"Jack Vance - Tschai 4 - The Pnume" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vance Jack)

Reith drew a deep breath and controlled his fury: foolish to expect anything
else from Woudiver, who lived with intrigue as a fish lives with water. In a
measured voice he spoke to Anacho: "Can you read the signals?"
"Yes; ordinary stop-and-go code. '... Suitable ... compensation ... for ...
services ... time ... is ... now ... at ... hand..."
The flickering light vanished. "That's all."
"He's seen us through the crack," Reith muttered.
"Or he has no more light," said Traz, for Carina 4269 had dropped behind the
palisades. Looking across the salt flats, Reith found that the Gzhindra had gone
as mysteriously as they had come.
"We had better go talk to Woudiver," said Reith.
"He'll tell anything but the truth," said Anacho.
"I expect as much," said Reith. "We may be informed by what he doesn't tell
us."
They went into the shed. Woudiver, once again busy with his tat-work, showed
the three his affable smile. "It must be close to suppertime."
"Not for you," said Reith.
"What?" exclaimed Woudiver. "No food? Come now; let us not carry our little
joke too far."
"Why do you signal the Gzhindra?"
Beyond a lifting of the hairless eyebrows, Woudiver evinced neither surprise
nor guilt. "A business affair. I occasionally deal with the under-folk."
"What sort of dealings?"
"This and that, one thing and another. Tonight I apologized for failing to
meet certain commitments. Do you begrudge me my good reputation?"
"What commitments did you fail to meet?"
"Come now," chided Woudiver. "You must allow my few little secrets."
"I allow you nothing," said Reith. "I'm well aware that you plot mischief."
"Bah! What a canard! How should I plot anything trussed up by a chain? I
assure you that I do not regard my present condition as dignified."
"If anything goes wrong," said Reith, "you'll be hoisted six feet off the
ground by the same chain. You'll have no dignity whatever."
Woudiver made a gesture of waggish distaste and looked off across the room.



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"Excellent progress seems to have been made."
"No thanks to you."
"Ah! You minimize my aid! Who provided the hull, at great pains and small
profit? Who arranged and organized, who supplied invaluable acumen?"
"The same man that took all our money and betrayed us into the Glass Box,"
said Reith. He went to sit across the room. Traz and Anacho joined him. The
three watched Woudiver, now sulking in the absence of his supper.
"We should kill him," Traz said flatly. "He plans evil for all of us."
"I don't doubt that," said Reith, "but why should he deal with the Pnume? The
Dirdir would seem the parties most concerned. They know I'm an Earthman; they
may or may not be aware of the spaceship."