"Donald Westlake - SH5 - Hitch Your Spaceship To A Star" - читать интересную книгу автора (Westlake Donald E)

keep him from being personally antisocial; and stockily blunt Chief Engineer Hester (of the coffee)
Hanshaw, proud mistress of the engine room.

The captain wiped his lips on a toastette, then ate it. тАЬWell,тАЭ he said to his murky band, тАЬweтАЩll be landing
soon.тАЭ His mild eyes gleamed with visions of this unknown planet and the unimaginable new birds he
would soon disembowel.

Councilman Luthguster, swirling a forkful of papjack in pseudoleo, said, тАЬWhat is this place weтАЩre
coming to, Ensign Benson? What are its characteristics?тАЭ

тАЬNo one knows for sure about this one, Councilman,тАЭ the ensign told him. тАЬThe old records simply say
the colonies were a group of like-minded people whose goal was a simple life free of surprises.тАЭ

тАЬWell, weтАЩll be a surprise,тАЭ the councilman said.




Councilman Luthguster said, тАЬWhatтАЩs the name of the place, Ensign Benson? IтАЩve noticed that the name
the colonists give their settlements frequently offers a clue to their social structure.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs called Figulus,тАЭ Ensign Benson said.

тАЬFigulus?тАЭ

Blank looks around the table. Billy Shelby said, тАЬWasnтАЩt he one of the founders of ancient Rome? Figulus
and Venus.тАЭ

тАЬNo, Billy,тАЭ said Ensign Benson.



Jim frowned skyward. тАЬYou donтАЩt suppose they got the coordinates wrong? Landed someplace else on
Figgy?тАЭ Behind them, on the knoll where they stood, the pleasant town dreamily awaited.

тАЬTheyтАЩre dawdling over their breakfast, like as not,тАЭ Hank replied. тАЬIn fact, there they come yonder.тАЭ




тАЬPublius Nigidius Figulus,тАЭ Ensign Benson said. тАЬHe was the most learned Roman of his age, a writer and
a statesman, died circa forty-five BCтАЭ

Billy looked sad. тАЬDied at the circus? ThatтАЩs awful.тАЭ

тАЬTerrible,тАЭ the ensign agreed. тАЬFigulus was most noted for his books on religion and-----тАЭ

тАЬWeтАЩre,тАЭ Pam Stokes said, her ancestral slide rule moving like a live thing in her slender-fingered hands,
a subtle alteration simultaneously taking place in the faint aura of engine hum all about them, тАЬhere.тАЭ