Читать книгу Classics fantasy – 3 - A. Belyaev - Страница 5

Once there arrived professor Wagner to Paris. He was invited to himself for scientific consultation by our compatriot doctor Voronov, that which deals with a rejuvenation issue. There is Wagner across Paris from hotel to Voronov and sees on one street the house, and on the house a sign:

«Here scientific fleas give representations».

Professor Wagner decided to pay a visit to the scientific colleagues. Fleas were really remarkable. Danced a quadrille, moved pushechka, rolled each other in cardboard crews, boxed and even rode tiny velosipedika.

The owner of flea troupe, when learned that his moustached visitor – the scientist, got to talking and showed to Wagner the best numbers. In conclusion of a session the director fed all troupe on own hand and released to have a rest. After a lunch the flea likes to have a sleep.

– One is bad – the owner of flea theater said, my actors are very small growth. Now seldom at whom good sight occurs. If the audience very low bends, then their actors in a nose click, and published very few people sees. Through lenses it is inconvenient to look too: the flea moves and will leave a field of vision, will leave focus. But what strong and clever animals! They pull the weights in several honeycombs of times exceeding the weight of their body. And their jumps! The ordinary human flea has in length: 2,2 millimeters male and three-four millimeters female. Well and in millimeter height two – two and a half. And fleas can jump up on the whole meter. And forward almost on as much. It means – almost in five hundred times more the growth! What would be if the flea was growth from the person?

– Yes … – Wagner told and thought.

So, thoughtful, and to doctor Voronov came.

Voronov was delighted to dear visitor. Shows all the novelties; the young man of years of eighteen – the former old man – and the chest old woman. Perelechili her trifle, and it turned into the chest baby.

– But it nothing – Voronov says – she at me will grow up soon and will begin to speak. Here only I do not know whether it is necessary to teach it to languages anew. It the good linguist was.

Wagner listens, and so through moustaches: «Yes, yes, yes…» And then speaks:

– All this is very good. And you can make a flea in human height?

Ravens even the mouth opened.

– What for? – asks.

– For the sake of science, for experience.

– No – Voronov says – I will directly tell, I cannot.

And itself even reddened with shame.

– So I also thought. And I will make – Wagner declares. – Give me only the room yes of fleas more.

Also Wagner began to do experiences. Parisians brought fleas to it, and he fed these fleas with extracts from some glands and izhitsa vitamins.

Wagner grew up dozen growth of fleas from a black cockroach and presented to the owner of flea theater. Very much the owner thanked Wagner. All Paris went to look at exotic fleas, there was no small trouble yet: one flea cockroach hit a forehead to mister president of the republic why in his head public affairs of foremost importance were mixed. The seditious flea was killed, and chains put on the others that too highly did not jump. Wagner because of this flea from France was nearly sent. However escaped.

On a full human outgrowth Wagner let only two fleas that is one sterns less than money left. Also these two fleas began to grow before the eyes. He kept them in a cage on a chain, and fed with blood. Every day from slaughters in barrels blood was brought.

You imagine what is a flea if to increase her time in one thousand? There is no animal more terribly! Even the watchmen from a menagerie put to these fleas shivered with horror. And when fleas stretched the feelers and stings through rods of cages, at watchmen of a leg were turned in and they from the room ran away.

And there was misfortune. When length of a flea female was equal to hundred seventy seven centimeters (the male had growth a little less), and muscles and jaws became stronger than lion’s, the flea female jumped out of a cage. Tore chains, gnawed through in a night a back wooden wall and through a hole – прыг! – skipped away.

And it was just on the night of July fourteenth – a national French holiday, capture of the Bastille. This day all Paris on the street. And suddenly such incident! The flea in human height too as if destroyed the Bastille, broke off chains and прыг on the street! And on the street the people since early morning already crowd.

Wagner’s «menagerie» was located on Kyuvye Street, near a zoo. The flea in several jumps crossed all Paris. She jumped one jump through wine warehouses which take the whole quarter, the second jump jumped through Notre Dame de Paris on other side of Seine, then moved back, in two-three jumps reached the Nursing home, jumped over it, the following huge jump flew through the Eiffel Tower. Three hundred meters of height did not make any difficulty for a flea. It flew over a tower two hundred meters higher, and in air nearly faced a flock of the parading airplanes. Yeny Square and Etual Square were the following stages. Having taken seat on the Triumphal arch, she decided to have a rest.

