"Aldiss, Brian - Saliva Tree, The" - читать интересную книгу автора (Aldiss Brian W)

You see how I fear for my friends there. Should I tell the police
about it, do you think?"
"I'm sure it would not help the Grendons to have old Farrish
bumping out there on his pennyfarthing," Fox said, referring to
the local representative of the law. He took a long draw first on
the pipe and then on the glass. "But I'm not sure you have your
conclusions quite right, Greg. Understand, I don't doubt the
facts, amazing though they are. I mean, we were more or less
expecting celestial visitants. The world's recent blossoming
with gas and electric lighting in its cities at night must have
been a signal to half the nations of space that we are now civ-
ilized down here. But have our visitants done any deliberate
harm to anyone?"
"They nearly drowned me and they killed poor Cuff. I don't
see what you're getting at. They haven't begun in a very
friendly fashion, have they now?"
"Think what the situation must seem like to them. Suppose
they come from Mars or the Moonwe know their world must
be absolutely different from Earth. They may be terrified. And
it can hardly be called an unfriendly act to try and get into your
rowing boat. The first unfriendly act was yours, when you
struck out with the oar."
Gregory bit his lip. His friend had a point. "I was scared."
"It may have been because they were scared that they killed
Cuff. The dog attacked them, after all, didn't she? I feel sorry
for these creatures, alone in an unfriendly world."
"You keep saying 'these!' As far as we know, there is only
one of them."
"My point is this, Greg. You have completely gone back on
your previous enlightened attitude. You are all for killing these
poor things instead of trying to speak to them. Remember what
you were saying about other worlds being full of socialists? Try
thinking of these chaps as invisible socialists and see if that
doesn't make them easier to deal with."
Gregory fell to stroking his chin. Inwardly, he acknowledged
that Bruce Fox's words made a great impression on him. He
had allowed panic to prejudice his judgment; as a result, he
had behaved as immoderately as a savage in some remote
corner of the Empire, confronted by his first steam locomotive.
"I'd better get back to the farm and sort things out as soon
as possible," he said. "If these things really do need help, I'll
help them."
"That's it. But try not to think of them as 'things.' Think of
them asas1 know, as The Aurigans."
"Aurigans it is. But don't be so smug, Bruce. If you'd been in
that boat-"
"I know, old friend. I'd have died of fright." To this
monument of tact, Fox added, "Do as you say, go back and sort
things out as soon as possible. I'm longing for the ne)rt install-
ment of this mystery. It's quite the joUiest thing since Sheriock