"Mike Resnick - Tales Of The Galactic Midway 03 - The Wild Alien Tamer" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

attack.
The creature growled again, made some gesture with its clawlike hand that Monk was unable to interpret, and
walked back inside the hangar on its short, stocky legs.
It emerged again a moment later, and this time Monk had a better opportunity to study it. It stood almost
seven feet tall, was a flaming red in color, and was covered by short, coarse, thick hair. There was the look of
a predator about it, and the fact that it snorted and rumbled as it breathed did not detract from that
impression.
It carried something in its left hand, and when it was about five feet away Monk saw that it was a mechanism
built along the lines of his own two-way translating device. He had not seriously considered how a killer
creature from his childhood nightmares might have gained access to a spaceport hangar, but although he
knew the notion to be ridiculous, he was nonetheless greatly relieved to see this obvious sign of sentience.
The creature raised the device to its mouth and spoke into it.
тАЬ You are Jupiter Monk, ofThe Ahasuerus and Flint Traveling Carnival and Sideshow ?тАЭ came the cold,
passionless, translated tones.
тАЬ The one and only,тАЭ replied Monk. тАЬ That's what I was about to tell you when you ran off.тАЭ
тАЬ Your translating mechanism has not been adjusted to function in my language.тАЭ
тАЬ I notice thatyours works just dandy formine ,тАЭ said Monk suspiciously. тАЬ How come?тАЭ
тАЬ Mr. Ahasuerus had a member of the Corporation drop this device off here some weeks ago.тАЭ
тАЬ Well, bully for him. I always knew he was good for something.тАЭ Monk fumbled in his shirt pocket for a
moment, then pulled out a crumpled piece of note paper. тАЬ You're Braxtos, right?тАЭ
тАЬ You must be mispronouncing my name rather badly,тАЭ said the creature. тАЬ Even the translator can't make
sense out of what you said.тАЭ It paused. тАЬ My name isтАФ тАЭ There was a silence, as the translating device was
unable to come up with a human equivalent.
тАЬ Win a few, lose a few,тАЭ muttered Monk. тАЬ It didn't come out at this end either. You must have one hell of a
tongue-twister.тАЭ
тАЬ I shall assume that you meant no insult, and that the translation was in error,тАЭ said the creature.
тАЬ This may come as a shock to you, or perhaps a pleasant surprise,тАЭ said Monk, тАЬ but I don't know what the
hell you're talking about.тАЭ
тАЬ My tongue is not twisted.тАЭ To support its statement, it pointed to a small insect that was flying near its face,
turned toward it, and darted out its tongue and engulfed it.
тАЬ Straightest goddamned tongue I ever saw,тАЭ said Monk devoutly. тАЬ And now, if we're all through introducing
ourselves and slaughtering innocent insects, is there any chance that I might be able to see the animals?тАЭ
тАЬ That is why I am here.тАЭ
тАЬ Good. I just hope they look as weird as you do,тАЭ said Monk. Then he added quickly, тАЬ Meaning no offense.тАЭ
тАЬ No offense is taken,тАЭ replied the creature. тАЬ If you will follow me, I shall lead you to my vehicle.тАЭ It paused, as
if considering its next statement. тАЬ As long as we are being frank with each other, I wonder if I might make a
small request?тАЭ
тАЬ Shoot.тАЭ
тАЬ Please do not walk too close to me or make any sudden movements.тАЭ
тАЬ Might instinctively go for me with your tongue, huh?тАЭ
тАЬ No,тАЭ said the creature. тАЬ I am here to show you the animals, and I will do my jobтАФ but I must confess that I
find your appearance quite terrifying.тАЭ
тАЬ Figures,тАЭ muttered Monk, slowing his pace.
They soon arrived at an open vehicleтАФ carwould be the wrong word for itтАФ and sat as far from each other as
possible. As they began traveling across the flat, carefully tended fields, Monk noticed that the odor actually
intensified once they got away from the spaceport. He tried to ignore it by studying his surroundings, but
soon gave it up, as they didn't change much from one mile to the nextтАФ except perhaps to look a little more
like Indianapolis and a little less like Springfield, which at least had an occasional gorge or gully.
Finally, after about twenty minutes, they began going into the foothills of the mountain range he had seen
upon arriving, and he realized that it was indeed much closer and much smaller than he had thought. Still, he