Classics of a fantasy

capitals, where big guarantee of their safety. However can come

the moment – and it is rather, than it seems to much, – when it is necessary to think already

not so much about the capitals, how many about to.

– And people will rush about here and there, as in the house embraced

flame, – in Shnirere the prophet recovered again. – From the country to the country will be

to run they and everywhere will meet an all-devouring flame, a pernicious flame,

unrestrained and inevitable, as destiny. Also will not save from him the guard,

iron lattices of fencings, thick walls. Everything will die. Everything will turn

in ashes. And we will die. – And, having passed to shrill shout again, Shnirer

finished – And who is guilty? Cars! Proletarians! They! Still cup to tea,

more strong if you allow.

– Strikes began, revolution will finish, – the banker brought a remark.

– Yes this bowl will pass us! – the bishop exclaimed and, having instantly made

pious expression, crossed. – Here really it is time to think about

some., an ark in which with the God’s help could take refuge

righteous persons – color of our civilization and culture. Whether not merciful

the Lord put some idea this, how in times Noyev?

– To construct such “Titanic” – “ark” of modern scale,

equipped with the latest technology? – ironically Henry asked. —

And further? Where you on it will go? To the southern seas? To uninhabited

to the island mislaid in the ocean and not plotted even? Nonsense,

there are no “white spots” on the world map any more. There are no almost such islands. And if

also is, they will be found soon. Construction of “ark” and its departure will not be able

to pass unnoticed. Will find for us, will overtake and will crush as worms,

together with “ark”. Where, at last, a guarantee that it will manage to be completed?

There came silence.

– Really there is no exit? – lady Hinton asked.

– Why is not present? There is a solution, and quite good as it seems to me, – it is quiet

Henry answered. – Here you, mister professor of philosophy, scolded to the technician,

and from the point of view you, of course, are right. But the same equipment can give

for us and an exit to open a way to rescue. We will force the equipment to render to us

this last service, and then I have nothing against if it is

it is destroyed, to your pleasure, professor.

All pricked up the ears, listening. The henry happy with the had effect,

made a pause and slowly continued:

– “Ark” can save not all belonging to our class and

to circle, and only small group of the electees… “Magics to escape yes will escape”

– so, apparently, the milord is told in the writing? So, “ark” can and

it has to be constructed. But “ark” of absolutely special grade which carried away

us far away from this rebellious planet – well, at least for a while, so far

danger will not be eliminated. Or otherwise., forever…

Listeners disappointedly leaned back on backs of chairs, and the bishop,

Henry as dexterous maneuver who apprehended words to distract the general attention from

gloomy thoughts, threw off a fast mask, began to shine and good-natured burst out laughing:

– Perfectly! The ark floating on waves of the radio ocean!

Excellently!

– Yes, on waves of the radio ocean, – Henry seriously answered.

– It could come to mind only to Henry! – respectable exclaimed

the lady not flatter for it tone.

– Least of all in my head, the aunt. I admit, I understand a little in

to the equipment. But you, misters, know that recently I pay a tribute

to interest in stratospheric flights together with my friend the engineer,

large theorist of a zvezdoplavaniye and talented designer Leo

Zander. I just from it… And if you knew about its works, it

achievements…

– But same chimera!

– Imagination!

– And how we will breathe there?

– And what to eat? Air?

– We will stiffen from world cold which will destroy us also soon

and it is right as it will make communism.

– He wants to send us to the sky prematurely!

– And you depart?

Exclamations, jokes, laughter were heard.

– The lady and gentlemen, – Henry was not appeased, – your questions and

exclamations testify only to full yours, to put it mildly

ignorance of a subject. I claim that if you…

But did not listen to it. The nervous tension found a way out. Society

cheered up. Even Shnirer left the gloomy concentration and

opened that in this world, except strong tea and terrible cars, exist

still amazingly pleasant liquids concluded in graceful small bottles, and

the bishop reddened more than ordinary and laughed more loudly, than it was necessary

to it at its dignity.

Lady Hinton was happy and already graciously glanced at Henry,

it is free or involuntarily rendered her service.

