Classics fantasy – 11

– On “Taiga” all sit in a warm saloon now and have hot tea – Ignat almost with envy told. His hands stiffened, despite fur gloves.

– Well that, and we can drink – answered Tests. They entered a lodge.

– As if on rafts – Ignat told.

Tests lit a lamp and turned on the electric furnace. Temperature of quick start to rise. Then, having examined a dynamo, Tests connected the drive to the rotating part of the wind-driven generator. Wind began to make the electric power.

– Now we can switch off accumulators – he told.

There was an electric kettle, and in it water quickly began to boil.

– Let’s have tea with music – continued Tests as the hospitable owner. Having tinkered with earphones about radio sets, Tests chose number become cheerful. Ignat saw a scene on the TV screen. In the Leningrad theater there was an opera. Music and singing filled the lodge flying at the height of 500 meters.

– What it is necessary to you? And warmly, both light-, and tea is, and music plays – told Tests. Some time they sat silently and had tea. Ignat liked to drink, but Tests every time when that poured a new cup glanced at him askance. At last did not bear and told: – At us here, the brother, a ration. Watch that there was enough water for three days.

– You and told. I drink the fourth.

Ignat removed from himself a cup and wiped sweat from a forehead.

After tea music stopped, the screen went out. Tests explained to Ignat what he has to do what to watch in the watch.

Bugaev approached a library box and looked at backs of books.

– Second-hand articles. Read everything. You lagged behind here – he told with a type of the capital inhabitant.

– Well, take the book from telelibrary – answered Tests.

– You here and have a telelibrary? – Ignat was surprised.

– Well still! Here, you see? Ignat caused on radio Lenin library in Moscow, chose the book and took seat at a table, having put before himself the metal snow-white leaf similar to the Bristol cardboard pulled the hinge on which the black box with a lens below was strengthened from a wall, and turned on the device, having extinguished a lamp. The cover of the last magazine accurately affected the white field in a little increased look. The thin wire terminating in the button went down from a box on a table. From time to time Ignat pressed the button, and pages of the magazine were turned.

The motor hooted. Wind. In a suspended bed already whistled a nose of Tests. Ignat read till midnight, at last pressed the button three times in a row. The light book disappeared. He yawned and stretched. Put the red head on a table and took a nap, but immediately woke up. It is impossible to sleep: it on watch! He wanted to freshen up. Quietly put on, came to the platform. Wind and prickly snow needles burned a face. “Ege – Ignat thought – it seems, the blizzard is played. The winter comes”.

Window fires on “Taiga” were not visible. Even strong light of a searchlight as though grew dull, spread. “Tomorrow ‘Taiga’ will become on skis and will go quicker…”

Ignat returned to a lodge. The wind gust from the opened door reached Testov, that grumbled and was closed by the blanket which moved down from shoulders. Not to disturb him, Ignat put on earphones and began to soar on air. He visited Moscow, Tbilisi, Tashkent, Paris, New York, Madrid, Oslo. Listened to music, saw performances, boxing competitions, a gallop of camels, the half-naked people flying on the TV screen, standing on a board, on high waves of a surf under hot beams of the tropical sun… And there is a wish to sleep after all. He removed earphones and again hung the head on a table…

– Watchman! Fell asleep? – he heard Testov’s voice.

– Also did not think – Ignat answered, blinking red eyelashes. – Only took a nap a bit – he burst out laughing.

– That, took a nap – continued by tone of reproach Tests. – It is good that at us everything is provided. – Tests looked at a tape of recording devices and approached a radio telephone. – Hallo, “Taiga”! Yes. “Dragon”. What wind force at you? Six points? And at us nine and to ten. Be on duty at the winch. If wind amplifies, it is necessary to lower “Snake”.

– To admit, I am guilty, did not explain you everything – told Tests, addressing Ignat. – But who could expect such wind! To watch the generator not so important. If as happens to it, the automatic alarm system will report on it now. Yes I also always wake up, even not in the watch if interruptions only begin. And here it is necessary to watch a pressure of wind. The cable can sustain tension with a wind force which is not exceeding ten points… And wind reaches already ten now. If the cable breaks, we head over heels will depart on the earth. It is good still that on “Snake” the automatic machine which begins to operate when wind force passes for nine points is installed. The signal is transmitted and down, to “Taiga”.

