（外文电子版资料）Martin, George R.R. - The Sandkings.pdf

file:///F|/rah/George%20R.%20R.%20Martin/Martin,%20George%20R.%20R.%20-%20Sandkings.txt Version 1.0 dtd 040400 SANDKINGS By George R.R. Martin Simon Kress lived alone in a sprawling manor house among dry, rocky hills fifty kilometers from the city. So, when he was called away unexpectedly on business, he had no neighbors he could conveniently impose on to take his pets. The carrion hawk was no problem; it roosted in the unused belfry and customarily fed itself anyway. The shambler Kress simply shooed outside and left to fend for itself; the little monster would gorge on slugs and birds and rock jocks. But the fish tank, stocked with genuine earth piranha, posed a difficulty. Finally Kress just threw a haunch of beef into the huge tank. The piranha could always eat one another if he were detained longer than expected. Theyd done it before. It amused him. Unfortunately, he was detained much longer than expected this time. When he finally returned, all the fish were dead. So was the carrion hawk. The shambler had climbed up the belfry and eaten it. Kress was vexed. The next day he flew his skimmer to Asgard, a journey of some two hundred kilometers. Asgard was Baldurs largest city and boasted the oldest and largest starport as well. Kress liked to impress his friends with animals that were unusual, entertaining, and expensive; Asgard was the place to buy them. This time, . though, he had poor luck. Xenopets had closed its doors, tEtherane the Pet seller tried to foist another carrion hawk off on him, and Strange Waters offered nothing more exotic than piranha, glow sharks, and spider squids. Kress had had all those; he wanted something new, something that would stand out. Near dusk he found himself walking down Rainbow Boulevard, looking for places he had not patronized before. So close to the starport, the street was lined by importers marts. The big corporate emporiums had impressive long windows, in which rare and costly alien artifacts r