"Fritz Leiber - The Number of the Beast" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leiber Fritz)

Hlilav the Antarean multibrach had received 1024 gold martians, Hrohrakak the Polarian centipedal
1000 gold martians, Fa the Rigelian composite 1728 gold martians. TIik-тАШAa the Martian coleopteroid
666 gold martians.тАЭ

тАЬAhтАФтАЬ the Old Lieutenant said very soft. тАЬThe number Of the beast.тАЭ

тАЬCome again, Sean?тАЭ

тАЬ тАШHere is wisdom,тАЩтАЭ quoted the Old Lieutenant, still speaking very softly. тАЬтАЩLet him that hath
understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a manтАЩ; Revelation, Jim, the last book
in the Bible.тАЭ

тАЬI know that,тАЭ the Young Captain burst out excitedly. тАЬI also know the next words, if only because
theyтАЩre a favourite with numerology crackpotsтАФof whom I see quite a few at the station. The next words
are: тАШand his number is Six hundred threescore and six.тАЩ Almighty, thatтАЩs Tlik-TchaтАЩsтАФthatтАЩs the number
of his gold martians! And weтАЩve always known that the League of Beasts got some of its mumbo-jumbo
from Earth, so. why not from itтАЩs Bible? Sean, you clever old devil, IтАЩm going to play your hunch.тАЭ The
Young Captain sprang up. тАШIтАЩm going back to the station and have the four of them in and accuse
Tlik-Tcha to his face.тАЭ

The Old Lieutenant lifted a hand. тАЬOne moment, Jim,тАЭ he said sharply. тАЬYouтАЩre to go back to the station,
to be sure, and have the four of them in, yesтАФbut youтАЩre to accuse Fa the Rigelian.тАЭ

The Young Captain almost sat down again, involunta-rily. тАЬBut that doesnтАЩt make sense, Sean,тАЭ he
protested. тАЬFaтАЩs number is 1728. That doesnтАЩt fit your clue. ItтАЩs not the number of the beast.тАЭ

тАЬBeasts have all sorts of numbers, Jim,тАЭ the Old Lieu-tenant said. тАЬThe one you want is 1728.тАЭ

тАЬBut your reason, Sean? Give me your reason.тАЭ

тАЬNo. ThereтАЩs no time and you mightnтАЩt believeтАЩ me if I did. You asked for my advice and IтАЩve given it to
you. Accuse Fa the Rigelian.тАЭ

тАЬButтАФтАЬ

thatтАЩs all, Jim.тАЭ



Minutes later, the Young Captain was still feeling the slow burn of his exasperation, though he was back
at the station and the moment of decision weighed sickeningly upon him. What a foot heтАЩd been, he told
himself sav-agely, to waste his time on such an old dodderer! The serve of the man, giving out with
adviceтАФorders, prac-tically!-тАФthat he refused to justify, behaving with the whimsicality, the
stubbornnessтАФyes, the insolence!тАФthat only the retired man can afford.
 He scanned the four alien faces confronting him across the station deskтАФTlik-TchaтАЩs like a section of
ebon bowl-ing ball down to the three deeply recessed perceptors, HrohrakakтАЩs a large black-floor mop
faintly quivering, FaтАЩs pale and humanoid, but oversize, like an emperorтАЩs death mask, HlilavтАЩs a cluster
of serially blinking eyes and greenish jowls. He wished he could toss them all in a bag and reach
inтАФwearing an armour-plated gloveтАФand pick one.