"Murray Leinster - Exploration Team" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leinster Murray)

feigned to attack it.
His mother whacked him soundly.


II

There were comfortable, settling-down noises below. The bears grunted
and rumbled, but ultimately were still. The glare from the landing field was
gone. The lighted lane through the jungle was dark again. Huyghens ushered the
man from the space boat up into his living quarters. There was a rustling
stir, and Semper took his head from under his wing. He stared coldly at the
two humans. He spread monstrous, sevenfoot wings and fluttered them. He opened
his beak and closed it with a snap.
тАЬThatтАЩs Semper,тАЭ said Huyghens. тАЬSemper Tyrannis. HeтАЩs the rest of the
terrestrial population here. Not being a fly-by-night sort of creature, he
didnтАЩt come out to welcome you.тАЭ
Roane blinked at the huge bird, perched on a three-inch-thick perch set
in the wall.
тАЬAn eagle?тАЭ he demanded. тАЬKodiak bearsтАФmutated ones you say, but still
bearsтАФand now an eagle? YouтАЩve a very nice fighting unit in the bears.тАЭ
тАЬTheyтАЩre pack animals, too,тАЭ said Huyghens. тАЬThey can carry some
hundreds of pounds without losing too much combat efficiency. And thereтАЩs no
problem of supply. They live off the jungle. Not sphexes, though. Nothing will
eat a sphex, even if it can kill one.тАЭ
He brought Out glasses and a bottle. He indicated a chair. Roane put
down his traveling bag. He took a glass.
тАЬIтАЩm curious,тАЭ he observed. тАЬWhy Semper Tyrannis? I can understand Sitka
Pete and Sourdough Charley as names. The home of their ancestors makes them
fitting. But why Semper?тАЭ
тАЬHe was bred for hawking,тАЭ said Huyghens. тАЬYou sic a dog on something.
You sic Semper Tyrannis. HeтАЩs too big to ride on a hawking glove, so the
shoulders of my coats are padded to let him ride there. HeтАЩs a flying scout.
IтАЩve trained him to notify us of sphexes, and in flight he carries a tiny
television camera. HeтАЩs useful, but he hasnтАЩt the brains of the bears.тАЭ
Roane sat down and sipped at his glass.
тАЬInteresting . . . very interesting! But this is an illegal settlement.
IтАЩm a Colonial Survey officer. My job is reporting on progress according to
plan, but nevertheless I have to arrest you. DidnтАЩt you say something about
shooting me?тАЭ
Huyghens said doggedly:
тАЬIтАЩm trying to think of a way out. Add up all the penalties for illegal
colonization and IтАЩd be in a very bad fix if you got away and reported this
set-up. Shooting you would be logical.тАЭ
тАЬI see that,тАЭ said Roane reasonably. тАЬBut since the point has come upтАФI
have a blaster trained on you from my pocket.тАЭ
Huyghens shrugged.
тАЬItтАЩs rather likely that my human confederates will be back here before
your friends. YouтАЩd be in a very tight fix if my friends came back and found
you more or less sitting on my corpse.тАЭ
Roane nodded.