"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 026 - The Spook Legion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

These plane passengers were no exceptions. They merely looked around. Those farthest away stood up.
Nobody screamed. Nobody yelled.

The stewardess went forward and said something to the two men in the control compartment. The
assistant pilot left his seat, came back and confronted the fat man with the revolver.

тАЬWhat's the idea, brother?тАЭ he demanded.

The man with the gun moistened his lips, then reached up and absently adjusted his black felt hat.

тАЬI'm terribly sorry,тАЭ he said.

The co-pilot did not seem impressed, but repeated, тАЬWhat was the idea?тАЭ

The plump man became glib.
тАЬI am an actor,тАЭ he said. тАЬI was mentally rehearsing a scene from my new show. My enthusiasm got the
better of me, and before I realized this was no place for such a thing, I had leaped up and re├лnacted a bit
from my part.тАЭ

The fat man was still standing up, and he absently reached around and stowed his handkerchief in a hip
pocket. The paper which had blown over the back of the empty seat was still in the hand which held the
handkerchief.

The man carefully stowed the paper in an inner pocket.

The assistant pilot whipped out a hand suddenly and seized the other's gun before he could resist.

тАЬYou might have shot somebody,тАЭ he said angrily.

The portly man rolled his eyes, then fixed them downward at the empty seat. Perspiration beads came
out from under the band of his black hat.

тАЬI fired blank cartridges,тАЭ he said.

The associate pilot broke open the gun, ejected the cartridges, and three empties and two slugs came
out. With a finger he indicated the leaden pellets in the two unfired cartridges.

тАЬThis don't look like it,тАЭ he said.

тАЬThe first three were blanks!тАЭ the plump man gulped.

тАЬYeah?тАЭ The flier scowled. тАЬI'll see about that. The bullets should have hit somewhere.тАЭ

He leaned over, as if to get into the empty seat and hunt for bullet holes.

The fat man did a surprising thing. He leaped back, threw out his arms dramatically and began to speak
in a stagelike voice.

тАЬThe mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,тАЭ he intoned. тАЬAnd the sad augurs mock their own presage.