"029 (B012) - The Quest of Qui (1935-07) - Lester Dent" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

"I have," said the lady. "A picture, I mean. In my history books, when I was a girl."



More to be polite than anything else, for his job depended on that to an extent, the skipper asked, "What would you call the craft, miss?"



"A Viking dragon ship," replied the woman.





THE MEN laughed, for the idea was, of course, a little preposterous, Viking dragon ships having gone out of style shortly after the days of Eric the Red and other noted Norsemen.



But the woman was correct. The Sea Scream swept up to the strange craft.



Double-ended, perhaps sixty feet long, the vessel had some of the aspects of a giant, fat canoe. Bow and stern reared up to support platforms, and amidships was deck planking, while along the rail, on the outside were fastened round things of rusty steel, objects which certainly resembled shields such as were carried by ancient warriors. There was a mast, and a sail draped around it, unfilled because there was no wind. The sail seemed to be made of animal skins from which the hair had been removed.



There was not a soul in sight on the decks of the weird craft. One of the yacht guests had an idea.



"Bet it broke away from some water carnival," he laughed.



"Let's go aboard," suggested the lady.



"Of course," agreed the owner. "It should be interesting."



Interesting! So it was to be.



The Sea Scream captain shouted orders, and the yacht slowed her engines and nosed up alongside the Viking dragon ship, the sea being so calm that there was no necessity for going aboard in the tender.