"Linda Evans - Time Scout 2 - Wages of Sin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Evans Linda)

silver sestercii! When he thought of the money he'd get exchanging fifty gold
aurii at Goldie Morran's shop back in Shangri-La Station ...
"Of course, friend! Of course. I may be a foreigner, but I am not without
resources. You just surprised me." Skeeter prepared the marker.
"Stellio," the grizzled Roman addressed his slave, "fetch fifty aurii from
my money box." The man produced a key from a pouch at his waist and handed it
over.
The slave dashed into the crowd.
"I have pressing business elsewhere," the Roman said with a smile, tucking
the marker into his pouch, "but I assure you my slave is trustworthy. He was a
complete knave when I bought him, which is why he bears that name, but
sufficient correction can cure any man's bad habits." The Roman laughed. "A
slave without a tongue is much more docile. Not to mention silent. Don't you
agree?"
Skeeter nodded, but felt a little sick. Once, as a boy, he'd seen a man's
tongue cut out ...
The Roman strolled off into the crowd. Clearly, Skeeter had quoted the
wrong odds on Lupus whatever. But on the bright side, he wouldn't be around
when this guy came to collect his hundred-fifty aurii. Skeeter repressed a
shiver. Just as well. He wondered with a pang of genuine pity what that poor
slave had done to merit having his tongue cut out.
No wonder Marcus didn't want to come back here. Ever.
Skeeter continued taking bets, filling his money pouch and giving out
markers while waiting for Stelho to return. Shrill notes from Roman trumpets,
sounding the beginning of the opening parade, floated on the clear morning
air. A roar went up from the crowd. Skeeter took a few last bets, then spotted
Stellio running toward him. The man was panting, mouth hanging open with
exertion from his run. Skeeter swallowed hard. He didn't have a tongue.
"Nrggahh," the poor man said, shoving the pouch into Skeeter's hands.
He ran off again before Skeeter could say a word in response. Feeling a
little queasy still, Skeeter opened the pouch and tipped shining gold into his
hand. The slave hadn't cheated him. Fifty gold aurii ... They glittered in the
sunlight, striking glints like lightning against the dark Gobi sky. Skeeter
grinned as he counted them back into the pouch, then tightened the drawstring
and secured it to his waist. Just wait until Goldie sees these!
A few stragglers placed bets, mostly with copper coins ranging from full
asses through the whole spectrum of its fractions: the sextans, the guadrans
and trims, a quincunx, several semis coins, the cheaper septunx, the bes, and
dodrans, one dextans and deunx each, and of course, the inevitable and popular
uncia. He even got a couple more silver sestercii-then the trumpets signaling
the start of the first chariot race sang out.
Time to leave.
He decided to buy a little wine to cool his throat and used some of his
takings to purchase it from a nearby shop which nestled under the stands, one
of several hundred other little stalls, from the look of it. He noticed some
shrimp set delicately on grape leaves and decided to try some. Mmm! The Romans
know how to cook a shrimp! That finished, Skeeter noticed some cheesecakes
along the back shelf. Several were molded into the shape of a woman's breast.
He asked and was told, "Almond cheesecake. Whole is all I sell."
Well, that one in the corner looked pretty small. He gestured toward it and