"Robert A. Heinlein - Farmer In The Sky" - читать интересную книгу автора (Heinlein Robert A)

I didn't say anything. He started feeling the lumps the uniform sleeves made. тАЬBoy,тАЭ he said, тАЬyou're
dressed like an arctic explorer; no wonder you're sweating. Didn't you know you weren't supposed to
wear anything but the gear you were listed in?тАЭ

Dad came back and asked what the trouble was? I just stood there with my ears burning. The assistant
weightmaster got into the huddle and they argued what should be done. The weightmaster phoned
somebody and finally he said, тАЬHe's inside his weight limit; if he wants to call that monkey suit part of his
skin, we'll allow it. Next customer, please!тАЭ

I trailed along, feeling foolish. We went down inside and climbed on the slide strip, it was cool down
there, thank goodness. A few minutes later we got off at the loading room down under the rocket ship.
Sure enough, it was theBifrost, as Ifound out when the loading elevator poked above ground and
stopped at the passenger port. We filed in.

They had it all organized. Our baggage had been taken from us in the loading room; each passenger had
a place assigned by his weight. That split us up again; I was on the deck immediately under the control
room. I found my place, couch 14-D, then went to a view port where I could see theDaedalus and the
Icarus.

A brisk little stewardess, about knee high to a grasshopper, checked my name off a list and offered me
an injection against dropsickness. I said no, thanks.

She said, тАЬYou've been out before?тАЭ

I admitted I hadn't; she said, тАЬBetter take it.тАЭ

I said I was a licensed air pilot; I wouldn't get sick I didn't tell her that my license was just for copters.
She shrugged and turned away. A loudspeaker said, тАЬTheDaedalus is cleared for blasting.тАЭ I moved up
to get a good view.

TheDaedalus was about a quarter of a mile away and stood up higher than we did. She had fine lines
and was a mighty pretty sight, gleaming in the morning sunshine. Beyond her and to the right, clear out at
the edge of the field, a light shone green at the traffic control blockhouse.

She canted slowly over to the south, just a few degrees.

Fire burst out of her base, orange, and then blinding white. It splashed down into the ground baffles and
curled back up through the ground vents. She lifted.

She hung there for a breath and you could see the hills shimmer through her jet. And she was gone.

Just like thatтАФshe was gone. She went up out of there like a scared bird, just a pencil of white fire in the
sky, and was gone while we could still hear and feel the thunder of her jets inside the compartment.

My ears were ringing. I heard someone behind me say, тАЬBut I haven't had breakfast. The Captain will
just have to wait. Tell him, Joseph.тАЭ

It was the woman who hadn't known that theMayflower was a space-to-space ship. Her husband tried
to hush her up, but he didn't have any luck. She called over the stewardess. I heard her answer, тАЬBut,