Threw “snakes” here and there. There were moments when people from “Taiga” already began to reel up a cable, but by the morning wind was appeased, also the blizzard ceased. Clouds dashed away, there was a light frost. The autumn sun long was not shown over the horizon. Ignat looked in the field-glass. Taimyr Lake became covered with ice.

– In one night! That North! And the earth is white – Ignat told, observing the turned white taiga. It became lighter and as if is even more spacious.

The earth froze, and “Taiga” quickly moved forward. The all-terrain vehicle changed the northeast direction and went north almost directly. The first beams of the sun lit the brilliant surface of the small river. “Taiga” quickly went to it, going down to water on the low coast.

Breaking thin ice, “Taiga” entered the river and, slowly rocking, floated.

– Good fellow Simakov! – Ignat exclaimed.

“Taiga” went on a current, trying to discover the place for a crossing. But the opposite coast was very abrupt.

– It is already worse – Ignat argued. – The all-terrain vehicle after all – not the all-terrain vehicle. Cannot rise by the abrupt coast. Here, perhaps, and I will think up nothing. It is impossible to invent the tank which would climb walls.

This travel continued all day. And only by the evening not far from a confluence of inflow to Taimyr “Taiga” came to other coast, considerably having deviated a course. Now, going to Cape Chelyuskin, it was necessary to go on the northeast.

Again snow went.

“Taiga” replaced wheels with skis and quickly went north, hooting all propellers. The pipe and rotors were laid to reduce resistance.

– And “Dragon” has to brake strongly. Now though cut off it.

– We go on accumulators – told Tests. – You were lucky. Bothered, true to fly on “Snake”? “Snake” we will lay too soon. The winch already started working.

– Where to lay it, such vast object?

– It at us folding. We will also lay on the deck – answered Tests.

– And accumulators will be exhausted what then?

– We will stop at the station of underground gasification. To it will be enough. For now we stand there, again will earn all wind-driven generators and will reserve new “canned food” of electricity. They will be enough to Chelyuskin. Here when we will sweep with chic!

“Dragon” decreased, Ignat already without field-glass well saw Jim and waved to it the cap with ear-flaps.

12. Homesickness

“Taiga” slid on skis on snow with a speed of fifteen kilometers per hour.

– Quite good speed for such large object – Ignat said. – After all you are a good fellow, Simakov.

The captain became cheerful. Holding the ground the captain’s bridge, he spoke to Ignat:

– In these latitudes the sled road stands at least eight months in a year. If “Taiga” was adapted only for winter, it also in this case would be repaid. Only thanks to it it is possible to make researches and in the polar winter now. As far as it accelerates our development of the Arctic!

* * *

The coming polar night nasty influenced Jim. Its organism too got used to the sun, his sight – to bright lighting. Ignat noticed that Jim sees worse him, and assumed that Jim has in general a poor eyesight, did not understand yet that eyes at Jim did not adapt to poor illumination of the North yet.

Ignat passed to Jim’s cabin and in a corridor uslykhat the aching sounds of the Hawaiian guitar which Jim did not leave. From this tool as though adapted for plaintive plaints, cheerful Jolie took the trills splashing fun and roulades until recently. But now the guitar sadly dropped the vibrating sounds as if mourning the dying sun.

– You long? – Ignat asked, entering a cabin. Jim sadly smiled and continued to torment silently strings with the dexterous black fingers. – About what or about whom? – Ignat continued the interrogation. Jim did not answer. – About the sun you cry? – Ignat continued. – Boring country? Unusable climate? Wild, deserted, blind, dead desert? White shroud of snow?. Where green grass? Where pink, red, lilac flowers? Give me a spring branch of almonds with pink colors! And that on it the paradise birdie sat and sang cheerful songs. Ти – ти – whether! Ти – ти – whether! And that bananas fell in a mouth, and green parrots shouted: “Long live sun!” And monkeys shook on tails – Ignat began to recite to the sound of music. – About it you sing? About it you cry? It is a pity, I am not a poet. It is a pity that Stepan Asatkin is not with us. He would compose such bananny stanzas under your music, and you would sing them together. You should get acquainted with it.

