Authentic Science Fiction, December 1951 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

74 THE MOON IS HEAVEN you know. By the time you’d found one that way, we’d probably have enough from the electrolysis anyway. In other words, it would take you all of thirty weeks!’’ You all laugh. Even Clavier joins in. ‘‘ Of course, of course,’’ he says. ‘‘ I am a fool, a veritable fool.’’ “I wouldn’t go so far as that,” Atah says kindly. ‘‘ But you need to know a bit more about mining before you start your digging.’’ : “Very well, you tell me, I learn. And then—I dig.” Atah goes over to the few selected books you brought on the trip. Textbooks, mostly. Tomes of reference that might or should have some bearing on the problems you're likely to come up against. He chooses a volume and brings it back. “Read this,’’ Atah says, “ Skim most of it. Just take in the details of geodesic diagnosis so you’ll know what it’s all about. Then go on to the part dealing with actual mining procedure, You've got the latest dope on nuclear digging there.’ ““ Hey! Why should Clavier do all this? He did the elec- trolysis, now he wants the glory of mining a reservoir!”’ Leeson says.it jokingly, but there’s a grain of seriousness in it. The pilot must feel that he’s cut out for better things than just lugging mattresses about and straightening out doors. “* All right,’’ Atah laughs. ‘‘ Both of you read it. Make the finding of the reservoir a joint effort. Mike and I will work on the air-lock. You'll] also have to get the details of the mining for the records, Mike.” “IT know,” you say. ‘I know. 1’ll spend my time vacil- lating between the rocket up there and Clavier’s borer down here. If I get giddy, Reina will have to pull me round.’’ “Which is a very small job for so capable a woman,” Reina says. ‘‘I want to do something better than that. You've all been allotting yourself little bits of glory. Now how about some for me?’’ Here again there’s a grain of seriousness beneath the banter, And youloveherforit,. ~= comicbooks.com