"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 145 - The Ten Ton Snakes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

тАЬCome on, boy,тАЭ the soldier said. тАЬLet's have an answer. Don't be bashful.тАЭ

No answer.

тАЬCome, come, boy,тАЭ the soldier said. тАЬWhat about Tucker? You're not going to hurt Tucker, are you?тАЭ

No answer.

тАЬOh yes, I nearly forgot,тАЭ the soldier said. тАЬWhat about the heavy stuff? You boys fixing to do something
bad with the heavy stuff?тАЭ

The man on the sidewalk finally got his throat sufficiently clear of blood and teeth to form some
semi-coherent words. When he spoke, he was down to greatest fundamental of all, the thing than which
there is nothing much more important. He said, тАЬPlease don't kill me.тАЭ

He said not to kill him in Spanish, because Spanish and not English was his mother tongue.

As if answering his prayer, his friends came to his aid.



THE soldier was fooled this time. There were no shadows to warn him. There was only a mild looking
man in a blue serge suit who sidled up to the scene with one hand over his mouth as if he was showing
horror the way a woman shows it. When he was close enough to the soldier, he slugged the soldier on
the side of the face.

The soldier wasn't greatly damaged. He began to fight. He wanted to fight anyway.

Two other men drifted out of the crowd and took a hand, beginning beating the soldier.

тАЬHey, this guy tried to knife me,тАЭ the soldier cried. тАЬCut it out! Call a cop, if you want to help.тАЭ

This was what he said before he understood that they were part of an organized attempt on his life. When
he did realize what they were, he stopped talking. He did everything with his fists and feet that he could.

The men, finding the soldier was extremely tough, began producing knives. These knives did not
resemble the knife the first man had tried to use, except in one particular. They were individualized
knives. That is, each one was a knife which its owner liked. Which meant that they were men who
carried their knives as a habit.

Such men would know how to use knives, so the soldier got away from them as fast as he could.

He escaped by running. He didn't make the mistake of going in either direction along the sidewalk.
Instead, he popped into the nearest doorway.

They shot at him. The bullet went past his head and buried itself somewhere in the upper part of the
luggage shop in which he found himself.

The soldier was afraid the place wouldn't have a back door. He was right. But it had a basement and a
second floor. He took the stairs to the second floor.