"Philip Jose Farmer - Riverworld 2 - The Fabulous Riverboat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Farmer Phillip Jose)

searching! It'll only take a minute! You can't deny me this;
you'd be inhuman to do so!"

The ax whistled and sparkled. The Norseman grinned.
"All this fuss for a woman? What about her?" And he
gestured at a small dark woman standing near the great
pedestal and tube of the rocket-launcher.
Clemens became even paler. He said, "Temah is a fine
girl! I'm very fond of her! But she's not Livy!"
"Enough of this," Bloodaxe said. "Do you take me to
be as big a fool as you? If I put into shore, we'd be caught
between the ground and river forces, ground like meal in
Freyr's mill. Forget about her."
Clemens screamed like a falcon and launched himself,
arms out and flapping, at the Viking. Erik brought the flat
of the ax against Clemens' head and knocked him to the
deck. For several minutes, Clemens lay on his back, eyes
open and staring at the sun. Blood seeped from the roots
of the hair falling down over his face. Then he got to all-
fours and began to vomit.
Erik gave an impatient order. Temah, looking sidewise
with fright at Erik, dipped a bucket at the end of a rope in-
to The River. She threw the water over Clemens, who sat
up and then wobbled to his feet. Temah drew another
bucket and washed off the deck.
Clemens snarled at Erik. Erik laughed and said, "Little
coward, you've been talking too big for too long! Now,
you know what happens when you talk to Erik Bloodaxe
as if he were a thrall. Consider yourself lucky that I did
not kill you."
Clemens spun away from Erik, staggered to the railing,
and began to climb upon it. "Livy!"
Swearing, Bloodaxe ran after him, seized him around
the waist and dragged him back. Then he pushed Clemens
so heavily that Clemens fell on the deck again.
"You're not deserting me at this time!" Erik said. "I
need you to find that iron mine!"
"There isn ..." Clemens said and then closed his mouth
tightly. Let the Norseman find out that he did not know
where the mine-if there was a mine-was located, and he
would be killed on the spot.
"Moreover," Erik continued cheerfully, "after we find

the iron, I may need you to help us toward the Polar
Tower, although I think I can get there just by following
The River. But you have much knowledge that I need.
And I can use that frost giant, Joe Miller."
"Joe!" Clemens said in a thick voice. He tried to get
back onto his feet. "Joe Miller! Where's Joe? He'll kill
you!"