The Stones of Nomuru
- Автор: Де Камп Лайон Спрэг
- Серия: Viagens Interplanetarias #7
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «The Stones of Nomuru». Краткое содержание книги:
Mild-mannered Terra archeologist Keith Salazar was just minding his business, digging up the alien past on an out-of-the-way site on the planet Kukulcan, when suddenly he was beseiged by intruders on his scholarly peace: hostile natives, an indifferent ex-wife, and a demon developer with rapacious eyes glued on both his site and his true love.
In the course of protecting his dig, regaining his loved one and vanquishing his rival, Salazar will fight a giant reptilian predator bare-handed, leap into snake-filled pits, engineer the planet's first imperial conquest, lead and train a battalion of alien riflemen, and hold a séance. Pretty exciting work--but then maybe Keith Salazar wasn't such a milquetoast after all...
The northern end of the site was dotted with little conical piles of dirt, like oversized anthills, each one flagged by a tag attached to a small stake. As they passed the tractor, one Kook unslung his musket; otherwise the group merely glanced stolidly at the riders. When they were out of earshot, Salazar said:
"Whew! Maybe they weren't sure who we were in the twilight. Let's hope Uwangi cooks us a decent meal!"
Over dinner, Galina explained: "Mr. Pokrovskii tipped us off that Bergen's men were nearby. He warned us to keep out of sight. We have been washing and boxing specimens and going out from time to time to see if they had come. A couple of hours ago, the tractor appeared with the Terrans riding it and the Kooks marching beside it."
"Are they camping at the site?" asked Salazar.
Frappot and Kurita spoke in unison. "No. Mr. Pokrovskii said they had arranged to stay in Neruu."
"You three had better stand watches through the night, with my rifle handy. Kara and I would spell you if we weren't dead tired."
After an early breakfast, Salazar and his people crept into a patch of heavy foliage to watch the site. For an hour the tractor stood alone and silent. Then Bergen's men and the Kookish soldiers straggled in.
One Terran lit a fire in the firebox and shoveled in coal. Soon a plume of black smoke issued from the stack. Like a monster breathing, the machine began to emit puffs of pearly vapor with a rhythmic hiss. One Terran climbed into the driver's seat and worked levers. The bulldozer blade dipped and rose.
A Terran shouted, thicker puffs of vapor curled skyward from the tractor's stack, and the machine began to move. As it clattered across the site at the pace of a leisurely walk, Salazar whispered: "Where are those pitfalls?"
"It seems to be heading right between two of the open pits," breathed Frappot "It should soon encounter —Ah! Ah! There it goes!" Frappot's voice had risen.
"Hush up, idiot!" snarled Salazar. The archaeologist kept his eyes on the tractor, which abruptly pitched forward so that the front end, bulldozer blade and all, disappeared, leaving only the after end and the huge rear wheels exposed.
The Terrans surrounding the machine set up a yell; but their voices were drowned by a roar as a cloud of vapor boiled up from the pit into which the tractor had fallen. Salazar glimpsed two Terrans dragging out the driver before the group was hidden by the cloud.
"By God, we won that one!" whispered Salazar. "Their boiler must have burst"
The party on the site clustered at a safe distance from the steaming tractor. Presently they all set out along the road to Neruu, two Kooks carrying the inert form of the driver between them.
"Must have scalded the poor devil," said Salazar.
"Is he dead, do you think?" asked Kara.
"Can't tell yet. Now they're out of sight, let's see the machine."
Holding his rifle ready, Salazar led his people out.
The two unsprung pitfalls had been decorated with clumps of pseudo-grass to look like natural ground.
"They won't get that out in a hurry," said Salazar. "Split a welded seam, just as I thought. Take weeks to repair that boiler."
"Monsieur Bergen, will he give up his project now?" asked Frappot.
"Not likely! If he can't get his bulldozer going again, he'll do the same thing with teams of kyuumeis and draglines; or if need be by Kooks with shovels and wheelbarrows. After all, that's how Qin Shi Huang-di built the Great Wall of China."
