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

"Ming! Dammit, Ming!" Bullhook sagged against the open door as his vision blurred. One of the five
bulls paused, turned toward the forward end, then began walking toward the compartment. "Ming.
That's it, baby. Right here."

Bullhook felt a thunderous whack across his shoulders, his face smashed against the bulkhead. He
stopped himself from sagging to the deck, reached out, grabbed the rungs of an access ladder, and
began pulling himself out of danger. Queenie rushed at him again and tried to pull him down, but
she could not raise her wounded trunk. Just as he managed to pull himself above her, Queenie
rammed the ladder and bulkhead.

Ming entered the compartment and bellowed. Bullhook called from his perch upon the ladder. "Ming!
Over here, girl! Get Queenie away from the ladder! C'mon, Ming, you beautiful thing!"

Bullhook saw Ming look up at him. The sound she made was a blast of relief and joy.

"That's right, Ming. I'm here. Come on over and save old Bullhook's ass."

Ming lowered her head, tucked her trunk down, and charged at Queenie's side. The impact vibrated
the entire compartment, almost causing Bullhook to lose his grip. Frightened by the attack,
Queenie moved away from the ladder.

"Over here, Ming!" He smacked his bullhook against the bulkhead and Ming moved toward the ladder.
The pachyderm presented her port side to the boss elephant man when she saw him whirl his bullhook
in a circle. When she was close enough, Bullhook Willy leaped from the ladder and landed upon
Ming's

back. Painfully he pulled himself forward until he sat straddling the great beast's neck, the toes
of his boots behind her ears.

"All right, babe! Let's get us the hell out of here!" He tapped Ming's right shoulder with his
bullhook. "Shy, babe! Shy!"

The elephant turned to the right, and when she was facing the doors, Bullhook lowered himself
until his right cheek was against the top of Ming's head. The stink of burned flesh filled his
nostrils. "Let's go, babe! Mule up that damned machine! Go!"

Ming went through the doors and entered the number one tube of the main carrousel, first at a fast
walk, then at a trot. With screamed commands and taps with his bullhook, the boss elephant man
steered Ming around the three dead elephants. With butts of her head, swats with her trunk, and
goads with her tusks, Ming bulldozed the frightened elephants out of her path. One of the bulls
attempted to fight back, and Bullhook felt a tusk enter the calf of his left leg. "Go, dammit! Go
Ming!"

At the other end of the tube, the smoke was still thick. "Tut, babe. Park that thing until I can
find the doorknob."

Ming stopped and the boss elephant man tried to clear his vision. "Great Boolabong, show me the
doorknob. Show me." He shook his head, but the motion did more to increase the pain in his head
than it did to clarify his vision. "Hell." He leaned to his right, reached down, and tapped the