Anatoly Rybakov - THE BRONZE BIRD

"Yes. I gave him that wire. And that stake was taken from a fence by Akimka. It's Senka's raft all right."

The boys went ashore. A woods extended to the right of them, and to the left there was a village. A railway embankment loomed beyond the fields, about a kilometre away. A freight train was crawling along the track, leaving behind it a long tail of smoke.

The boys discussed the situation.

Igor and Seva had left the raft here. That was plain enough. But where had they gone to?

"To the station," Genka said.

"Or to the village," Slava suggested.

"What for?"

"For ropes. They probably want to mend the raft and continue on their way."

"On that wreck!"

"Now listen to me," Misha said. "Genka, take Slava with you and go to the station. Longshanks and I will take the boat on to the village. What's it called, Longshanks?"

"Grachyi Viselki."

"Well, that's where we'll go. We'll find out if Igor and Seva have been there. If not for ropes, then at least for food. Go to the village from the station. We'll wait for you there. Only don't be long." Misha looked at his watch. "Oho, it's already half past four! There's another day gone!"

Genka and Slava set out for the station. Misha and Longshanks pushed off and made for the village of Grachyi Viselki. Before long they saw some village children swimming in the river near the bank. They said that two Young Pioneers had been in their village on the previous evening, that they had come in a boat, asked what village it was, and moved on.

"In a boat?" Misha asked, surprised. "Could you describe these Young Pioneers?"

The description fitted Igor and Seva. One was thin, dark, with a hooked nose, the other was fair and plump.

Where did they get the boat from? What nonsense was this?

"What kind of a boat did they have?" Misha asked.

The children explained that it was an ordinary boat, but nobody in their village had one quite like it. They had never seen it before.

"They won't get past Frolkin Ford," Longshanks said, "the river there is clogged up with log bridges and beyond them there is a mill with a dam."

"How far is it to the ford?"

"Three or four kilometres," Longshanks said uncertainly. "We ought to make it before dark."

"But we've got to wait for Genka and Slava," Misha muttered cheerlessly. "By the time they'll get back it'll be night."

The sultriness of noon gave way to the coolness of evening. Swarms of midges appeared over the water. A mist began to settle on the river. Long shadows stretched across the water. Only beyond the distant hills were there the bronze reflections of the sunset.

At long last, Genka and Slava returned from the station, tired, angry and dusty. The station had proved to be quite far away. Added to that, while they were passing through the village they had been attacked by a pack of dogs. And the station itself was not really a station but only a tiny siding and only one train, the ten o'clock, stopped there. They had made inquiries, but nobody had seen Igor and Seva.

Misha quickly explained the situation. The boys took their places in the boat and moved on.

Immediately past the village, their way was barred by cows. The animals were standing in the water along the whole width of the river. The boys rowed carefully. Slava, who was in the bow, fiercely waved his arms, but the cows only gazed at him watchfully, showing not the slightest inclination to move out of the way.

"Whoa, get going, what are you standing there for!" Slava yelled.

"Who are you saying 'whoa' to? They're not horses," Genka said. "The word to use is 'allez.'"

"Allez!" Slava shouted trustfully.

But that too made no impression on the cows.

Genka rolled with laughter.

It was only after the boys raised a terrible din and began to wave their oars that the cows finally moved aside and let them through.

For some time they rowed without further adventures.

The last lights of the sunset grew dim. A hush at once descended upon the river. The boys were silent. Everything around looked so deserted and dreary.

"Where's that Frolkin Ford of yours?" Misha asked.

"We'll be there soon," Longshanks replied.

Swiftly, it grew dark. The banks began to lose their outlines.

There was no help for it but to stop for the night, otherwise they might miss Igor and Seva in the darkness.

They found a big hay-rick, brought all their things, dragged the boat out of the water and chained it to a tree. All they had for supper was bread soaked in water from the river.

The rays of the dying sun were illumining the tops of the trees, but the trails in the woods were in deep shadow. The birds' chorus fell silent. The bumble-bees and flies disappeared as if by magic.

Fire-flies were already twinkling in the shrubs and grass. New sounds came to life in the woods: an eagle-owl laughed shrilly, an owl screamed repulsively, now crying pitifully like a child, now whistling or simply hooting. And that cry instantly reminded the boys of the boatman.

They were terrified. Something rustled in the hay. Genka suggested it was a snake. But Longshanks assured them that there were no snakes in these parts.

The owl screamed again.

"Damn nuisance!" Genka said. "Isn't it fed up with itself?"

"Wood-goblins sometimes scream like that," Longshanks said.

Genka fidgeted in the hay and laughed.

"That's right, you haven't said a word about wood-goblins today."

"There are goblins in woods," Longshanks insisted, "and in swamps. In water there are water-goblins and mermaids. And in houses, there are house-goblins."

"Have you seen any of them for yourself?" Genka said, yawning loudly.

"Don't be silly," Longshanks laughed quietly. "Only a magician or a witch can see them. They're never seen by ordinary folk. But if you go into a woods, a goblin will take hold of you and make you go round and round in circles. You'll find yourself coming back to the same spot every time. Do you know why that happens? Well, I'll tell you. Because goblins make you walk in circles."

"That's not the reason," Misha said.

"Then what is?"

"The reason is that people make longer steps with their left leg than with their right. That is why they walk in circles. Get it?"

"Wait a minute." Genka raised himself on his elbows. "You mean to say that if I'm on the left side of the road I'll gradually find myself on the right side?"

"No," Misha said, "when you walk on a road, the road itself gives you your bearings and you keep correcting the length of your stride without noticing it. But you can't get your bearings in a wood and therefore you do not correct your step. Am I right, Slava?"

In reply he heard a light snore. Slava was sound asleep.

"Let's follow his example," Misha said. "We have to get up early."

With the first rays of the sun Misha opened his eyes and began to wake his friends.

Longshanks was on his feet in an instant. Slava did not want to get up, but he made himself rise and, yawning, dragged himself to the river for a dip. Genka, meanwhile, had dug himself so deep into the hay and was curled up so fast that it was almost impossible to get at him. He was asleep even when his friends half-carried him to the river. He woke up and fought free only when they started swinging him preparatory to throwing him into the water.

"You had no call waking me. I would have gotten up in time for breakfast."

But they had nothing for breakfast and so, tightening their belts, the boys took their places in the boat and continued their journey.

After they had covered about two kilometres, Genka suddenly sniffed once or twice and said:

"I smell porridge!"

His friends sniffed at the air. Indeed, there was a smell of slightly burnt millet porridge. It was so strong, savoury and appetizing that it brought tears to the boys' eyes.