"Barry Longyear - Circusworld 2 - Elephant song" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

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Later that evening there was another knock upon the door. Waco looked at his book, realizing that
he had been looking at the same page for over two hours. He put the book aside and opened the
door. The new bullhand that Buns had taken under his wing, Bullhook Willy, climbed the steps and
stood in the open doorway. "Buns got exed. Thought you'd want to know." Willy looked up at Waco.

"I heard." Waco nodded toward Bullhook's bandaged hand. "How's the mitt?"

"Okay. We had to winch that one bull out of the freighter. Caught my hand between the cable and
deck. Bone Breaker fixed it up'n gave me something for the pain."

Waco cocked his head toward the interior of his van. "Come in if you want."

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am."

Waco dropped into an easy chair and clasped his hands together. "Don't be sorry on my account,
Bullhook."

Willy sat down in a chair facing the snake charmer. "He was your friend, wasn't he?"

"That's what he called himself." The snake charmer's deep black eyes studied Willy. "I have no
friendsтАФno human friends."

Willy looked down and shook his head. "Why'd you live with him then? And'for ten years?'

"He paid rent." The snake charmer reached out a hand and stroked a passing python. "His
conversation was enjoyable." He sat back. "Do I sound a little cold to you?"

Willy slowly nodded. "That's the word: cold."

Waco closed his eyes and leaned his head against the chair's headrest. "I never let myself become
friends with a human. The human is the only animal that ever disappoints me." He opened his eyes
and looked at Willy. "I haven't had much contact with nonhuman intelligent aliens, but I imagine
that they, too, will disappoint me. Buns went and committed suicide today, or the next thing to
it. By doing so, I suppose you think he is some sort of hero. I don't. Although I do not include
myself among them, there are those who have an affection for Buns. Buns cheated them. Buns is a
cheat. He is a human and a cheat. I expected nothing more from him; I expect nothing more from any
human."

Bullhook Willy sat quietly for a moment, and then he swung his bullhook from his left hand, stood
and turned toward the door. "I better be getting back to the bam. I start trying to break in that
bull tonight."

The snake charmer stood and walked Bullhook Willy to the door. As Willy reached the bottom step,
Waco spoke. "What is the bull's name?"