Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 72 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

CAT UP A TREE could identify, so it was safe to assume none of our chaps could place it.”’ They stood talking outside another door. “‘Once we knew the bait had been taken, we knew the crew would hang around looking for further discoveries.”’ Ferguson opened the door and pointed to the cage inside. “That was the clincher,” he said. “‘We arranged it so that Horace bolted across the terrain in full view, but not too close to the crew.” Drew looked at the naked, shivering monster and shud- dered. ‘Effective, isn’t it?’ said Ferguson. “‘He’s going back to ERarth next shipment. A few doses of thallium acetate made him hairless, but even so, if he was sighted again, one of the anthropologists might re- cognise him as a gorilla.” Drew was glad when the door was closed and the ape was out of sight. ““‘Do you think the colony is stable now?” he asked. ““Won’t the fear come back when no more ‘Martians’ are seen?’ ‘““Not necessarily. I think they’ll build a legend. Horace, there, will change shape a thousand times in the telling. Hunt The Martian will be the main diversion for a long time. And by then—who knows ? There are some species of cat which live in trees.” Drew was uneasy on an- other point. ““You said two weeks ago that I was the one most likely to commit the next murder. Why?” Ferguson dismissed the question easily. “‘Of all the colony, you were the only one who hadn’t heard about the discovery of the fossil. You had been too busy working and worrying about your wife. I gave you a holiday to put you back in circulation. The rest followed.” Drew wasn’t satisfied yet. He had a final question. ‘“Now that you’ve told me all this, aren’t I still a poten- tial killer? And what about yourself? You and I—and the other directors—we know the whole thing was a fake.”’ Ferguson paused at the door of his room. “But do we? There’s one thing I haven’t mentioned. That fossil that was found—it isn’t the one we planted!” 123 comicloooks.corn