[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
"The Mississippi Valley."
"You've come a long way." The remark was a surprise. Quait had expected the
usual shrug. "Surely you haven't traveled all this distance just to see me."
"We understand you take people for rides."
"In the balloon? Yes, I do. Where did you want to go?" He kicked off his shoes
and was peeling his garments without apparent regard to social niceties.
"We have a map." Quait showed him.
Claver threw a quick glance in its direction, nodded as if he'd taken
everything in, and flexed his forearms. "Hard to believe I'm eighty-seven,
isn't it?" He grinned. "Well, let's go inside."
He was down to a pair of white shorts. They paraded across a spotty grass lawn
into the cottage. A bag of walnuts hung just inside the front door. He offered
them around. "Good for your digestion," he said.
Chaka accepted a couple. Claver took one for himself and tossed two more onto
the grass. Within seconds a pair of squirrels appeared and seized them.
The interior was bright and comfortable, furnished with hickory furniture and
off-white muslin curtains. Claver asked what kind of wine they liked, removed
a couple of bottles from a cabinet, and filled three glasses. "There's cold
water in the kitchen if you'd like some," he said. He indicated a short
hallway. "Through there. Make yourselves at home. I'll be with you in a few
minutes."
He swept out of the room.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," said Flojian, when they could hear the
Shower running. "We're going to trust this guy to take us up in one of those
baskets? What if he has a heart attack up there?"
"If somebody has a heart attack," smiled Chaka, "I don't think it's going to
be
him."
Claver returned dressed in black trousers and a white shirt with fluffy
Page 168
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
sleeves, the sort of clothing that would have looked dashing on a
twenty-five-year-old. He was barefoot, and he carried a glass of wine. "Now."
He seated himself beside
Chaka. "Tell me why you want to go so far."
Quait crossed one leg over the other. "Does the name
Haven mean anything to you?"
"Of course."
"We think we know where it is."
Claver's eyes narrowed.
"Endine,"
he said, switching his gaze to Flojian. "I
should have recognized the name. So you've come back. After all this time."
"That was my father," said Flojian.
"Ah. Yes. Certainly. And you've returned in his place to do what?"
"To find Haven."
"They didn't do so well last time. What makes you think you can do better?"
"They did find it," said Flojian. "We've no doubt of that."
"It surprises me to hear it. Most of them died out there and the only thing
that came back were stories about goblins."
'They brought back a copy of
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."
"Really? How is it I never heard about that?"
"Don't know," said Quait. "But we have the book."
"Listen," said Chaka. "None of this matters that much anyhow." She produced a
gold coin and handed it to Claver. "We'll pay you ten of these to take us
where we want to go."
He held the coin to the light. "That's generous. But the flight's a fool's
errand.
There's nothing up there to be found, and I don't care to risk my life and my
equipment. Not for ten gold coins, nor for a hundred. I really have no need
for the money."
"How do you know there's nothing?" asked Quait.
"If there had been something, your father would have recovered it when he had
the chance. He came back empty-handed."
"We have the Mark Twain."
"You have the Mark Twain. I have only your assurances."
"We wouldn't lie to you," said Flojian, his voice rising.
"I'm sure you wouldn't. But your interpretation of events could be mistaken."
He sat back and relaxed. "I'm sorry to say this, but I see no compelling
reason to go."
"You see no compelling reason?" Quait felt anger rise in his throat.
"The place is a myth," said Claver.
Quait got up and started for the door.
"I was impressed with your steam engine," said Chaka, not moving.
"Thank you." Claver flashed another of those smiles compromised by his eyes.
His teeth looked strong and sharp. "I'm working on an improved model. The
wood-burners aren't as efficient as they might be."
"Coal,"
said Flojian.
"Very good, Endine. Yes, it should improve output."
"Tell me," continued Flojian, "have you thought about the possibility of
designing a power plant that could take a ship across the sea?"
He laughed. "Of course. It's coming."
Chaka could see the framework and the balloon through the window. "Orin,"
she said, *if that really is Haven up there, we'd have a chance of finding the
Quebec."
