"Jean and Jeff Sutton - Alien From The Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sutton Jean and Jeff)

coolness and shade, but with night temperatures above the frost line.
Cognizant that he was moving toward ever more equatorial zones, he
increased the rate of deceleration, felt some buffeting before the pod
stabilized, and began to descend more evenly. Uncertain of the mountainous
terrain, he guided the pod toward hill country that lay midway between another
large coastal city to the west and the rugged range he'd followed.
Well down in the depths of the air ocean, he made a more critical
analysis of its contents. It proved to be a nitrogen sea containing a rich 20
percent of oxygen, with argon, carbon dioxide, neon, hydrogen, and other trace
gases constituting the remainder. All in all, its chemical composition was
much like that of Raamz, his own planet. The reflection brought a twinge of
nostalgia.
The pod came down over a hilly terrain that was twisted and bent in
tortuous ways. It consisted mainly of rolling hills cut through with ravines,
both alive with stunted trees and bushes. But it lacked the water of the
northern land. Here and there small structures told of habitation, but they
were few and far between. The brushlined ravines struck him as ideal for
concealment of the pod while he explored the surrounding area.
Abruptly he glimpsed movement ahead and realized it was a ground vehicle
on a flat roadway. Almost immediately a number of similar vehicles came into
view down a grade from the west. He brought the pod around, then saw he had
made the turn too late; he was circling almost directly over the wide road.
Completing the maneuver, he gazed into a screen that revealed the scene
behind him. Five or six of the vehicles had stopped. He held scant doubt that
this was the direct result of the sudden appearance of the pod. He debated
returning to orbital altitude to try for another landing but decided against
this on the basis that the damage already had been done. Besides, if the pod
hadn't been tracked before, it certainly would be now. The realization brought
the imperative need to hide until he could assess the nature of this world and
the kind of reception he might expect.
He reduced the pod's speed and let it drop just above the crests of the
brush-covered hills. With the sun still low in the east, the rolling land
appeared cool and inviting. He wasn't fooled; the parched nature of the ground
and the physical appearance of the dwarfed trees and shrubs told him he was in
a semi-desert. The sun, when it edged above the rim of the smoke-blue
mountains, would be uncomfortably warm.
His attention was caught by a curving treelined ravine. Following its
course, he discovered an opening through the growth that appeared sufficiently
large to accommodate the pod. He anxiously scanned the area around him. No
sign of habitation was visible. Also, the roadway was separated by a number of
intervening hills and gullies. The pod should be safe for a few days at least.
Hovering directly above the opening, he looked into the downward viewscreen.
Aside from a few scattered boulders and bits of vegetation, the floor of the
ravine appeared smooth and sandy.
Before letting the craft drop, he flipped a switch that amplified the
acoustics from beyond the pod's shell. Rustling, whirring noises and
occasional harsh chirpings filled the cabin. The former, he judged, were
insect sounds, the latter probably those of the small feathered creatures he'd
seen flitting among the bushes. Such life was common to almost all planets
having a dense, oxygen-rich atmosphere. His own world was no exception. He