"E. E. Doc Smith - Lensman 2 - First Lensman" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

"Think you so?" Gharlane sneered. "You, who have been so afraid of us for
over
two thousand million Tellurian years that you dared not let us even learn of
you? So
afraid of us that you dared not take any action to avert the destruction of any
one of your
budding Civilizations upon any one of the worlds of either galaxy? So afraid
that you dare
not, even now, meet me mind to mind, but insist upon the use of this slow and
unsatisfactory oral communication between us?"
"Either your thinking is loose, confused, and turbid, which I do not
believe to be
the case, or you are trying to lull me into believing that you are stupid."
Bergenholm's
voice was calm, unmoved. "I do not think that you will go back to Eddore; I know
it. You,
too, as soon as you have become informed upon certain matters, will know it. You
protest against the use of spoken language because it is, as you know, the
easiest,
simplest, and surest way of preventing you from securing any iota of the
knowledge for
which you are so desperately searching. As to a meeting of our two minds, they
met fully
just before you, operating as Gray Roger, remembered that which your entire race
forgot long ago. As a consequence of that meeting I so learned every line and
vibration
of your life pattern as to be able to greet you by your symbol, GharIane of
Eddore,
whereas you know nothing of me save that I am an Arisian, a fact which has been
obvious from the first."
In an attempt to create a diversion, Gharlane released the zone of
compulsion
which he had been holding; but the Arisian took it over so smoothly that no
human being
within range was conscious of any change.
"It is true that for many cycles of time we concealed our existence from
you,"
Bergenholm went on without a break. "Since the reason for that concealment will
still
further confuse you, I will tell you what it was. Had you Eddorians learned of
us sooner
you might have been able to forge a weapon of power sufficient to prevent the
accomplishment of an end which is now certain.
"It is true that your operations as Lo Sang of Uighar were not constrained.
As
Mithridates of Pontus -- as Sulla, Marius, and Nero of Rome -- as Hannibal of
Carthage -
- as those self-effacing wights Alcixerxes of Greece and Menocoptes of Egypt --
as
Genghis Khan and Attila and the Kaiser and Mussolini and Hitler and the Tyrant