Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

100 At the Earthmen’s advice Barlennan had long since ordered his men not to gather in large groups; but now he drew them in toward the ship, establishi@g a loose cordon parallel to the string of rafts on each side of the creek. The men were far enough apart so there was no really tempting target from above, and close enough to support each other in case an attack actually developed. There they stayed; Barlennan wished it made evident that the next move was up to the personnel of the gliders. They failed to make it, how- ever, for several more days. Then a dozen more of the flimsy craft appeared in the distance, swooped overhead, split into two groups and landed on the hilltops to either side of the imprisoned ship. The landings were made as the Flyers had foretold, into the wind; the machines skidded to a stop in a few feet from their point of touchdown. Four beings emerged from each, leaped to the wings, and hastily tied the gliders down, using the local bushes as anchors. What had been assumed all along now proved to be a fact; they were identical in form, size and coloring with the sailors of the Bree. Once the gliders were secured their crews proceeded to set up a collapsible structure upwind from them, and attach cords equipped with hooks to this. They appeared to be measuring quite carefully the distance from this device to the nearest glider. Only when this task was completed did they pay any attention to the Bree or her crew. A single prolonged wail that sounded from one hilltop to the other apparently served as a signal that the work was complete. Then the glider crews on the lee- ward hill began to descend the slope. They did not leap, as they had during the action subsequent to landing, but crawled in the caterpillarlike fashion pessimistic sailors regarded ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION which was the only means of locomo- tion Barlennan’s people had known prior to his exploration of the Rim. In spite of this they made good speed, and were within reasonable throwing distance—as several of the more it—by sundown. They stopped at that point and waited for the night to pass; there was just enough light from the moons for each party to see that the other did nothing suspicious. With the coming of sunlight the advance was resumed, and eventually terminated with one of the newcomers only a yard or so from the nearest sailor, while his companions hung a few feet farther back. None of the party seemed to be armed, and Bar- lennan went to meet them, first ordering two sailors to swing one of the vision sets so that it pointed directly at the place of meeting. The glider pilot wasted no time, but began speaking as soon as Barlen- nan stopped in front of him. The captain failed to understand a word. After a few sentences the speaker appeared to realize this; he paused and, after a moment, continued at somewhat slower speed in what Bar- lennan judged to be a different lan- guage. To save the time that a random search through the tongues known to the other would consume, Bar- lennan this time indicated his lack of comprehension verbally. The other shifted languages once more, and rather to his surprise Barlennan heard his own speech, uttered slowly and badly pronounced, but quite compre- hensible. “It is long since I have heard your tongue spoken,” the other said. “I trust I can still be understood when I use it. Do you follow me?” “T can understand you perfectly well,” replied Barlennan. “Good. I am Reejaaren, linguist for Marreni, who is Officer of the connicloooks COTM