"Philip E. High - These Savage Futurians" - читать интересную книгу автора (High Phillip E)

grasped the piece of rubble with both hands.

It seemed to him that his muscles cracked with enough noise to be
heard several feet away. Nonetheless, somehow he straightened, somehow,
sweat trickling down his face and the blood pounding in his ears, he raised
the object above his head.

Briefly he glanced at the hole, at the exhausted man and then with a
grunt of effort, pitched his burden at one of the cat-things directly below
him. He had no idea how much his bomb weighed, but it looked and felt
heavy enough. Before it landed, the club was back in his left hand and he
was throwing a big round stone with his right.

The cat-thing below apparently possessed acute senses for, at the last
moment it darted forward but just a fraction too late. The heavy stone
caught its hind quarters, pinning it to the ground and it screamed shrilly,
front claws scrabbling desperately at the soil.

The heavy stone Ventnor had thrown hit one of the creatures in the
side, knocking it over. It rolled over twice, spitting and clawing at the air
and then it was on its fret again. It spun round, curved fangs bared,
looking for its attacker.

It was then that the man took four swift paces forward and swung his
weapon in a vicious arc.

Suddenly there seemed to be two cats and then Ventnor realized that
the bright weapon had cut the creature completely in half. Seizing the
advantage of surprise, he jumped the ten feet to the bottom of the hole
and swung his club with all his strength.

There was a curiously satisfying crunching sound and there was a limp
gray thing, twitching but lifeless in front of him.

The rest of the creatures, apparently afraid, suddenly clove in all
directions and went bounding away over the rubble like frightened race
horses.

The man with the weapon walked unsteadily over to the lump of rubble
Ventnor had thrown and stabbed downwards. The clawing spitting thing
which had been pinned to the ground was suddenly silent.

The man tottered back to the wall and leaned against it, panting. "Take
a lot of killing them gouge-cats." He extended a bloody hand. "Dunno who
you are, mate, but thanks. Took a lot of nerve; they could have turned on
you easily." He gripped Ventnor's hand with obvious sincerity. "Yeah,
could have turned on you, see? You caught 'em by surprise. They don't like
surprise, undermines 'em, surprise does."

He thrust his long bright weapon into a container dangling from his