Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 43 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION may be extinct monsters, but it’s unlikely. Obviously the plant-trees were here first, and they can’t be all that old. My guess is that there are still as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. Whoppers! You'd need a battleship to go whaling on Venus. I’m carrying on. Done about 170 miles now.” The rocket ship lurched suddenly, and then was still again. But now it canted slightly towards the river. The mystified Lewes left the radio, and walked down the gentle incline of. the cabin floor to look through a port hole. A couple of hun- dred yards out, as stationary as rocks in the swift river, were ranged in an arc the seven whale-like monsters they’d seen. Only their snouts and eyes were showing above the waves—and they were all facing the ship. It was as though they were poised for a concerted charge. Lewes felt suddenly a little weak. Raikes came in, blunder- ingly, in haste. 78 “Better get out of here,” he snapped. “At this rate the ship will be in the river inside ten minutes.” ‘“‘What’s happening ?”’ “The river bank is begin- ning to crumble just at this spot. Guess the weight of the ship is too much for this soft earth.” He was lifting the atomic rifle from its chest. He in- spected it, grunted, and said to Raikes: ““Give me a hand with this box of shells. Seems to me those brutes are just waiting for us to fall into the river so that they can have lunch. By heaven, [ll have them for lunch!” Lewes helped him carry the heavy box of lead car- tridges out into the wind. **Don’t walk over the edge,” Raikes warned him. “It’s nearer now.”’ It certainly was. Lewes »was shocked. The foot. of the landing leg which had been a yard from the brink, now dangled in space. A whole mass of earth had comiclooks.conn