"E.Voiskunsky, I.Lukodyanov. The Crew Of The Mekong (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

Chandra, "but I must purify myself before attending to my affairs. You may,
too, if you wish."
Fedor promptly removed his clothing and sank with pleasure into the
cool water. He began to splash noisily, not noticing the Hindu's frown.
After the ablutions Lal Chandra led Fedor along another passage into a
large, bright room with windows looking out on a garden. The windows did not
have either glass or mica in them but were covered by intricately carved
shutters with interstices through which the light came. Here, too, there was
a statue of the six-armed goddess. Smaller than the first one, it was made
of copper and stood on a high marble support.
Low tables lined the walls. The shelves above them were filled with
fancifully shaped glass, clay and metal vessels, scales, sandglasses and
water clocks.
In a corner there was a stove. The curved necks of copper vessels
jutted out of its sides.
Fedor's attention was caught by a monstrous object on a platform in the
middle of the hall, opposite the statue of the goddess with six arms.
Moulded copper columns, ornamented with carvings of plants and animals,
supported a horizontal shaft whose necks rested on copper wheels half a foot
in diameter. An enormous disc of some black material was mounted in the
middle of the shaft. It was covered with radially distributed plates, narrow
and shining, that might have been made of gold. At one end of the shaft was
a pulley encircled by a round, woven strap. The ends of the strap went into
openings in the floor.
Fedor stood in front of the bulky machine trying to grasp its purpose.
He had never seen anything like it before.
"It pleases me to see that here you have forgotten about contemptible
food," Lal Chandra said, touching Fedor on the shoulder. "But man is weak.
Pass through that door"-he pointed to a narrow opening in the wall- "and you
will find the kind of food to which you are accustomed. Then you will learn
what you are to do."
In the small adjoining room Fedor found a bowl of fried meat and
steamed vegetables on a low table. A narrow-necked pitcher stood on the
floor. There was no chair. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it," Fedor
said to himself with a sigh as he awkwardly squatted down beside the table.


CHAPTER THREE


WHICH DESCRIBES THE LIGHTNING MACHINE


The days in Lal Chandra's house passed slowly. Fedor wandered through
empty corridors and peeped into cool rooms. He never saw anyone in them. But
he knew that he had only to strike a bronze gong for a silent servant to
appear on the threshold.
The food was plentiful, but it brought Fedor no joy. He wanted to go
out beyond the wall to see what the locality looked like, but each time he
came to the gate he found it locked. Escape was impossible. Besides, Fedor