Page 169
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Claver stopped breathing.
"Think about it," she said. "Think what it would mean to find out how to build
a propulsion system for an undersea ship. Or do you think it was a
coal-burner?"
This time the smile was complete. "It would be nice to find."
"But the
Quebec is only a myth," said Flojian. "Right?"
"Take us where we want to go," said Chaka. "The worst that can happen is that
you'll come back with ten gold coins. Who knows what the real payoff might
be?"
28
Claver provided quarters for the Illyrians. In the morning they inspected the
gondola, which was larger than the basket they'd seen in storage. This one was
oblong, rather than circular, and big enough to accommodate several people.
Claver brought aboard a supply of rope, tools, and lanterns. He also loaded
four blankets, "because it gets cold up there"; and an array of pots, tubes,
rubber fittings, and glass receptacles, which he described as his portable
laboratory. "To make hydrogen for the return trip," he explained.
"You mean," demanded Quait, "we can't just set down and tie the thing to a
tree until we're ready to leave?"
"Oh, no," he said, "unfortunately, it won't be as simple as that. Once we're
on the ground, we'll stay there until we can manufacture some hydrogen. That
won't be especially difficult, but we need to land near a city."
"Why?" asked Flojian.
"Because we need sulfur. There's always plenty in the ground around
Roadmaker cities, if you know where to look. I have to tell you, I think all
this fuss about Roadmaker knowledge is overblown. Damned fools were poisoning
themselves." They were talking more loudly than normal, trying to speak over a
machine that chugged and gasped while the balloon, which was supported by the
large wooden framework in back of the house, gradually filled. "We'll also
need to find coal. It burns hotter than wood. And iron. We'll have to have
iron."
"Anything else?" asked Flojian.
"Well, water, of course."
"Of course," said Quait.
'What that means is that we won't be able to land right on top of your target.
We'll pick the nearest Roadmaker city and set down there."
Chaka frowned. "Orin, how long is it going to take us to get there?"
"Depends on the wind. If the wind cooperates, and your maps are right, we can
make it in about twenty hours." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
"The Mississippi Valley."
"You've come a long way." The remark was a surprise. Quait had expected the
usual shrug. "Surely you haven't traveled all this distance just to see me."
"We understand you take people for rides."
"In the balloon? Yes, I do. Where did you want to go?" He kicked off his shoes
and was peeling his garments without apparent regard to social niceties.
"We have a map." Quait showed him.
Claver threw a quick glance in its direction, nodded as if he'd taken
everything in, and flexed his forearms. "Hard to believe I'm eighty-seven,
isn't it?" He grinned. "Well, let's go inside."
He was down to a pair of white shorts. They paraded across a spotty grass lawn
into the cottage. A bag of walnuts hung just inside the front door. He offered
them around. "Good for your digestion," he said.
Chaka accepted a couple. Claver took one for himself and tossed two more onto
the grass. Within seconds a pair of squirrels appeared and seized them.
The interior was bright and comfortable, furnished with hickory furniture and
off-white muslin curtains. Claver asked what kind of wine they liked, removed
a couple of bottles from a cabinet, and filled three glasses. "There's cold
water in the kitchen if you'd like some," he said. He indicated a short
hallway. "Through there. Make yourselves at home. I'll be with you in a few
minutes."
He swept out of the room.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," said Flojian, when they could hear the
Shower running. "We're going to trust this guy to take us up in one of those
baskets? What if he has a heart attack up there?"
"If somebody has a heart attack," smiled Chaka, "I don't think it's going to
be
him."
Claver returned dressed in black trousers and a white shirt with fluffy
Page 168
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
sleeves, the sort of clothing that would have looked dashing on a
twenty-five-year-old. He was barefoot, and he carried a glass of wine. "Now."
He seated himself beside
Chaka. "Tell me why you want to go so far."
Quait crossed one leg over the other. "Does the name
Haven mean anything to you?"
"Of course."
"We think we know where it is."
Claver's eyes narrowed.
"Endine,"
he said, switching his gaze to Flojian. "I
should have recognized the name. So you've come back. After all this time."
