"William Morrison - Bad Medicine" - читать интересную книгу автора (Morrison William)

"Take it easy, or I'll smack you right in the teeth. That's better. I've got a plan. You're going to talk to
these people. Waloo can hear you through the auditory tube, and whether the rest of them pay much
attention to you or not won't matter at first. Give them a regular spiel, and lead up to the introduction of
Waloo, the intelligent Saturnian."
O'Hara got it, and smiled slowly. He took a deep breath, and shouted: "Ladies and gentlemen!"
The hubbub came to a sudden stop.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he went on, "you are about to witness, absolutely free of charge, two hours
of the most solid, fascinating, instructive, and educational entertainment it has ever been the fortune of any
mortal being to experience. Yes sir, ladies and gentlemen. Entertainment unparalleled, and absolutely free
of charge."
There was magic in O'Hara's voice, for they were actually listening to him. They muttered, but they
listened.
"And to begin with," orated O'Hara, "we offer you an attraction so sensational, so unbelievable, that
you will think your eyes and ears are playing you false. Nothing like it has been seen or heard of on
Saturn since the beginning of time. Nothing like it has been seen or heard of on any of the planets. Ladies
and gentlemen, we offer Waloo, the Saturnian with the intelligence of an Earthman!"
And Waloo, hypnotized by the familiar introduction, opened the door of the ship and stepped out, his
spectacles hanging from his ears!
The mob of Saturnians uttered one huge roar of triumph, and plunged forward, carrying Waloo back
into the ship. Trenholm and O'Hara stood by shouting helplessly.
It was ten minutes before the Saturnians thought of getting out again, and when they did, they carried
the unconscious Waloo as a trophy of victory. For the next couple of months, Waloo would inhabit a
cell.
O'Hara and Trenholm hastened inside. At first glance, the place was a shambles, but the machinery
had not been damaged.
They swung shut the door, locked the auditory tube, and started the engine.
"Ready?" Trenholm asked, and without waiting for a reply, gave the ship the gun with a jerk that sent
O'Hara flying.

THE ship rose quickly, passed the rings of Saturn, and straightened out into space in the direction of
Earth. O'Hara wiped the sweat from his forehead. Through the rear windows they could see the patrol
ship coasting in to make a landing.
"That was close," O'Hara panted. "I only hope they don't try to follow us."
"I'll take them a half hour to find out from the Saturnians what's been going on, and by then it'll be too
late."
"If you knew how glad I am to get out of that place—" O'Hara began, and then he howled. "The
bottles! The bottles!"
"What about them?" Trenholm demanded.
"They're gone! Those Saturnians have stolen all our 'Radio-active Herb Remedy! There's just one
bottle left. And you claimed they were honest!"
"They are, but they have no sense. If they see something in front of them, they take it."
"The dumb clucks." And then O'Hara's voice froze with real horror. "They've taken the pink
necklaces! And we hid them !"
"What!" Trenholm gasped.
"Every last one of them!" O'Hara trembled. "We've made a mistake, Trenholm. Those Saturnians
aren't stupid !"
Trenholm looked. O'Hara was right. Every last necklace was gone. "This is a dishonest business,"
Trenholm said heavily. "We should never have gone into it. But I don't understand—" He interrupted
himself. "Well, I'll be damned!"
"What is it now?"