"David Eddings - The Dreamers 01 - The Elder gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

safe. If there do happen to be folks living around here, maybe we should
get to know a little about them afore we let down our guard. I sure donтАЩt
want to be the main course at no dinner party.тАЩ
тАШGood point there,тАЩ Sorgan agreed. тАШSee to it.тАЩ


The Seagull moved carefully southward along the coast for the next
few days. The crew found game animals - wild cows and a very large
variety of deer - but they didnтАЩt encounter any people. That made the
crew of the Seagull just a little edgy.
тАШThereтАЩs got to be people here someplace, CapтАЩn,тАЩ Ox said one
afternoon about a week after theyтАЩd first made landfall.
тАШWhy?тАЩ Hook-Beak said.
тАШThereтАЩs always people, CapтАЩn - even along the coast of Shaan.тАЩ
 тАШLetтАЩs hope they ainтАЩt like the Shaans - if there are people here,тАЩ Ham-
Hand put in. тАШI could go for a long time without meeting folks who eats
other folks.тАЩ
тАШIt might just be that we made landfall too far to the north,тАЩ Sorgan
said. тАШItтАЩs still summer, so we donтАЩt really know what winters here are
like. It might just be that any people hereabouts live farther south.тАЩ
The Seagull continued south along the empty coast, but an hour or so
later Tree-Top called down from the top-mast. тАШHo, CapтАЩn,тАЩ he shouted.
тАШThereтАЩs a village up ahead. I donтАЩt see no people, but thereтАЩs smoke
coming from some of the houses.тАЩ
тАШYou see, Ox,тАЩ Sorgan said. тАШYou worry too much.тАЩ He looked up at
the top-mast. тАШHow far off is that place, Tree-Top?тАЩ he shouted.
тАШJust on tтАЩother side of that sand-spit on ahead,тАЩ Tree-Top called back.
тАШI kin see some skiffs hauled up on the beach, but nobodyтАЩs any place
near them.тАЩ
тАШWe must have scared them off,тАЩ Hook-Beak said. тАШI think we might
want to go in slow and easy. We donтАЩt want to irritate anybody.тАЩ He
turned. тАШHo, Rabbit!тАЩ he called.
тАШAye CapтАЩn?тАЩ the little man replied.
тАШGo get that horn of yours and blow it a few times. ThereтАЩs a village
just ahead, and IтАЩd like for the people there to know that weтАЩre coming
and that weтАЩre peaceable.тАЩ
тАШAye, CapтАЩn,тАЩ Rabbit said. He went below for a moment and emerged
with a large, curled cow-horn. He put it to his lips and blew a long,
mournful-sounding bleat that echoed back into the dark forest.
Hook-Beak and the others listened intently, but there was no
immediate reply.
тАШTry again, Rabbit,тАЩ Sorgan said. тАШSee if you can make it sound a little
more cheerful this time.тАЩ
Rabbit blew a high-pitched note that ended with an off-key squeak.
тАШI think maybe Rabbit should practice some,тАЩ Ox said critically. тАШThat
one sounded like a cat who just got her tail stepped on.тАЩ
Then from somewhere back in the forest there came an answering note
that was quite a bit more mellow than RabbitтАЩs squeak.
тАШNow weтАЩre getting somewhere,тАЩ Hook-Beak said. тАШKeep blowing,
Rabbit,тАЩ he instructed. тАШTry to make it sound a little friendly, if you can.тАЩ