"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 01 - The Winds of Gath" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

He twisted, clawing upward with his right hand and felt it hit a
snag of hidden rock. He heaved, scrabbling with his feet. He
grabbed upward with his left hand, rested a foot against the
root, thrust himself desperately upward. A trail of dirt fell to the
beach as he rested his elbows on the edge. One final effort and he
was out of danger.

He walked twenty feet before he realized it and then his legs
simply collapsed. He fell to the ground, sobbing for breath, his
body a mass of pain.

And, after a long while, Megan found him.
***

"I saw what happened," he said. He sat beside a small fire, a
can over the flames, an appetizing smell coming from the can.
"At least I saw the boat capsize and all of you flung into the sea. I
don't know the details."

Dumarest told him. Megan nodded, busy over his fire.
Carefully he fed a handful of dried grass into the flames. Smoke
rose about the can and plumed into the sky.

"The blood would have attracted the big ones," he said.
"Maybe the one you'd harpooned. They come in close to shore
quite a bit, especially before a storm." He dipped a spoon into
the can, tasted it, added more fuel to the fire. "From what I could
see it was a real mess. You were lucky to escape."

The luck had been incredible. Dumarest remembered a time
of confusion with the skipper yelling orders. There had been a
scrabble of men trying to reach oars. Carl's screams had faded as
the carmine fountain carried away his life. Then something had
risen from beneath, smashing the boat, overturning it as the
outrigger collapsed.

Then had come the water, the struggle and stomach-knotting
fear, the final state of near unconsciousness when he had lain on
his back and floated and concentrated on the single necessity of
breath.

"I thought you might be washed ashore," said Megan. He
didn't look at the big man. "I bought a few things and came
looking. I used your money."

He could have stolen it with far less effort.

"Here." Megan lifted the can from the fire. "Get this down
while it's still hot."