this way, too.” “Wait till it gets here,” advised Ferris, pulling him down to the bench again. They sat quietly at the rough table, watching the few other Terrans present crowd out the door. One of them exclaimed something about Lrymians. The noise of many voices, Terran and some that were much more shrill, moved closer. Taking the jug with him in one hand and his cup in the other, Ferris drifted to the door. Taylor stepped lightly after him. Looking out, they saw an angry Terran in the middle of the street, confronting an unhealthy-looking individual with a dull, blue-white skin who could only have been a Lrymian. From the general position of the crowd, it appeared that the gathering Terrans had blocked the passage of about a dozen Lrymians. “Bet the snakes were chasing some Ter- rafis up the street,” muttered Taylor in his partner’s ear. Now, outnumbered two or three to one, the aliens hesitated. Ferris examined them curiously. | 59 A foot or so taller than humans, the Lrymians were slender in a snakish way that was emphasized by the way their nar- row heads were set upon curving necks two feet long. The bulging black eyes, two pointing forward and two backward, seemed too large for their heads. At first glance, Ferris thought he saw their legs from the knee down, under the long robes they wore belted twice in the length of their skinny bodies, Then he realized that their legs were no longer than he saw, although the four tentacles of each Lrymian were equivalent in reach and set- ting to human arms. The tumult was degenerating into what sounded like an outpouring of complaints . and countercharges. The shouting Terran was being out-gestured four to two, but he possessed a loud bellow and the Lrymian was slow of speech. It was about even. Ferris filled his cup from the jug and sipped. “They won't fight,” grunted Taylor contemptuously. : He half-turned to go inside. “Wait a minute!” murmured Ferris, grabbing his friend’s elbow. “Look over there!” Lounging at the rear of the Terran crowd, though obviously not a part of it, was a SCIENCE FICTION BOOKS FOR SALE (Add 6d. per book postage) Across the Space Frontier (Ed. Ryan) 25/- Adventures in Tomorrow (anth.) 10/6 Breakdown (Marsh) 11/6 City (Simak) 18/6 City at World’s End (Hamilton) 10/6 Cloak of Aesir (Campbell) 19/6 Complete Prof. Challenger Stories (Doyle) 16/- Crystal Horde (Taine) 19/6 Foundation and Empire (Asimov) 18/6 Galaxy Reader of SF. (anth.) 23/6 Green Fire (Taine) 19/6 Hidden Universe (Farley) 14/- Illustrated Man (Bradbury) 11/6 Islands in the Sky (Clarke) 8/6 I, Robot (Asimov) 8/6 Mastermind of Mars (Burroughs) 7/6 Mixed Men (Van Vogt) 18/6 New Tales of Space and Time (anth.) 10/6 Newbury in Orm (Williams) 8/6 No Place Like Earth (anth.) 10/6 Possible Worlds of Stf. (anth.) 9/6 Robots Have No Tails (Padgett) 18/6 Rocketship to Mars (Branley) 10/6 The Starmen (Brackett) 18/6 Weapon Shops of Isher (Van Vogt) 9/6 Worlds Far From Here (Wheatley) 17/6 ‘ Send for free lists and details of Postal Loan Library, Magazine service, etc., from FANTASY BOOK CENTRE 52 STOKE NEWINGTON ROAD, LONDON, N.16. Telephone : CLIssold 5541 Eomichoo (E€@)