Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition, December 1955 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

THE WAITABITS — a “Tm jumping to no pein conclusions,” said Leigh. “We'll wait for Ogilvy.” In a short time the loud-speaker informed with incredulity: “This town is full of creepers, too. And trolleys making the same speed, if you can call it speed. Want me to go down and tell you more?’ “No,” said Leigh into the mike. ““Make a full-range sweep eastward. Loop out as far as you can go with safety. Watch especially for any radical variation in phenomena and, if you find it, report at once.”” He racked the microphone, turned to the others. ‘“‘AIl we can do now is wait a bit.”’ “You said it!” observed Pascoe pointedly. “T’ll lay odds of a thousand to one that Boydell did- no more than sit futilely around picking his teeth until he got tired of it.”’ Walterson let go a sudden laugh that startled them. ‘“‘What’s the matter with you?”’ demanded Pascoe, staring at him. “One develops the strangest ideas sometimes,” said Walterson apolo- getically. “It just occurred to me that if horses were snails they’d never be compelled to wear harness. There’s a moral somewhere but I can’t be bothered to dig it out.” “City forty-two miles eastward from base,” called Ogilvy. “Same as before. Two speeds: dead slow and slower than dead.” Pascoe glanced through the port. “That train is doing less than bug-rate. I reckon it intends to stop when it gets here.’’ He thought a bit, finished, “If so, we know one thing in advance: they aren’t frightened of us.” Making up his mind, Leigh phoned through to Shallom. ““We’re going outside. Make a record of Ogilvy’s remarks while we’re gone. Sound a brief yelp on the alarm-siren if he reports rapid movement any place.” Then he switched to Nolan, Hoffnagle and Romero, the three communications experts. “Bring your Keen charts along in readiness for contact.” “It’s conventional,’ reminded Pascoe, “for the ship’s commander to remain in control of his vessel until contact has been made and the aliens found friendly or, at least, not hostile.”’ “This is where convention gets dumped overboard for once,” Leigh snapped. “I’m going to pick on the load in that train. It’s high time we made some progress. Please yourselves whether or not you come along.” “Fourteen villages so far,” chipped in Ogilvy from far away over the hills. “Everyone in them hustling around at the pace that kills—with boredom. Am heading for city visible on horizon.” The communicators arrived bearing sheafs of colored charts. They were unarmed, being the only personnel forbidden to wear guns. The theory behind this edict was that obvious helplessness established confidence. In most circumstances the notion proved correct and communicators survived. Once in a while it flopped and the victims gained no more than decent burial. “What about us?” inquired Walterson, eyeing the newcomers. “Do we take weapons or don’t we?” “We'll chance it without any,” Leigh decided. “‘A life form sufficiently intelligent to trundle around in trains should be plenty smart eno pep | to | CONNICDOO com