Astounding Science Fiction (British Edition), April 1944 — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

THE BEAST 41 they'll keep them going on a diet of hard work and hard environment. ‘Furthermore, they've only had eight months, and they can’t have the quantity production necessary to cover longer routes. “We'll have to locate all the supply centers like the ones at Hohnstein and Latzky, and force them to mine their own material with their limited means. Then when we attack—” “When we what!” Hoskins smiled savagely at Lipton’s amazement, said with a blazing steadiness: “You don’t think, Lipton, that just because we can’t duplicate the engine they’ve stolen, that we’re going to sit helplessly down here while they gather their strength on the Moon?” 3 : “But what—” “The idea came to me last night,” Hos- kins said, “and I could have kicked myself for not thinking of it before. You see, Lip- ton, space was actually conquered many years ago. Only we were blind fools.” The knob-jawed giant was on his feet, staring at him. “You’re crazy!” he shouted. Two quick strides brought him looming over the slighter man. “Quick,” he said hoarsely, “what is it? Don’t keep me here sweating.” As Hoskins told him quietly, the big man’s jaw began to sag. He stood finally, a stunned look on his face. His voice was a whisper as he said: “You’ve got it. Oh, man, you’ve got it!” He started for the door. “‘Let’s go—back to Washington. There’s no time to waste.” TX. PENDRAKE backed, warily now. His first horror of the muscled colossus that was lumbering toward him was past. But the conviction that he must wait a favorable Opening was an ugly surging along his nerves, a high, sustained thrill unlike any- thing he had ever known. Unashamed of his reluctance, yet des- perate in the need for haste, he waited the attack that Devlin and his men were to launch—anything that would distract the beast’s attention. When the attack came, with an abrupt roaring of men’s voices, Pendrake flung him- self forward, straight at the ‘hairy man. A bearlike arm reached out to grab him. He knocked it aside with one thrust of his hand and for a fleeting second had his opportunity. The blow against that massive jaw nearly broke his fist. Even then all would have been well if the smash had accomplished its purpose. It didn’t. The monster did not as much as stagger; and instead of standing stunned for that instant of leeway that Pendrake had counted on to get away. Big Oaf plunged forward. His cable-thick arms closed like the jaws of a steam shovel. The Neanderthal bellowed with triumph: “Gotcha!” As the creature started his terrible squeeze, Pendrake jerked free his imprisoned arm, jabbed his fingers at Big Oaf’s pig eyes, shoved hard—and tore his body from that deadly embrace. It was his turn to cry out with the wild glee of a man in the full grip of battle lust: “Youre licked, Big Oaf! You’re through. You—” With a hoarse cry, the hairy man leaped toward him. Laughing harshly, Pendrake danced back and— - Too late, he noticed the throne platform directly behind. His retreat, made easy by the Moon’s gravity, was too swift for sudden halt. With a crash he fell flat on his back onto the platform. It was over as swiftly as that. On his feet he could have won; in that one test of strength. he had lost all doubt of that. But with Big Oaf kneeling on top of him, strik- ‘ing at him with body-breaking fists—in a minute Pendrake was clinging to his senses by the barest thread of consciousness. He was only dimly aware of being roughly and abruptly tied. Slowly, his mind crept further out of the darkness, into fuller comprehension of the disaster that had befallen him. He said finally, thickly: “You fool! Do you hear that fighting out there! It means you’re through, no matter what you do to me. Better make a deal, Big Oaf, while there’s still a chance. One look into those creature eyes brought the sick knowledge that he had flung his tiny stone of hope into a shadowed world. All the beast in the man was to the fore. The enormous lips were drawn back; teeth pro- truded like fangs; Big Oaf snarled with little grunts of indescribable fury; he blazed finally with a guttural hoarseness: “T’ll just bar the gate from this side. That'll make my men fight harder ’cause they won’t be able to retreat in here. And it'll make sure that you and me have our little show all to ourselves.” He lumbered massively out of Pendrake’s comiclbooks.€©