"Piper, H Beam - Fuzzy 1 - little Fuzzy1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Piper H Beam)

that would disqualify yours?"

"Not that I know of. I got the impression that he just didn't want the
subject of rainfall on Beta discussed at all."

"That is odd. Has anything else peculiar been happening over on
Beta lately?"

"No. Not that I know of," he repeated. "Of course, that swamp-
drainage project over there was what caused the dry weather, last
year and this year, but I don't see..." His own glass was empty, and
when he tilted the jug over it, a few drops trickled out. He looked at
his watch. "Think we could have another cocktail before dinner?"
he asked.

2

JACK HOLLOWAY landed the manipulator in front of the cluster of
prefab huts. For a moment he sat still, realizing that he was tired,
and then he climbed down from the control cabin and crossed the
open grass to the door of the main living hut, opening it and
reaching in to turn on the lights. Then he hesitated, looking up at
Darius.

There was a wide ring around it, and he remembered noticing the
wisps of cirrus clouds gathering overhead through the afternoon.
Maybe it would rain tonight. This dry weather couldn't last forever.
He'd been letting the manipulator stand out overnight lately. He
decided to put it in the hangar. He went and opened the door of the
vehicle shed, got back onto the machine and floated it inside.
When he came back to the living hut, he saw that he had left the
door wide open.

"Damn fool!" he rebuked himself. "Place could be crawling with
prawns by now."

He looked quickly around the living room-under the big
combination desk and library table, under the gunrack, under the
chairs, back of the communication screen and the viewscreen,
beyond the metal cabinet of the microfilm library-and saw nothing.
Then he hung up his hat, took off his pistol and laid it on the table,
and went back to the bathroom to wash his hands.

As soon as he put on the light, something inside the shower stall
said, "Yeeeek!" in a startled voice.

He turned quickly, to see two wide eyes staring up at him out of a
ball of golden fur. Whatever it was, it had a round head and big
ears and a vaguely humanoid face with a little snub nose. It was
sitting on its haunches, and in that position it was about a foot high.