FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   >>  
rised and questioned him, then departed, springing strongly on his powerful legs. "Wait," said Bregg. They waited, and in a moment or two the guard came back leading one of the black hunting beasts on a chain. It was a female, somewhat smaller than the ones Kieran had fought with, and having a slash of white on the throat and chest. She howled and sprang up on Bregg, butting her great head into his shoulder, wriggling with delight. He petted her, talking to her, and she laughed doglike and licked his cheek. "They domesticate well," he said. "We've had a tame breed for centuries." * * * * * He moved a little closer to the corral, holding tight to the animal's chain. Suddenly she became aware of the people. Instantly the good-natured pet turned into a snarling fury. She reared on her hind legs and screamed, and inside the corral the people roused up. They were not frightened now. They spat and chattered, clawing up sand and pebbles and bits of food to throw through the fence. Bregg handed the chain to the guard, who hauled the animal away by main force. Paula said coldly, "If your point was that the people are not kind to animals, my answer is that you can hardly blame them." "A year ago," Bregg said, "some of the people got hold of her two young ones. They were torn to pieces before they could be saved, and she saw it. I can't blame her, either." He went on to the gate and opened it and went inside. The people drew back from him. They spat at him, too, and pelted him with food and pebbles. He spoke to them, sternly, in the tone of one speaking to unruly dogs, and he spoke words, in his own tongue. The people began to shuffle about uneasily. They stopped throwing things. He stood waiting. The yellow-eyed girl came sidling forward and rubbed herself against his thigh, head, shoulder and flank. He reached down and stroked her, and she whimpered with pleasure and arched her back. "Oh, for God's sake," said Kieran, "let's get out of here." * * * * * Later, they sat wearily on fallen blocks of cement inside a dusty, shadowy room of the old building. Only a hand-lamp dispelled the gloom, and the wind whispered coldly, and Bregg walked to and fro in his curious prance as he talked. "It will be a little while before the necessary medical team can be picked up and brought here," he said. "We shall have to wait." "And then?" asked Kieran. "
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   >>  



Top keywords:
people
 

inside

 

Kieran

 

corral

 
shoulder
 
pebbles
 

coldly

 
animal
 

speaking

 

unruly


tongue

 

shuffle

 
things
 

throwing

 
stopped
 
sternly
 

uneasily

 

pelted

 
brought
 

waiting


medical

 

opened

 

picked

 
wearily
 

fallen

 
blocks
 

walked

 

pieces

 

cement

 

whispered


building

 

dispelled

 
shadowy
 

rubbed

 

forward

 

yellow

 
sidling
 
talked
 

reached

 

prance


curious

 

arched

 

pleasure

 

stroked

 
whimpered
 

talking

 
petted
 

laughed

 
doglike
 

licked