"Jack Vance - Tschai 3 - The DirDir" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

hollow voice. "We're in plain sight!"

"Into the cave," hissed Reith. "Back, further back!"

"The Phung-"

"There may be no Phung. The Dirdir are certain!" Reith groped back into the dark, followed by
Traz and finally Anacho. The shadow of the sky-car passed over the pond, flitted on up the valley.

Reith flashed his light here and there. They stood in a large chamber of irregular shape, the
far end obscured in murk. Light brown nodules and flakes covered the floor ankle-deep; the walls
were crusted over with horny hemispheres, each the size of a man's fist.

"Night-hound larvae," muttered Traz.

Anacho stole to the cave-mouth, looked cautiously forth. He jerked back. "They've missed our
trail; they're circling."

Reith extinguished the light and looked cautiously from the cave-mouth. A hundred yards away
the sky-car descended to the ground, silent as a falling leaf. Five Dirdir alighted. For a moment
they stood in consultation; then, each carrying a long transparent shield, they advanced into the
notch. As if at a signal, two leaped forward like silver leopards, peering along the ground. Two
others came behind at a slow lope, weapons ready; the fifth remained to the rear.

The pair in the lead stopped short, communicating in odd squeaks and grunts. "The hunting
language," Anacho muttered, "from the time they were yet beasts."

"They look no different now."

The Dirdir halted at the far shore of the pond. They looked, listened, smelled the air,
obviously aware their prey was close at hand.

Reith sighted along his handgun, but the Dirdir continually twitched their shields, frustrating
his aim.

One of the leading Dirdir searched the valley through binoculars; the other held a black
instrument before his eyes. At once he found something of interest. A great bound took him to the
spot where Reith, Traz and Anacho had halted before crossing to the cave. Sighting through the
black instrument, the Dirdir followed the tracks to the pond, then searched the space below the
overhang. He gave a series of grunts and squeaks; the shields jerked about.



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Anacho muttered, "They see the cave. They know we're here."

Reith peered into the back reaches of the cave.