"Diana Wynne Jones - Castle In The Air (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jones Diana Wynne)

"I think you'll find it hard to escape from that," he told it, and went
out to discover what had been going on at the food stall.

The stall was quiet now, and tidy. Jamal was sitting on its counter,
mournfully hugging his dog.

"What happened?" asked Abdullah.

"Some thieving boys spilled all my squid," Jamal said. "My whole day's
stock down in the dirt, lost, gone!"

Abdullah was so pleased with his bargain that he gave Jamal two silver
pieces to buy more squid. Jamal wept with gratitude and embraced
Abdullah. His dog not only failed to bite Abdullah; it licked his hand.
Abdullah smiled. Life was good. He went off whistling to find a good
supper while the dog guarded his booth.

When the evening was staining the sky red behind the domes and minarets
of Zanzib, Abdullah came back, still whistling, full of plans to sell
the carpet to the Sultan himself for a very large price indeed. He found
the carpet exactly where he had left it. Or would it be better to
approach the Grand Vizier, he wondered while he was washing, and suggest
that the Vizier might wish to make the Sultan a present of it? That way
he could ask for even more money. At the thought of how valuable that
made the carpet, the story of

10

the horse trained to slip its halter began to nag at him again. As he
got into his nightshirt, Abdullah began to visualize the carpet
wriggling free. It was old and pliable. It was probably very well
trained. It could certainly slither out from behind the twine. Even if
it did not, he knew the idea would keep him awake all night.

In the end, he carefully cut the twine away and spread the carpet on top
of the pile of his most valuable rugs, which he always used as a bed.
Then he put on his nightcap-which was necessary, because the cold winds
blew off the desert and filled the booth with drafts-spread his blanket
over him, blew out his lamp, and slept.

11

2

In which

Abdullah is

mistaken for