"That was my father," said Flojian.
"Ah. Yes. Certainly. And you've returned in his place to do what?"
"To find Haven."
"They didn't do so well last time. What makes you think you can do better?"
"They did find it," said Flojian. "We've no doubt of that."
"It surprises me to hear it. Most of them died out there and the only thing
that came back were stories about goblins."
'They brought back a copy of
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."
"Really? How is it I never heard about that?"
"Don't know," said Quait. "But we have the book."
"Listen," said Chaka. "None of this matters that much anyhow." She produced a
gold coin and handed it to Claver. "We'll pay you ten of these to take us
where we want to go."
He held the coin to the light. "That's generous. But the flight's a fool's
errand.
There's nothing up there to be found, and I don't care to risk my life and my
equipment. Not for ten gold coins, nor for a hundred. I really have no need
for the money."
"How do you know there's nothing?" asked Quait.
"If there had been something, your father would have recovered it when he had
the chance. He came back empty-handed."
"We have the Mark Twain."
"You have the Mark Twain. I have only your assurances."
"We wouldn't lie to you," said Flojian, his voice rising.
"I'm sure you wouldn't. But your interpretation of events could be mistaken."
He sat back and relaxed. "I'm sorry to say this, but I see no compelling
reason to go."
"You see no compelling reason?" Quait felt anger rise in his throat.
"The place is a myth," said Claver.
Quait got up and started for the door.
"I was impressed with your steam engine," said Chaka, not moving.
"Thank you." Claver flashed another of those smiles compromised by his eyes.
His teeth looked strong and sharp. "I'm working on an improved model. The
wood-burners aren't as efficient as they might be."
"Coal,"
said Flojian.
"Very good, Endine. Yes, it should improve output."
"Tell me," continued Flojian, "have you thought about the possibility of
designing a power plant that could take a ship across the sea?"
He laughed. "Of course. It's coming."
Chaka could see the framework and the balloon through the window. "Orin,"
she said, *if that really is Haven up there, we'd have a chance of finding the
Quebec."
Page 169
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Claver stopped breathing.
"Think about it," she said. "Think what it would mean to find out how to build
a propulsion system for an undersea ship. Or do you think it was a
coal-burner?"
This time the smile was complete. "It would be nice to find."
"But the
Quebec is only a myth," said Flojian. "Right?"
"Take us where we want to go," said Chaka. "The worst that can happen is that
you'll come back with ten gold coins. Who knows what the real payoff might
be?"
28
Claver provided quarters for the Illyrians. In the morning they inspected the
gondola, which was larger than the basket they'd seen in storage. This one was
oblong, rather than circular, and big enough to accommodate several people.
Claver brought aboard a supply of rope, tools, and lanterns. He also loaded
four blankets, "because it gets cold up there"; and an array of pots, tubes,
rubber fittings, and glass receptacles, which he described as his portable
laboratory. "To make hydrogen for the return trip," he explained.
"You mean," demanded Quait, "we can't just set down and tie the thing to a
tree until we're ready to leave?"
"Oh, no," he said, "unfortunately, it won't be as simple as that. Once we're
on the ground, we'll stay there until we can manufacture some hydrogen. That
won't be especially difficult, but we need to land near a city."
"Why?" asked Flojian.
"Because we need sulfur. There's always plenty in the ground around
Roadmaker cities, if you know where to look. I have to tell you, I think all
this fuss about Roadmaker knowledge is overblown. Damned fools were poisoning
themselves." They were talking more loudly than normal, trying to speak over a
machine that chugged and gasped while the balloon, which was supported by the
large wooden framework in back of the house, gradually filled. "We'll also
need to find coal. It burns hotter than wood. And iron. We'll have to have
iron."
"Anything else?" asked Flojian.
"Well, water, of course."
"Of course," said Quait.
'What that means is that we won't be able to land right on top of your target.
We'll pick the nearest Roadmaker city and set down there."
Chaka frowned. "Orin, how long is it going to take us to get there?"
"Depends on the wind. If the wind cooperates, and your maps are right, we can
make it in about twenty hours." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]