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

Comandante, silver-haired William Desmond Kennedy, shook hands all around
and introduced Security Officer Abreu, Comptroller Angioletti, and Magistrate
Keshavachandra.

"You are celebrities," said Kennedy. This is the first guided tour to reach
Krishna. Earthmen are after coming here for decades, but they've mostly been
scientists, adventurers, missionaries, and officials. This is the beginning of
organized tourism."

"Then," asked Fergus Reith, "the Middle Kingdom Travel Bureau hasn't shown
up yet?"

"They have not, sir. You're the first."

"That's something. There's been a race among the agencies to bring the first

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party to Krishna, and we thought the Chinese might have beaten us to it. We
could hardly match the resources of that government. But you know, Mr.
Kennedy, you're something of a celebrity yourself. The terran press calls you the
most successful of all the terran administrators abroad."

"Do they now? That's very flattering. But you must remember, Mr.тАФahтАФReith,
that back in the days of the British Empire, we Irish were very successful
colonial administrators." Kennedy chuckled. "Having grown up in an
atmosphere of hospitality, flattery, treachery, and murder, we weren't surprised
when we encountered these things in the colonies."

A small, squirrel-like man came in. Kennedy said, "Let me present Senhor
Herculeu Castanhoso, assistant to Senhor Abreu. He'll get you outfitted."

Castanhoso took the party to their quarters. When Reith tried out his Portuguese
on Castanhoso, the latter laughed.

"Que esta comico, o Senhor Dom Herculeu?" asked Reith.

"Excuse me," said Castanhoso, "but I was marvelling at your European
pronunciation."

"Well, the fellow who made the phonograph records I studied from spoke
European Portuguese."

"Bem, our Brazilian form which we use in the Viagens Interplanetarias, is closer
to the Spanish. Now suppose I meet you all in front of the Compound in one
hour, to take you to the outfitting shop."