Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

GIMMICK to where circuits should go and how they should be wired and answered more questions. There was no way they could check whether what he said was true or not, for they had no truth serums chemi- cally fit for humans, but the wire endings seemed to match and look reasonable the way he had them do it, although the experts were increas- ingly puzzled about how it operated and what it did, and spent much time arguing with each other. The questions came from an. ever growing assortment of experts, some from the others ships of the fleet, and some he began to suspect were from the planets. Théy seemed increasingly intelligent and likable as their num- ber grew. For two days he answered questions, telling the truth wherever possible, and in answer to questions about the purpose of his weapon, | FANTASY BOOK CENTRE 1 © BOOKS FOR SALE—latest always a, stock, widest selection of best titles. | © BOOKS TO BORROW_—postal or | personal Lending-Library of more than one thousand titles. | ® WE SELL MAGAZINES — latest and vintage, U.S.A. and British, largest stock in Europe. ALL sub- scriptions placed. Professional bind- ing service. | ® WE BUY BOOKS AND MAGA- ) ZINES—half price for fine digest- size U.S.A. magazines. One-third for fine books. Send goods or list for our ‘no-risk’ offer. FANTASY BOOK CENTRE } 52 Stoke Newington Rd., LONDON, N.16 | (CLIssold 5541) 10 Sicilian Avenue, (near Holborn tube) Southampton Row, London, W.C.1 ‘CHAncery 8669) 101 adding lie on lie, very carefully fitting them together in a logical sounding fantasy as a diverting game. He liked his questioners, and was sorry for them. They were being pleasant to him, now that he was answering, and - occasionally one would remark to him that he was a civilized person; that, judging by their warfare, they had come to expect all Balds to be savages. He did not comment on this, merely made friendly remarks back and tried to tell the mathematicians the basic formula of the EG field. After a time he found a young one versed in the right branch of elec- tronics so that he found it easy to interpret the interpreter’s vague trans- | lation. Calland buttonholed him and forced him to listen long enough to get the entire equation and the basic design. The others were impatient at the duration of his diversion from the essential business of instructing them in the secret weapon, but the young scientist Calland had confided it to went away rapidly, looking preoccu- pied and intent on something he was planning to do. Calland hoped he had fully understood, and that he would pass on his information to other Furries before it was too late. Calland was sorry for him. He was sorry for the crew, for every man of it had taken time off to see him during the first hours he was aboard. Every cyb weapon expert had been into the workroom to puzzle over the network that the engineers were trying to reassemble under his directions. By the end of the second day he had seen vague friendly Furries enter who received so much deference and under- stood so much without questions, that he was sure that he was getting the cream of the theoreticians from the conniclboooks.c© nn