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

outside the ship. At first I wasn't too worried. I'd heard about
Gath and was curious. I wantedтАФwell, never mind that. I even
had a little money to tide me over before settling down to earn a
stake. That's when it hit me."

"No work," said Dumarest. "No loose money lying around. I
know how it is."

"You were always smart," said Megan dully. "I remember you
talking about it that time on Shick. The worlds a traveler had to
stay away from if he didn't want to get stranded. Well, what good
did it do you?"

"None," said Dumarest flatly. He explained how he came to be
on the planet. Megan nodded, moodily examining his boot.

"I saw the party land. Big, well-armed, enough stuff to stock a
store."

"They've got money," agreed Dumarest. "Maybe they came
here to hunt."

"Then they're wasting their time." Megan spat his disgust.
"There's no game on this planetтАФnot here at least. And people
don't visit Gath to hunt."

"Then the guns must be for something else." Dumarest was
thoughtful. "A big party, you say?"
 "That's right. They didn't look like a bunch of tourists and
didn't act like ones. More like a military detachment than
anything else. Female guards everywhere, tough as nails and as
ugly as sin. They've set up their tents in Hightown." Megan
picked up the scraps of wire and began to fumble with his boot.
His hands were shaking. "I offered to carry some of their stuff.
One of them pushed me aside. That's how I ripped my boot. I
tripped and almost busted an ankle." He pursed his lips. "Nice
people."

"I know the type." Dumarest reached out and took the boot
and wire. "Here, let me do that."

Megan didn't object. He sat watching, trying to pluck up his
courage. "Earl. IтАФ"

"Later," said Dumarest quickly. "After I've finished this you
can show me where I can get us something to eat." He didn't look
at the other man, concentrating on the repair. "Now let me see,"
he mused. "The problem is to last it tight enough not to yield but
leave it flexible enough to give."