A. Belyaev - Classics of a fantasy

as if silver. The strange roundabouts, planked footway hanging in flashed

air, railway lines.

At the next moment стратоплан it was leveled, the platform failed.

Finger extended a neck to look down.

– You admire an amusement park? – Vinkler with a smile asked.

The second small list, and Hans saw one-storey pine houses, for

them – two-storeyed long standard barracks, further away – tents.

Crossing all city, there was an embankment, hollow rising in the direction

break. On the very brink of the city factory cases and pipes were seen, from

who were brought down by Narrow-gage railway smoke diversely cut the city.

Trucks scurried about. The embankment blackened the people who were pottering about as if ants.

Along an embankment long trunks of excavators turned.

“Really here the amusement park is arranged?” – Finger, but not wanted to ask

was in time. Stratoplan sharply came in the land, sat down on the earth, jumped up,

swept and unexpectedly abruptly stopped.

– Arrived, – Hans told.

Travelers quickly put on in fur coats and caps.

The hermetic door of a stratoplan opened. Pakhnulo frosty air K

the stratoplan suited the bystry tripping gait the tolstenky person in

to fur-coat. It was the commercial director Collins.

– You arrived for ten minutes earlier, – he told, greeting. – I

heard an infernal crash of your stratoplan and hurried here. You are wounded, the sir?

You have on a forehead blood.

– Trifles, – Blotton answered. – Medical assistance is not required Idle time

bruise about a door. And here if you feed me with a good beefsteak, I will be

to you he is very grateful. It is hungry so as if did not eat days, and meanwhile

before flying away I have densely breakfast.

– Not without reason the theory of relativity claims that it than quicker moves

the body, the more slowly for it proceeds time, – with a smile told

Collins.

– I think, now sir Henry Blotton will prefer a hot grog and

beefsteak of the theory of relativity, – Vinkler noticed.

– How is Mr. Zander? – Blotton asked.

– It was caused on a meeting has to return to lady Hinton On soon, —

Collins Blotton and Collins answered send forward. Vinkler and Finger – on

some distance from them.

– I will show you our dwelling, – Vinkler told. – I think, you

it will be most convenient to be located in the room near me.

– Certainly, – Finger answered.

They went down the street Stormer-city, supporting each other. In the city still

did not manage to take care of improvement. Sidewalks were not, packed

snow became covered by an ice crust, and people quite often fell.

It was the city which all life was adapted for

implementation of one grandiose idea.

Cold mountain air was filled with a rumble, noise, shouts, beeps.

Deafly excavators roared, small electric locomotives had sharply something in common,

busy scurrying about on a narrow-gage railway, squealed on trolley curves

On the ground shadows from cars of the suspended road crept. From time to time

booming blows shook air – tore rocks. Monophonically sang sawmills.

Smelled of sulfur, the petrol reek of alcohol. Somewhere pneumatic cracked

punchers the guttural multilingual speech of workers was heard Everywhere. They

scurried about on streets in all directions, transferring on weight shoulders,

filled the city with din and the movement. On this mountain platform as if

centuries and the people met. The electric and steam shovels made on

to state-of-the-art technology, and the biped “pack animals” moving

weights, as at the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs.

“Muscular force here, obviously, is cheaper and more favorable, than cars”, —

Finger thought, looking narrowly at workers.

Who was not only here! Both yellow-faced Chinese, and Blacks, and

chocolate Malayans, and bronze Hindus.

Also white faces met, most often it were foremen.

Despite the snow covering city streets, and cold, sharp mountain

wind, workers were dressed easily. At many through shirts appeared through

body.

– Real International! – Finger told.

– Yes, poverty International, – Vinkler answered. – All of them are bought for

pennies are also contracted by agents of society for several years. People

agreed to any conditions, if only to avoid starvation,

unemployment, and still met the worst of slavery here. From there are ways

retreats are cut off. Unapproachable snow mountains, snow snow-storms,

abysses, deserted, naked deserts protect this hungry люд better

any watchmen. The few from them are solved on escape and almost all pay for

it the life. Strikes here ruthlessly are suppressed, though

flash again.

Finger vaguely lowed something. Vinkler has a look at him,

patted shoulder and continued:

– I see, you are covered already by an itch of the propagandist. Yes, here grateful

the soil, it is also necessary to put not enough work that all this powder

the cellar blew up. But, – it continued significantly, – endurance, Hans,

and patience are so necessary for the revolutionary, as well as bravery. In total in

the time. Here and our housing.

They entered the small house put from crude logs of mountain

pines.

Walls of the room of Vinkler were covered with plywood sheets. In a corner stood

iron furnace. Two tables – lunch and working with phone and a lamp on

it is mute, couple of chairs, a bed, a washstand and a small locker made

all situation. A color carpet on a wall at a bed and a skin of a bear on a floor

brightened up this just arranged room a little.

– So you were not tired?

– No, he is not tired, – Finger answered, undressing. – I would like somewhat quicker

to get acquainted with the city and…

– To learn the latest news?

Vinkler took out an electric tile, cans from a locker,

bread, plates also began to manage.

– And so, listen. Now in Stormer-city it is constructed

the first big rocket calculated on twenty people. Behind it have to

to follow others. And finally to convince men of little faith,

the hesitating, indecisive rich men, the small rocket is already constructed

Pikkolo in which one person can be located. Trial flight in

presence of “shareholders” Blotton will make – he wants to concede to nobody

this honor. For this purpose it also arrived here. The lord cannot refuse in

rash bravery, characteristic of the bourgeois champion. Rocket

will make small take-off, will rise over a stratosphere – new laurels in

rekordsmensky wreath of the lord – will also go down on the surface of the Great ocean,

where we will also catch it. A lot of things depend on success of this first flight.

Intensity of a gold stream can increase considerably if Blotton

will appear after flight live and safe before kings of the exchange.

– And you, Vinkler, trust in a possibility of rescue of capitalist

tops in such unusual way?

– Let will do some flying.

– And., you promote it?

– Not only that itself I promote, but also attracted you to “partnership

in a crime against revolution”. Yes, yes. You will not only work

on building, but also you will depart together with me and lords whom you are so

fairly you hate, – certainly if only flight takes place.

Hans, do not get excited. Listen to me quietly. I well know that you want

to tell. We could upset all this music, certainly, very easily.

We could cause a revolt, could blow up the rocket before most