"Frankowski,.Leo.-.Conrad.Starguard.3.-.Radiant.Warrior" - читать интересную книгу автора (Frankowski Leo)

and try to hide the fact. Word will spread like a covey of scared
rabbits!" He took my queen's bishop.

"Please, my lord. Your life is important to me." I slaughtered his
knight in return.

"Well, thank you. A touching sentiment. But a man must keep his
hand in, musn't he?" He took my knight with his pawn! Now why the
hell?... Oh no!

It was best not to let this run too long. "You never told me how your
beehives were doing, my lord." I castled, but I knew it was too late.

"What? Oh, wonderful! Twenty-nine of your hives caught
themselves bees. We only harvested six of them, but think! From
what you said, that means there must be twenty-nine wild hives out
there. Add that to the twenty-three I left, and that means fifty-two
new hives next year, for a total of seventy-five! And every man of
mine will have at least a gross of hives next summer! In a few
years, we'll have honey pouring out of our noses!" He continued
his merciless attack.

That last simile bothered me because like most engineers, my
mental imagery is entirely too graphic. I see things while people
are talking. The image formed was of honey coming out of Count
Lambert's nose and being licked up as soon as it filtered through
his thick moustache. Sometimes I wish I was a dull person.

"I wish my own had done as well. By the time I got to my lands last
summer, it was a bit late in the season. My gross of beehives only
got me eight colonies." I made a try at forking his king and rook,
but he saw it and blocked.

"A pity! Shall I harvest one more of mine and send it to you?" He
pushed an innocent-looking pawn.

"Thank you, my lord, but no. You know my customs. I always eat
the same as my workers. Split between nine hundred people, the
harvest of one hive would come to about one honey cake each. In
a few years, we'll have enough to make mead." I was forced to
trade a bishop for two pawns.

"Mead! I've heard of that. My grandfather was said to have loved it.
But who could afford to drink it now, honey being as rare as it is? I
doubt if anyone still knows the way of making it. Do you know?" He
took my queen's rook, hardly glancing at the board.

"It happens that I've made several barrels of the stuff. It's simple
enough, and in truth, my lord, it was better than what we're drinking.
I'll show your people how when the time comes."