Classics fantasy – 11. A. Belyaev

laughed” – Jim, услыхав the girl’s voice thought.

      The moment was such that not before official representations. Guests got acquainted with crew a mute nod of the head.

      – All hollow parts of “Dragon” are filled with hydrogen – Fokina continued. – “Dragon” will not fall; will carry it for the line of the fire.

      – However wind can fall to the South, and “Snakes” in a flame – is disturbing Kamneva told.

      – Attention! – the captain shouted. – All in places. Operation of machines at full capacity!

      Zhukov ran to the motors. Foma became for a steering wheel. The captain Simakov with Ignat and Jim went to the captain’s cabin, under it the others were grouped.

      Motors hooted. “Taiga”, having trembled all over, slowly moved forward. The overland ship approached closely a wall of larches soon. There was no place to go further. Without restraint propellers on a nose hooted.

      – Really one screw draft can be moved this monster? – Ignat asked.

      – On snow it is possible – Simakov answered. – Here propellers only help: “Taiga” moves on wheels which rotate by means of motors. There will be time, will tell in detail. And also you will see something.

      – Frame! – he shouted.

      Ahead of the all-terrain vehicle the metal frame strengthened on low wheels moved forward. The forward ends of a frame were connected by a thin metal plate. Behind a plate, at some distance from it, there passed the metal pipe. It went parallel to a plate and also connected the ends side metal cores. In total together also made the “frame” reminding the shafts connected ahead, but very widely placed.

      – Current! – Simakov continued to order, bending to an acoustical pipe.

      Jim and Ignat saw how the thin metal strip ahead of “shafts” reddened and was made white-hot. The strip crashed into a larch and passed through its trunk with ease of the knife cutting oil. Juice of a tree addressed in the steam which escaped from a section. The smoke seemed. But at the same moment from the pipe which was behind a plate through holes streams of the foamy liquid which was sticking around the place of a cut began to escape. The flashing flame immediately was extinguished. Hissing amplified. Steam and smoke covered an electric knife.

      – Claws!

      Two pairs of levers terminating in iron claws came up from where from below. Dudin and Gritsay dexterously operated iron hands. Claws grabbed a tree above a cut and left aside. “Taiga” moved forward. Kamneva, Fokina, Dubrovina helped Dudin and Gritsayu to direct falling of trees when “hands” did not manage to make it in time. “Taiga” bristled up the mechanized hooks, claws, levers.

      Work was intense, unsafe, demanding big dexterity and skill. The captain coped from time to time on radio with what speed the fire moves. From a tower of “Dragon” reported to him about it.

      – In what direction the closest border of the wood lies? – the captain of coils asked.

      – Before us to the horizon the continuous wood – answered from “Dragon”. Simakov frowned.

      – It is necessary to send Anna to investigation – he told.

      – On an aviette “Dragonfly”? – Ignat asked.

      The captain nodded.

      – Geologist-pilot. I see, you are versatile persons here – Ignat told.

      – It is necessary – Simakov answered. – Anechka likes to fly.

      He made the order.

      In a few minutes “Dragonfly” already rose almost steeply over all-terrain vehicle, having headed for the North, and was behind the wood. Soon it returned.

      Simakov began to count that moves quicker – “Taiga” or the fire. How it wound the head, results turned out unfavourable.

      – Well that? – Ignat asked.

      – The fire makes up – Simakov answered. – And by the evening wind has to amplify.

      The fire amplified. Fire covering the increasing forest space itself created wind. It already hooted on tops of trees, carrying caustic smoke, but sparks it was not visible yet.

      Over “Taiga” cracked and abruptly “Dragonfly” fell by the deck. The excited, reddened Anna Fokina specified the shortest way from the wood.

      Day died away. In the sky the first stars were lit. Animals already ran everything, birds flew by.

      – Now clouds, a rain, and the sky, as ill luck would have it, pure – Simakov grumbled.

      From “Dragon” reported that the fire does jumps: the risen wind transfers the burning boughs, branches, causing the new centers. Business took a serious turn.

      From where again mad animals appeared. Different inhabitants of the wood ran alternately, without paying attention at each other. It became difficult to breathe.

      – To lay a pipe and rotors! – Simakov ordered.

      The high pipe of vetrosilovy installation turned out folding. It settled as if failed. Rotors were put on one side as steamship pipes when passing the steamship under the bridge.

      – To stop motors of air draft!

      Part of motors calmed down. Propellers, having turned round and round idling, stopped. Dudin and Gritsay quickly removed them and laid in the case.

      – Arch!

      – Is an arch! – Pomor was answered by Gritsay.

      In a nasal part of the overland ship, over the deck, three metal arches, one above another rose.

      – To batten down windows!

      – Is to batten down windows!

      Jim and Ignat expected, what will be farther. “Taiga” reminded the ship before cyclone approach. She was going to enter fight against a fiery storm and elements of the wood. The wood it is tenacious held in the paws, fire persistently made up for the ship.

      Simakov deeply sighed. “Taiga” was ready for storm.

      – To give lesoreza. Full speed! – the new team was distributed.

      “Taiga” quickly moved forward as the tank in the attack. The cutting torch made white-hot podkashivat thick trunks, and they fell diversely. Trees, rustling as sea waves, fell directly by “Taiga”, fell on arches and on them slid off down. Others fell across the road. “Taiga” crept, rising a nose, a stern as the ship at kilevy rolling. Sometimes on the way so many trunks leaned that it was necessary to recede and again to move to scatter them.

      – It already reminds fight of the ice breaker against ice – Ignat noticed.

      – Yes, but, at least, the fiery tornado does not pursue the ice breaker – Jim noticed.

      Absolutely darkened. Despite noise of motors, a crash of the falling trees and hissing of fire extinguishers, the rumble of the overtaking fire was already heard. The darkened night sky in the south became crimson. Small sparks flew by over “Taiga” as meteors.

      – Here the spark can get, all this garbage needs to be put away – Ignat told.

      – You are right – the captain answered. – Here to you and Jim there was a suitable work.

      Jim and Ignat began to dump from the deck of a heap of boughs, needles, cones.

      – Teplenko becomes to work – Ignat told after a while, wiping sweat from a face and glancing at Jim.

      The black figure of the Black was already brightly lit with glow of the fire and seemed bronze.

      – Yes,