FM Busby Long View 4 Rissa and Tregare

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

for me." She returned the torch; he spotted the lower corners and
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%...2004%20-%20Rissa%20and%20Tregare
%20v1.0.txt (73 of 117) [7/14/2004 3:25:21 PM]
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20Lon...20-%20Long%20V
iew%2004%20-%20Rissa%20and%20Tregare%20v1.0.txt ran a bead solidly around the
perimeter. When he finished, he wiped sweat from his forehead. "Not much for
pretty, but good as new for stout! How's Hain doing?"
"Comfortably. And now, if the door latch is cool enough to touch, I must go in
and see to
Tregare."
He touched it. "Just warm now." She nodded and went inside.
Lying on his unhurt side and breathing heavily, Tregare slept. He had pushed
the covers down to his waist; even so, sweat stood out on his face. The water
jug was half-empty, but the chamber pot beside the bed had not been used. I
should have brought that for him-he has been up, and he should not be.
She refilled the water jug and gently pulled the first cover up to his
shoulder, in case the fever should settle. She sat beside him for a time, but
he did not wake or move. She looked around the kitchen but found nothing that
needed doing, so she went outside again.
At first she saw no one, then heard a shout and turned to see Kenekke emerging
from a storage building, tools slung from his belt and carrying a large sheet
of heavy transparent plastic.
156
She ran to meet him. "Shall I help you with that?"
He bent to rest one edge of the sheet on the ground. "Sure -this thing isn't
so heavy, but it's awkward. Want to take the back corner, and we'll carry it
vertical?" She nodded; they picked up the sheet and proceeded, past the
outhouse and around the cabin's corner, to the gaping window hole. They laid
the plastic flat on the ground.
"We'll need a ladder," he said, "but first I'll get this ready." He adjusted
the torch's flame to its narrowest and quickly, precisely melted a small hole
near a corner of the sheet, then others at intervals around the perimeter.
"This is too big to go in the frame, and that's a day's job even if I had the
right tools for it. So we'll nail it to the outside." He unsnapped a hand tool
from his belt. "Nail gun-works by compressed gas. Just put the nozzle against
a hole and pull the trigger. Now I'll get that ladder."
While she waited, she walked across the plateau a little way, until she could
see, below a notch in the flattish surface, the downward sweep of hills. The
sun's rays slanted; the pattern of light and shadow among the trees caught her
interest. She watched until Kenekke hailed her, then rejoined him. The ladder
leaned against the wall, to one side of the window.
"Pretty down there, isn't it, this time of day?" he said.
"It is. I will never get used to the size of these Hills." She looked at the
window. "What do we do first?"
He tipped the plastic up on one edge. "I'll hold this so one corner's where it
belongs; you go up the ladder and pin it. Then we put the ladder t'other side;
Page 99
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
you go up again; I pivot the sheet into position. You'll have to brace it on
so it doesn't lean out-lucky there's no wind-and when I
have it right, pin it again. Two holes is best. I can take it from there."
Yes, she thought-it would work. The first part went easily, but on the other
side she stood on the ladder with both hands occupied, balancing with no real
handholds, until the first nail was driven. Then she grabbed quickly for a
ladder rung, drove the other nail, and descended.
Kenekke grinned. "Perfect. But it's funny-all the things you've done-and on
the ladder, not high enough to hurt if you did fall, I could see you were
nervous."
She thought. "I was-yes. But not from the height. It was that I could not use
my hands or eyes, or even very much of my attention, for balance. Only my feet
and legs-and the
\r - 157
\rrungjiurt my shins. It made me feel anxious, yes." "Well, it's done. I can
do the rest. And thanks." "I should thank you, Anse. It is my comfort, and
Tregare's, that we are restoring." "If it wasn't for you two, Main and I, we'd
be dead meat. I
tell you-yesterday I didn't have much hope for seeing this day." He laughed.
"But here we are!" "Yes." She smiled at him. "Well, I will look in on Hain,
and also see if any messages have come."
IN the scoutship, Deverel was much as .before. He said, "The Gustafson woman
called. Once I
convinced her I knew the situation, she said her gear's portable but lots more
than an aircar load. I thanked her and said you or the captain would be in
touch."
"Good. Did she give any idea of the size of the equipment? Could this scout
handle it, for instance? Because I would not like to load an aircar much, for
the pass-and the more trips, the more time wasted.''
"The scout? Sure-the stuff's not one big hunk. But-"
"Is there a fuel problem?"
"No. But who-? I mean, the captain's not able, yet."
"I studied the controls on Inconnu. Except for complexity -and orientation,
landing vertically
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%...2004%20-%20Rissa%20and%20Tregare
%20v1.0.txt (74 of 117) [7/14/2004 3:25:21 PM]
file:///C|/WINDOWS/Desktop/Incoming/Busby,%20F.%20M%20-%20Lon...20-%20Long%20V
iew%2004%20-%20Rissa%20and%20Tregare%20v1.0.txt and not horizontally- they are
quite like an aircar's. Surely the scout's are not so different."
He stared at her. "Look-if I let you take this thing up and anything happened,
I'd be better off with you than facing Tregare."
She laughed. "I would not try it without his permission, surely-this is his
property, not mine.
No-I will ask-but not until his fever ebbs and his head is clear."
Deverel grinned. ''That's a relief-you had me worried." He nodded toward the
comm-panel. "You want to call Gustafson back?"
She looked at her watch. "I do not know her working hours; she may have left
her office." She shrugged and punched for Channel C. "I may as well try."
At Hulzein Lodge, a girl relayed her call; Ami Gustafson answered. "From the
lousy picture, it has to be Tari Obrigo. I was just leaving, but go ahead-did
you get my message?"
158
"Yes, and thank you. Now, may I ask-how many normal aircar loadings would your
equipment make?"
"Oh-three, I'd say."
"Then-to here, perhaps nine."
"What-?"
"It is not an easy route. But there may be a quicker way; I will not know for
Page 100 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Linki