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

Grayson shook his head. "Better not talk about it. So far we've been lucky
enough to have it avoid us. God help us if it ever acquires a fondness for our
company," he told them.
Fernald pointed. "Here's another little one, dead as a door nail. Looks like
it's been burned."
The skin seemed to have been scorched. Grayson said, "That must be one of the
pair we caught with our midget nuclear, bomb."
"So the bomb had an effect after all," observed McGant.
"Not enough. If we had a full sized oneЧ"
"Which we haven't, Captain.'
"Which we haven't. But if we had, we might protect ourselves. As it isЧ" He
hesitated. "As it is, we're getting off this planet."
"No, Captain!" exclaimed McGant. "By Pluto, we were all going to get rich here
and go back and show them. You can't go off now, leaving all that valuable metal
untouched."
Grayson's lips tightened. "In the 'copter, you fools," he ordered. "We're going
back to the ship, and once we get there we're leaving the planet. If you don't
like the idea, McGant, you can stay here with these lizard beasts. And you can
keep any man who wants to stay here with you."
The others shook their heads and Fernald spoke for them "Not us, Captain. Not
after what we've seen them do."
The flight back to the ship was made in swift silence. Grayson got out and saw
Kerman gaping foolishly at him. "All quiet, Kerman?"
"All quiet, Captain."
"Get back on the ship. Have Sparks send out a message recalling all
reconnaissance and mining crews. We're leaving in fifteen minutes. Anybody not
on board in that time stays behind on this planet."
He ran down the corridor and threw open the door to his office. In the doorway
he stood as if paralyzed. One of the A-beasts was there near his desk, staring
at him. A hole torn in the metal floor showed how the beast had entered.
His hand swung to the weapon at his belt and then dropped away. Explosive
weapons were useless. The only thing that could save him was his head, his human
brain, the great brain of a race which had set out to conquer the universe.
A crewman came running down the corridor to him and shouted, "Captain! They've
torn a hole in the side! And they're ripping out the engine!"
Another A-beast suddenly opened the storeroom door and looked out at him. It was
at this moment that Grayson almost realized the full hopelessness of their
situation. But not quite. He knew that the ship could not take off without
extensive repairs, and that he and the other crew members were prisoners at the
mercy of the A-race. What he did not realize was the most important fact of all.
There came the burst of an explosion from an adjoining corridor, then screams of
panic. There must have been at least half a dozen guns blasting, thought
Grayson. All, he knew, were useless, completely useless. Not one of them could
harm the big lizard-like things. They could only excite them, enrage them,
inspire them to revenge.
He peered around the corner and saw what was happening. Very gently, two of the
A-race were advancing upon a dozen cowering crew members. Like nurses removing
dangerous toys from children who might hurt themselves, they were taking away
the guns and grenades which the latter had been using.
It was at that moment that the full truth burst upon Grayson. The A-beasts were