Astounding British Edition, Vol. 9, No. 10 — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

MISSION OF GRAVITY 29 he was not taking time out to analyze the _ possibility. He backed away hastily, cut- ting the cabin lights as he did so. He did not want one of those tusks striking a cabin port with the force it had just expended on the upper armor. Now only the running lights, mounted low in the front of the vehicle and set well into the armor, were illuminating the scene. The animal, encouraged by Lackland’s retreat, lurched forward and struck one of these. The Earthman did not dare extinguish it, since it would have left him effectively blind; but he sent a frantic call on the radio. “Barl! Are you doing anything about your nets? If you’re not about ready for action, I’m going to have to use the gun on this thing, meat or no meat. You’ll ' have to stay away if I do; he’s so close that high explosive would endanger the tank, and I’ll have to use thermite.” “The nets are not ready, but if you'll lead him back a few more yards he'll be downwind of the ship, and we can take care of him another way.” “All right.” Lackland did not know what the other way could be, and was more than a little doubtful of its effective- ness whatever it was; but as long as re- treat would suit the captain he was prepared to co-operate. It did not for an instant occur to him that Barlennan’s weapon might endanger the tank; and, in all fairness, it probably did ‘not occur to Barlennan either. The Earthman, by dint of repeated and hasty withdrawals, kept the tusks from his plating most of the time; the monster did not seem to have the intelligence to anticipate motion on his part. Actually it probably did not need that much brain, since its own head motions were so rapid that very few creatures were probably able to dodge it successfully. Lackland avoided trouble principally by remaining near the limit of its reach; the motion of the bulky body, of course, was slow, clumsy, and easy to anticipate. Two or three minutes of this dodging satisfied Barlennan. He, too, had been busy in_ those minutes. On the leeward rafts, toward the dueling monster and machine, were four devices closely resembling bellows, with hoppers mounted above their nozzles. Two sailors were now at each bellows, and at their captain’s signal began pump- ing for all they were worth. At the same time a third; operator manipulated the hopper and sent a stream of fine dust flowing into the current from the nozzle. This was picked up by the wind and carried toward the combatants. The darkness made it difficult to estimate its progress; but Barlennan was a good judge of wind, and after a few moments of pumping suddenly snapped another order. The hopper crews promptly did some- thing at the nozzle of the bellows each was tending; and as they did so, a roar- ing sheet of flame spread downwind from the Bree to envelope both of the fighters. The ship’s crew were already sheltered behind their tarpaulins, even the “gun- ners” being protected by flaps of fabric that formed part of their weapons; but the vegetation that sprouted through. the snow was neither tall nor dense enough to shelter the fighters. Lackland, using words that he had never taught Barlennan, hurled the tank backward out of the flame cloud with a prayer for the quartz in his portholes. His adversary, though evidently as anxious to dodge, seemed to lack the necessary control. It lurched first one way, then the other, seeking escape. The flame died out in seconds, leaving a cloud of dense white smoke which gleamed in the tank’s running lights; but either the brief fire had been sufficient or the smoke was equally deadly, for the monster’s dis- organization grew steadily worse. It’s aimless steps grew shorter and feebler as the legs gradually lost the power to sup- port its vast bulk, and presently it stumbled and rolled on one side. The legs kicked frantically for a time, while the long neck alternately retracted and stretched to full length, lashing the fanged head frantically through the air and against the ground. By sunrise the only remaining motion was an occasional twitch of head or leg; within a minute or two thereafter all activity of the giant creature ceased. The crew of the Bree had already swarmed overboard and across the dark patch where the snow had boiled from the Eomichbooks: co