"Will Hubbell - Cretaceous Sea" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hubbell Will)

Rick shook his hand. "I'm Rick Clements."

"Our naturalist," said Joe. "So you're the guy I'll fly around when we get downwhen."

"Downwind?"

Joe laughed. "That's downwhen, short for 'back in the past.' I fly in all four dimensions."

"You've done it before?" asked Rick. "What's it like?"

"Ever fall down? Like from a ladder or something?"

"I walked off a twelve-foot ledge one night."

"Well, remember the instant you started to fall? Stretch that feeling out over an eternity and you have time
travel."

"It doesn't sound pleasant," said Rick.

"It isn't," said Joe with a grin, "but I guess the trip's worth it."
'To see living dinosaurs? I'll say!" said Rick.

"An enthusiast," said Joe wryly. "Let me introduce the others." Joe turned to a man in his sixties whose
leathery, sun-darkened face contrasted with his blue eyes and white hair. "James Neville, meet Rick
Clements."

"Pleased to meet you," said James with an exotic accent that blended British with African. "As the camp
guide, you'll be working for me."

"James ran a safari camp in the Serengeti Park. He goes back to when the animals were still real," said
Joe.

"No bloody poachers where we're going," said James with satisfaction. He turned to a short, slightly
plump dark-eyed man in his twenties, and said, "This is Pandit Jahan. Hasn't been downwhen, but he was
with me in Uganda. Damned good chef, in or out of the bush." Pandit smiled modestly at James's praise
and shook Rick's hand. James continued, "We'll run this just like a safari camp. Hear you've done your
share of camping."

"Entire summers," replied Rick, "some winter trips, too."

"Good. Main difference between your camping and a sa-fari is we have guests. They don't rough it. For
them, it's a fine hotel, only alfresco. You'll be the camp guide, but you'll pitch in on the other work,
tooтАФwashing dishes, tending the guests, whatever's required. We're shorthanded. In Uganda, I'd have a
staff of twelve for four guests."

As James detailed Rick's duties, Rick was chagrined to discover how much Ann Smythe had left out. He
began to feel he had been conned into becoming a glorified busboy. Yet, already, he sensed it was
useless to protest. James did not give the impression of flexibility. Rick considered ap-proaching Peter
Green on the matter.