But only here that, buddy … – And Ignat sat down by Jim, put to him a hand on a shoulder. – You arrived to these gloomy polar places from the Florida which bathes in the sun, without knowing winter and snow. There is no snow there? Why you arrived here? Because there is a lot of sun, and it is even more people. There is no sun, but it is more than enough of the place for people.

– In the solar countries there is a lot of empty seat – Jim answered.

– So there we are not idle too. Deserts to fields, in gardens we remake. Let’s reach also other world deserts. But it is necessary and to think of such piece how our North. Here riches plenty.

Jim jerked strings. The wild chord was heard.

– Try to persuade our navigator Thomas to go with you from here to your Florida. For any bananas will not go. But I not about that. The person gets used to everything. And here we should suit so life that also the visitor of people like you did not miss, did not pine by the sun…

– You cannot order to the sun that it shone here, as in tropics – Jim told.

– And we will also not order it. Ourselves will make here and light, and warmly, both the sun, and tropics. And even to you we will grow up bananas in greenhouses if you without them cannot live. Think whether it is worth undertaking this business? To win against darkness, cold, ices. To move apart in breadth our planet which becomes rather small.

– Dreams – Jim melancholically responded.

Ignat even a fist on a table knocked.

– And electrification of such country, how being Rasey – not dreams? And Dneprogesa – not a dream? Alteration of deserts in gardens – not dreams? Our solar, vetrosilovy installations – not dreams? And you the hands could feel these dreams. And this “Dragon” – not a dream? And “Taiga” on which we with comfort travel – not a dream? And, at last, new people are not a dream? My friend, you did not begin to enjoy this fascinating work yet: to dream immediately to turn a dream into reality. Here is how you will enter this work, so you just will not have time for melancholy. Dreams!. – still Ignat worried. – Here, wait, we will arrive to Chelyuskin, we will look at “The ice city”. You will see one more dream which it is possible to feel hands, the dream created by people. “You give the sun” – you say? Let’s give you the sun. And if I do not keep the promise – you can go to the Florida and to call me the deceiver.

– I will not return to Florida. But I then will go to Uzbekistan.

– You can go also to our Transcaucasia. There you will find the real Florida. Oranges, lemons, cinnamon, carnation, vanilla, pineapples, cocoa. What your tropical soul will wish. But I assure you that you and will find the sun in “The ice city”. And even you will eat oranges. If not homebrew, so imported.

Jim did not answer, only began to touch strings quicker.

– Komrayd Jolie! Companion Jim! – the ringing voice of Anna Fokina was heard suddenly.

Jim all started, lit up, rejected a guitar on a bed and ran out in a corridor.

Ignat looked to him following and murmured as the doctor making the diagnosis:

– Nostalgia – homesickness – complicated, apparently, by an acute heart disease.

And, having grinned, added:

– And I read lectures on economy and sociology to it…

13. The city which is not marked on the map

Again cold wind, a blizzard, zg not to see. As it is not similar to Ignat’s dreams of heat, the sun and bananas!

The searchlight is extinguished. Only the headlights which are hung up below propellers and lighting only small space ahead of the all-terrain vehicle burn. “Taiga” goes slowly. The captain is installed on the bridge and peers into darkness. Ignat notices in the distance the shining spark. It dies away, appears again. Light white, similar to electric. To Chelyuskin not so close. At least days of a way.

The light point begins to blur during the shining fog.

– What for fire? – Ignat asks the captain.

– By my calculations, it has to be the working town where coal gasification is made – Simakov answered.

The shining fog at approach to it broke up to separate points. They stretched a long chain of arc lamps. It was strange to see this line of fires among the lifeless, dead snow desert. Reflections of light laid down bluish spots on the white atlas of a taiga. Between all-terrain vehicle fires, cutting off, some animal quickly moved.

– Look: dog! – with surprise Ignat exclaimed.

– Not a dog, but a polar wolf – was heard басок Gruzdev who approached behind.

– Here wolves are found?

– Not only wolves. If there are wolves, then there has to be also a wolf food. Meat. Here the wild deer comes. And polar foxes are found. And partridges. About polar bears and there is nothing to speak. On the coast their empire was.

– And you and here, Foma, hunted? On bears?

– Where I did not hunt and what animal did not hunt! – Foma answered. – Both on a bear, and on a tiger.

– How many tigers killed?

