"David Drake - Hammer's Slammers 16 - Other Times Than Peace" - читать интересную книгу автора (Drake David)

all."

Pollio's trumpet called again, ordering Postumius and his boys into the back of beyond. Three centuries
from each cohort, half the strength of the legion, had been sent off these past two days on individual
escort missions.

"Exactly!" said Slats. He spoke through his mouthтАФnot every race serving the Commanders didтАФbut
he had three jaw plates, not two, and he looked more like a lamprey talking than he did anything Froggie
wanted to watch. "Ifwe have to be here. What do you think of the expedition, Centurion Froggie?"

Froggie thought it was the worst idea he'd heard since Crassus marched intoParthia with no guides and
no clue, but he wasn't going to say that toany damnbody. Aloud he said, "I would've thought that maybe
waiting till this place was officially pacified so you guys could move in your burning weapons and so
forth . . . that that might be a good idea."

The First Squad with Glabrio in front was entering the forest. It niggled Froggie that he wasn't up with
them, though he knew how sharp Glabrio's eyes were. The file-closer had served as the unofficial unit
scout ever since Froggie got to know him.

"Exactly!" Slats repeated. "It is extremely dangerous to treat the planet as pacified when it isnot pacified.
What if the AnroklaatschiтАФ"

The barbs; Froggie never bothered to learn what barbs called themself. Most times you couldn't
pronounce it anyway.

"тАФattack the Harbor in force as they attacked when we landed? They could sweep right over the few
troops remaining, could they not?"

Froggie thought about the question. The barbs came riding to battle on chariots. One fellow with only a
kinked sword drove while two warriors with long spears and full armor stood in the back. The driver
held the "horses" behind the lines while his betters stomped forward in no better order than a flock of
sheep wearing brass.

The barbs had gotten a real surprise whenтАФinstead of spending half the afternoon shouting
challengesтАФthe legion had advanced on the double, launched javelins, and then waded in for the real
butcher's work with swords. That surprise couldn't be repeated, but so long as whoever was in
command of the understrength legion kept his head . . .

"Some folks' swordarms are going to be real tired by the time it's over," Froggie said judiciously, "but I
 Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html




guess they'd come through all right."

The smooth-barked trees in this place were tall, some of them up to two hundred feet. The branches
came off in rows slanting up the trunks to end in sprays of tassels like willow whips instead of proper
leaves.