© A. Belyaev, 2019

ISBN 978-5-0050-1140-4 (т. 11)

ISBN 978-5-0050-0936-4

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

UNDER THE SKY OF THE ARCTIC

1. Black and white

– Again the cat behind a wall myauchit – Ignat Bugaev told, quickly looking through production schedules of power plant.

The cleaner of the Guryev hotel for visitors did not understand a joke and seriously answered:

– This is not a cat. This is your neighbor Jim Jolie plays the Hawaiian guitar.

– Black?

– Yes, Black. It arrived to us from America recently. Music does not disturb you? I can tell…

– No, Ashime, music does not disturb me … – Bugaev thoughtfully drummed thick fingers according to schedules, then quickly got up, left in a corridor and knocked in the next number. The crying, mewing sounds of a guitar stopped.

– Enter! – the melodious tenor was heard.

In the middle of the room, with the lowered guitar in the left hand, there was Black Jim of Jolie. It was high growth, is healthy and young. The collar of an apache plaid shirt and sleeves sprained above elbows opened a dark mighty breast and the athlete’s muscles.

– Allow to get acquainted, the companion – said in English Bugaev. – I am an inspector of the high-voltage line, the engineer Ignatiy Bugaev.

Eyes of the Black still longed, and full lips developed in a hospitable smile, and dazzling-white teeth already sparkled. Jim gave a hand, and Bugaev noticed that the palm was much lighter than his dark hand.

– I am very glad to get acquainted. Jim of Jolie. Worker. The emigrant – the Black answered.

– You not absolutely justify the surname, the companion – Bugaev told. – Jolie – cheerful, noisy, live. And your eyes and your guitar long. About what? About the homeland? About the girl with a flower on a breast?

They took seat at an open window. Jim thoughtfully looked at the sea, on far smoky yarn of trawlers, at the plumose clouds lit with decline purple. His dark fingers already touched on a guitar string habit. And to the accompaniment of a silent, sad song he began to speak about himself. Bugaev listened to words and unfamiliar motive. Strange music with the breaking rhythm explained untold. “These syncopes – Bugaev thought – say more words. Jim left ‘an old rhythm’ and did not enter new… Loneliness? Yes, of course, and loneliness. Jim is similar to the plant postponed for others soil. Botanists call it ‘introduction’. Introduktsionnye of a plant probably too have to have nostalgia – homesickness…”

Jim of Jolie worked in North America at cannery in Kaye-Vest, or Key West, as he told. It is the most southern part of the Florida peninsula. Beyldon and Son cannery. Big there was a business. Over hundred million dollars. Crisis ate. From year to year production was reduced. Jim was the good worker, and he was held up to the end. And the end was is as follows: Beyldon and the son not only closed case, but also broke the plant – appear, easier to sell the empty site. But nobody bought it. On ruins of the plant the “cave” settlement of the unemployed was formed. Ate fish who was caught. Wore the last rags. And is farther what?

Jim dreamed of a trip to the USSR long ago, as well as his many companions. But all of them did not have enough funds for the road. Perhaps, there was not enough also determination. And Jim had it. And here three friends of Jim put the pennies with his small savings and equipped him to the road. It was the stork not only friendly solidarity, but also calculation: having settled in the USSR, Jim would send money for the road to one of “shareholders”, that after arrival to the USSR – to the following, and so – so far all “shareholders” will not get over on the new homeland.

– Here and all short history of a long way from Key West to Huryef – smiling finished Jolie.

– Not Huryef, but Guryev – Bugaev corrected. – And what you want to do?

– Canned food – Jim answered, publishing a finale on a guitar.

– To me specified this city. I did not know the USSR. But you have other fish, other methods of processing here. It is necessary to be retrained. I should go to Vladivostok. Crabs – my specialty. But it is a long way again, and on a trip I have no means any more.

– And you have no other specialty? – Bugaev asked.

Jim of Jolie shrugged shoulders:

– I worked in Charleston at buildings. When crisis suspended construction, it was necessary to pass into the food industry. Thought that it is more right: people can cease to build, but is not.