– Let’s not be, misters to think of gloomy things, – she told. – God

it is mercy, our people are reasonable, the power in reliable hands, and to us,

I hope, it is not necessary to resort to the air ships and to look for rescue in

similar flight. Why you will not taste this liqueur, the baron?

Henry was angry by a failure of promotion of a zvezdoplavaniye.

He expected to receive several checks for continuation of experiences

Zander.

Lady Hinton seemed she managed what as to the skillful captain, already

to bring the ship out of a strip of the most severe storm, and suddenly flew new:

Stormer who was silent all evening zagromykhat by the thunderous voice:

– And I assure you, the sir, – addressed he Blotton, – that in the southern seas

there will be not one ten more unopened islands. I well know Silent

ocean. In its southeast part, far from main ocean roads, and

now still it is possible to find a silent shelter, – the island which is not put on one

card… But… I am a businessman, the businessman not inclined to panic and

to hysterics. Silly, however, to close eyes to reality. We live

on a volcano. Yes. We with devilish (Hinton shuddered) speed fly in

abyss. I will not list the latest events, they are known to all.

It is necessary to be ready to the worst. Yes. – Everyone it “yes” rattled as

thunderclap. – I speak not about a silly pose a rack. The baron is right. It is necessary to fight

and at the same time to prepare ways of retreat, so far we did not tie hands and

there are capitals.

To construct the huge motor ship. Such “Noah’s Ark” of three hundred

meters and with the displacement of eighty five – hundred thousand tons. So

mechanized that it was possible to manage the minimum quantity

crew – from young people of exclusive classes. Any

the proletarian, because all of them are obvious or our secret enemies. Yes. How many

wars, revolutions will last? Four-five years? We will be able to take

food on six, for eight years. Not to mention an opportunity

replenishments of stocks fishing and hunting on lonely islands. And we

let’s sit out. We will be able to keep thus the life if not the

capitals. I offer, without postponing, to organize the company for

constructions of “Noah’s Ark”. Needless to say that members of this

the companies will be only chosen and all case will be processed in the most strict

to secret. My project does not exclude yours, the sir, – turned Stormer to

To Blotton, having filled on him the red face with goggle rachy

eyes. – He agrees: to open our floating island our enemies nevertheless

will be able. In a zvezdoplavaniye I, unfortunately, understand nothing. But if it

it is feasible why don’t we prepare as a last resort and to

to the last jump – from Earth to abysses of the sky? You will not refuse courtesy,

the sir to acquaint me with your inventor?

If he convinces me that a zvezdoplavaniye not a chimera, I am the first

I will bring a share.

– Ffva you fverit Nneuzheli in a zvezdoplavaniye and hkhgotova to fvlozhit фв it

business to., to., capital? – Marshal Stormera when they asked

came back from lady Hinton.

– I trust! Yes! – Stormer bellowed. – Both of us are businessmen, the baron, and with you

I can frankly speak, – it continued more quietly. – I trust in

the zvezdoplavaniye is as firm, as in a placer on the Thames. Yes.

Listen. If the Thames proceeded for thousands of kilometers from London, in

to the exotic country, thousands would believe in a placer on the Thames.

You remember mine “silver mines” in New Zealand or I wash “the Australian

oil”? I acquired on them millions, and they existed only in imagination

shareholders. Now you understand, as on the Thames can be gold

scatterings which will enrich us?

The car began to shake as if flew on the timbered bridge. Driver

looked back.

It Mr. Stormer laughed.

– Situation really extremely serious, – was continued by it more quietly and

more quietly. – What we endure, you know. In three countries already

communists dominate. Every day brings news of new

suicides. Whether long ago Smith, Milton., behind them Skarfas, now

Сиддонс, Abbington… Real epidemic. The most terrible crises happened and

earlier, but committed a suicide the few. Why? People trusted: behind crisis

again there will come the prosperity era. There is no this belief now. Who was ruined —

it was ruined forever. Unless I am not right?

– Fff…

– Such is situation and such is mood. Revolutions and ruin,

inevitable as death, guard all of us. Inevitable death. Stormer

made a pause to recover the breath.

