"Avram Davidson - The Kar-chee Reign" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Avram)

his own unspoken questioning.
But as to what it was, none had any suggestion. They nodded when Lors
said, finally, "All game gone uplandтАж nobody beating besides us, that we
know ofтАж a bad smell, a strange smellтАж and now a strange noiseтАж
"My guess is that whatever made the smell is making the noise. It's
gotten late. We'd better go back and tell Popa, that's the best thing, and
we can kill stock for the guests and then we'd all better find out what this
thing is."
As they started back, Duro said, "Maybe it would be better to find out
as soon as can be, even if it's got to be done on an empty belly." His
brother grunted his agreement. The smaller boys were all silent, and kept
close instead of spreading out. The sun declined away behind the
mountain and the air felt chilly on their skinsтАФand perhaps it was not just
the air
They followed Lors without questioning when he picked a trail over
fallen rock which would cut time off their return. And it was while the
loose shale was still sliding a bit under their feet that they all stopped
short with no more sound at first than the hissing intake of breath and
looked down where his hand pointed and where it trembled despite all his
brave effort.
Along the distant shore below, at that same shelving beach where the
first Rowan had brought his tiny boat ashore, there, outlined against the
wine-dark sea, they saw the forms of two utterly strange and utterly
dissimilar figures stalking across the twilight landscapeтАФone erect,
though slightly stooping; the other on all four giant legs which held it high
above the sand.
Slowly, fearfully, they sank down and spread themselves flat upon the
shale. After an infinity of time the two strange beasts passed out of sight
around a bend in the shore line. Then, crouching, sliding, trotting almost
as they squatted and slid, spraddle-legged, the young hunters vanished
into the safe-promising shadows. And only when the dearly familiar walls
of the homesite, outlined by the vigorous fires still burning outdoors, came
into view did any of them speak. It was the youngest and smallest of the
boys.
"Devil," he said. "Devil." He was not swearing. "Devil-DevilтАФit was the
Devil!" he chattered.
And Lors said, "MaybeтАж MaybeтАж ButтАФwhich one?"



II
 ┬л^┬╗

The raft was low on one side. Whether the underbeams had been lashed
wrong, or if something in the wood had caused more and sooner
waterlogging, orтАФ No one worried or cared about that any longer. It was
accepted with a brute resignation, like the burning sun and the scant food
and drink, the waves which lapped up and over all around and left salt
encrustations which itched and stung the swollen flesh. Three people
already had gone off that perilous slope тАФone had slipped and slid,