"A. E. Van Vogt - The Book Of Ptath (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Van Vogt A E)

The Book of Ptath
by A.E.Van Vogt
Version 1.0


CHAPTER I

THE RETURN OF PTATH

HE was Ptath. Not that he thought of his name. It
was simply there, a part of him, like his body and his arms
and legs, like the ground over which he walked. No, that
last was wrong. The ground was not of him. There was a
relation, of course, but it was a little puzzling. He was
Ptath, and he was walking on ground, walking to Ptath.
Returning to the city of Ptath, capital of his empire of
Gonwonlane after a long absence.

That much was clear, accepted without thought, and it
was important. He felt the urgency of it in the way he kept
quickening his pace to see whether the next bend of the river
would make it possible for him to turn westward.

To the west was a vast spread of grass, trees and blue-
misted hills, and somewhere beyond the hills, his destina-
tion. With annoyance, he stared down at the river that
barred his way. It had kept winding, twisting back on itself,
forcing him time and again to retrace his footsteps. At first
that hadn't seemed to matter. Now it did. With all his heart
and all his dim consciousness, he longed to be rushing
toward those western hills, laughing, shouting in his glee
for what he would find there.

Just what he would find wasn't completely certain. He
was Ptath, returning to his people. What were those people
like? What was Gonwonlane like? He couldn't remember.
He strained for the answer that seemed to quiver just
beyond reach of his consciousness.

He must cross the river, that much he knew. Twice he
stepped down into the shallow wetness nearest shore; and
each time drew back, repelled by the alienness. The problem
brought the first pain of purposeful thought that he had
known since he came out of blackness. In bewilderment he
turned his gaze to the hills that lay low on the horizon to
the south, and east, and north. They looked the same as the
hills to the west, with one vital difference: He wasn't
interested in them.

He brought his gaze back to the western hills. He had to