"Raymond E. Feist - Empire Saga 2 - Servant Of The Empire" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

Each time the tally keeper consulted his slate, the unruly
barbarians shifted position. The man with the whip lashed a
few backs in an attempt to establish order. One slave
shouted something in his native tongue that sounded
suspiciously like an obscenity as he jumped away from the
punishment, and others laughed. The lash fell to silence the
ones nearest the overseer, which caused the line of standing
slaves to break and shuffle and re-form behind the man's
back. The tally keeper looked up in despair. Once again, the
numbers were hopelessly confused.

The factor shouted in a shameful show of impatience,

19

'We'll all be dead and ashes by the time you finish with that!'
He clapped his hands at someone on the sidelines, and a
moment later, a servant scuttled into the compound with a
basket of rough-woven trousers and shirts. These he began
to dispense among the slaves.

At this point the red-haired barbarian began to scream
insults at the overseer. His Tsurani might be broken and
heavily mispronounced, but at some point along his line of
march since his capture some nameless beggar child had
taught him thoroughly and well. The overseer's mouth
opened in incredulity as he considered the biological
implications of what the outworlder had just said about his
mother. Then he reddened and swung his lash, which the
barbarian adroitly avoided. A chase developed between the
large Midkemian and the smaller, fatter Tsurani.

Lujan laughed. 'It's a shame the barbarian needs to be
broken; this is a comedy worthy of any travelling troupe of
performers I've ever seen. He certainly seems to be enjoying
himself.' Movement caught Lujan's eye in the far corner of
the pen. 'Ah!' he exclaimed. 'And to clear purpose, it would
seem.'

Mara, too, had noticed that one of the slaves had resumed
his crouch by the palisade. A moment later he appeared to
be stuffing something through. 'Lashima's wisdom,' she
said, startled into a smile of amazement. 'They are pilfering
the shirts!'

The gallery afforded a view of the operation. The
redheaded giant raced around the compound. Despite his
height, he moved with the grace of a sarcat - the quick and
silent six-legged hunter of the grasslands - at first avoiding