"Eric Frank Russel - Mechanistria" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

and red semimetallic ground, a range of blue veiled mountains in the far distance and the gleaming
cylinder of the Marathon behind us.
A swiftly flowing river ran down the centre of the next valley. Reaching it, we filled a flask to
take back to the lab. Sam Hignett risked a taste, said it was coppery but drinkable. The rushing
waters were faintly blue with darker shades swirling in their depths. The banks were of ground
considerably softer than the surface weтАЩd just traversed. Sitting on the nearer bank, we
contemplated the torrent which was much too swift and deep to cross. After a while a headless
body came floating and bobbing along.
The mutilated corpse vaguely resembled that of an enormous lobster. It had a hard, crimson,
chitinous shell, four crablike legs, two lobsterish pincers and was half as big again as a man. Its
neck was a raw, bloodless gash from which white strings dangled. What the missing head had
looked like we could only imagine.
Full of mute menace, the cadaver turned and rolled past while we sat in a fascinated row and
watched it, our eyes going from right to left and following it until it swept round the distant bend.
What filled our minds was not the question of how the head looked, but who had removed it and for
what reason. Nobody said anything.
This gruesome sight had barely departed in the grip of the rapid current when we got first
evidence of life. Ten yards to my right a hole showed in the soft bank. A creature slithered out of it,
went to the brink of the water, drank in delicate sips.
Four-legged, with a long triangular tail, it resembled an iguana more than anything else. Its skin
was black with an underlying sheen of silver like shot silk. Its pupils were shiny black slots in
silvery eyeballs. Length: about six feet, including tail.
Having swallowed its fill, this thing turned round to go back, saw us and stopped abruptly. I
fingered my needleray just in case it had combative ideas. It examined us carefully, opened its jaws
in a wide gape that revealed a great, jet-black gullet and double rows of equally black teeth. Several
times it favoured us with this demonstration of biting ability before it made up its mind what to do
next. Then, so help me, it crept up the bank, joined the end of our row, sat down and stared at the
river.
I have never seen a crazier spectacle than we must have presented at that moment. There was jay
Score, huge and shining, his craggy features the colour of ancient leather. Next, Sam Hignett, our
Negro surgeon, his teeth gleaming in bright contrast with his ebon features. Then Brennand, an
undersized white Terrestrial sitting beside Kli Yang, a rubber-skinned ten-tentacled, goggle-eyed
Martian. Next, me, a middle-aged, greying Terrestrial and, finally, this black and silver alien
wottizit. All of us glumly contem-plating the river.
Still nobody said anything. There didnтАЩt seem anything adequate to say. We stared, the creature
stared, all of us as phlegmatic as could be. I thought of young Wilson and how preciously heтАЩd have
mothered a plate with this scene on it. Pity he wasnтАЩt there to record it for all time. Then as we
watched another body came floating down, one like the first. No head.
тАЬSomebody canтАЩt be popular,тАЭ remarked Brennand, fed up with the silence.
тАЬTheyтАЩre independent,тАЭ informed the iguana, solemnly.
тАЬLike me.тАЭ
тАЬEh?тАЭ
Five people never stood up with greater promptitude or timed an ejaculation so perfectly.
тАЬStick around,тАЭ advised the lizard. тАЬMaybe youтАЩll see something.тАЭ It blinked at Brennand, then
slithered back into its hole. Silver gleamed along its black tail as it went down.
тАЬWell,тАЭ said Brennand, breathing heavily, тАЬcan you pin your ears to that!тАЭ A dazed look in his
eyes, he went to the hole, squatted on his heels and bawled, тАЬHey!тАЭ
тАЬHe isnтАЩt in,тАЭ responded the thing from somewhere in the depths.
Licking his lips, Brennand gave us the piteous glance of a hurt spaniel, then inquired somewhat
insanely, тАЬWho isnтАЩt in? тАЬ