– And it turned out that they can cease and eat? – having grinned Bugaev told. It had a dense bass, and Jolie even shuddered when Ignat suddenly loudly asked:

– You are able to knead concrete?

– It was necessary.

– Perfectly, Jim, perfectly! You will be a concreter. I was written by Vera Kolosova… If you accompany me on your guitar, Jolie, I can recite to you verses fairy tales on the blue-eyed girl who lives very far, in the midnight region. It is similar to the ice queen. – Jim smiled. – But as you do not play, I continue to speak rough prose. It civil engineer. And now builds the wonderful building in which of polar cold will do heat and light.

– It is similar to the fairy tale too – Jim told.

– When you closer get acquainted with our country, you will see that we have many such fairy tales of life. Yes, so about Vera. She wrote me that it on building does not have enough concreters. Allow me to bring you as a gift to Vera Kolosova.

Jim burst out laughing.

– I am afraid that she will not thank you for such gift. I will go with you, companion Bugaev. But I would like to know what the ice country is and what the magic factory for processing of cold in heat is.

– We still will have time to talk. So far I have to warn about one: it is the country of ice, cold, blizzards, a gloom. After solar Florida such country, perhaps, will seem you hell. Think properly.

– From there is mail to America?

– Well, certainly. There is both mail, and telegraph, and radio.

Jim slapped up to Bugaev’s palm the palm.

– Means, on hands. A point – Ignat in Russian finished.

2. Live card

Jim with interest observed a small cabin of the airship. Jolie never before was necessary to fly on airships. Below – Bugaev’s bed, over it – a suspended bed of Jim with a high grid, as in cribs. Walls are fitted by blue leatherette with imprinted flowers. The external wall is slanted to a floor, in a wall – a low, but wide window. Curtains. At a window – the small little table laid by a white cloth before a table – two stools from dural pipes. Anything superfluous. Light-, warmly, perhaps, even hot. But it is not stuffy. The small propeller freshener works at a little table. In a corner the fan buzzes. As in hot day in the field bumblebees and bees. And against the background of this hum pleasant music – a waltz from the opera “Eugene Onegin”. Radio… Drives at a dream. Jim closes eyes and sees is dense – blue open spaces of the Gulf of Mexico, the Guryev trawlers… and ahead of it the unknown country of ices and blizzards which he never saw in life expects…

Jim stirred up the head and looked in a window. Steppe. The shadow of the airship runs on the ground. The infinite chain of support of high-voltage transfer leaves afar. On the horizon the lake shines, the woods become blue. The airship flies several days low above the ground. How many was replaced pictures in these hours of flight! Fields, waterless steppes, woods, deserts and again woods. The farther on the North, the their becomes more. And everywhere – in steppes, deserts, even in the woods among long wide glades – busy tractors, trucks, cranes, derrik, trolleys, engines… Whole regiments and battalions of workers… Day after day, step by step people win desert spaces, carry out channels, construct roads, cut through glades in the woods… What persistence! What tension! Ahead – the primitive nature, a solitude, the woods; behind – roads, settlements, the plants, the cities.

In deserts of Central Asia Jim saw a set of solar and vetrosilovy installations. The hot, drying-up sun began to give water, water gives rise to greens of meadows, gardens, groves, shadows, a cool. There will be nothing surprising and in if from cold they begin to get heat.

And further, on the North – the woods. Continuous Siberian woods. With them, perhaps, fight is more difficult, than with deserts. When you fly over these woods, apparently, all globe is covered with them. To them is not present began, the end. Billions of trees occupied vast spaces and guard the possession.

In the sky the airplane, behind it five gliders on the tow flies. “The air train”. Here one glider was unhooked and decreases on a forest glade. It bears to woodcutters mail, food… Already many such air trains Jim saw.

…Highly in the sky the all-metal Tsiolkovsky airship slowly moves, its motors do not work. It goes down stream of the air river. Bugaev explained: “Motorless air transport”.

