Coffin for Jacob-Edward W. Ludwig

A COFFIN FOR JACOB by Edward W. Ludwig Section 1 with never a moment to rest the pursuit through space felt like a game of hounds and hares or was it follow the leader ben curtis eased his pale gaunt body through the open doorway of the blast inn the dead man following silently behind him his fear-born gaze travelled into the dimly illumined venusian gin-mill the place was like an evil cauldron steaming with the brew whose ingredients had been culled from the back corners of three planets most of the big room lay obscured behind a shimmering veil of tobacco smoke and the sweet heavy fumes of martian devil's egg here and there ben saw moving figures he could not tell if they were earthmen martians or venusians some one tugged at his greasy coat he jumped thinking absurdly that it was the dead man's hand A small voice piped.