"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 112 - The Speaking Stone" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

world who was not familiar with one or another of his developments in operative technique.
тАЬDead!тАЭ Doc said.

тАЬBut he just fell over,тАЭ gasped William Harper Littlejohn. тАЬI'll be superamalgamated! An
uncomeatability.тАЭ

Johnny had a habit of long words.

Big-fisted Renny Renwick, for whom the small man with the vest had asked, rubbed his jaw in
amazement. He took an absent step or two backward as if he wanted to get away from the situation.
Then something occurred to him. He went to the small dead man and bent over.

Renny picked up the object that had rolled out of the small man's fingersтАФthe object that was pale-blue
and round.

тАЬWhat,тАЭ Johnny asked him, тАЬis that?тАЭ

Renny stared at the thing.

тАЬWhat is it?тАЭ Johnny repeated.

тАЬA rock,тАЭ Renny said thoughtfully. тАЬJust a rock. Round and blue and not very heavy.тАЭ

Johnny stepped forward. тАЬLet's see it,тАЭ he said.

тАЬIt's nothing but a rock. Guess he picked it up.тАЭ

A note of excitement came into Johnny's voice. тАЬNo, he didn't,тАЭ he said. тАЬNot on this island, he didn't.
That rockтАФit's a strangeтАФтАЭ

He broke off, because Renny was suddenly looking as if the stone had bitten him. His eyes got very
round. тАЬHey!тАЭ he muttered. тАЬI've seen this rock before. It's Monk Mayfair's pocket piece! He's carried it
for monthsтАФor did.тАЭ

The last, the тАЬor did,тАЭ was a natural afterthought, because Monk Mayfair, fourth member of their group,
was not with them on Jinx Island. He was in South America. Monk was a chemist, and he was supposed
to be in Patagonia somewhere, giving a whaling company valuable information about how to get the most
out of their whales.

Johnny, the geologist, scowled at the stone. тАЬWhere'd Monk get that rock? I don't place its type.
HereтАФlet me seeтАФтАЭ

Renny started violently. He did a strange thingтАФput the stone to his ear, as if he had heard something.
His face screwed into a listening grimace, then slowly emptied of color.

тАЬMonk's voice!тАЭ he croaked. тАЬMonk's voice in this rock! You can hear it!тАЭ

William Harper Littlejohn's face became a foolish grin. He couldn't stomach stuff about a rock talking.
But it was not a joke and not a lie; the stark set of Renny's face told him that.