"Joe Haldeman - 1968" - читать интересную книгу автора (Haldeman Joe)

He lifted the heavy Magnum from its shoulder holster and clicked the cylinder around, checking it. It was
a mannerism that annoyed Spider as much as anything Killer did. "Still have six?" he said.

"All six." He dropped the pistol back in and snapped the retaining strap over its hammer. "You done with
that Heinlein yet?"
"Hundred pages to go. You think we'll have time to read?"

"Oh, yeah. We usually got an hour or so of light after we get the bunker dug. Depends on the ground. Let
me see the first part. Trade youMan in the High Castle orPawns of Null-A."

"I readNull-A. That's some weird shit." He took the Heinlein hook out of his side pocket and tore out the
first half and gave it to Killer. It made him wince inwardly to damage hooks, hecause he had a rather
large collection of paperbacks at home, and he took care of them. But everybody did it, and it wasn't as
if he were planning to carry the Heinlein around for the next ten months. He tookThe Man in the High
Castle in exchange.

A sergeant from the right flank came over with a complex topographic map and a simple diagram. He
showed Killer and Spider where they were headed. They were going roughly east along a game trail that
had been scouted out by a team of lurps, Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol.

Whistle blast and the top sergeant shouted, "Move 'em out." They started toward the woods.

The fire base was protected by three coils-"strands"-of concertina barbed wire, like heavy Slinkies with
spikes. The coils were temporarily opened, tripwires disabled, in a space large enough for the three
columns to pass through. Two men stood on either side, waiting to close it up again. Spider thought they
looked a little too happy about staying behind.

The hill was cleared down to stubble for about a hundred yards. Beyond that the rain forest loomed. It
had seemed calm and beautiful from the air, when Spider flew into the fire base. But as they moved
toward it, it grew taller and darker and more foreboding. Even the slight coolness that breathed out from
it, the loamy woodland smell, seemed threatening.

Once they were in it, the rain forest was neither dark nor cool. Large trees formed a thick canopy of
leaves dozens of yards up, but dappled sky or sunshine broke through here and there. The going was all
downhill, sometimes steep, but it looked as if the central file, the command group, would have a
comparatively easy time of it, since they did have a trail to follow. The two flanks had to pick their way
through a tangle of vines and small saplings.

Spider watched the ground and trees, just in case Killer missed anything, and he tried to maintain the
requisite three yards' separation. They kept colliding anyhow, Killer stopping to let the flanks catch up
and Spider intent on looking for boobytraps. The third time they collided, Killer whispered, "If I wanted a
fuckin' date I'd give youmy fuckin' phone number!"

Spider caught the fear in Killer's voice. "You walk point a lot?"

He looked at him for a second and shook his head in a little jerk. "Once."

Both flanks were making what seemed like too much noise, their point men crashing through the brush,
cursing the comealong vines. It occurred to Spider that they must still be in a pretty secure area. That's
why the more experienced troops were casual about noise; that's why he and Killer were given point. Or