Avon Fantasy Reader No. 9 — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

“Vepeowe oe eee a ne ae ee eee ee “Man of science,” said our guest. “Use this message as you will, for that is your privilege, but you will confer a favor on the illustrious sender and bring tanifold blessings on yourself and your descendants if you will use it to ad- vance the knowledge of mankind.” “Twill endeavor to use it ag you ask,” replied the professor, “and thank you for it, and for the trust you have placed in me.” 7 re "Do not thank me,” was the answer, accompanied by a significant gesture skyward. “Thank P’an-ku.” “I will, and do. May we not have the pleasure of your company tomorrow?” “A thousand thanks, and as many regrets, but my task will have ended when Magong veils her face, and I am weary and would return to T’ainfu. So farewell,” He took up his staff, and without a further word, stalked majestically out into the moonlight. The last we saw of him was when his tall, gaunt figure was silhouetted against the sky for a moment on the crater rim. With trembling fingers the professor broke the seal of the envelope and drew therefrom a neatly written manuscript. It was in English, and he read it aloud tome, while Alamo snored lustily from the folds of his blanket, sev- eral yards away. 3 With Professor Thompson’s permission, I publish it here for the first time, making it clear at the outset, that while it seems to explain many matters which have puzzled our leading scientists for hundreds of years, and is not, in the light of our present knowledge, either susceptible of proof or refutation, We cannot vouch for its veracity. Tue Story or P’an-Ku ‘Having attained the advanced age of two hundred and ninety-eight earthly years, and feeling the hands of San-miau, the devourer, grim messenger of the Supreme God, Tien, ever closing tighter on my throat, slowly squeezing out my soul from this old shell of a body, I, P’an-ku, lord of thousands, founder of a new race, and last survivor of an old, have retired from my manifold duties -and pleasures—the ordering of the affairs of my subjects, the company of my wives, my children, and my children’s children, who will someday be numerous as the stars of heaven—to write this history of my own people for those to come who will have the intelligence and the desire to understand it.. _For a million historical years, men of my race inhabited-Magong when she was yet a planet among planets, a free, rotating sphere with her own undis- turbed orbit, midway between the orbits of this planet and that of the ter- rible, devastating war-world, Mars. For a half of those million historical years, an ancestor of mine—a P’an-ku—sat on the imperial throne of Magong and held dominion over all her lands and seas. When I was born, Crown Prince of Magong, my people had reached an advanced state of civilization, for much can be accomplished in a million his- torical years. For more than ten thousand years,) Magong had been in com- 60 LOOKS EO) <