Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 43 — page 88: what you’re looking at

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

ERRAND OF MERCY > they returned, the insidious gnawing was resumed. Almost certainly they wereresponsible. As none of the creatures directly contacted what it affected, there could be only one solution—psycho-kinesis. After long and exhaustive experiments, based on the early work by Dr. Rhine, both telepathy and psycho-kinesis —the “PK Effect’—had fin- ally been accepted as facts by terrestrial science. ‘ But only rare humans possessed these powers to any measurable extent. It had been confirmed that direct sight of the object to be moved, solely by mental power, increased the effect. Although the smaller whale-like crea- tures had this power to a far greater degree than any human, it was yet limited. It took the concentrated thought of all of them merely to keep pulling away thin layers of particles from the bank. They managed, in the end, to draw the rifle into the river, but if Raikes hadn’t foolishly clung to it too long, and so 87 overbalanced, he could prob- ably have withstood their in- fluence on his person. But the full-grown monster was quite another matter. Its PK power must be for- midable. It had caught and tethered Jenny in full flight, dragged her down relentlessly. Where was it now? 3 Lewes rolled on his stomach and peeped cautiously above the lip of the hollow. He could see to the horizon. The river flowed emptily. Even the burnt carcase was no longer there. The up- heaval must have washed it from the rocky spit. But the rocket ship was still there, tilted crazily. He waited ten minutes, then stood up, shakily. He waited again, peering in all directions. But nothing moved except the river and the wind. Circumspectly, he made his way back to the ship and peeped inside with a mad hope that either Raikes or Hacking might have returned from the dead. This miracle was not granted. He was alone, comiclbooks.corn