– The person despaired. Was overstrung. It was exhausted. The person already stretches

hand to the revolver. And this minute to it our agent comes and speaks:

“We can save you. We will provide you a silent shelter where will not reach

your enemies and where you will be able in a circle of people close to you, surrounded

habitual comfort to live your life. Yes, it will cost to you

millions. But what these millions will cost tomorrow? Tomorrow you can

to wake up the poor, and you will intercept the retreat all,

to flight, rescue…”

Whether will be much such which will refuse our offer? To

to example, lady Hinton. Quite ripened fruit. Two-three more already close

political crash, and from this rich person fall down in our hands

pounds sterling without account. We will build “Noah’s Ark”. We will be

to build a starprobe vehicle, tens of starprobe vehicles, without caring for that at all,

they will depart or not. We will be at the head of business and to move huge

means. Conspiracy simplifies the reporting. It is necessary at all not

to have commercial intuition not to estimate all advantage of it

enterprises. I hope, now you quite understood what means to open

placer on the Thames?

Marshal de Terlonzh for nervousness long puffed, sniffed and, at last

squeezed out from itself:

– E-e-e., ffva are absolutely right!

So new was born in foggy London evening in darkness of a limousine

the joint-stock company fastened with short strong handshake.

Chapter 3

ABOUT ADVANTAGE OF THE EQUATOR

Hans Finger was by the cabin window. His curling fair hair and face

burned in the sun. He whistled a cheerful march, beating time and a leg and

hand. Finger experienced delight of the first flight on the stratoplena.

“Life – devilishly interesting movie when time and events fly as

this стратоплан…” Hans all accelerated a march. If it was possible

to start up the movie of life even quicker! To strike time in a nape so that all

hour hands were started turning quicker second, detachable leaves

calendars fell down as autumn leaves during a storm, and the sun a comet

would rush on a sky…

Hans suddenly reeled, hit the head against a wall and screamed. Or it

also, like a certain utopian hero, received a gift to work wonders?.

The sun as soccerball, described an arch in the sky and was behind a frame

windows.

Hans rubbed a nape, took seat in an easy chair and laughed.

“Well of course, it стратоплан the abrupt bend made. Yes, changing time

on the third speed, it is necessary to keep more strong”.

Hans thought.

Elections, strikes, street demonstrations. Hans kept up everywhere:

scattered illegal leaves from a roof, filled with them abonent books in

boxes of payphones, managed “Mohicans” near by to do, as well as

hundreds of his companions, antigovernmental inscriptions on walls of houses and on

the passing vans, collected the chronicle for underground newspapers, let

children’s spheres with leaflets, set up at night red banners on spikes

churches, sold theatrical programs, putting in them leaflets,

invented tens of ways of propaganda, ran away from prosecution, disappeared,

changed clothes; even it zagrimirovyvatsya and again threw out such pieces, from

which enemies turned green, workers laughed and political raged

caliphs…

Vinkler’s call. Organization of escape of Zander. A smart suit “under

Englishman”. Soft compartment. To the Swiss border – on a car. Boundary

strip. Night, storm… Searches of companions to which at Vinkler was

letter. Wandering… A crossing through the river. Alarm. Firefight…

Switzerland. Mountains in the neighborhood of the Alps. The small house – a chalet – among

unction, larches, Alpine cedars. Snow. Tasty mountain frosty

the air which is given to drink by a needles smell. Work in a workshop. Production of model

starprobe vehicle according to drawings. Study. War with integrals and differentials. In

leisure hours – skis, excursions on the mountains… Blotton’s arrival with big

news. Order of a big passenger starprobe vehicle. Blotton’s departure,

Zander and Vinkler in some unknown Stormer-city…

New duties are assigned to Hans: purchase and reception

high-quality staly Europe in the different cities and America.

Continuous trips. It is interesting. But… “purchasing agent” – such

work not in Hans’s taste. It sends desperate letters to Vinkler. At last

Vinkler “took pity” on him. Arrived to Europe personally to make

some purchases and to capture with itself Hans. And now they fly in

this mysterious Stormer-city. Also Blotton flies. He will make the first

rise in a stratosphere on the single rocket. He did not want this honor

to concede to nobody.

