– The session begins! – the voice was heard, and Mischa saw narrow boards of the deck on the screen, is dazzling lit with the sun. Someone’s bare feet ran on the deck, the white bucket with the blue inscription “Sergo” flashed, the excited voices were heard, for some reason a low shmeliny bass the beep of the steamship shortly hooted, to it another responded.
Trawler board. On an arrow – two sailors strengthen a cradle, the hook-on platform on four ropes. Probably, will paint the trawler case. In foreign swimming seamen like to brag of purity and beauty of the vessel. Near the winch – the compressor, near it – a diving suit, a helmet, the curtailed hose. All equipment of the diver.
Popykhivy a tube and straightening out a woolen jersey, there is Protchev. On his head – a woolen hat tarboosh.
– Protchev, you are going to dive? – Mischa asked. And his words, sounds of its voice, having undergone difficult transformations, already sound on the deck of the trawler. Protchev involuntarily turns the head to a loud-speaker and speaks:
– Yes, I want to go down, look that here under water.
Kirillov enters Borin’s office. On the run he welcomes Mischa and gives the order in the microphone:
– To prepare for descent! One on the compressor, one on a signal, one on a hose, one on the manometer, one for hours!
Protchev beats out a tube – under water will not smoke – and already orders:
– Shirt! Galoshes! Shirtfront! Helmet! Cables!
Begin to dress the diver. Protchev gets into a diving shirt – the green rubberized suit from a strong canvas; to it help to put on heavy boots with strong socks and lead soles, tighten thongs, through the head put on a heavy shirtfront, screw an air hose on a copper branch pipe.
While Protchev prepares for descent, Mischa quietly asks Kirillov: why it gave the team “one on a signal”, that is to watch an alarm rope – in a helmet there is phone.
– And at the railroad do not forget a two-wheeled cart – Kirillov answers with Kozma Prutkov’s aphorism.
Sailors fastened on a breast and Protchev’s back diving heavyweights in forty kilograms, stretched from a back under Protchev’s legs “podkhvatnik” and fixed it in front.
At last, put on the heavy “copper head” Protchev’s head and began to screw it on a shirtfront. At the same time earned the compressor giving air. In beams of the sun a copper helmet and its glass it is dazzling shone. Protchev stood on the deck, but was already “a water inhabitant”. What monster he seemed to Mischa!
Old companion Protcheva epronovets Grey clapped a hand on a helmet: it is possible to go down. The cradle was fastened near the board. Protchev moved on the deck, boomingly knocking lead soles.
– What athlete! What force! – Mischa was surprised.
Here Protchev sat down in a cradle as he in a swing, grasped with hands a rope.
– Lower! – Kirillov’s team in Moscow and in the Atlantic Ocean was heard.
The winch began to work. Protchev plunged into water. The teleeye slipped on a board, and Mischa saw the second winch, and about it Ginzburg. That fussed among sailors who helped to lower a teleeye on a bottom. The big black sphere with konusopodobny ledges slowly went to water.
Kirillov lit a cigarette. Azores on the deck of the trawler also. The Spaniard stood near a board. Ginzburg bent over a board and looked in water. On the trawler the call rang out. Kirillov approached Borin’s table and began to write. Mishina the aunt entered and gave it an envelope. The letter was sent by the companion who went to Pamir.
Probably, the interesting letter, but there is no time to read. Sounds of the Atlantic Ocean as if failed in a silence abyss. And at once incessant noise of Moscow became more heard. On the screen the smoke of a cigar of Azores blinked. Also the screen went out…
What there happened?
And suddenly Mischa saw Protchev. He sat in the cradle which hung in a greenish haze of the ocean. Ropes left up.
Now Protchev, probably, does not feel weight of the suit. Perfectly! Flies “between heaven and earth” and admires the underwater world. In beams of an underwater searchlight it is clearly visible how from an air branch pipe on the copper head the air bubbles similar to mercury droplets rise. This is Protchev “poisons air”, pressing the head “a head zolotnik”.
– Protchev, you hear me? – with emotion Mischa asked.
– I hear – Protchev’s bass sounds.
– Why you went down under water?
– The needle was lost, I look for it.
– And teleeye, what for?
– One eye – is good, two – it is better, and three – it is even better. Unless not so? – Protchev answers. – My field of vision is wider, but an eye is habitual. Still to study a teleeye it is necessary to look in a diving way – Protchev jokes.
In this joke Mischa hears a certain mistrust to novelties.
– What do you see?
– Meanwhile crucians, I do not know how in a local way they are called. Now and you will see the same, as I. Well, where your bubble? – This phrase concerns already Ginzburg.
– I bring, look more to the left! – Motya answers.
A copper helmet of Protchev slepyashche shines. Mischa sees through the wide Mongolian face of the diver flew down. Probably, searchlight absolutely close. Protchev gives the left hand and something catches. His hand approaches the screen, grows, closes all field of vision… Green dregs… A strong sheaf of light, and in it – herd of fishes. Slowly the big beautiful jellyfish floats… The gold sheaf goes to depth of the ocean, gradually weakening, dissipating. And there, below, vague outlines of mountains are visible. Yes, it is mountains, and even covered with vegetation.
The mountain top as if grows and meets halfway… There is no more Moscow, an office, a bed. Whether not Mischa hangs in a cradle and looks at the underwater world? No, it lies in a gondola of underwater “balloon” over the mountain country. The underwater Caucasus, but without glaciers, the mountain rivers and falls. There are no rivers in the region where “airspace” – water.
Again the deck, it is dazzling lit with the sun. The winch rattles. It is heard as waves rustle, hitting against a trawler board. Ginzburg turned back. White teeth flashed…
– Well that there? – the voice is heard. Whose?
Mischa guessed not at once. Ah, it “is told by Moscow”.
Kirillov departs from a table and looks at the screen.
The deck disappeared. Dregs… Mischa lives in “three plans”: under water, on the deck of the trawler and in Moscow.
You will sort nothing… Dregs! Some shadows crawl on the screen…
– Seaweed – Mischa hears a voice of the captain Makovsky.
The dark cloudlet floated. Perhaps, the shark or a killer whale nearby floated. The huge fin, a white belly flashed… And again dregs…
And suddenly via the screen the sparkling line from below spread. It was more and more thickened, took the round form.
– Mast! A mast of the sunk ship! – Mischa exclaimed.
– Yes, it is obvious, it is a mast – Ginzburg answered. – It is well visible to you, Mischa? – he asked.
– Now will clear up – Nikolay Petrovich said.
Mischa did not notice when the father approached.