"Gene Wolfe - Endangered Species" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wolfe Gene)

The brown sail crept across the stranger's view of the Old
Citadel to the northeast. Despite the shade it gave him, he
was sweating. He unlaced his cordwain jerkin.

That night on deck, he laced it again as tightly as he
could. It was cold already, and he knew without being told
that it would soon be colder still. "Perhaps I should have
a blanket," he said.

Eata shook his head. "You'd only fall asleep. Walk up
and down and wave your arms. That'll keep you warm
and awake too. I'll come up and relieve you at the next
watch."

The stranger nodded absently and looked up at the or-
angish lantern Eata had hoisted to the masthead. "They'll
know we're out here."

"If they didn't, I wouldn't bother to set a watch. But if
we didn't have that, some big carrack would run us under
for sure and never feel the difference. Don't you go putting
it out-believe me, we're a lot safer with it high and bright.
If it should go out of itself, you let it down and get it lit
again as handsomely as ever you can. If you can't get it lit,
call me. If you see another vessel, particularly a big one,
blow the conch." Eata waved toward the spiraled shell beside
the binnacle.

The stranger nodded again. "Their boats won't have
lights, of course."

"No, nor masts neither. Besides, it could happen that two
or three swim out. If you see a face in the water that stares
at the light and disappears, it's a manatee. Don't worry
about it. But if you see anything that swims like a man, call
me."

"I will," the stranger said. He watched as Eata opened
the hatch and descended to the tiny cabin.

Two boarding pikes lay in the bow, their grounding irons
lost in the inky shadow beneath the overhang of the half-
deck, their heads thrusting past the jib-boom mountings.

He climbed down and got one, then scrambled onto the
deck again. The pike was three ells long, with an ugly spike
head and a sharp hook intended to cut rigging. He flour-
ished it as he walked the circle of the little deck, up, down,
right, left, his movements the awkward ones of a man re-
calling a skill learned in youth.