Hans looks out of the window. The sky at this height of gray and flaky color. Sun

it is dazzling is white.

And what becomes below? Concave dark blue board of the ocean. On it

it is dazzling a bright circle – reflection of a solar disk.

Magnificent, wonderful flight! Terrible jump! From west banks

Europe on the southwest, through the Atlantic Ocean, to South America.

Stratoplan crossed all its continent from edge to edge over a river basin

Amazons, passed through the Andes, made a wide semicircle over the coast

The Pacific Ocean and now goes to the same Andes from the southwest. Here they

are seen hardly noticeable zazubrinka on the horizon…

– Уф! – Hans zasvistat a march again.

– What did you rassvistetsya there? – Vinkler from the next cabin speaks.

– Very well we fly! – Hans answers, going to Vinkler.

– On the airplane so would not whistle! – Vinkler speaks. He sits at

little table also considers something in the notebook, puffing

unseparable tube.

– I only in water am not able to whistle, – Hans answered. – And in the airplane —

as much as necessary.

– The same effect that in water: stops the engine.

– It is right, – Hans agreed. – Here it is absolutely silent. As if you fly on

balloon. Even explosions are not heard.

– Quicker than a sound we fly, because and it is not heard. Four hundred. We slow down

the course also we decrease. Height is only fifteen kilometers.

– But here temperature has to be much lower, than on

the Earth’s surface, the speed of a sound decreases with decrease

temperatures…

Vinkler nodded in the affirmative.

– . reaching at zero three hundred thirty two meters per second.

Now probably the motor is switched already off.

– And what ceiling?

– Twenty – twenty two kilometers. It is the most favorable height if

not to chase record speed.

– Mosquito take-off. Two hundred – three hundred kilometers – all right! Five hundred

– six hundred is the real height! – the voice of the third was heard

passenger.

Smoking the Egyptian sigarette, Henry Blotton approached Vinkler’s chair.

The lord was dressed in warm light brown sports overalls though in

to such “prozodezhda” there was no need: cabin of a stratoplan

it was well heated by electricity and supplied with clean air. In it

it was warm, cozy, with comfort, as in a compartment of the pullman car.

– Aeroplanny champions of height, certainly, pottered about in dust on

to comparison with us. For all these “saunders-Valkyries”,

“pharman-sou-pergoliafov”, “yunkers” twelve – fifteen thousand meters

were already almost extreme height. Researchers of a stratosphere rose

higher. But they rose on balloons. And recently in Taymsa I

read…

Blotton rode out the favourite fad and began a never-ending conversation

about height records, about rivals who can challenge its monasteries, about

chances of a victory of the same champions, as it.

– You will go to an interplanetary travel and at once will beat all

the rivals, – Vinkler told. Blotton did not understand a sneer.

– Yes, but., I am afraid that about it it will not be printed in Taymsa and

my rivals just do not learn about a new record, – melancholically answered

it.

Stratoplan decreased and reduced speed. Mountains on the horizon grew, dark

color of the sky turned pale, turned blue, stars, as one by one died away on

dawn.

Far below, at a foot of mountains as the bright green ocean, spread

violent tropical vegetation.

– The Andes – the South American continuation of the Cordilleras, – Vinkler told. —

Behind them the desert lowland, and further – the Rocky Mountains the republics

Ecuador.

– Surprisingly! It is difficult to get used to it. What speed, what

victory over space! – Finger exclaimed and once again Endured all

flight.

Europe – as if the big card. On the right – the Azores, at the left —

the Cape Verde Islands, hardly distinguishable even in the strongest sea

field-glass, South America… The basin of Amazon with its inflows similar on

tree branches… A semicircle of “atmospheric braking” over the Great ocean and

again coast of South America, already western.

– Yes, quite good way of studying of geography. It is better our school

books and maps, – Henry told. – But speed turtle. Other business —

space flight!

