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

the crate, cursing a blue streak the whole time.
тАЬ What the hell wasthat supposed to be?тАЭ demanded Flint, walking around to the door.
тАЬ It wassupposed to be the most vicious carnivore on Belthar III,тАЭ said Monk with a laugh. тАЬ Hell, for all I know
it is.тАЭ
тАЬ Well, you're the guy who picked it.тАЭ
тАЬ I picked it from a holograph that your Corporation buddy Kargennian sent me,тАЭ said Monk patiently. тАЬ The
little bastard is exactly as represented, tooтАФ except that Kargennian never said what its size was. I thought I
was getting something about four hundred pounds.тАЭ He laughed again. тАЬ I've seen bigger beagles.тАЭ
тАЬ Wasn't there some kind of spec sheet with the holograph?тАЭ asked Flint.
тАЬ I got enough trouble reading English.тАЭ
тАЬ You don't seem to have much trouble dictating it,тАЭ remarked Flint wryly.
тАЬ The tombstone, right?тАЭ Monk put on an angelic face and smiled. тАЬ It ain'tmy fault that your partner hasn't got
a sense of humor.тАЭ He turned to one of the robots. тАЬ Take this one back to the ship, and haul the next crate in
here.тАЭ
тАЬ My partner's lack of a sense of humor is going to cost you a couple of thousand dollars,тАЭ continued Flint.
тАЬ What the hell do I care?тАЭ replied Monk. тАЬ There ain't an awful lot to spend it on out here, in case you hadn't
noticed. Now, why don't you stand backтАФ unless you feel a serious need to work the next animal, that is.тАЭ
Flint stood away from the door as the second crate was placed inside the cage and Monk released the lock.
Nothing emerged.
тАЬ Antisocial son of a bitch, ain't he?тАЭ said Monk.
He walked into the cage and stood in front of the crate. Whatever was inside uttered an ominous growl. тАЬ
Well, at least it isn't dead,тАЭ remarked Flint.
Monk locked the crate again and told a robot to remove it.
тАЬ Don't you even want to see what you've got?тАЭ asked Flint.
Monk shook his head. тАЬ What I've got in there is a mess of trouble. We're returning it.тАЭ
тАЬ Without trying to work with it?тАЭ demanded Flint.
тАЬ Thaddeus, I've only got twenty-four hours to accept one of these animals or reject it. Any animal that won't
come out of its cage is likely to feel so scared and so trapped that all it's going to do is attack out of fear.
Now, maybe it's a temporary condition and maybe it ain't, but unless you feel like carting around a
twenty-thousand-dollar animal that we may never be able to use, it's my opinion that we ought to return it. I
guarantee that I won't be able to find out in one day's time whether I can work with it or not.тАЭ
Flint shrugged. тАЬ You're the trainer.тАЭ
тАЬ Damn it, Thaddeus!тАЭ said Monk. тАЬ Don't you think Iwant an animal I can work with? I took a lion, a bear, and
two leopards with me when we left Earth. My act is buried on four goddamned worlds that I can't even pick
out in the night sky. We've tried fourteen animals in the last six months. I sent nine back and the Dancer had
to kill the other five. I'd sell my soul for another Simba, or even something like Bruno.тАЭ
Flint made no reply, and Monk directed the robot to move the third crate into the ring. When he released the
catch a large grayish animal, wolf-like in appearance but far larger, stalked out. It strode once around the ring,
seemingly unperturbed by its surroundings, walked slowly toward the crate from which it had emerged, and
suddenly screamed and hurled itself directly toward the Dancer. It bounced back off the bars of the cage,
rolled over twice, and then continued walking calmly around and around the ring.
тАЬ Well, he's got possibilities,тАЭ said Monk.
тАЬ And an appetite,тАЭ added Flint dryly.
тАЬ I like his feet,тАЭ said Monk, studying the animal.
тАЬ Oh? Why?тАЭ
тАЬ Retractable claws. That means he ought to be able to catch things.тАЭ
тАЬ Like animal trainers?тАЭ asked Flint.
тАЬ He doesn't need claws to kill a man,тАЭ said Monk. тАЬ I wonder what the hell his natural prey is? Must be
something half again as big as a buffalo.тАЭ
тАЬ And you're going to play catch with him?тАЭ