– I see that it is boring for you and you hang about. Desire to sit down for work. You will help me to sort samples. But if only you are absent-minded – I will banish.
Jim tried so that on his dark forehead sweat droplets acted.
Ignat got acquainted with the navigator Foma Gruzdev closer and learned his biography. Gruzdev spent thirty years in a taiga. He – the hunter pathfinder – traveled all over Siberia from the Urals to Kamchatka and saw much on the century. Was also on the mines, but there it was not pleasant to it.
– “Gold, gold! How many because of you it is evil!” – he liked to repeat, telling about Aldan of imperial times. – The people were nasty there. On gold the mad. Here, by the way, быль, but not an invention. The priiskatel sails on Kuta’s mouth. And it has a wife yes two children. The wife with children came to the coast: “Take me – says – with himself. What with children of one to do to me?” And at a priiskatel only gold on mind. Sent the wife far away. An oar pushed away the boat. Started singing the song. The wife of one child threw into the river and another swung. Another was managed to be taken away, and the first and sank. And a priiskatel – though that. Even did not stop singing the song – left…
– How you got on “Taiga”? – Ignat asked.
– I know a taiga, here and got on “Taiga”. A taiga – it such, as cards will not help. How many these expeditions I saw! People both with cards, and with compasses go, and will stop by in the swamp – and horses and will ruin themselves. The taiga should be known. Or here to go by such ship…
– It is pleasant to you on “Taiga”? You do not miss hunting?
– Happens. I got used to wander. And got used to “Taiga”. People are good. As a stop – I ружьишко for shoulders also went to wander. I deliver provisions. Both it is pleasant to me, and all are happy.
He looked at the horizon and, having shaken the head, muttered to himself in moustaches:
– Mean place. Go, soaring, to the captain yes tell him that he went round this bog.
Ignat went to Simakov and gave him Foma’s council.
– We have to test “Taiga” in any conditions – Simakov answered.
– Your business – Foma grumbled.
“Taiga” entered the boggy lowland which overgrew at the edges a sedge. The great number of wild geese was removed and with loud cackling flew by over “Taiga”.
“Taiga” moved more and more slowly. Day was gloomy, autumn, similar to deep twilight. Low clouds mixed up with the fog rising above the ground. Bright colors of fall grew dull. Gray and black color prevailed.
In “Taiga” fires were lit already. From round windows on pools and the dried-up grass rays of light fell, crept on the ground and suddenly, having stopped, lit hummocks, moss-grown, with cloudberries, blueberry…
– Arrived! – Foma grinned.
Wide, heavy wheels of “Taiga” got stuck in fenny ooze. Simakov ordered to pass to a caterpillar drive. Mechanisms worked well, replacement happened quickly.
– Full speed!
“Taiga” moved, crept several meters and again stopped.
– Backing! – Simakov to the engine room shouted.
The case of “Taiga” began to tremble from tension, but “Taiga” still stood still.
– Strongly mudflows – Ignat told. – It is necessary to avralit again.
– Yes – Simakov shortly answered.
The bell rang out. All crew rose by the deck. Simakov explained situation. It is necessary to purify the dirt which jammed into tapes of a caterpillar drive and under the vessel case. All armed with shovels and turned to work.
– When the ice breaker rubs clean ice, nobody says that ice breakers – an unusable thing and that therefore it is necessary to recognize himself won by elements and to refuse swimming in the polar seas – Simakov told, working with Ignat.
Already absolutely darkened, and it was necessary to light searchlights. From work as everything was hot. By the night wind blew from the North, dispersed clouds. With the wind cold came. Pools dragged on thin ice. Marsh ooze hardened as mixed concrete.
– And what if to spread out fires and to warm the earth? – offered Kamnev.
Simakov looked back. Around bush. It is necessary to spend a lot of time to find in this desert of firewood for fires. Wood already far. And fires will not help…
At midnight the exhausted people threw shovels. Decided to have a rest and for the next day to turn to work again.
In the morning the southern wind blew, became warmer, and ice thawed. But “Taiga” was still motionless.
Jim threw a shovel and ran, jumping from a hummock on a hummock, from “Taiga”, on a small height aside. It stayed some time there and then excited returned, smiling.
– Oll-rayt! I thought up! – he shouted still from a distance. – There, on a hillock, a lake. It is a lot of water. It is necessary to take hoses and to pump over water here. Ooze will become liquid…
– And we will stick even more deeply – Ignat added. – Eh you, inventor!
