"Blish, James - Earth of Hours" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blish James)

"Are you the ruler of this planet?"
"Yes."
"Are you the only person in this system?"
"No."
Robin paused and frowned. Then he said: "Are you the
only person of your species in your system?"
"No. There is another on Xixobraxthe fourth planet."
Robin paused once more, but not, it seemed to 12-Upjohn,
as though he were in any doubt; it was only as though he
were gathering his courage for the key question of all. 12-
Upjohn tried to imagine what it might be, and failed.
"How many of you are there?" Robin One said.
"I cannot answer that. As of the instant you asked me
that question, there were eighty-three hundred thousand
billion, one hundred and eighty nine million, four hundred
and sixty five thousand, one hundred and eighty; but now the
number has changed, and it goes on changing."
"Impossible," 12-Upjohn said, stunned. "Not even two
planets could support such a numberand you'd never
allow a desert like this to go on existing if you had even a
fraction of that population to support. I begin to think, sir,
that you are a type normal to my business: the ordinary,
unimaginative liar."
"He's not lying," Robin said, his voice quivering. "It all
fits together. Just let me finish, sir, please. I'll explain, but
I've got to go through to the end first."
"Well," 12-Upjohn said, helplessly, "all right, go ahead."
But he was instantly sorry, for what Robin One said was:
"Thank you. I have no more questions."
The Callean turned in a great liquid wheel and poured
away across the sand dunes at an incredible speed. 12-Upjohn
shouted after him, without any clear idea of what it was
that he was shoutingbut no matter, for the Callean took
no notice. Within seconds, it seemed, he was only a thread-
worm in the middle distance, and then he was gone. They
were all alone in the chill desert air.
Oberholzer lowered his rifle bewilderedly. "He's fast," he
said to nobody in particular. "Gripes, but he's fast. I couldn't
even keep him in the sights."
"That proves it," Robin said tightly. He was trembling,
but whether with fright or elation, 12-Upjohn could not tell;
possibly both.
"It had better prove something," the Consort of State
said, trying hard not to sound portentous. There was some-
thing about this bright remote desert that made empty any
possible pretense to dignity. "As far as I can see, you've just
lost us what may have been our only chance to treat with
these creatures . . . just as surely as the sergeant would have
done it with his gun. Explain, please."
"I didn't really catch on until I realized that he was using