Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 52 — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

STAR HAVEN cause it is his only guide and he knows that, by following it, he can’t get into trouble. You had threatened him be- fore witnesses. Unless he took action he would be at fault. When I showed him that he could still permit you to live and at the same time follow the manual, he was almost childishly grateful. Williams isn’t a bad man, Gerald; merely one who hasn’t yet learned to think straight. He isn’t a bit like Lambert, for example.” **Lambert ?’’ “The commander of the first colonists. I told you that I knew him.”’ “That’s right, I’d forgot- ten.”’ Gerald sat down beside the doctor and stared thought- fully at him. ““You know, I’ve got the impression that there’s a lot of things you know and which you haven’t explained. That footprint for instance. You know as well as I do that no woman ever made that print.” *‘Of course.”’ 55 “And you?” “Why should it? Even you should be able to deduce who made it and why.”’ “Who?” Gerald frowned. ““‘There’s no one here but us, unless .. .”” He stared at the doctor. ““The first settlers! Is that it?” ‘“‘What else ?”’ *“You’ve seen them, then? You know where they are?” “TI haven’t seen them, but I know where they are. They’re in the only place they could be. Here, on Hyperon, where they’ve been all the time.’’ He smiled at the startled ex- pression on the ecologist’s face. “‘Isn’t it obvious? They didn’t die or we should have found their bodies, and if they didn’t die at the settle- ment, then why should they have died afier they left? As for the footprint, when you have almost five hundred men and women, children are to be expected. I imagine that there must be quite a few children by now. Wouildn’t it be logical for it didn’t surprise comiclbooks.corn