Jim’s face was extended. But Simakov thought.
– Silent backing! – Simakov ordered to Zhukov, having climbed up the captain’s bridge.
Travelers stood on the deck and expected, what will be farther. “Taiga” shook, slowly moved back, stopped, once again moved, again stopped… In a quarter of hour the all-terrain vehicle passed only ten of meters. But it obviously got out of the viscous lowland, approaching more dense soil. Blades of wheels began to take sticky dirt.
– To replace blades with a caterpillar!
– Take your time to laugh at it – he told Ignat. – You are not familiar with a design of “Taiga” yet. Jim gives quite good advice. If there is enough water, it will raise the case of “Taiga”. We will use ridge wheels. They will play a role and steamship and overland wheels…
– We will gain the whole tons to silt – Ignat objected.
– Let’s look – Simakov answered.
Collected and connected fire hoses, but all of them were not enough to a lake. It was necessary to dig the small channel. At last water was started up and began to fill the lowland quickly. The caterpillar drive was replaced with wheel and bladed.
“Taiga” went even quicker and at last left the fenny place. A backing it moved still some time, then turned and began to bypass the rotten lowland.
On the same day coils declared that they terminated products.
– We go to lower “Snake” – Dudin offered Ignat. They passed on a stern. Dudin switched off the current going on a cable from “Dragon” and began to reel up this thin steel cable on the electric winch. “Dragon” went down below and below and grew in the eyes. Ignat distinctly saw platforms of Testov and Grinev standing at a handrail. They waved to it a hand and something shouted. The tail of “Dragon” touched the earth. Still in a few minutes the huge construction smoothly fell and became on sliding props. Ignat quickly ran away on a ladder and went to “Dragon”. Coils met halfway already to it.
– Well, show your celestial dwelling – he told.
– And show me – Jim responded behind his back.
“Dragon” stood on the earth and easily rocked. It was necessary to Vzlezat on a rope ladder.
– Here below still warmly – told Tests. It was in a fur coat, valenoks, a cap, as well as his companion.
– And at you at height? – Ignat asked.
– Furious, cold wind.
In the middle of the fenced platform there was a small lodge, otoplyaemy and lit by electricity. Cold wind turned the generator to the public and into heat. A case for products, a little table, two chairs and one trailing bed in which coils in turn fell down. Electric heaters, tiles, radio receiver, small radio station, TV. On a table a box with books and another is, less – pharmaceutical. On the open area meteorological tools, the anemometer, a barograph, the thermometer.
– The side planes, spaces under a floor and over a ceiling are filled with hydrogen – Grinev explained. – Gas considerably facilitates, almost counterbalances the weight of “Dragon”. Rise rather to start “Snake”, requires wind measuring five-six points. Rise is facilitated by so-called effect of Magnus: at a side pressure of wind on the rotating rotor the difference of air pressure turns out – below more, at the top of a rotor it is less – and “Dragon” goes up.
– And I can rise on “Snake”? – Ignat asked.
– And me too – Jim did not lag behind. Coils exchanged glances.
– Perhaps, it is possible for one of you. But only it for about three days, will not come to an end a stock of products yet. Which of you is more familiar with electrical equipment?
– I am electrical engineer as you know – Ignat told.
He put on more warmly and with impatience expected rise. To drag the prepared box with products it was short. But five-point wind had to be expected several hours. At last it blew. “Taiga” moved, the cable stretched, “Dragon” stood several seconds as if in thought, and began to separate from the earth. Above, above. Ice wind burned Ignat’s cheeks. Bugaev pulled a cap with ear-flaps over a forehead more densely.
11. Night on “Snake”
– Not so here it is pleasant how you expected? – asked with a smile of Tests. – And it is just flowers.
– Trifles – Ignat answered. – What I, did not see wind?
The above they rose, the wind became stronger and colder.
Having put on fur mittens, Ignat armed with the sea field-glass, but left it soon: fog laid down, drew distances a veil. Low rushing clouds shrouded in times “Snake”, and then even the side planes on “Dragon” were seen only dark, indistinct stains. On “Taiga” fires flashed. A bright sheaf of light, punching fog, lit a way of the all-terrain vehicle. It lit a searchlight on a nose, over the captain’s cabin.
– 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.