Anatole in catalepsy stood under the begun rain. But it lasted several moments though they also seemed to Anatole infinitely long. Soon on a water surface wet Dzhipsi seemed, sniffing from the water which got into a nose, and after a dog and Adam. It came up from water and in three waves of mighty hands was at the coast. Adam and Dzhipsi equally shook off water. Adam ran up to Anatole, having mounted him upon a neck and without a word, ran to bushes.
– Quietly. Sidi. Bend down.
Anatole did not manage to recover as on the highway car sounds were heard. In a few minutes the car with police officers flew towards Melen.
When the car disappeared from the sight, Adam began to jump.
Anatole at last understood military cunning of the friend. The rain washed away traces of car tires, and police officers did not notice its disappearance. This time they were saved.
It was time to think of a breakfast. Anatole was intolerably hungry.
– Sidi, I will come soon – Adam told and went along coastal bushes.
There passed painful hour before Anatole heard whistle of the approaching Adam.
Adam carried two rabbits and, covering hollow, pieces of a dry tree. He threw the killed of rabbits at whom Dzhipsi began to sniff, and began to extract fire, rubbing one piece of a tree with another. In iron hands of Adam work moved quickly. Anatole felt a smell of burning soon, the smoke seemed, some more bystry, strong rhythmic movements – the flame flashed. Anatole ate the rabbit meat fried on a fire with appetite. Imitating Adam, it broke off pieces of meat hands.
The rain ceased. The sun looked out and dried up clothes of fugitives. Anatole, tired for all endured disorders, with pleasure fell asleep. And Adam lay on the earth and without coming off looked at the sky.
At last the sky over the head instead of these opposite dead white ceilings where there are neither birds, nor the sun, nor stars, nor fresh breath of air.
Adam dreamed of a fast appointment to mountains. Though not the family, but nevertheless mountains. And it was happy for the first time for all the time since climbed down mountains to valleys where these strange people who prefer stone boxes to a scope of the earth and sky live in crowded conditions and vanity.
Happy days of free, vagrant life stretched. In the afternoon fugitives slept in thickets at the river, moved ahead at night on the southeast where, according to Anatole’s instructions, there were mountains.
Adam was able to sleep and watch each sound. When the sound seemed menacing to it, ears of the sleeping Adam began to move strenuously, and he woke up soon. And they managed to escape a meeting with people.
However the destiny measured on Adam’s share a few happy days. By poll of inhabitants the police defined the place of disappearance of the car soon. Persecutors surrounded with more and more narrowed ring fugitives.
One early in the morning to them had to escape in the face of police. They took refuge in the wood and several hours carried out at tree top, hidden by dense branches, looking from above at the enemies rummaging on the wood.
It was harder and harder to get food – hens and rabbits whom Adam caught about farms. The main thing, he felt that to them not to leave from tenacious paws of police, and then again bondage… One this thought gave him the creeps…
XI. ADAM’S END
At dawn of gray day Adam came back to Anatole and Dzhipsi, loaded with a young lamb.
Suddenly he pricked up the ears. His ears started moving. To it the remote disturbing bark of Dzhipsi and the scared shout of Anatole calling to the aid was heard.
With the inflated nostrils Adam rushed to more often bushes growing near the highway where he left Anatole.
Police officers bore to the car of the beating-off and crying Anatole. Dzhips overstrained from bark.
Having thrown a ram, Adam in several jumps appeared at the car. He seized one police officer by a collar, lifted over the head, took a detour in air and rejected far in bushes.
Three hefty police officers snatched on Adam. Fight was started. Adam rejected them from himself. They grabbed him hand and hung on them. One of police officers with professional dexterity tried to put to Adam cuffs, and he managed it. But Adam broke off shackles though wounded in hand blood at brushes, and after that, embittered by pain, he snatched on the police officer and stuck to it into a neck the sharp teeth. The second of attackers left an operation… Then the chief of small group, seeing what without use of weapons of Adam not to take, shot from the revolver. The bullet got into a shoulder of Adam on which bear claws left hems, and shattered a humeral bone.
Adam howled from pain, but continued to beat off a healthy hand. However severe bleeding weakened it more and more.
Police officers snatched on it again and after several unsuccessful attempts held down to it hands again. Adam pulled a chain and moaned from pain. It was tumbled down, strong connected, thrown into the car where Anatole, pale for fear, already sat, picked up wounded and quickly started on on a way.
Dzhips with abrupt bark pursued the disappearing car…
Adam was placed in one of the cameras intended for violent mads. Walls of the room were upholstered with soft felt, at windows – lattices. A heavy door – on an iron bolt.
To Adam made bandaging and left one. He growled, rushed to a door, bent a lattice at a window. He raved the whole day, and at night so howled that gave the creeps even the hospital attendants who got used to everything.
By the morning it ceased. But when it was given to a door window a breakfast, without deciding to enter still, he only drank several drinks of tea, and the breakfast threw out in a corridor.
Adam shouted and as the animal in a cage, went, without ceasing for a minute, heaved a deep sigh and from time to time loudly and lingeringly shouted, calling Desdemona, Anatole, Dzhipsi… Sometimes called also Likorn.
It was one, absolutely one in this close box where there was so not enough air for his lungs and where the sun only through thick rods of a lattice looked, casting from it a trellised shadow on a white wall.
For the third day Adam calmed down. It ceased to go. Sat down on a floor in a corner, a back to light, put a chin on the raised knees and as if stiffened. It touched nobody any more. To it doctors and scientists entered, but he sat silently, not answering questions and without moving. And still ate nothing, but greedy drank.
Adam began to grow thin extraordinary quickly. In the evenings it began to be in a fever. He sat, knocking teeth, covered cold then. Cough began to torment him soon, and during fits of coughing blood even more often began to be shown.
Doctors swung the heads:
– Transient consumption… These mountain inhabitants so difficult adapt to air of valleys…
One night after the most severe fit of coughing blood suddenly rushed from his throat and filled in all half of the room. Adam fell to a floor. He died…
When he recovered after a faint, he quietly and hoarsely asked the doctor:
– There … – And he showed the door.
The doctor understood. Adam wants on air. Perhaps, last time to look at the sky. He choked. But unless it is possible to take out the heavy pulmonary patient in crude autumn night on air, under a drizzle!
The doctor negatively shook the head.
Adam