"Moorcock, Michael - Behold The Man2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

We tied him to the fence. It was his idea, sir. It was only a
game, sir."
Karl's body was stiff, but he managed to stay still, breath-
ing shallowly.
"He's not a strong boy like you, Williams. You should
have known better."
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm really sorry." Williams sounded as if he
were crying.
Karl felt himself lifted; felt the triumph. . . .
He was being carried along. His head and side were so
painful that he felt sick. He had had no chance to discover
where exactly the time machine had brought him, but, turn-
ing his head now, he could see by the way the man on his
right was dressed that he was at least m the Middle East.
He had meant to land in the year 29 A.D. in the wilderness
beyond Jerusalem, near Bethlehem. Were they taking him
to Jerusalem now?
He was on a stretcher that was apparently made of animal
skins; this indicated that he was probably in the past, at any
rate. Two men were carrying the stretcher on their shoulders.
Others walked on both sides. There was a smell of sweat
and animal fat and a musty smell he could not identify.
They were walking towards a line of hills in the distance.
He winced as the stretcher lurched and the pain in his
side increased. For the second time he passed out.
He woke up briefly, hearing voices. They were speaking
what was evidently some form of Aramaic. It was night, per-
haps, for it seemed very dark. They were no longer moving.
There was straw beneath him. He was relieved. He slept.
In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the
wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the king-
dom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of
by the prophet Esaias, saying. The voice of one crying in
the -wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's
hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was
locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem,
and all ludaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And
were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
(Matthew 3:1-6)
They were washing him. He felt the cold water running
over his naked body. They had managed to strip off his
protective suit. There were now thick layers of cloth against
his ribs on the right, and bands of leather bound them to
him.
He felt very weak now, and hot, but there was less pain.
He was in a buildingor perhaps a cave; it was too
gloomy to telllying on a heap of straw that was saturated
by the water. Above him, two men continued to sluice water
down on him from their earthenware pots. They were stern-