"L. Sprague De Camp - The Hostage of Zir" - читать интересную книгу автора (De Camp L Sprague)

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The Hostage of Zir by L.
Sprague DeCamp
CHAPTER ONE
THE RELUCTANT SWORDSMAN
When the Goyaz touched down at Novorecife, the loudspeakers boomed:
"Ch├йgamos; todos passageiros fora! We have arrived; all passengers out!"

Airlocks hissed, doors clanged, and the passengers shuffled down the ramp.
Terrans marvelled at the spectacular cloud effects and the peculiar vegetation,
with its leaves not only of green but also pink, blue, and purple. They eagerly
sniffed the warm spring air of the planet's subtropical zone.

At the foot of the ramp, the fat security officer, Cristovao Abreu, watched them
come. The dozen tourists from the Magic Carpet Travel Agency, recognizable by
their red arm bands, formed a block in the middle of the line. Abreu picked out
their courier, Fergus Reith, who was flitting about like an agitated sheep dog,
counting his charges and chivvying them to stay in line and close ranks. This

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pale, thin young man with carrot-red hair did not impress Abreu as quite the
fearless leader. With the instinct of a longtime policeman, Abreu foresaw trouble
with this group.

The twelve tourists and their guide soon stood at counters in the customs room.
Under the direction of a big, scowling Russian, the customs officers went
through their baggage.

Otto Schwerin, the stubby tourist with bad teeth and cameras hung all over him,
had trouble. Some of his cameras were neither small enough to hide in the hand
nor equipped with self-destruct mechanisms. After expostulating in voluble
German and broken English, he had to leave them under seal.

Once through customs, the gaggle of tourists got red-carpet treatment. The