Radio music came to an end. Shmeliny hum of ship propellers and fans became more heard. Transfer of “latest news” began. But Jim still badly understands Russian.

It becomes boring for Jolie. It goes to a saloon.

Bugaev sits at a window. The collar of a white shirt will be undone. On a small table paper, pencils. Bugaev holds a radiotelephone tube in hand, looks in a window, asks invisible interlocutors questions, scolds someone, quickly writes down answers.

Bugaev sees Jim, nods and asks:

– You want some coffee? – They already on “you”.

– I thank, I had breakfast – Jim answers.

Bugaev acquainted Jim with the card. There is the southern main line. It goes south from Elba to Chardzhuya directly, then turns on the East – Tashkent, Chirchiq, Naryn, Alma-Ata; then goes on the northeast – to Irtysh, Biysk, Krasnoyarsk, Ilim – and from there on the East – to Zeya, Selendzhu, Bureya, Perm, Sovgavan, coast of the Pacific Ocean…

– And here northern line: Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk. Above, to the north of this line, there are only certain stations. I specify the most northern – Tobolsk, Vilyuysk, Yakutsk, Aldan, Kolyma. And further… The white spot is farther. Undeveloped desert. Tundra. Taiga. The infinite sleeping riches.

– We conduct to the Arctic approach with the South and we storm it ice breakers from the Ledovity ocean. The Arctic is a “workshop of weather”. Meteorologists only then will be able unmistakably to forecast the weather when all Arctic becomes covered by network of radio – and meteorological stations. The Arctic is the country infinite and still almost not experienced riches. We only slightly opened the Arctic chest and already found apatites, iron ore, coal, graphite, oil, non-ferrous metals, peat, slates both other and other, besides in such quantities which change all our ideas of world reserves of minerals. And its infinite woods? And incalculable quantity of a sea animal and fish of the polar seas, rivers, lakes? And fur richness of the woods? And uncountable herds of wild deer?

The Arctic is the country of the future, but not the country of “death and horror” what it was and what else seems to much still.

The Arctic … – Bugaev unexpectedly became silent and crackled fingers. – We did not win up to the end against this country yet – he told more quietly. – You will ask why…

– Cold? Climate?

– No, not cold and not climate – the main obstacle. “Resilience” of the Arctic is in its open spaces, in off road terrain, that she is too great.

In fight against off road terrain we apply all types of “weapon” – the sea and air fleet.

You, likely, read about our last giant ice breakers? To them more ices are not terrible. The great Northern Sea Route is laid.

Our ice breakers blow up icebergs, break ice heavy cases, and sometimes and kindle it. The nose of the ice breaker turns into the heated “electroiron” which melts ice. It is our last invention.

But this iron demands big power consumption.

We have power sources. The Arctic is rich with coal and in particular the wood. But we do not go in the area of the smallest resistance. We protect the wood and coal for more valuable use in chemical industry. But

The Arctic is rich with gratuitous wind power. And all of us more and more use this energy. The deep rivers of Siberia many months in a year are held down by ice. Our scientists work on a problem of year-round use of energy of these rivers. The most interesting experiments of fight against formation of ice, are now conducted by freezing of the rivers.

We began to do in real earnest use of thermal energy of the earth, numerous “furnaces” – hills of Kamchatka. The Kamchatka hills already began to give us energy and will give more and more every year. We could throw a large amount of energy from the South, from our solar stations. But the Arctic has to feed with energy itself. And we decided to use a boundless source of the Arctic energy – cold. I will not speak to you about this idea in detail, you learn on the place.

Look at the card. We are here – to the north of Baikal, not far from the Angarsk hydroelectric power station. There we will leave the airship and we will change on the airplane which will incur us directly on the North through continuous forests. I am called to the new city, Chelyuskin, for consultation.

– There lives also “the snow queen”? – Jim asked.

– There also lives. You already became interested in it? But, I warn, she is already a bride – laughing Bugaev answered.

