Читать книгу Classics fantasy – 5 - A. Belyaev - Страница 18

– What you on it will tell? – Mr. Carlson asked, having ended a statement of the project.

The large coalman Gilbert answered nothing. It was in the nastiest mood. Before the arrival of Carlson the executive director told him that the situation on coal mines is worse than ever. Export falls. The Soviet oil more and more forces out competitors on Asian and even on European the markets. Banks refuse the credit. The government finds impossible further subsidizing of the large-scale coal industry. Workers worry, defiantly impose impracticable requirements, threaten to flood mines. It is necessary to find – which exit.

And at this moment as though derisively, the destiny sends some Carlson with his mad project.

Gilbert frowned the red eyebrows and rumpled long yellowish teeth an aromatic sigarette. On his shaved worried look expression of boredom stiffened. He was silent.

But Carlson not from those who are discouraged by silence. An uncertain profession and an unknown origin, the little, fussy man with the Irish accent, a short nose, black hair standing as at a hedgehog, Carlson stuck the sharp eyes into the tired, faded Gilbert’s eyes and drilled them the persistent uneasy thought.

– What you on it will tell? – he repeated the question.

– It is the devil’s work, some frozen human flesh – at last Gilbert apathetically answered and with a fastidious mine put a sigarette.

– Allow! Allow! – jumped, as on a spring, Carlson. – You, obviously, acquired to yourself my idea insufficiently?.

– I admit, I have no special desire and to acquire. It is nonsense or madness.

– Not madness, not nonsense, but the greatest invention which in skillful hands will bring to the person millions! And if you doubt, then allow you to remind history of this invention.

And Carlson began to chatter as though he answered the learned lesson:

– Anabiosis is incidentally opened by the Russian scientist Bakhmetyev. Studying temperature of insects, this scientist noticed that at gradual cooling the body temperature of an insect falls, then, reaching temperature minus nine and three tenth degrees Celsius, rise almost to zero at once, and then again falls already to ambient temperature, approximately by twenty two degrees below zero. And then the insect falls into a strange state – neither a dream, nor death: all vital processes stop, and the insect can lie, the okochenely and frozen, vaguely long time. But rather carefully and gradually to warm up an insect, and it comes to life and continues to live indifferently. From insects Bakhmetyev passed to fishes. It froze, for example, a crucian who lay in an okocheneniye, or anabiosis as Bakhmetyev called this state, several months. Warmed up, it returned to life and floated, as always.

The death of the scientist interrupted these interesting experiments, and forgot about them soon. And, as it often happens, Russians invent, and others use fruits of their inventions.

Remember Yablochkov, remember the inventor of radio telegraph Popov, remember, at last, Tsiolkovsky… So was and this time. German Shteyngauz for practical purposes used Bakhmetyev’s invention: transportations and storages of live fish. As you know, he acquired millions!

Gilbert became interested and listened to Carlson already with some attention.

– I thank you for a lecture – he told. – I receive to a table the fresh fish hooked in the remote seas. But, to admit, I was not interested in way of its freezing. This or that whether everything is equal? If only fish was absolutely fresh. And, you speak, Shteyngauz earned millions from this business?

– Tens, hundreds of millions! It now one of the richest people of Germany!

Gilbert thought.

– But it is only fishes – he told after a pause – and you offer absolutely improbable thing: to freeze people! Whether it is possible?

– Perhaps! Now it is possible! Bakhmetyev froze the animals who are exposed to hibernation, so-called cold blooded: groundhog, hedgehog, bat. As for warm-blooded animals, it did not manage to subject them to anabiosis. However the Russian scientist, professor Wagner famous for the victory over a dream invented a way to change composition of blood of warm-blooded animals, bringing closer them to blood of cold blooded animals. And it managed «to freeze» and recover a monkey already safely.

– But not the person?

– What difference?

Gilbert discontentedly shook the head, and Carlson smiled.

