"R. A. Lafferty - Stories 5" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lafferty R A)

played the part of Patience Palmer in the title role. Leslie Whitemansion
played the role of Simon Legree. Kirbac Fouet played the part of "the Whip", a
sinister character. X. Paul McCoffin played the role of "the Embalmer". Jaime
del Diablo played "the Jesuit", one of the most menacing roles in all drama.
Torres Malgre played "the Slaver", who carried the forged certificate showing
that Patience had a shadow of black blood and so might be returned to slavery
on San Croix. Inspiro Spectralski played "the Panther" (Is he a Man? Is he a
Ghost?), who is the embodiment of an evil that is perhaps from beyond the
world. Hubert Saint Nicholas played the part of "the Guardian", who is really
a false guardian.
 This Damnable Chase is really a galloping allegory. It is the allegory
of good against evil, of light against darkness, of inventiveness against
crude obtuseness, of life against death, of openness against intrigue, of love
against hatred, of courage against hellish fear. For excitement and intensity,
this drama has hardly an equal. Time and again, it seemed that the Embalmer,
striking out of the dark, would stab Patience with his needle full of the
dread embalming fluid and so trap her in the rigidity of living death. Time
and again, it seemed that the Whip would cut the flesh of Patience Palmer with
his long lash with viper poison on its iron tip that would bring instant
death. At every eventuality, it seemed as though Simon Legree or the slaver
would enslave her body, or the Jesuit or the Panther would enslave her soul.
And her mysterious Guardian seems always about to save her, but his every
attempt to save her has such reverse and disastrous effects as to cast doubt
on the honesty and sincerity of the Guardian.
A high point of the drama is the duel of the locomotives that takes
place during a tempestuous night in the West Orange Shipping Yards. Again and
again, Patience Palmer is all but trapped on railroad trestles by thundering
locomotives driven by her adversaries (the West Orange Switching Yards seem to
consist almost entirely of very high railroad trestles). Patience finally gets
control of a locomotive of her own on which to escape, but the locomotives of
her enemies thunder at her from every direction so that she is able to switch
out of their way only at the last brink of every moment.
The Embalmer attempts to stab her with his needleful of embalming fluid
every time their locomotives pass each other with double thunder and only
inches to spare. The Whip tries to lash her with his cruel lash with its
poisoned tip; and the Slaver threatens her with the outreached forged
certificate of color, and only by fantastic cringing can she cringe back far
enough to keep from being touched by it as their locomotives roar past each
other in opposite directions.
It seems impossible that the racing locomotives can come so close and
not hit each other, with their dazzling switching from track to track. And
then (Oh, God save us all!) the Panther (Is he a Man? Is he a Devil?) has
leapt from his own locomotive to that of Patience Palmer: he is behind her on
her own locomotive, and she does not see him. He comes closer --
But the climax of The Perils of Patience is not there in the West Orange
Switching Yards. It is at a secret town and castle in the Barrens of New
Jersey, a castle of evil repute. In this place the enemies of Patience were
assembling a gang of beaters (slack-faced fellows with their tongues cut out),
and they were readying bloodhounds to hunt Patience down to her death. She
somehow obtains a large wagon piled high with hay and pulled by six large the