"Stanislaw Lem - Automathew's Friend2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lem Stanislaw)

perfectly. As for its name, I call it Alfred. Alf or Alfie will
do."

"Good," said Automatthew.
They weighed Alfred, the inventor received for it a lovely little
diamond, and the robot, content that he now had a companion, a
fellow soul for the distant journey, proceeded on his way.



Part 2. The Storm
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It was most pleasant traveling with Alfred, which, if he so
desired
it, would wake him each morning by whistling inside his head a
soft
and cheerful reveille; it also told him various amusing
anecdotes,
however Automatthew soon forbade it to do this when he was in the
presence of others, for they began to suspect him of lunacy,
seeing
how every now and then he would burst into laughter for no
apparent
reason. In this manner Automatthew traveled first by land, then
reached the seashore, where a beautiful white ship awaited him.
He
had few possessions, thus in no time at all was ensconced in a
cozy
little cabin and listening with satisfaction to the clatter that
announced the raising of the anchor and the start of a great sea
voyage. For several days the white ship merrily sailed the waves
beneath a beaming sun, and at night, all silvered by the moon, it
rocked him to sleep, till early one morning a terrible storm
broke.
Waves three times higher than the masts buffeted the ship, which
creaked and groaned in all its joints, and the din was so
dreadful
that Automatthew did not hear a single word of the many
comforting
things Alfred was no doubt whispering to him during those
unpleasant
moments. Suddenly there was an ungodly crash, salt water burst
into
the cabin, and before the horrified eyes of Automatthew the ship
began to come apart.
He ran out on deck just as he was, and had barely leaped into the
last lifeboat when a monstrous wave loomed up, fell upon the
vessel
and pulled it down into the churning ocean depths. Automatthew
did