"Norton, Andre - Solar Queen 03- Voodoo Planet" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

"With the feeder beam shut off by the mountains, I fear those will no longer work."

Jellico tossed one on the crumpled nose of the flitter and punched its button with the tip of the needler
barrel. Then he threw a rock at the dangling belt. The stone landed, taking the wide protective band with it
to the ground. That force field which should have warded off the missive was not working.

"Oh, fine!" Tau opened his trail bag to pack concentrates. Then he smiled crookedly. "We aren't signed in
for killing licenses, sir. Do you pay our fines if we are forced to shoot a hole through something that
disputes the right of way?"

To Dane's surprise, the Chief Ranger laughed. "You are off preserve now, Medic Tau. The rules do not
cover wild land. But I would suggest we now hunt a cave before nightfall."

"Lions?" asked Jellico.

Dane, remembering the black and white beast Lumbrilo had presented, did not enjoy that thought. They
had--his gaze went from man to man checking weapons--the needler Asaki carried, and another the pilot
had slung by its carrying strap over his shoulder. Tau and the captain both were armed with blasters and he
had a fire ray and a force blade, both considered small arms but deadly enough perhaps even to dampen a
lion's enthusiasm for the chase.

"Lions, graz, rock apes, " Asaki fastened the mouth of his trail bag. "All are hunters or killers. The graz
send out scouts, and they are big and formidable enough to have no enemies. Lions hunt with intelligence
and skill. Rock apes are dangerous, but luckily they cannot keep silent when they scent their prey and so
give one warning."

As they climbed up-slope from the flitter, Dane, looking back, saw that perhaps Asaki was right in his
belief that they had better try to help themselves rather than wait for rescue. Putting aside the excuse of
fearing another crack-up, the wrecked flitter made no outstanding mark on the ground. The higher they
climbed, the less it could be distinguished from the tumble of rocks about it.

He had lagged a little behind and, when he hurried to catch up, found Jellico standing with his distance
vision lenses to his eyes, directing them toward that shadow marking the swamp. As the younger spaceman
reached him, the captain lowered the glasses and spoke:

"Take your knife, Thorson, and hold it close to that rock--over there." He pointed to a rounded black knob
protruding from the soil a little off their path.

Dane obeyed, only to have the blade jerk in his hand. And when he loosened his hold in amazement, the
steel slapped tight against the stone.

"Magnetic!"

"Yes. Which might explain our crash. Also this." Jellico held out a field compass to demonstrate that its
needle had gone completely mad.

"We can use the mountain range itself for a guide," Dane said with more confidence than he felt.

"True enough. But we may have trouble when we head west again." Jellico let the lenses swing free on
their cord about his neck. "If we were wrecked on purpose"--his mouth tightened and the old blaster burn