"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 072 - The Yellow Cloud" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

"Did Monk bring his pig?" an officer asked.

That got a burst of laughter.

"And did Ham fetch his chimpanzee?" inquired a second officer.

This caused another laugh.

The army officer was referring to Habeas Corpus, a pet pig that belonged to Monk, and Chemistry, a pet chimpanzee
that was HamтАЩs property. The pig, Habeas Corpus, had ears large enough to be wings, long legs, and an inquisitive
snout. The chimp, Chemistry, was a runt animal that was astounding for the reason that he bore an incredible, personal
likeness to Monk. It was this likeness which had first caused Ham to collect Chemistry. Each animal had been carefully
trained by his owner, and they were a continual source of trouble.

Presence of Monk and Ham was all right with the army men. Almost everybody in the service had heard of Monk
Mayfair and Ham BrooksтАФMonk, who was a famous industrial chemist, and Ham, who was also famous, or infamous,
depending on the point of view, as a lawyer.

Monk and Ham were Doc Savage aids, too.



PREPARATIONS, to test-fly the X-plane proceeded, but there was no particular excitement, for as yet nothing out of
the ordinary had happened. The out-of-the ordinary was still to come.

Monk and Ham got into a quarrel, of course. But that caused no surprise, for it was what everyone expected.

Monk Mayfair had a ludicrously wide mouth, a nose that did not have the same shape with which it had started life,
and the kind of hair that the brush salesman rubs when he says, "Lady, this is exactly what you need to scrub that
back porch." Monk was constructed along the lines ofтАФwell, no one ever had to look at Monk and wonder where he
got that nickname.

Ham Brooks had been selected "The Best Dressed Man in New York" five times running. He was the Beau Brummell of
the decade, a tailorтАЩs dream, and a never-ending pain in MonkтАЩs neckтАФif one listened only to what Monk said. Ham
Brooks had a thin waist, broad shoulders, an oratorтАЩs wide and rubbery mouth, a voice that made radio announcers
hide their faces in envy. He always carried an innocent-looking black cane which contained a sword that he frequently
had occasion to use.

Ham got out of the plane and shook his cane under MonkтАЩs nose.

"You get funny with me," he yelled, "and IтАЩll amputate those flaps that you call ears."

Monk put his fists on his hips, put an evil look in one eye.

"There ainтАЩt nothinтАЩ funny about it!" he said. "At ten oтАЩclock tonight, IтАЩm going to break your left leg. At eleven, IтАЩm
going to break your right leg. Every hour thereafter, IтАЩm going to break one of your bones, until I run out of bones."

"I didnтАЩt do it!" Ham shouted.

"You didnтАЩt?"