Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

A490 Powell—north and south of Garland respec- tively—the following morning. On the eve- ning of the 11th a government plane, flying without lights, sacrificed itself in an attempt : to drop a bomb into the Mercutian camp. It was caught by the light when almost directly over the Mercutians, and was seen to fall in flames. It was estimated that the single light was controlling an area with a radius of about ten miles. To the south and west there was practically nothing but desert. To the west Garland, Mantua and Powell were burned. To the north Deaver and Crowley —on another branch of the C., B. and Q., about ten miles from the Mercutians—were as yet unharmed. They were, however, entirely deserted by the 15th. During these days the Mercutians did not move from their first landing place. Newspaper speculation regarding their ca- abilities for offensive action ran rife. Per- haps they could not move. They appeared to possess but one ray of light-fire; this had an effective radius of ten miles. The only other offensive weapon shown was the rock- et, or bomb, that had destroyed the C.,, B. and Q. train near Garland and the town itself. Reports differed as to what had set fire to the town of Powell. All these points were less than ten miles away from the Mercutian base. Obvious- ly, then, the danger was grossly exagger-: ated. The unknown invaders could safely and easily be shelled by artillery from a’ much greater distance. Mercury had passed inferior conjunction; no other Mercutian vehicles had been reported as landing any- where on the earth. A few days, and the danger would be over. Thus the news- papers of the country settled the affair. On March 14th it was announced that General Price would conduct the military operations against the Mercutians. Press dispatches simultaneously announced that troops, machine guns and artillery were being rushed to Billings. This provoked a caustic comment from the Preparedness League of America, to the effect that no military operations of any offensive value could be conducted by the United States against anybody or anything. This statement was to some extent true. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. During the twenty years that had elapsed since the World War armament of all kinds had fallen into disuse. Few improvements in offensive weapons had been made. - The military organization and equipment of the United States, and, indeed, that of many of the other great powers, was admittedly inadequate to cope with any very powerful enemy. Professor Newland telegraphed to the War Department at Washington on the 14th, stating that in his opinion new sci- entific measures would have to be devised to deal with this enemy, and that what- ever scientific knowledge he had on the subject was at their disposal at their re- quest. To this telegram the government never replied. It was a day or two after that—0on the morning of the 16th, to be exact—that. the next most important development in this strange affair took place. Alan New- Jand rose that morning at dawn and took his launch for a trip up one of the neigh- boring bayous. He was alone, and intended to fish for an hour or so and return home in. time for breakfast. - He went, perhaps, three miles up the winding little stream. Then, just after sun- rise, he shut off the motor and drifted si- lently along. The bayou split into two streams ‘here, coming together again a quarter of a mile farther on, and thus form- ing a little island. It was just past. the point of this island that Alan shut off his motor. He had been sitting quiet several min- utes preparing his tackle, when his eye caught something moving behind the dark green of the magnolia trees hanging over the low banks of the island. It seemed to be a flicker of red and white some five feet above the ground. Instinctively he reached for the little rifle he had brought with him to shoot at it, thinking it might be a bird, although he had never seen ‘one before of such a color. A moment later, in the shina he heard a rustling of the palmettos near the bank of the bayou. He waited, quiet, with the rifle across his knees. His launch was still moving forward slowly from the impetus of the motor. And then omMlicaaokeneon