"Eric Frank Russel - Next of Kin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

safety barriers that defined the coming blast-area a group of people were waiting to witness the ascent. If
the ship toppled instead of going up, thought Leeming wryly, the whole lot of them would race for
sanctuary with burning backsides. It did not occur to him that in such an event he would be in poor
position to enjoy the sight. A voice came out of the tiny loudspeaker set in the cabin wall. "Warm up
Pilot."



He pressed a button. Something wentwhump , then the ship groaned and shuddered while a great
circular cloud of dust and vapour rolled across the concrete and concealed the safety barriers. The low
groaning and trembling continued while he sat in silence, his full attention upon the instrument bank. The
needles of twenty meters crawled to the right, quivered awhile, became still. That meant steady and equal
pressure in the twenty stern tubes.



"Everything all right, Pilot?"



"Yes."



"Take off at will." A pause; followed by, "Lots of luck!"



"Thanks!"
He let the tubes blow for another half minute before gradually lie moved the tiny booster-lever towards
him. Shuddering increased, the groan raised its pitch until it became a howl, the cabin windows misted
over and the sky was obscured.



For a nerve-wracking second the vessel rocked on its tail-fins. Then it began to creep upward, a foot, a
yard, ten yards. The howl was now a shriek. The chronically slow rate of climb suddenly changed as
something seemed to give the vessel a hearty shove in the rear. Up it went, a hundred feet, a thousand,
ten thousand. Through the clouds and into the deep of the night. The cabin windows were clear, the sky
was full of stars and the Moon looked huge.



The loudspeaker said in faint, squeaky tones, "Nice work, Pilot."



"All my work is nice," 5etorted Leeming. "See you in the asylum."