"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 06 - Lallia" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

afford it. Your papers?"

Dumarest handed over the identification slip given to him when he
had landed. The officer checked the photographic likeness and physical
details incorporated in the plastic. He softened a little as he saw the
credit rating.

"Earl Dumarest," he mused. "Planet of origin: Earth." He raised his
eyebrows. "An odd name for a world. I don't think I've ever heard it
before. Is it far?"

"A long way from here," said Dumarest flatly.

"It must be. Why did you come to Aarn?"

"To work. To look around." Dumarest smiled. "But mainly to visit
your museum. It is something rather exceptional."

He had struck the right note by his appeal to planetary pride. The
officer relaxed as he handed back the identification.

"We're rather proud of it," he admitted and then added, casually, "my
son has a position there. In the ancient artifact division, with special
reference to Aarn's early history. Did you know that once the planet held
an intelligent race of sea creatures? They must have been amphibious
and there is evidence they used fire and tools of stone."

"I didn't," said Dumarest. "Not before I visited your museum, that is.
Tell me, is your son a tall, well-built youngster with thick curly hair?
About twenty-five, with vivid blue eyes?" The officer had blue eyes and
the hair on the backs of his hands was thick and curled. "If so I may have
met him. A person like that was most helpful to me in my investigations."

"I doubt if that was Hercho," said the officer quickly. "He works in the
laboratories. Reconstruction and radioactive dating."
 "Specialized work," said Dumarest. "It's a pretty important position
for a young man to hold. You must be very proud of him."

"He's done well enough for himself." The officer glanced to where two
men carried a stretcher towards the dead man. "May I ask what your
own particular subject of interest at the museum might be?"

"Navigational charts and tables," said Dumarest easily. "Really old
ones. The type which were in use before the Center-oriented charts we
have now. I didn't find any."

"I'm not surprised. We have data from over a hundred thousand
habitable worlds and ten times that many items on display, but there has
to be a limit. And perhaps you were looking for something which doesn't
exist. Are you sure there are such tables?"