"What shall we do next, while Bergen's people are away?" asked Galina.
"Start sieving those little piles from the deep pits and bagging the finds. Keep the rifle handy at all times. When Bergen's gang shows up again, beat it back to the camp and stand watches. Kara and I must go back to Henderson."
Baasu spoke up in Feënzuo: "Honorable sir, I must return to Machura. Could you please pay me now?"
On the road to Henderson, Kara Sheffield rode her bicycle while Salazar jogged along on his juten, leading the beast that Kara had ridden. She said: "Keith, I was just getting used to the motion of that animal. I may get one for myself, if you'll teach it the trick of holding my ankles. It must be something like riding a Terran horse. Have you ever done that?"
"Quite a lot, years ago," said Salazar. "Sometimes I've wished for horses on Kukulcan. These critters are smarter, though."
After a pause, she asked: "How much of what I've seen may I put into my story?"
"Nothing about the gun deal! Some people in Henderson, if they knew, would throw me in jail and lose the key. Okay to say we told the Empress about Kampai and his Choshas." Alter a moment of silence, he looked sharply at her. "You realize, Kara, that I'm trusting you entirely. You could ruin a lot of things, including me; and I never asked you for an oath of secrecy."
With a small smile of satisfaction, she said: "Don't worry. Even if you weren't my—weren't who you are—I always protect my journalistic sources."
A little embarrassed, Salazar returned to the previous subject. "You could also mention the wreck of Bergen's tractor, without revealing my part in the event. Hey, Kara, slow down a bit. I'm looking for the path into di Pasquale's farm."
"We're stopping there?"
"Just long enough to make arrangements with Vittorio. When the train of kyuumeis arrives, they'll need a place to wait until they come to the museum for the big heist."
"Why must they wait?" she asked.
"Because Skanda Patel's a night owl. Sometimes he doesn't even go home but stretches out on his couch in the office. So I've got to think up a sure way to get him out of the Museum before the caravan comes to town. Here we are!"
Salazar and Kara turned in at the side road leading to di Pasquale's farm. In a nearby field, the farmer looked up from the task in which he and two Kook laborers were engaged. He called:
"Hey, Keith! You want to dig up my crops to look for some damned piece of brick or stone?"
"Not this time, Vittorio," said Salazar. "Can we go back to your house for some talk? It's business."
An hour later, di Pasquale, Salazar, and Kara emerged, looking pleased. The caravan would occupy a field that had not yet been plowed. Salazar said:
"Vittorio, may I board my jutens with you? I don't know of any place in Henderson I could stable them."
"City folk," said di Pasquale with a touch of rustic superiority, "don't know how to ride the things. They buy steam cars and then find damned few roads that'll take them. I'll put the creatures in the barn with mine and tie them up so they can't fight."
"Fine; I'll pay for their fodder."
Kara said: "Does that mean you have to walk to the city?"
"Yep. Let's go!"
In Henderson their paths diverged. In a street uncluttered with passersby, Kara said: "Good-bye for now. Let me know when you leave for Machura again. I want to go, too."
"Why?" asked Salazar warily. "I shall be in enough trouble when the story of the guns leaks out, not to mention that the trip would risk your pretty neck."
"But I do want to see your project through. Please, Keith!"
"Oh, all right," said Salazar. "I'll pack the pup tent."
They parted, Kara to her newspaper office and Salazar to the Museum, where he reported to Skanda Patel that he had visited Empress Gariko to warn her of the Chosha invasion.
"What is Mr. Bergen doing now?" asked Patel.
"Brought a big tractor out to bulldoze; but yesterday it broke down. Looks as if it would be some time before it's fixed." Salazar sternly suppressed his lips' tendency to twitch into a triumphant smile.
Patel drummed his fingernails on the desk. "I wish I could think of some way to stop him, without breaking the law."
"The Choshas may do that for us," said Salazar.