"Eric Frank Russell - The Witness" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

have greater loads."
"How did you come by your own ship? "
"I stole it."
"Indeed?" The prosecuting attorney raised his eyebrows. gave a little laugh. "A
self-confessed thief!" He assumed an air of broadminded understanding. "It is
expected, of course, that one would suffer less by confessing to theft rather than
espionage." He let that sink in before attempting another hard blow. "Would you
care to tell us how many other bold and adventurous males are ready or making
ready to follow your path to conquest?"
Defending attorney stood up and said, "I advise my client not to answer."
His opponent waved him down, turned to the judges. "Your Honors, I am ready
to state my case."
They consulted the clock, talked in undertones between themselves, then said,
"Proceed."

The speech for the prosecution was able, devastating and long. It reviewed the
evidence, drew dark conclusions, im-plied many things from which the hidden
audience could draw other and still darker conclusions. This is not to say that Mr.
Prosecutor had any real hatred of or fear of the stranger at the gate; it was merely
that he was doing his spe-cialised job with ability that was considerable.
"This case, with its own new and peculiar routine," be reminded, "will go down in
legal annals. As from today it will constitute a precedent by which we shall determine
our atti-tude toward future visitors from space. And the final arbiters of that attitude
will be you, the members of the general public, who will reap the reward of outside
alliances or"тАФhe paused, hardened his voiceтАФ"suffer the sorrows of other-world
enmities. Allow me to emphasise that the rewards can be small, pitifully smallтАФwhile
the sorrows can be immense!"
Clearing his throat, he had a sip of water, started to get into his stride. "In trying to
decide what should be done for the best we have no basis for forming conclusions
other than that provided by the fantastic example who will be the subject of your
verdict. "
Turning, he stared at Maeth while he went on. "This crea-ture has not been put on
oath because we know of no oath binding upon it. Its ethicsтАФif anyтАФare its own,
having little in common with ours. All we do know is that its farfetched and highly
imaginative story places such a strain upon human credulity that any one of us might
be forgiven for deeming it a shameless liar."
Maeth's large eyes closed in pain, but Mr. Prosecutor went determinedly on.
"While the question of its truthfulness or lack of same may remain a matter for
speculation, we do have some evidences based upon fact. We know, for instance,
that it has no respect for property or the law, which forms of respect are the very
foundation-stones of the civili-zation we have builded through the centuries and
intend to preserve against all corners."
He overdid it there. Maeth was too small, too wide-eyed and alone to fit the part
of a ruthless destroyer of civiliza-tions. Nevertheless, the picture would serve to
sway opinions. Some thousands, probably millions, would argue that when in doubt
it is best to play safe.
"A thief. More than that: a self-admitted thief who steals not only from us but also
from his own," declared the prose-cuting attorney, quite unconscious of switching
his pronoun from neuter to male. "A destroyer, and an intelligent one, possibly the
forerunner of a host of destroyers. I say that ad-visedly, for where one can go an