"C M Kornbluth - Make Mine Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kornbluth C M)

a rat-faced city boy, didn't have the decency to tarn them over and let the hayseeds get back to the
administration building. I watched through a porthole and saw him stalling and dawdling over a sheaf of
papers for each of the farmers. Oddly enough, the stalling and dawdling stopped as soon as the farmers
caught on and passed over a few dollars. Nobody even bothered to slip it shamefac' fly from one hand to
another. They just hanc.t-J.it over, not caring who sawтАФRat-Face sneering, the farmers dumbly
accepting the racket.



My turn came. Rat-Face came aboard and we were introduced by the chief engineer. "Harya," he said.
"Twenny bucks."



"What forr



"Landing permit. Later at the administration you can pay your visitor's permit. That's twenny, bucks too."



"I'm not a visitor. I'm coming here to work."



"Work, schmurk. So you'll need a work permitтАФtwenny bucks." His eyes wandered. "Whaddaya got
there?"



"Ethertype parts. May need them for replacements."



He was on his knees hi front of the box, crooning, "Triple ad valorem plus twenny dollars security bond
for each part plus twenny dollars inspection fee plus twenny dollars for decontamination plus twenny
dollars for failure to declare plusтАФ"



"Break it up, Joe," said a new arrivalтАФa grey-mustached little man, lost in his parka. "He's a friend of
mine. Extend the courtesies of the port."



Rat-FaceтАФJoeтАФdidn't like it, but he took it. He muttered about doing his duty and gave me a card.