Classics fantasy – 11. A. Belyaev

      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