Astounding Science Fiction (British edition) — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

68 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION than she’d been able to tell Balch, even though most of it was vague; she expected to begin catching the nib- blies’ remarks right away. She didn’t. A mere jumble appeared on her main oscilloscope. Nothing simple and clear. Don’t be impatient, she told her- self, you’re hearing all their advice to each other inseparably mixed with what they decide to try to tell us. But guessing the reason didn’t make it easier to wait. She decided it’d be necessary to give the nibblies some- thing specific to refer to. She said— and the mike in front of her recorded it—‘“‘Keller, jump up and down a few times.” He did. “‘No response. Keller, this time come over and touch me on the arm first, so they'll know your actions have something to do with me. Then jump around a bit again. Good.” A pip had appeared on the main scope, much like the one Brian had used to refer to her. She twisted knobs, making her output, as recorded on the auxiliary scope, match that pip. The incoming signal changed, first to a form she recognized as registering satisfaction, then in a sudden shift to an unknown pattern. She smoothed out her own signal, making it almost featureless, and reduced the gain, hoping this would indicate her con- fusion. ‘Keller, touch me again, then go around to their side of the table. Don’t frighten them—better stop there a minute.” She had caught sight of a ripple on the rapidly changing curve before her which she thought indicated Keller should stop. The rest was puzz- ling. She twisted knobs again, trying to indicate in the changed context two notions she thought she’d been able to convey before: “human,” questioning. One of the nibblies left the circle, approached Keller. “Stay still, let him come closer.”’ The nibbly pressed his nose against Keller’s outstretched hand. Could he be expecting direct communication? No, because the pat- tern Chang saw on the ‘screen just then was completely clear. She re- sponded quickly and confidently, and followed the succeeding shifts of pat- tern with less bafflement than before. It had been an expression of friend- ship! Now the nibbly left Keller and loped, almost casually, toward the forest. Those who remained with Chang reduced their signal to a mere flutter; she belatedly followed suit. Apparently she was expected to wait for something. She used the time to say into the mike, “If this system ever gets worked out, the side circuits will have to be operated by a keyboard or something. These knobs are no good; I can only turn two at a time.” Melkote, behind her, was beginning a reply when the nibbly at the forest’s edge suddenly broke into a frantic run toward them. Simultaneously the scope on the table went mad: the amplitude shot up, and the wave had a stark, jagged crest completely un- like anything Chang remembered. “Wolves around, maybe,”’ she mut- tered. “‘Tell the sentries to look sharp. Keller, stay where you are.”’ The lone nibbly streaked toward the group at Chang’s table, made as if to join it— but actually did not—then left and ran to Keller, laying his nose in Keller’s hand once more. It couldn’t have been wolves, Chang was deciding, or the nibbly would actually have joined the circle, to tell them. Then, by developing stages, the scope explained. Her hands ac- companied the changes, flying over the row of ten knobs; but even in the process she relaxed and smiled. “It was a pantomime indicating their danger, then their trust that we'll help defend them. I wonder what they’ve conniclooolks.conn