Authentic Science Fiction, December 1951 — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

94 THE MOON tS HEAVEN ‘“‘ He had already made a deal with a diamond concern to handle these,’’ you explain. ‘‘ He planned to get rid of us tight from the time before we left Earth. His idea was to go back alone with these and be._me independent. He said that was his sole interest in space flight.”’ Atah looks sad. You can understand his feelings. ‘“T seem to have made a great mistake in choosing him for the trip,’’ Atah says slowly. ‘‘ Apparently his knowledge was a good deal less than I believed.’’ You don’t get it. What’s his knowledge got to do with it? Surely it’s his attitude that counts. You say so. ‘“No, Mike,’ Atah replies. ‘‘I can understand the attitude. It would be a big temptation to walk off with a handful of diamonds. No, it’s his lack of knowledge. You see, these aren’t diamonds. Oh, they are pretty and might even have some sort of value. But they are definitely not diamonds. And Schnabel should have known that. He should have known that any diamonds on the Moon would be deep down inside the crust anyway. But apart from that, Schnabel should not have been led astray by popular accounts of these things. He ought to have remembered that there’s no evidence for the existence of carbon on the Moon. And after all, what are diamonds but tightly compressed carbon?’’ “ But—but,’’ you say. ‘‘ They sparkled so beautifully!”’ Atah smiled. ‘‘ Lots of things do. I£ you still think these may be diamonds, watch.”’ He lifts one off the bunk and throws it across the dome. It hits the wall on the far side and splinters into several pieces. And diamond is the hardest substance known! “Vou win,”’ you say. ‘‘ It would almost have been worth letting Schnabel take these back to Earth and try to claim his fortune. Imagine him devoting his life to space travel— and then this!’’ You all laugh, because it’s good to laugh. Because you’ve comicbooks.com