Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 48 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

LAST JOURNEY will stand for long against it unless kept damp. The tech- nicians patrol the colony walls and gates constantly, but even so some of the damned in- sidious stuff gets in, somehow. I remember Bluey Mackerras’ wife, when she had to go home .. . it was the eternal dust. She just couldn’t stand any more of trying to keep their little room decent; it was getting in Bluey’s lungs, too, though he thought she didn’t know. I had a letter from Blue last mail; she’s got over the worst of the hysteria _ now, but they have to live in a steaming jungle. The least suspicion of dust starts her off again. “We'll be all right,” said the dark stranger. ‘“‘ I’m not fated to die just yet.” “ TIsn’t that nice for you?” I snarled. I was pretty scared, and his calmness riled me. “I haven’t as much faith as you have in Fate. God helps those who help themselves—and we'd better get started. Time’s just on 1100 hours; let’s see: sun on the right—that’s O.K. 99 We must be facing about parallel to the beam . . . but we don’t know which side. Best to separate, keeping radio contact, and see if we can pick it up. You go that way, straight towards the sun; Ill go the opposite way. Con- tact by alternate letters every two seconds—you say ‘A,’ wait till I say ‘B,’ then say ‘C’—and listen for the beam signal as well. Stop walking the minute my voice starts to fade, or we'll be lost pro- perly.” He looked at me with a queer little smile, waved his left glove, and faced toward the sun, walking slowly. “A,” Isaid... I plodded through the dust. You don’t sink much, because even with space armour the weight isn’t too much on Mars, and the big “snowshoe” boots distribute it. I concen- trated on keeping the faint shadow of my body straight ahead, walking away from the. sun, and_ mechanically uttered, as I heard the . comlicbooks.com