Astounding Science Fiction (British Edition), April 1944 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

36 In the course of the conversations, Pen- drake learned the case histories of miners, gamblers, cowboys. His composite picture grew clearer. The main group of them be- longed to a period between 1825 and 1875. He placed the trail where the transport machine was focused to be within twenty miles of an old frontier settlement called Canyon Town. On the third morning Devlin crawled into Pendrake’s bedroom just as he was getting up. “I noticed Morrison going to the stock- ade,” the man said, “so I sneaked over. We're ready, Pendrake.” Pendrake jumped a little, and then settled down onto the bed. He sat there grimly wondering what these men with their com- plete inexperience of a really planned war considered adequate readiness. He listened, trying to picture everything in scenes, as Devlin began: “The central idea is to take the stockade and force surrender. The men don’t fancy a lot of bloodshed. The details are—” Pendrake listened to the childish thing, conscious of a great weariness. All his advice had been ignored. The ruthless surprise attack that alone would make for a quick victory, bloodless for the attacker, shelved for a vague scheme to get the enemy cornered in the stockade and— “Listen, Devlin,” he said finally, “look at me. For two days I’ve been doing nothing. You’d think I didn’t have a care in the world. Yet my wife’s in the hands of the damnedest, most murderous bunch of gangsters that ever lived on Earth. My country is in a danger that it doesn’t even know about. “Furthermore, three days ago, Big Oaf asked me if I’d like to lead an attack against the Germans on the chance that they have my wife here on the Moon. It’s obvious also that such an attack might enable us to capture an atomic engine. “Why am I not rushing forward when I’m nearly crazy with anxiety? Because de- feat is ten times as easy as victory and more final. Because all the will in the world isn’t enough if the strategy is bungled. As for bloodshed—you don’t seem to realize you’re dealing with a man who won’t hesitate a second to order a general massacre if his position is ever threatened. “You don’t seem to realize how skillfully this place is organised. The outward appear- ance is deceptive. Unless you work fast, you'll have all the doubtful men against you, ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION and they'll fight twice as hard to prove to Big Oaf that they were with him all the time. “Now, let’s organize for battle, not a game. Tell me, what’s in those guarded buildings?” “Guns in one of them, spears and bows and arrows in another, tools in a third— everything that ever came through from Earth Big Oaf took possession of.” ““Where’s the ammunition for the guns?” “Only Big Oaf knows— Say, I’m begin- ning to see what you mean. If he ever gets those guns going—we’ve got to capture them.” “Tf,” said Pendrake, “the first arrow fired by every man could kill or disable one of them, our little war would be over in ten minutes, but—” There was a scrambling sound at the doorway. Morrison crawled through. He was breathing hard, as if he had been running. “Big Oaf,” he gasped, “wants to show you the transport machine. Shall I tell him you're coming?” The transport machine stood inside a high, timber stockade five feet from the edge of the cliff. It was made of a dark, almost a drab metal, and its base was a solid gray rock. Pausing on the wooden platform that ran around the upper edge of the stockade, Pen- drake frowned down at the unbeautiful structure. In spite of all his will, he was excited, because if he could get this mar- velous instrument to work, if he could focus it anywhere, say into the German prison Where Eleanor was, or into American military headquarters or— Or simply learn how to reverse it! Shakily, he forced the hope out of his mind. Thirty feet long, he estimated, twelve high and eighteen wide. Big enough for almost anything except a locomotive. He walked along the platform, and paused finally where it twisted around the edge that overlooked the abyss. The distance that stretched below shocked him. His body did not succumb easily to dizziness, but it wasn’t necessary to take the risk merely to get a down look at the mouth of the machine. He drew back. He faced Big Oaf who had been sitting watching him with expres- sionless eyes. “How do you get into the stockade?” Pendrake asked. “There’s a door at the other side.” conmicboo <S) (©)