– I speak only from the point of view of biology and physiology. At monkeys composition of blood, absolutely identical with the person. Absolutely identical. And here to you extraordinary, but quite feasible prospects: mass freezing of people, in this case э… э … unemployed. Who does not know what whether the emergency is endured by the coal industry and one coal? Periodic crises and the unemployment accompanying them, unfortunately, constant disaster of our social order. On it any trouble-makers like communists predicting death of capitalism from the internal contradictions which are tearing apart it play. Let them do not hurry to bury capitalism! Capitalism will find a way out, and one of exits is the way offered by me!

Crisis will burst – and we will freeze the unemployed and we will fold them in special glaciers. And passes crisis, demand for working hands will appear, we will warm up them, and welcome to the mine.

Carlson was inspired and spoke, how on a tribune.

– Ha-ha-ha! – Gilbert did not keep. – Yes you joker, Mr.?.

– Carlson. And I speak absolutely seriously – Carlson took offense. This person began to occupy Gilbert.

– Yes – continuing to laugh, the coalman told – there are such nasty times when, apparently, and willingly would freeze itself about the best days! But will cost how many your mad project? It is necessary to build special buildings, to maintain special temperature in them!

Carlson raised a finger up, then put it to the prickly head of hear.

– Here everything is considered! My plan is simpler! To you as to the owner of mines, it has to be known that warmth increases approximately by one degree with each seventy feet in Earth depth. You also know that the richest deposits of the splendid coal are found in Greenland, behind the Polar circle, in Humboldt’s glaciers. As soon as the coal market gets stronger, you will be able to begin development there. You receive a number of mines of various depth with various temperature. And this temperature will remain invariable years there at all times. It is necessary only to enter small amendments to adapt mines for our purposes. I will not complicate you a statement of details now, but I can submit when you order, quite developed technical plan and the estimate.

«That for the funny person» – Gilbert thought and asked Carlson a question:

– Tell, please and you who: engineer, scientist, professor?

– I am a schemer! Scientists and professors are able to sit out fine eggs in the laboratories, but they are not always able to break them and to make fried eggs! It is necessary to be able from the immaterial ideas to take material pounds sterling.

Gilbert smiled and, having thought a little, stretched to Carlson a box with cigarettes.

«Victory» – Carlson exulted in soul, lighting a cigarette the electric lighter standing on a table. But Gilbert did not give up yet.

– Let’s say that all this is possible. However I expect a number of obstacles. The first: whether we will get permission of the government?

– And why and not to give to the government this permission if we prove full safety of application to people of anabiosis? Social value of this measure will perfectly consider our government.

– Yes, it so – Gilbert answered, turning over in the mind members of the conservative government whose most had personal large interests in the coal industry.

– But most important question: whether workers will go to it? Whether they will agree «to fade» periodically for the period of unemployment?

– Will agree! The need will force! – with conviction Carlson told. – People with hunger are hung up, burn, and here like rest! Of course, it was able to approach it is necessary. First of all it is necessary to find daredevils who would agree to subject themselves to anabiosis. This should promise the first the large amounts of remuneration. When they revive», they should use as advertizing. Then at first it will be necessary to promise monetary support to families. But of course, it is necessary to stop up a throat and to some of the working aristocracy consisting in leaders of so-called labor movement. And further you will see that further everything will go like clockwork. The unemployed will «be frozen» by the whole families. And the terrible evil – unemployment – will be destroyed. At you will be given a free hand. Extraordinary prospects will open for you! Millions, tens of millions will begin to flow in your safes and fireproof cases! Decide! Tell «yes», and I will submit you all estimates, plans and calculations tomorrow.

The common practical sense said to Gilbert that all this fantastic plan was a pure gamble. But Gilbert endured such financial position when the person before fear of inevitable crash rushes to the ventures. And Carlson drew such tempting prospects! The large businessman and the businessman was ashamed to admit to himself that it as he drowning, is ready to grasp this chimerical straw of «frozen human flesh».

– Your project is too unusual. I will think and I will give you the answer!.

– Think, think! – willingly Carlson agreed, rising from a chair. – I do not dare to detain you – and it left, smiling enough. – Pecks! – cheerfully he shouted, being dipped into the bubbling copper of traffic of City.