"Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. The snail on the slope" - читать интересную книгу автора

it gay, right way, left way, hey, hey."
From the forest came the echo. Or maybe not an echo. Maybe deadlings.
Hopalong was sitting at home, of course, massaging his leg. "Sit down,"
was his affable greeting. "Here I've put some soft grass for visitors. They
tell me you're going?"
Once more, thought Kandid, once more from the very beginning.
"What's the matter, leg hurting again?" he inquired, seating himself.
"Leg? No, it's just nice sitting here and giving it a rub. When are you
off then?"
"Just as we've been fixing it, you and I. If you were to come with me
then we could go the day after tomorrow. Now I'll have to find somebody else
who knows the forest. I can see you don't want to go."
Hopalong cautiously extended his leg and spoke weightily:
"As soon as you leave me, turn left, and carry on till you get to the
field. Across the field, past the two stones and you'll see the road
straight away, it's not much overgrown, there's too many boulders on it.
Along the road you'll pass through two villages. One's deserted, mushroomy,
mushrooms started growing there, so nobody lives there, there's funny folk
living in the other village, the blue grass went through there twice and
since then they've been sick, no need to start talking to them they won't
understand a word, it's like they've lost their memory. Through there then
and on the right you have your Clay Clearing. No need for guides, you can
get there on your own, no sweat."
"We'll get as far as Clay Clearing," agreed Kandid, "and after that?"
"What do you mean, after that?"
"Across the swamp where the lakes used to be. Remember you were telling
me about the stone road?"
"What road? To Clay Clearing. Well I'm trying to tell you, aren't I?
Turn left, across the fields up to the two stones. . . ."
Kandid heard him out before speaking.
"Now I know the way to Clay Clearing. We'll get there. But I have to go
further, as you know, I must get to the City, and you promised to show me
the way."
Hopalong shook his head in sympathy.
"To the Ci-i-i-i-ty, ah now, is that where you're heading. I remember,
I remember . . . yes to the City . . . you can't get there, Dummy. To Clay
Clearing now, that's easy; past the two stones, through the mushroom
village, past funny village, then Clay Clearing'11 be on your right. Or to
the Reeds, say, turn right as you leave me through the scrub, past Bread
Fen, then keep following the sun. Where the sun goes, you follow. It's three
days travel, but if you really have to go, we'll do it. We used to get pots
there before we planted our own. I know the Reeds like the back of my hand,
you should have said that's where you wanted to go. No need to wait till the
day after tomorrow either, we'll start tomorrow in the morning, we needn't
take any food with us, seeing as we're going by Bread Fen... .
"You know, Dummy, you speak so fast it hurts to listen to you. A man's
just started to take in what you say when you shut your mouth. Well, we'll
go to the Reeds, tomorrow morning we'll go. . . ."
Kandid heard him out once more.
"Listen, Hopalong, I don't have to go to the Reeds. The Reeds aren't