"John Norman - Gor 16 - Guardsman of Gor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norman John)

would be some four inches in diameter. I saw a man leap from the stern castle into the water.
 "Look!" cried out a man, in misery. He was pointing to starboard. The second enemy galley
had ridden over the chain.
"Me first of the Voskjard's ships has crossed the chainl" cried another.
We saw other galleys, too, approaching the chain.
"Another has crossed!" cried a man, pointing to starboard. Beyond that ship we could see
another galley, too, but this one was striking at the chain.
The Mira was hastening to engage the galley which had ridden over the chain.
The Mira made good her strike. There was a cheer from our vessel. The starboard rudder of
the enemy galley had been torn away in crossing the chain. The galleys of the Voskjard, like most
Gorean ships, were double ruddered.
"Hard to starboardl" cried Callimachus.
As we came about a pirate galley knifed towards us.
"To starboard!" cried Callimachus. Then he cried, "Oars inboard!"
Her ram missed us. Her port shearing blade tore at our strakes.
"Oars outboard!" called Callimachus. "Come about!"
The two ships had slid past one another. As the ships passed I had looked into the eyes of a
pirate. He had not been more than five feet from me.
"Two more ships are over the chain!" called the officer with Callimachus, pointing to port.
"Ships of Port Cos are approaching!" cried another man. There was a cheer on our vessel.
Ten such ships were at the chain. Twenty others lay to in the waters near the south guard station,
which post was held by Callisthenes. These ships, those of Port Cos, were our hope. It was only
these, we feared, who might be able to match the forces of the Voskjard in even combat. The ships of
Ar's Station could bring numbers to bear in our favor, but we did not regard them, ship for ship, as
the match of either a galley of the Voskjard or of Port Cos. The naval tradition of Cos is an ancient
one, and many of the officers of Port Cos were native Cosians, mercenaries or veterans of the Cosian
navy, on detached duty to the colony, that the interests of the mother island might be defended on the
Vosk.
"There is a ship of Ar's Station!" called out the officer on the stem castle.
There was a cheer at this cry.
We had now come about, but already the galley which had nearly torn us open was facing us.
"She has quick lines," said a man.
"Why has she not attacked?" asked a man.
"She is waiting for support," said a man.
"No," said another. "If we move to the chain, she can ram us amidships."
"She is defending her sisters," said a man.
"We can no longer protect the chain," said another.
But then we saw the galley swinging to starboard. Another galley, one flying the pennons of
Port Cos, was speeding towards her.
There was another cheer from our men. "Back to the chain!" called Callimachus, elated.
"Another has slipped overl" cried out a man, angrily, pointing over the bow.
It was free of the chain. We could not catch her. She slipped behind us on the waters of the
broad, muddy Vosk.
"How many have passed the chain?" asked a man, glumly.
"Who knows?" asked another.
Here and there, at the chain, again and again, pirate galleys were striking at the great links,
and then backing away, and then again, patiently, renewing their attack.
"Doubtless they are hammering at points where they know the chain was weakened in the
night," said a man near me. He had been with me in the longboat last night.
"Yes," I said: "Look there!"