– Space flight! Turtle speed! – in Blotton’s tone continued

Vinkler. – That twelve mean some – eighteen kilometers in

second of space flight in comparison at least with thirty kilometers

flight of Earth? And star fogs! Some of them fly from huge

speed.

– ? – Blotton asked.

– About one thousand kilometers per second – usual average speed. But

there are also exceptions. According to the latest data, a fog Big Dipper

number twenty four flies with a speed of eleven thousand seven hundred

kilometers per second, Lev number one – nearly twenty thousand kilometers.

– Yes, such speed is pleasant to me. But do not laugh, kind Vinkler.

I understand in such things a little, but our friend Leo Zander said to me that

when we have radioactive energy down to a science, it will be possible

to reach also velocity of light.

– Alas, even with velocity of light you should fly to the next

stars four years and four months. To other sun stars, which we

we consider our “neighbors” in world space, – ten – fifteen

years. Some tens of stars are from us on such close

distance. To the others it should fly hundreds and thousands of years. You

the immense desert within months, years, decades would surround.

Any concept about time will disappear.

– What star, next to the Sun? – Blotton asked.

– Alpha Tsentavra. In total about forty trillion kilometers.

– Four over a year – are not much. Having kept silent, lord Henry

returned to terrestrial affairs:

– And why, actually, for start this is chosen wild, desert

place?

– Just because it wild, desert, unsociable. Such is desire

shareholders of your wild society “Noah’s Ark”. Conspiracy.

– But there is a lot of desert places on the globe, to take at least Youzhny

pole. There nobody would prevent us, even efficient reporters. Why

exactly here? I would like to know, than the choice was defined.

– On it there were the, and important, the bases, – seriously answered

Vinkler. – Exactly there are optimum conditions for

take-off. You probably know that to the rocket at take-off from Earth

it is necessary to break through a double armor: atmospheres and terrestrial

inclinations. The greatest inclination exists on poles, the smallest – on

the equator as Earth is a little flattened to poles. Besides on

poles the smallest, and on the equator the greatest centrifugal effect.

Therefore an inclination armor on the equator minimum.

– And what difference in weight?

– On the equator the body weighs on the one two-hundredth share less, than on

pole.

– Only? – disappointedly Blotton told.

– Yes, only. Thanks to centrifugal effect and “inflation” of terrestrial

sphere at the equator of a body weigh on half-percent less here, than at poles.

As though really it is a little. But for the rocket important even it

reduction of weight: it gives noticeable economy in a fuel reserve. So

weight half-percent – not so small size in our enterprise.

– Well, equator. He agrees. But why this place on the equator?

– To answer also this question, we should talk already about

other armor – atmospheric. Air which we approximately do not notice,

represents almost absolute obstacle for quickly moving

bodies. The quicker the movement, the is more resistance. At very big

speeds resistance of air is almost also big, as well as resistance

solid body, – the real steel armor. This not only figurative

expression. Meteors – the stones which are on a silver platter – move from space

speed; crashing into the atmosphere, meteors more small, being heated because of

air resistance, evaporate, being besieged тончайшею by dust. Here with

what obstacle it is necessary to deal in our flight. Zhyulvernovskiye

the heroes who were taking off from the gun in a shell would have to in the first

the moment of a shot to break in flat cake against a shell bottom. To avoid

this sad fate, we will increase the speed of our rocket

gradually. We have to choose such place on the globe where

the atmospheric armor has the smallest thickness. Relative

density of air depends on pressure, temperature, humidity, and all

it, in turn, from height above sea level. Than higher over level

the seas, an armor of the atmosphere are thinner than subjects, it is easier for that to punch, therefore

it and that should be spent for it fuel less. At the height of six

density of air is approximately already twice less than kilometers, than at the level

seas. Now, I hope, it is clear to you that it is more favorable to the interplanetary ship

to start in total from perhaps higher place, with some mountain

surfaces? So what is is necessary for us? The equator and the greatest height on it.

Take the globe, and, turning it, you will see what mountain areas

crosses the equator. Islands of Sumatra and Borneo and South American

The Cordilleras – the Andes. Islands gorist. There are heights more than four