"Eric Frank Russell - Jay Score" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

him an exceptional individual the like of which I'd never met before.

"Welcome, Tiny,"I offered, getting a crick in the neck as I stared up at him.
I did not offer my hand because I wanted it for use later on."Open your
satchel and leave it in the sterilizing chamber. You'll find the skipper in
the bow:'
"Thanks," he responded without the glimmer of a smile. He stepped into the
airlock, hauling the rawhide haybarn with him. "We blast in forty minutes," I
warned.

Didn't see anything more of Jay Score until we were two hundred thousand out,
with Earth a greenish moon at the end of our vapour-trail. Then I heard him in
the passage asking someone where he could find the sergeant-at-arms. He was
directed through my door. "Sarge," he said, handing over his official
requisition, "I've come to collect the trimmings." Then he leaned on the
barrier; the whole framework creaked and the top tube sagged in the middle.
"Hey!" I shouted. "Sorry!" He unleaned. The barrier stood much better when he
kept his mass to himself.

Stamping his requisition, I went into the armoury, dug out his needle-ray
projector and a box of capsules for same. The biggest Venusian mud-skis I
could find were about eleven sizes too small and a yard too short for him, but
they'd have to do. I gave him a can of thin, multipurpose oil, a jar of
graphite, a Lepanto power-pack for his micro- wave radiophone and, finally, a
bunch of nutweed pellicules marked :"Compliments of the Bridal Planet Aromatic
Herb Corporation:"

Shoving back the spicy lumps, he said, "You can have 'em-they give me the
staggers." The rest of the stuff he forced into his side-pack without so much
as twitching an eyebrow. Long time since I'd seen anyone so poker-faced.

All the same, the way he eyed the space-suits seemed strangely wistful. There
were thirty bifurcated ones for the Terrestrials, all hanging on the wall like
sloughed skins. Also there were six head-and-shoulder helmets for the
Martians, since they needed no more than three pounds of air. There wasn't a
suit for him. I couldn't have fitted him with one if my life had depended upon
it. It'd have been like trying to can an elephant.

Well, he lumbered out lightly, if you get what I mean. The casual, loose-
limbed way he transported his tonnage made me think I'd like to be some place
else if ever he got on the rampage. Not that I thought him likely to run amok;
he was amiable enough though sphinxlike. But I was fascinated by his air of
calm assurance and by his motion which was fast, silent and eerie. Maybe the
latter was due to his habit of wearing an inch of sponge-rubber under his big
dogs.

I kept an interested eye on Jay Score while the Upsydaisy made good time on
her crawl through the void. Yes, I was more than curious about him because his
type was a new one on me despite that I've met plenty in my time. He remained
uncommunicative but kind of quietly cordial. His work was smoothly efficient