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

front of the elephant's shoulder.

"Give old Bullhook a kneel, babe. Let's go. Down, Ming."

As the elephant slowly knelt, Bullhook slid from her neck until his feet touched the hot deck
plates. His left leg collapsed, and he crawled upon his hands and knees until he came to the aft
tube doors. Pulling himself up, he felt for the door panel. Once he found it, he pounded it with
his fist, causing the doors to hiss open. On the other side of the door, the two bulls that had
broken loose from the number four tube were screaming and stampeding up and down the runs that led
from the three carrousel doors to the main hatch. The bulkhead panels above the port carrousel
door radiated orange heat. The remains of two human bodies smeared against the cleated surface of
the runs explained why Pony Red Miira hadn't been able to raise the aft watch.



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Bullhook pushed away from the bulkhead, collapsing upon the deck. He looked at the bull. Ming
stood patiently awaiting

further instructions. The boss elephant man thought he blacked out for a second, then was brought
wide awake by the blinding pains that coursed through his leg, back, and head. The pains eased for
a moment, and Bullhook called out. "Ming. I can't make it. Get that durante out and log me out of
here!" He smacked his bullhook against the deck. "Ming, let's go!"

The pachyderm moved to her right until she faced the boss elephant man's prone figure. Then she
reared up on her hind legs and screamed. Her front legs came down hard, and Bull-hook knew what
was in her mind. He knew because he had been there. "Ming! This is Bullhook, honey. Bullhook." The
elephant snorted, rocking back and forth. "That was another crash, another time, another place.
Years ago, babe. This is Bullhook, Ming." He held up his gold-tipped hook and goad. "Bullhook."

Ming stood still for a moment, then she lowered her head, lifted her trunk, and gently shoved her
tusks beneath Bullhook's body. The boss elephant man held his gold tipped bullhook out so that it
would not be out of the elephant's sight. "Remember me, Ming. You gore me and it's liable to ruin
my whole day."

The elephant's trunk wrapped gently around Bullhook's waist as her head came up. "Okay, babe.
Let's lead this parade out of here. Go, babe, go!"

Ming moved out toward the main hatch. The two bulls rampaging in the runs moved toward her. "Mile,
babe! Get me to that damned switch box! Go!" Ming crossed the runs and stopped before the huge
hatch door. The heavy metal door was warped from the impact against the bottom of the shuttle.
Nothing short of blowing the thing off of its bolts would open it. "Shy, babe. Get me over! Shy!"

The elephant moved Bullhook to the right, and the boss elephant man reached out and flipped open
the cover on the emergency switch. He pulled down the bright red handle inside and then blackened
out as two hundred exploding bolts went off at the same time that a bull smashed into Ming's side.
When he opened his eyes, his body was being shaken unmercifully as Ming stampeded through the open
air and tall grass of the strange planet. Voices called after them, but Ming wasn't listening.