– How many to you and hares not to kill. Without one tigers killed fifty. From a berdan. In private. To Osmnadtsat alive caught artel – four us in artel was.

Jim approached. Ignat translated it Foma’s story about his hunting feats.

– Here tigers are found? – Jim asked, showing to a hand on a taiga.

Foma grinned:

– To Ussuri are found.

– How you caught them?

– Networks rope. And even just in a blanket.

Ignat translated the answer. Jim laughed, but Foma with offense shouted at him:

– I tell the truth! Now people began to build cunning traps. Caught raccoons and shot. And on Chukotka interrupted polar bears – not to count. Only the animal is intimidated now. Other life begins, not animal.

– Yes, these fires protect new working settlements from wild beasts – Simakov told. – And you know how many to fat inhabitants only of one Chukotka spent for heating and lighting of the dwellings? It is more than four thousand tons per year. Began to deliver them kerosene, and also electric light appears now.

– And skins? – Foma continued. – Inhabitants of the house built of skins. To tell directly, gold houses. A tiger – striped gold. Skins of a polar bear, a seal, a walrus, a deer – the same gold. And in vain vanished. There were I last year on the cape Serdtse-Kamen. Was to Hodyrke-reke, the Vilyuysk district. There now points of supply. Big supply of goods. Both food, and boards, and other construction materials are brought. Change for skins. Yes you will see how now natives began to live. Absolutely other life went.

Behind the line of fires standard two-storeyed wooden houses already distinctly were seen. Their windows were brightly lit. Ignat burst out laughing.

– What you? – Simakov interviewed.

– Trouble now to geographers. Change maps and textbooks of geography nearly every day.

– Yes, now, to know geography of the USSR, it is necessary to fill up the knowledge continuously. Who lagged behind, that will get lost in the USSR.

– And pipes are not visible on roofs. And not to see smoke.

– Electric heating.

– Whether not too expensive pleasure? – Ignat asked.

– Not too – Simakov answered. – However it is time for us “to moor”.

“Taiga” stopped, bells rang out again. All came to the deck and turned to work. Pipes, rotors were lifted, “Dragon” is started.

Wind began to develop energy, to charge accumulators.

– There is a power plant here. Whether it is simpler to charge accumulators at the station? – Jim asked.

– It is not necessary to lose any watt of energy if it is possible to do without these losses. Each electron comes at us to “the general copper”. In it all economic essence of a kustovaniye and uniform network – it is instructive Ignat told.

In the city already noticed arrival of “Taiga”. Several people in fur clothes hurried to the all-terrain vehicle.

– Well, how are you doing? did not burn down? – the young man asked, approaching Simakov and clapping a fur glove on his glove. It was the chairman of city council of Spheres.

– And you know? – the captain asked.

– Your radio operator told us.

– Likely, Grebenshchikov was in time – with some displeasure Simakov noticed. He prepared a surprise for October holidays and did not want that learned about “Taiga” ahead of time.

– I radiated the directed wave only here and on Chelyuskin – the confused Grebenshchikov told. – Situation was too serious, and I just in case arranged about the help. I believed that autogyros like “Dragonfly” could take out us from a flame.

– Nobody about it asked you. Misconduct…

– To you will quarrel, we go to our hotel. You will have a rest – you will tell. And you at us did not freeze, the companion? – Sharov addressed Jim. – Let’s warm, we will warm!

Jim smiled, having sparkled teeth as keys of the opened grand piano. He was still surprised by these “a big family”. Whoever they met, everywhere were as if old acquaintances whom left only yesterday. Common interests, common language, friendly address.

– My name is Sharov. And you? Jim? Well, we go. The frost is absolutely light, twenty two degrees. I will show you our town and production. How it is called? Without name. Somehow all was no time to think of it – with laughter Sharov answered Ignat’s question. – We for fun call its Medvezhansk. Perhaps, and there will be this name. And why Medvezhansk? Because when we arrived with the first party here and settled down in marching tents, bears pripozhalovat to us. Yes, how many! Ten two. We thought that to us here and the end came. However they did not touch us. Only went around at a respectful distance, smelled air, among themselves about something talked.

– Well, the end not to us, and their kingdom came – other young man dancing on snow responded. – We too here not with barehanded arrived. We had a machine gun. Ivan, the machine gunner, as cracked then laid dozen of bears, the others ran up. Fat at us how many was! These skins hang in the City Council as a banner of Medvezhansk.

