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A little "leading machine" whizzed by. It was a curious vehicle, a tiny motorcycle, too small for anyone to ride in or to carry a load. There was a good deal of complicated mechanism about it, little gear-wheels like the works of a watch, and many busy little rods and cams. In front were two bright, staring headlights. As it sailed whirring down the road, I stared after it, wondering what could be the possible use of the thing. A truck came up behind me. From the sound of its machinery, it seemed to be slowing down. I glanced back and found this indeed to be the case; and furthermore, it was at the edge of the road, directly behind me. I edged as far as I could into the thicket. "This is no place for pedestrians," I thought. Of course, there was no sidewalk. There could not have been much, if any, travel on foot between the two cities. (Autonomous crane truck from 'Paradise and Iron' (1930) by Miles J. Breuer) The approaching truck was a light one, of half-ton capacity. The curved arm of a crane projected from it, high above the road, from the side nearest me. It passed very slowly, and uncomfortably close to me. I crowded close to the bushes. If there had been a driver, I would have had something to say to him. A sudden clatter above my head made me look up in surprise. A loop of chain whipped out cleverly from the crane, like the circle of a lasso. It fell neatly over my head, and while I stared in open-mouthed astonishment, it tightened about my arms and shoulders. It happened so quickly, such an amazing, undreamed of thing, that before I realized what was going on, I was swung off my feet and hoisted up off the ground. My arms were pinioned to my sides, and I was helpless as a trussed turkey. At first, I was stunned with surprise. It was too strange - too far beyond anything I could have foreseen. Then I was overwhelmed by anger and chagrin. I had been taken in as easily as а new-born babe. For a moment, I was beside myself with rage.

Technovelgy from Paradise and Iron, by Miles J. Breuer. Published by Amazing Stories Quarterly in 1930 Additional resources -

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