"Norton, Andre - Flight in Yiktor" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

By the time such come--and they come seldom--they have
been traded perhaps a dozen times. And surely the thing itself
is not prepared to snicker out its home world. It fights--
fights to eat. It sleeps. It lives after a fashion, but no one can
bring charges that Russtif deals in a thinking species. These
are all below the official recording, and the records will tell
you so."

Dung could have protested. Alone among Russtif s cap-
tives had the hunchback made contact with Toggor. The
creature's mind pattern was different, very hard to follow. It
wove in and out when he tried to communicate more than the

10

Andre Norton

most primitive messages or emotions. Yet he was sure that
smux had more powers of thought than Russtif believed.

The spaceman tapped the edge of his cal dial with a
forefinger, the small click-click underlining the restlessness
of the caged creatures about. Russtif's own cal dial showed.

"The thing brings in a stellar--"

Now the woman laughed, and there was a note of scorn in
that sound. "A stellar a battle? And for how much longer? It


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is weakening, is it not? At the last fight did it not nearly lose

a claw?"

Russtif s eyes narrowed. He stared at her insolently, though

he was careful to keep his voice at a respectful pitch as he

answered.

"I did not see you there among the wagerers. Gentle

Fern."

"Nor would you," she replied. "But I speak the truth."

Again Russtif shrugged. "A stellar this bit of ugliness did