"Smith, Wilbur - Courtney - When the Lion Feeds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Wilbur)

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by Cox g Wyman Ltd, Reading,
Berkshire ISBN 0 7493 o639 6 Natal I I I WHEN THE LION FEEDS

BY WILBUR SMITH

A single wild pheasant FLEW up the side of the hill almost brushing the
tips of the grass in its flight. It drooped its wings and hung its legs
as it reached the crest and then dropped into cover. Two boys and a dog
followed it up from the valley: the dog led, with his tongue flopping
pink from the corner of his mouth, and the twins ran shoulder to
shoulder behind him. Both of them were sweating in dark patches through
their khaki shirts, for the African sun still had heat although it stood
half-mast down the sky.

The dog hit the scent of the bird and it stopped him quivering: for a
second he stood sucking it up through his nostrils, and then he started
to quarter. He worked fast, back and forth, swinging at the end of each
tack, his head down and only his back and his busy tail showing above
the dry brown grass. The twins came up behind him. They were gasping
for breath, for it had been a hard pull up the curve of the hill. Keep
out to the side, you'll get in my way Sean panted at his brother and
Garrick moved to obey. Sean was his senior by four inches in height and
twenty pounds in weight: this gave him the right to command. Sean
transferred his attention back to the dog. Put him up, Tinker. Seek
him up, boy Tinker's tail acknowledged Sean's instructions, but he held
his nose to the ground. The twins followed him, tensed for the bird to
rise. They carried their throwing sticks ready and moved forward a
stealthy pace at a time, fighting to control their breathing. Tinker
found the bird crouched flat in the grass; he jumped forward giving
tongue for the first time, and the bird rose. It came up fast on noisy
wings, whirling out of the grass.

Sean threw; his kerrie whipped past it. The pheasant swung away from
the stick, clawing at the air with frantic wings and Garrick threw. His
kerrie cartwheeled up, hissing, until it smacked into the pheasant's fat
brown body.