"Chalker, Jack L - DG1 - The River of the Dancing Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

knew that the woman was coming despite his cautions. He
couldn't really blame her -- hell, this was crazy.

"What's going on?" she wanted to know.

Ruddygore turned, bowed low, and said, "Madam, it is a
pleasure to meet you, even if you are an unexpected compli-
cation. I am Throckmorton P. Ruddygore."

She stared at him, then over at Joe, half in shadow, and
caught sight of the pistol in his hand. "Hey -- what's this all
about?" she called to him, disturbed.

"The man says I'm dead, honey," Joe told her. "He says
I'm about to have a fatal accident. He says he's a conjure man.
Other than that, he's said nothing at all."

Her mouth opened, then closed and she looked confusedly
from one man to the other. She was not a small woman, but
she felt dwarfed by the two giants. Finally she said to Ruddy-
gore, "Is he right?"

Ruddygore nodded. "I'm afraid so. Unless, of course, he
takes me up on my proposition."

"I figured we'd get to the point of all this sooner or later,"
Joe muttered.

"Exactly so," Ruddygore agreed. "I'm a recruiter, you see.
I come from a place that's not all that unfamiliar to people of
your world, but which is, in effect, a world of its own. It is a
world of men -- and others -- both very much like and very
different from what you know. It is a world both more peaceful
and more violent than your Earth. That is, there are no guns,
no nuclear missiles, no threats of world holocaust. The violence
is more direct, more basic -- say medieval. Right now that
world is under attack and it needs help. After examining all
the factors, I find that help from outside my world might --
might -- have a slight edge, for various reasons too long to go

18 THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS

into here. And so I look for recruits, but not just any recruits.
People with special qualities that will go well over there. People
who fit special requirements to do the job. And, of course,
people who are about to die and who meet those other require-
ments are the best recruits. You see?"

"Let me get this straight," the woman put in. "You're from
another planet?" She looked up at the stars. "Out there? And