"Otis Adelbert Kline - Man from the Moon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kline Otis Adelbert)

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Otis Adelbert Kline Man from the Moon Amazing Stories, October, 1930




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Otis Adelbert Kline Man from the Moon Amazing Stories, October, 1930

having, before it cooled, an opportunity to unite The last pink glow of the sun was fading in
with oxygen. There should, however, be an the west, and the moon was rising when I reached
intermediary residue which I have been unable to the top of the ridge.
find.тАЭ тАЬSit down here beside me,тАЭ whispered the
тАЬMaybe it was carted off by prehistoric professor. тАЬOur visitor seems to be preparing for a
Americans for the metals it contained,тАЭ I feebly religious ceremony of some sort, and I dislike
ventured to suggest. disturbing him.тАЭ
тАЬImprobable as that statement may seem,тАЭ While my friend munched his sandwich and
said the professor, тАЬthere is a small amount of sipped his coffee, I used my binoculars to watch
evidence in favor of it, for I have found a number the Chinaman. He had erected four poles
of meteoric fragments miles from the rim of the supporting four others which formed a square
crater. By Jove! We appear to have a visitor!тАЭ above a low, flat-topped rock near the center of the
He clapped his powerful binoculars to his crater. Suspended from the horizontal poles by
eyes, and looking in the direction in which they cords were many small objects which were
pointed, I saw a tall, bent figure, apparently attired apparently very light in weight, for they stirred like
in a robe or gown, leaning on a long staff and leaves in the breeze. A lighted taper stood in the
carrying a bundle of poles under one arm, slowly center of the flat rock, which was surrounded by a
descending the slope opposite us. ring of thin sticks that had been thrust into the
тАЬSeems to be a Chinaman,тАЭ he said, passing ground. The Oriental was on his knees before the
the glasses to me. тАЬWhat is your opinion?тАЭ stone, immobile as the rock itself, his face turned
in our direction.

I LOOKED and saw an undeniably Mongolian тАЬSeems to be keeping his eyes on us,тАЭ I said.
face, with slanting eyes, prominent cheek bones, тАЬI think he is waiting for the moon to rise
and a long, thin moustache, the ends of which above the crater rim,тАЭ replied the professor, once
drooped at least four inches below the chin. The more applying his eyes to his own binoculars.
voluminous garments, though badly tattered, were My friend was right, for as soon as the first
unquestionably Chinese, as was the cap with a shaft of moonlight entered the crater the kneeling
button in the center, which surmounted the broad figure was galvanized into action.
head. Bursting into a singsong chant, quite audible,
тАЬA Chinaman or an excellent makeup,тАЭ I if unintelligible to me, the Celestial applied the
replied. тАЬWonder what heтАЩs doing out here in his flame of the taper to each of the thin sticks he had
native costume?тАЭ planted around the stone, all of which were soon
Our speculations were interrupted by the glowing like burning punk. Then he stepped
clarion supper call of Alamo from the camp behind beneath one of the objects suspended from a
us: horizontal pole, made a short speech in the
тАЬCome anтАЩ get it, or IтАЩll feed it to the direction of the moon, and lighted it with the taper.
coyotes.тАЭ It burned out in a few seconds, casting a weird,
тАЬYou go down and eat,тАЭ said the professor. yellow light over the scene. Stepping beneath the