Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 48 — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

RECOIL wild in them when he pushed over the switch again and pressed it down with all his force. As if the whole ship put its energies behind the switch, the lever rose, tore a chunk of flesh from his palm, and stayed in the on position. Frantically, he tried to cut the voice once again, unable to bear any more details of how to act on the outer hull. This time a new, more firm voice interrupted the tape’s instructions : “This is an automatic repeating device. Do not attempt to interrupt the tape again. You have chosen an important message which signifies an emergency situa- tion. The repeater will con- tinue to explain your course of action until you break the circuit by following instruc- tions given to cope with the emergency.” Then the glib instructions on manually dis- posing of the _ life-rocket resumed. When the repeater tape had begun its account for the 75 dozenth time, Nielson’s shat- tered nerves demanded relief in the form of action. He defeatedly pulled the space- suit from its closet and slowly wrapped the heavy, resistant folds about himself. Pulling the helmet shut gave him claustrophobia, but it cut off the maddening, repetitious voice. Nielson went through the procedure as if in a daze, with every detail sealed into his memory by now as surely as if he had received the proper training before coming aboard ship. The airlock controls were operated by a code of heel-taps. His fear of suffo- cating in the spacesuit was heightened into terror as he stepped into the tiny box that was the airlock. Then he waved his arms wildly for support that didn’t exist, as the outer hull opened. The entire airlock slid smoothly six feet along the outer hull. A steel arm of the ship shoved him out of the airlock. It slithered. away from him, eluding his frantic grab, and comiclooks.cormn