" Perry Rhodan 0062 - (54) The Blue Dwarfs" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

out of the spray and arced across the rushing stream.




2/ THE DEVILтАЩS BREW



They had been lucky. While Milligan and Pashen were still busy setting up the tents, Freddy and Mullon
had taken a long walk around the area of their camp and in the process had found a small pond in the
middle of some thick bushes. It was fed by 2 rivulets coming down from the western mountain wall. The
pond had no outletтАФwhich meant only evaporation and seepage balanced the steady inflow of water.

The pond was no more than a few steps away from the tents. Single trees grew along the banks and
spread their branches so far across the water that they met in the middle. No wonder, then, that Mullon
had not seen the pond from the helicopter.

Once the tents were up, Mullon passed out the breakfast rations. With them came water from the newly
discovered pond, which perhaps tasted strange but it was good and was delightfully cool.

Afterwards, Mullon saw to the chores which were routine at any camping site: collecting soil, plant and
water samples; drawing provisional maps; and determining the expedition partyтАЩs current position.

It was noon when Mullon was finished and then he called for a 2-hour rest period. Following that, at
2200 hoursтАФearly afternoon on GrautierтАФMullon and Pashen took off in the helicopter to fly along the
valley and add more details to the maps in both directions.

Meanwhile, Freddy was writing the written report of the expedition and Milligan had nothing to do but
stand watch over the camp. Since there had as yet been not the least sign of any animalsтАФbeetles and
butterflies exceptedтАФhe did not consider his task a very difficult one. He sat in the shade, his back
against a tree trunk, and after a drowsy half-hour fell asleep.

Freddy found him thus when she had finished writing her report an hour later. She let him go on sleeping
and considered for awhile what she could do that would be useful. She finally turned towards the pond
she and Mullon had discovered that morning.

It was refreshingly cool in the shade of the giant tree at the edge of the water. Freddy found a small
patch of grass and lay down. The heat of the day, made bearable by the shade and water-evaporation,
and the stillness had a drugging effect. Freddy no longer fought to keep from falling asleep.

But then, in the undergrowth behind her, she suddenly heard a light rustling. She sat up and looked
around. At first she saw nothing but the bushes, standing dusty and unmoving in the sun. After awhile,
however, the rustling repeated itself and at the same time a branch of a bush little more than a yard away
from Freddy moved.

Freddy stared in terror. She carried no weapons with her. She wanted to get up and run away but at
that moment the fist-sized head of a creature like none she had ever seen before appeared between the
branches.