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

take about two seconds for this compartment to be full up with damned mad pachyderms."

The boss elephant man motioned with his bullhook toward the body. "Get Haystack and beat it. I
have to get to the other end and open the main hatch."

"There's a crew outside working on it now."

"Packy, there's no time to work through from the outside. Now get moving."

"You can't make it!"

"Ming and I can." Bullhook pointed again at the body. "Now beat it."

Packy shook his head and lifted the dead bullhand's shoulders. "Maybe I can help."

Bullhook Willy stared at the closed doors to the main carrousel. "Beat it. And get that crew away
from the doors."

Packy pulled Haystack's body away, and just before he reached the maintenance port, Bullhook
called out. "Hey, Packy!"

"What?"

"Little Will. Take care of her. You know."

"Yeah. I know." The bullhand lowered Haystack's body through the port, then dropped himself
through to the outside.

Bullhook Willy weaved before the closed doors, looking at the red square that needed to be pressed
to open them. "Just

hope to hell Ming is tjie first one out."

He reached out his left hand, slapped the red square, and stumbled to the right of the doors as
they hissed open. There was no addition to the smoke, but the sound of the screaming bulls
deafened him. A panic-driven elephant thundered through the open doorway, her shredded left ear
dripping blood. It took only a split-second for Bullhook to recognize Cambo. As Cambo rumbled
around the compartment looking for a pachyderm-sized exit, she was immediately followed by
Queenie. Queenie's trunk was almost severed through.

Bullhook looked around the edge of the door and screamed. "Ming! Here, Ming! Goddammit, Ming,
where are you?"

Down the length of the tube, three bulls were in the aisle on their sides either dead or dying.
The remaining five bulls were loose and stampeding in the confined area.


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