Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 52 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION “Of course.” “You...” Williams swal- lowed his anger as he noticed some of the others staring at them with undisguised curiosity. ““Come inside.” Within the hut and safe _ from curious stares he turned savagely on the smiling ecolo- gist. “Gerald, I gave you more credit than to act like an irresponsible fool. How dare you eat the native fruit with- out my permission?” “What?” The ecologist blinked then, as he responded to the commander’s anger, his mouth set in sullen lines. “‘Didn’t you tell me to deter- mine whether or not the local produce was edible?’ **T did,” “Well?” “IT said nothing about eat- ing it, Gerald, and I also asked you to determine whether it was both edible and harmless. Do I have to explain to you the difference ?”’ “Hardly, commander.” Anger made the ecologist clench his hands and his voice became brittle with 24 strained politeness. “If I may enquire of the commander, how would he suggest that I determine what he wished to know?” “Don’t act with me, Gerald. You have chemicals I assume, and techniques by which you can recognise the presence of poisons? Or do I have to teach you your job too?” “Hardly that, commander, but I would suggest that each keeps to his own. Chemical reagents may be fine for warning us that the fruits contain poison, heavy metals, and other harmful substances, but in the final analysis it is whether or not the human metabolism can assimilate alien food in which we are interested. And there is only one way to do that—eat it and wait. If it can’t be digested it will be rejected. If it can, then, with the aid of radioactive tracers, we can determine whether or not it acts like normal food.” “Interesting,” sneered Wil- liams. ““So you martyred your- self in direct disobedience to comicloooks.com