Astounding Science Fiction, British Edition — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

HIDE! HIDE! WITCH! 33 not a circle? He must talk further with Joe about this. Now, for the first time, perhaps, he was prepared to listen to something he had not thought of himself. Had he been like the kind of scientist he scorned, refusing to listen to anything which did not fit in with his already formed conceptions? Outside his windows, the elm trees rustled in the rising breeze of night. It had grown quite dark. Yet, there in the distance down the hill, was the glow of a light. It was a flickering leaping, orange light, in the direction of the library park. The light grew brighter in the darkness—as if flames were mounting. Faintly, on the rising wind, there came the murmur of a crowd noise. He wondered, idly, what the occa- sion was among the villagers, what they were celebrating, what was the reason for such a huge bonfire. For some strange reason, the placard lines leaped into his consciousness. He con- nected the lines, the bonfire, with the radio speech. His head slumped forward on the desk. He did not hear the door open, or see Joe’s grin fade to quick concern. Quickly Joe darted across the room, felt Billings’ pulse, put his ear to Billings’ chest and heard the heart still beat. “Just fainted,’’ Joe said to Hoskins, who had come in behind him. “We'll have to carry him. We can’t wait any longer.” “Fool thing to delay this long,” Hoskins grumbled. ‘“‘Don’t know why you stalled, Joe.” “He had to grow up,” Joe said cryptically, and began massaging the flesh at the back of Billings’ neck. Billings came out of his shock coma at the handling, and stiffened his head. ““That’s better,” Joe grinned. ‘“Come on. Let’s get him out of here. We’ve got work to do. Science isn’t licked yet, not by any means.”’ He turned to Hoskins. “You sure you’ve smuggled all of Bossy’s parts out of here safely?” “Sure, I’m sure,” Hoskins grinned back at him. “You sure you’ve got a safe hiding place for us?”’ ‘Sure, I’m sure,” Joe said. Billings stood up then, and sud- denly he was quite strong. “All right, Joe.” Billings shook his head dazedly. “Making a mistake isn’t too bad, I guess—if you live long enough to learn from it, and do something about it. Science has had a lot of knowledge, but mighty little understanding. ““Let’s go find out what that is.” IN TIMES TO COME I invite you to name the expression on the face of the boy in next month’s cover by van Dongen; it’s a case where a picture is able to express something for which the language has no words! The lead story, “Exile,” by Everett B. Cole, presents the problem of a ship- wrecked interstellar traveler who can build a transmitter that will call for rescue— but won’t be rescued if he does! To build one, he’d have to enlist ‘the natives of the planet ; doing so is, for good reason, forbidden. How to get home, then . . .3? 2 THE EDITor. Cconnicloooks.c©