"Colin Wilson - Spiderworld 05 - The Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilson Colin)

aptitude. Niall had to transmit a mental picture before Dravig could understand how a
tree could be used as a murder weapon. Even then, he seemed skeptical. Niall had to
point out the rope still tied to the top of the tree, and to the bloodspots on the wall, before
the spider was convinced.
Niall also pointed out the shape of the blood splashes, with their tadpole-like tails,
indicating that they had flown upwards due to the force of the blow. Dravig said with
astonishment: "The human mind is amazingly subtle."
Niall pointed to the fragment of bone lying in the snow.
"The blow failed to kill him because it struck him to one side, breaking his legs.
While he was still stunned, someone attacked him with some heavy weapon -- probably
an ax -- and shattered his skull. That is why he failed to send out a distress signal."
Dravig said: "Whoever is responsible will pay for this." The force of his anger
was so great that it struck Niall like a blow, causing him to step backward. He realized
then that he had underestimated the strength of Dravig's feelings. For a human being, the
murder of a spider could be regarded with detachment. For Dravig, it was the slaughter of
a fellow creature, and it filled him with rage and a desire for revenge.
Dravig was instantly aware of the effect produced by his anger on Niall; he made
a mental gesture of abasement and apology, to which Niall replied with a similar gesture
indicating that apology was unnecessary. In human language the exchange would have
been expressed: "I am sorry. I did not mean to upset (or shock or startle) you;" "Please do
not apologize, I understand perfectly." Instead, these meanings were conveyed
instantaneously, and with a precision beyond the power of language. It made Niall aware
of the crudity and clumsiness of human speech.
Dravig advanced toward the palm tree, and gripped it with his pincers and with
his four front legs. Niall looked on with a perplexity that changed to embarrassment;
surely Dravig realized that it would take far more than the strength of a single spider to
uproot a tree? His embarrassment changed to astonishment as he watched the spider's
legs brace and strain, and heard the tearing sound as the roots began to loosen. This was
not merely physical strength; it was will power intensified by rage. The spider staggered
for a moment as the earth under his feet heaved upwards; he regained his balance and
again braced himself. A moment later, the tree was ripped out of the earth. With a gesture
of contempt, Dravig threw it away from him, and it crashed down onto the bushes.
Dravig said nothing, but Niall could sense that the effort had relieved some of his
rage and frustration.
Niall stepped forward and looked down into the hole, with its torn roots
protruding from loose brown earth. The two main roots had been snapped in two; the
strength required must have been tremendous. Yet Dravig showed no sign of effort; he
was not even breathing heavily. Niall realized that he had used his immense will-force --
the will-force that could knock a human being unconscious -- to galvanize his muscles
into this unbelievable effort. And, as so often since he had been in contact with the death
spiders, Niall caught a glimpse of the great secret forces of the will.
Something caught his eye in the loose earth. He bent down and picked up a gray-
colored object that lay between the roots. It was a disc, about four inches in diameter, and
its weight surprised him. Niall had heard of lead, although he had never seen it; now he
guessed that this was what he was holding.
When he brushed off the earth, he saw that a simple design had been carved into
one of the surfaces; this consisted of four curved lines.