At all arrived the mood was lightened. Fires, cheerful young voices, laughter, jokes worked excitingly. On one of these fires and vigorous laughter the victory over elements, proud joy of the person who conquered the dead desert was felt. Expansive Jim began to sing already, having forgotten for a while about the Florida sun, and Ignat declared that he was not tired at all and wants to examine first of all production, and then and the city. The others supported his desire.

– We go on the station if so – Sharov told. On the way to them some more people joined. All of them were young. A cheerful crowd surrounded visitors. Funny represented “wild natives” and executed the national dance “bear”. So with dances also brought to the place. Entered the small stone house.

Here it was warm also light-. The internal room is occupied with the cylindrical tanks connected by pipes. Near cars several people in blue special clothes worked. Jim looked narrowly at them and could not distinguish who here the worker who the engineer. In the beginning he thought that the chief engineer – the tall old thickset person wearing spectacles, but he was the simple worker. And the chief engineer – the pretty young man, and this young man called himself… companion Glebovoy.

The engineer Glebova was a little chilled and, offering explanations, spoke a gruffish contralto, but Jim did not even listen attentively to these explanations because he badly understood.

Having finished the station, they entered the small brick house. In the first room there was only a control panel, in the second – an elevator cabin. More than anything. Glebova started over again explaining. Ignat shortly answered an inquiring look of Jim:

– We examine new installation which turns energy of coal directly into electric current.

Jim pretended that understood, and nodded. Glebova pointed a finger down and told:

– Under your legs there is a battery of huge elements.

– Well, show us them rather! – Ignat exclaimed.

Glebova suggested to take off fur clothes.

– The elevator, unfortunately, can accomodate only four people, including the elevator operator – she told. Ignat asked to lower first of all him together with Jim.

The elevator operator turned the lever, and the cabin began to fall quickly.

– Leave!

Before them there was a spacious gallery in which there were huge tanks height about the house, similar to martin furnaces. Walls and the arches of gallery were fastened by reinforced concrete. Bright lamps lit this gallery. At the end of it the second was seen, behind it the third… the whole underground city leaving afar wide and high “streets” with “houses” – tanks. One wall had a glazed office. In it behind a desk the person worked, drinking tea from a glass. “Underground in the Arctic and as though at himself in the apartment” – Jim was surprised.

– My assistant, the engineer Stepanov – Glebova told.

On a sound of voices he turned back, nodded and continued

to work. Light of lamps was reflected in stone plates. Air pure, warm and… full deficiency. Steps were boomingly given under the arches of high gallery. Glebova went ahead and on the run told:

– For observation of this huge battery of elements at us only three engineers.

– Eh, it is a pity, Jim, you understand in it few – Ignat addressed Jolie. – I see, you are not concerned by an extraordinary element underground. If there was with me a friend Stepan Asatkin, in him the poet would start talking: “It is far behind the Polar circle, at a depth of one hundred meters the necessary, useless coal lay to nobody. People came – and this coal became heat, light, food, clothes, culture, joy…”

Day ended with “feast”. Sharov treated travelers with a tasty and various lunch, having surprised Jim is fresher greens and wild strawberry.

– Fruits of our polar electrogreenhouses – Sharov told. – Greens, vegetables in the north – a foremost thing. You, likely, did not eat long ago some greens? On “Taiga” nobody was ill you a scurvy?

– Since vitamins began to produce in the chemical way, the scurvy goes to the area of legends – Simakov answered. – But, certainly, fresh greens are unlike more pleasant than powders.

– Here oranges. These are yet not polar, unfortunately – on airplanes and airships bring – Sharov told. – But give term, perhaps, and we will live up to local. Here, look what is there, on Chelyuskin, becomes.

Jim with pleasure destroyed oranges. Hospitable a predgorsoveta allocated with them guests on the road. They decided to spend the night in “Taiga”. Dudin and Grishin left before the termination of a lunch: the snow-storm rose, it was necessary to remove a pipe and “Snake”.

Wind stormed all night long. When Ignat woke up and came to the deck, he uvidat that “Taiga” is brought by snow almost to the lower windows.

– Perhaps, it is necessary to dig out – he told Simakov who already held the ground the captain’s bridge.