"Barry B. Longyear - The Hangingstone Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

тАЬWeтАЩre coming up on the moor,тАЭ Shad quacked. He was a mallard
duck bio and flew the cruiser remotely by means of his wireless interface.
He had once been a quite famous telly star doing adverts for an insurance
firm тАЬin whiteface,тАЭ as he put it. We talked old movies for a while then fell
silent as we watched the rugged greenness of Dartmoor spread before us.

тАЬPick up the Vader prang beacon yet?тАЭ I asked him.

тАЬWeтАЩre right on the wire.тАЭ

I looked over the vast expanses of hilly heather, broken only by
granite-topped hills, boulder fields, ponds, peat bogs, and stream-carved
cleaves. Among them the shadows of clouds seemed fixed in place. I
could see for miles. What I failed to see was the constabulary cruiser that
was supposed to be waiting for us. тАЬI donтАЩt see the cop supposed to meet
us, Shad.тАЭ

He glanced at me. тАЬYouтАЩre the one who pointed out to me the low
esteem in which ABCD is held among the constabulary.тАЭ

тАЬThis juvenile anchor dragging grows tedious, nevertheless.тАЭ

тАЬHangingstone Hill up ahead,тАЭ announced Shad. тАЬOught to be a movie
title,тАЭ he concluded whimsically.

I smiled. тАЬHangingstone Hill, a western tale of murder and
vengeance, torn from the pages of history, directed by John FordтАФтАЭ

тАЬтАФStarring Susan Hayward and Gary Cooper,тАЭ completed Shad.

тАЬI always loved Susan Hayward. WasnтАЩt there a Gary Cooper film
called The Hanging Tree?тАЭ I asked.

тАЬNineteen fifty-six,тАЭ said Shad, flaunting his vast cinematic knowledge.
The theater was never far from the former insurance duckтАЩs thoughts. тАЬGary
Cooper and Maria Schell,тАЭ he continued. тАЬYou know, The Hanging Tree
was George C. ScottтАЩs movie debut.тАЭ
 тАЬReally. Well, Shad, I know why Hangingstone Hill carries such an
ominous name.тАЭ

тАЬOh?тАЭ He was silent for a beat. тАЬYou do?тАЭ

It does me good to stump the duck once in awhile. тАЬIt has to do with a
natural phenomenon, Shad: a rather big plate of rock called a logan stone
that hangs out over another rock on the side of the hill.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs disappointing,тАЭ Shad remarked. тАЬWith a name like
Hangingstone Hill the place ought to be covered in ghosts left over from
innumerable medieval neck stretchings. Turnkeys With Gibbets,тАЭ imagined
Shad aloud. тАЬA Cranberry and Gravy Production. You can be the sheriff.