"Mike Resnick - Song of a Dry River" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

тАЬI am not ready to be cast aside as my grandchildren cast aside their toys,тАЭ she replied.

тАЬAndI am not ready to allow you to break with the traditions of the Kikuyu,тАЭ I said sternly. тАЬYou will
stay here.тАЭ

тАЬI will not!тАЭ she replied, and I heard some of the villagers chuckling at this withered old lady who defied
both her chief and hermundumugu .

тАЬKoinnage,тАЭ I said, directing him and his family inside the thorn fence of hisboma , so that we might be
further away from the onlookers, тАЬshe is your mother. Speak to her and convince her to remain here,
before she forces me to take some action that you will all regret.тАЭ

тАЬDo not continue to shame me in the eyes of the village, my mother,тАЭ pleaded Koinnage. тАЬYou must
remain in myshamba .тАЭ

тАЬI will not.тАЭ

тАЬYou will!тАЭ said Koinnage heatedly, as the men and women of the village crowded closer to theboma's
entrance.

тАЬAnd if I don't, what will you do to me?тАЭ she demanded, glaring at him. тАЬWill you bind my hands and
feet and force me to remain here in my hut?тАЭ

тАЬI am the paramount chief,тАЭ said Koinnage in obvious frustration. тАЬI order you to stay here!тАЭ

тАЬHah!тАЭ she said, and now the peoplesтАЩ chuckles became outright laughter. тАЬYou may be a chief, but you
are still my son, and mothers do not take orders from their sons.тАЭ

тАЬBut everyone must obey themundumugu ,тАЭ he said, тАЬand Koriba has ordered you to remain here.тАЭ

тАЬIwill not obey him,тАЭ she said. тАЬI came to Kirinyaga to be happy, and I am unhappy in yourshamba . I
am going to live on the hill, and neither you nor Koriba will stop me.тАЭ

Suddenly the laughter stopped, and was replaced by an awed silence, for no one may flaunt the
mundumugu's authority in such a manner. Under other circumstances I might have forgiven her, for she
was very upset, but she had challenged me in front of the entire village, and it was the end of a long,
irritating day.

My anger must have been reflected on my face, for Koinnage suddenly stepped between his mother and
myself.

тАЬPlease, Koriba,тАЭ he said, his voice unsteady. тАЬShe is an old woman, and she does not know what she is
saying.тАЭ

тАЬI know what I am saying,тАЭ said Mumbi. She glared at me defiantly. тАЬIf I cannot live as I like, then I
prefer not to live at all. What will you do to me,mundumugu ?тАЭ

тАЬI?тАЭ I said innocently, aware of the many eyes that were focused upon me. тАЬI will do nothing to you. As
you yourself have pointed out, I am merely an old man.тАЭ I paused and stared at her, as Koinnage and his
wives shrank back in fear. тАЬYou speak fondly of the dry river we lived beside when we were