3. Road adventure

Woods, woods, woods… In a cabin of the plane warmly. Monotonously the motor hoots. Shakes the car. The skilled pilot Semenov heads directly for the North on the hundred third parallel. Armed with the Russian-English dictionary, Jim slowly reads the new Russian novel. Ignat at the next window works with a slide rule, something writes down.

Unexpectedly the pilot switches off motors, rocked the plane.

Ignat looked in a window. It seemed, the earth suddenly rose on end and jumped on the airplane. The plane decreases an abrupt spiral on a small glade.

– Keep! – Ignat to Jim shouted. But the plane without push already concerned the earth, ran on a grass and stopped.

– Only our Semenov could sit down so dexterously – Ignat delightfully exclaimed. It opened a door in the pilot’s cabin. Semenov sat, having leaned back on a chair back. Pale face. From a nose blood flows. The flight mechanic Doronin already gives first aid – moistens Semenova with whisky alcohol, wipes cotton wool the blood-stained hands and a face.

– At it – Doronin explained – there was bleeding from a nose, dizziness… How you feel, Semenov?

Semenov smiled and answered with a gruffish voice:

– Now it is better, but the head is still turned. I cannot understand why it…

The sick pilot was carefully transferred to a cabin of a fodder compartment and laid on a floor, on the outspread mattress, having highly raised the head.

Jim looked in a cabin window. Gloomy, impassable wall of the wood. It seemed to impressionable Jim that dark larches the hostile and triumphing system surrounded the steel bird who came on a silver platter. Now she together with people was a captive of the wood. Around – a deficiency, forest swamps on hundreds, perhaps, thousands of kilometers. You will get lost, you will die of hunger before you reach people. In the airplane of food for only several days… Sick Semenov… Gloomy picture!

But Bugaev is absolutely quiet. He squeezes out water of a towel the strong hands and puts a compress on Semenov’s head.

– What became silent? – Ignat asked Jim. – Do not worry. We everywhere houses. If the wood is not quite won, then and over us he does not dominate more. Ourselves will not come out of the wood – we will be found.

It was heard as Doronin works at an emergency radio set and then talks on a radio telephone. In a few minutes it returned.

– The next settlement is nearby, in three hundred kilometers, the next aviapoint – in five hundred – he told. – But somewhere the radio station of the Taiga ship works absolutely nearby.

– Ship? – Semenov asked, raising the head and trying to smile. – Which of us is sick, you or I?

– Perhaps, I became deaf, did not catch – Doronin made a helpless gesture. – But the unknown radio operator clearly told: “Tells the Taiga ship. We are in only thirty kilometers from you, directly on the East. In two hours we will send the doctor as soon as “Dragonfly” returns.

– But directly on the East thousands of kilometers of the continuous wood – Semenov told again.

– I also know that around the wood and to the sea it is far. What waves and winds brought the ship here?

– You also asked about it – Ignat told.

– Also asked. And the radio operator laughs. You come, speaks, and look at.

– Yes, but in two hours it is impossible to pass the wood thirty kilometers. Perhaps, it is a mystification what – Bugaev reflected aloud. – Or it is the air ship which transferred accident, as well as we.

– With distress signals do not joke – Doronin almost angrily answered.

Time hung heavy. On an end of the second hour after accident “Taiga” reported that “Dragonfly” took off and in a few minutes will be on the place. Means, this is not the doctor, and the airplane? And the mysterious ship really exists?

The motor rumble was heard soon. The last red beams of the sun lit the silvery “Dragonfly” who seemed over the wood. It was the small two-seater airplane – the gelikopter having two propellers.

“Dragonfly” took a detour over a glade, choosing the place of landing. Gelikopter almost steeply fell near Semenov’s car.

The cabin left the elderly woman in a leather coat with a small suitcase in a hand.

Doctor Dubrovina examined Semenov and declared that he needs to be taken on the airplane to hospital. She left drugs from the road first-aid kit, explained how to look after the patient, and departed.

– Hallo! – the voice from a loudspeaker was heard. – The air base speaks. The sanitary airplane arrived. We can send it to you. Spread out fires that it could find you.