"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 24 - Nectar of Heaven" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

But, tonight, the sharks would be hungry for a final killing.

"Beldo's planning a game," said Vardoon. "Cash or paper
against pay. Want in?"

"No. How's he going to make sure he collects?"

"A list from the office and a few goons to take care of trouble."
Vardoon tore at his bread. "They can be handled. You've run a
table before, Earl, right? Maybe we could make a killing."

As Beldo hoped to do, as Imman, as Tai'Hun and a couple of
others. Predators who would skin the stupid and the desperate
with marked cards, loaded dice, fixed games. A part of camp life
no matter what the world. Leeches tolerated by the authorities
for the kickback they provided.

"Did you hear that?" Wiess came to join them. He was
trembling. "Down and outтАФjust like that! How am I going to get
by? It takes money to gain the shelter of town, more to eat and if
I fall sickтАФwhat the hell can I do?"

"Pray," said Vardoon. Dumarest was more helpful.

"Offer yourself on contract," he advised. "You'll get food and
shelter in return for work."

"Sure." Wiess was bitter. "Twenty hours a day and sleep in a
corner. Winding up with a debt I won't be able to pay. So next
season I get sold to the owners as a drudge." His hand lifted to
pull at his tunic, the imagined collar around his throat. "I'd end
up a damned sight worse than I am now."

"You'd be alive," said Dumarest. His bowl was empty and he
pushed it aside. Hours of daylight remained and should not be
wasted.


That night the wind was gentle but the ice remained and the
clouds to the north were higher, darker, closer than before.
Masses of vapor in tormented balance, turbulence which created
vortexes, temperatures balanced on a delicate edge. High-flying
craft could have seeded the mass with chemicals and artificially
created eletro-compounds to trigger the mass into release and
quietude but the operation took money and materials the mine
owners were unwilling to spend. The profits were too small as it
was, the season closing, why waste effort for so little reward?

A sudden gust sent hail rattling against the windows and
Dumarest turned, tense, relaxing as he isolated the cause of the