"H. Warner Munn - The Ship from Atlantis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Munn H Warner)

in the squash blossom fashion over and around each ear. On her wrists
were bracelets of cowrie shells and around her neck hung a plaque of
matched pearls. Her waist, still slim, was cinctured with a belt of coins
which could not have been duplicated elsewhere in Alata. These were
joined Roman denar├╝ of silver and copper sesterces, linked together by
gold. Divers had brought them up from the wrecked Prydwen, the
warship of Arthur of Britain, in which Merlin Ambrosius had sailed across
the Atlantic to find a new land. With him and his nine bards, Ventidius
Varro, the centurion of the Sixth Legion, had also come to make himself a
king and be worshipped as a god.

Gold-Flower-of-Day kissed her son and took the sword and belt which
Ventidius removed and gave her. There were tears in her eyes as she
buckled the belt upon her son, but they were tears of pride. She hugged
him tightly once and released him. The crowd roared approbation and
there was a great shaking of gourd rattles and blowing of bone whistles.

Ventidius raised his hand again. She stepped back and the tumult
stilled. He held up a bronze cylinder so all could see.

"In this is the record of all that has been done here. Our battles in
Azatlan, the joining of the Onguy nations to form the Long House, our
march on Miapan, our crushing of the Tlapallican armies, our destruction
of the Mian Empire.

"I send it to my Tecutli, my Lord across the sea, who will be happy to
know that brave men dwell here as there. That it may not fail to reach its
destination, I now place it in the keeping of my son, who, with his
companions, will by strength of arm and his god-father's wisdom see it
safely there. May fair winds and calm waters aid him and bring him safely
back."

He gave it into the young man's hand. Gwalchmai slipped it into his
belt and the two men gripped each other's forearm and gazed deeply into
one another's eyes. There was no other word spoken nor other taking
leave.

They slowly descended the steps of the teocalli and passed through the
kneeling quiet crowd, followed by the priests. The thirty young Aztecan
rowers who were to man the sweeps had already thrust the dragon ship a
little way out from the shore. It was necessary for Gwalchmai to wade out
thigh deep to embark.

He stood on the steersman's platform, with his hand on the whipstaff of
the tiller as the ship swung out into the current. He looked back at his
parents standing on the shore. They were as impassive as he, Roman pride
matching Aztec dignity, but if hearts could weep unseenтАФthere would
have been tears.

Thirty oars dipped in salute to the temple. Up rose the heavy cotton sail