"The Haters" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morrison William)

THE HATERSTHE HATERS
BY WILLIAM MORRISON

They flung themselves across light years of space to show the world their hatred
and contempt. And out among the stars, they learned at last what hatred could
really mean to them and what they hated!

"We'll show them," said Kerman.
Grayson didn't answer. Kerman was more than half crazy, and he had been talking
about showing them ever since coming on board. Grayson had got used to him, just
as he had got used to all the others. After all, you couldn't expect to hire a
crew that was exactly normal, not for a trip like this. You simply picked up
what you could get and took these characters in your' stride, and when they
started talking in their different peculiar ways, you didn't pay attention.
Still, if ever Kerman's remark had been appropriate, it was at a time like this.
Here was a planet that would everything they were looking for. And nobody to
stop them from taking it.
McGant, who acted as first mate, came over to him and said, "We're all set to
land, Captain."
"Hold off for awhile," replied Grayson. "I'm checking our observations."
"There's nothing to check," commented McGant sourly. "Oxygen, temperature,
gravity; air presssureЧeverything's in the right range. Radioactivity's a little
high, but that's the way we want it. Not enough to hurt, but high enough to be
promising."
"I'm not sure about the inhabitants," Grayson said.
McGant looked at him oddly. You didn't get respect from a crew like this,
thought Grayson. Some were slavish, but in general you were lucky if you got
grudging obedience, and didn't have to dodge a knife in the back. McGant, now,
was not exactly half crazy, but he was a good quarter of the way gone. And here
he was looking at Grayson as if he considered the latter the one who was weak in
the head. Maybe he had something there at that, thought Grayson.
"There's no danger from them," said McGant. "Only one intelligent species, and
not many specimens of them around. And they're still in the ape-man stage."
"I'm not so sure."
"By Pluto, Captain, it's obvious enough. Not a building, not a boat, not a canal
in the place. No sign that they've ever heard of the use of tools. No sign that
they grow their own plant food or use weapons to kill their prey. What more do
you want of them, an I. Q. test?"
"That would help," said Grayson. "For lack of it, I'm taking another look at
some of these telescopic films we made."
"I've gone through them. They don't show any danger."
"I tend to agree with you. But it doesn't pay to be careless."
"Anything you say, Captain," replied McGant in a respectful voice, managing to
convey his contempt by facial expression alone. "Somebody on every ship has to
be careful, just as somebody has to be the ship's clown. But I'll lay two to one
that you're only wasting our time. An hour from now we'll be coming in for the
landing we should be making right now."
"I don't doubt it," returned Grayson coldly, He didn't like that remark about
the clown.
"And then, by Pluto, we'll start collecting the stuff. We'll, show the dirty