The public with delight welcomed in the beginning emergence of winged «animal». All were sure that it is one of the most remarkable numbers of a street carnival. Perhaps, some inventor decided to give this day to the nation a surprise – the new aircraft like gelikopter with vertical rise and descent. For bigger effect the inventor gave to the device such terrible look. However, knew all Paris about Wagner’s experiences. But nobody assumed that the flea looks so terribly.

Soon, however, the delight of crowd was replaced by horror. A flea, having had a rest on the Triumphal arch, unexpectedly jumped off on the street in a thick of crowd and suddenly, having seized some having fun citizen with the shchupika, stuck a sharp proboscis into the left shoulder. The Parisian desperately cried. The crowd was captured by such horror that all stood several minutes as fossilized, and then took to the heels as if they were picked up by an outflow wave. The flea quietly exhausted grams seven hundred blood and, having taken out a proboscis, jumped on an arch. The Frenchman who turned pale from loss of blood and a fright fell. Fortunately, the flea did not exhaust all blood, and it in veins of the Frenchman was 5740 grams. Loss of two thousand grams would threaten with death. But the flea was satisfied with smaller. Perhaps, so it was easier for it to jump. And she preferred to suck blood less, but is more often.

In a few minutes she flew from an arch again, attacked some old woman and thrust it in a back a proboscis. Having tried old-womanish blood, the flea took out a sting and turned the look on the very young milliner. The flea became real the blood-sucker.

On the scene the group of police already hurried. But police officers did not manage to fire a volley as the flea jumped on an arch though already and not so easily as before.

Having jumped through group of police officers, the flea jumped on the Champs Elysée, flew through the Place de la Concorde and fell by a lawn in the garden Tuileries.

Professor Wagner already knew about incident. He hurried to make the order somewhat quicker to kill the second huge flea male. If and the male crashed out, then it would be bad. What if these fleas bred?.

The message about a terrible predator quickly flew about Paris. Streets as became extinct. Inhabitants barricaded windows, being afraid that the flea did not jump to them into the house, having broken glasses. The armed groups chased a flea, but she one jump disappeared from them. Airplanes could do nothing too. Not to lay down a bomb over the city!

And the flea very well felt in the city. Human blood was pleasant to it much more, than cow with which fed her in the conclusion. And it continued the raids.

Paris was frightened. The flea turned into some terrible Minotaur [80] demanding the human victims. But there was no hero of Tezey who would exempt the city from a fright. Candidates for Tezei were. But they did not manage to kill a flea.

Many began to say that Wagner is guilty of everything that, maybe, he even with malice aforethought grew up and let such flea to Paris. Here and Germans began to assume airs. This is not a simple flea…

And Wagner did not sleep – he never sleeps – and thought both halves of a brain, as if to correct the mistake. Very much everything left unpleasantly, and Voronov laughs.

The mayor of Paris summoned Wagner and speaks to him:

– Our patience was exhausted. I give you twenty four hours on an udavleniye of a flea. We already became awfully anemic from a flea.

– To press fleas – Wagner answers, is not my specialty and how to catch a flea, I can give advice. The flea will be caught only by the person who will be able to jump as a flea. I constructed such tools that the person could jump in a flea way. Let’s go to the Field of Mars, I will show you.

Went. Professor Wagner brought with himself a suitcase, and in a suitcase some springs and the red suit similar on a bug lie.

– These springs – Wagner says – it is necessary to screw on hands and legs, and a suit from rubber, pneumatic, is put on a body not to rasshibitsya if without habit you fall sideways or on a back. Who wants to try?

– I!. And I!. I!.

Wagner chose one. Put on it a rubber suit, to soles and palms attached plate thongs with big spiral springs like matratsny, put the person on all fours and inflated a red rubber cover. Directly huge bug which got drunk blood turned out.

– Jump! – Wagner speaks.

The young man raised forepaws, cavorted, overturned on a back, jumped up two times and lies on a back as the bug, waves paws.

– I cannot – says – from the earth to rise. Better from height.

Turned «bug», brought three tables, put the friend on the friend, and upward put «bug».

– Jump!

«Bug» jumped, rose up and again on a back. Time, another, the third jumped up – lies.

– Nothing, will learn – Wagner calms.

And again carried «bug» on a table. And that, «bug» got skilled at. Jumped, hit on all four pads and rose up that your flea, is higher than the house. Again hit springs against the earth and jumped up even above.

– Bravo! – shout.

And he when for the third time on the earth went down, suddenly itself shouts:

– How I will stop now? – also uprygnut.

Honestly. There is a task! He can jump, and is not able stop.

– Hold me! – shouts.

Ran behind it and where there! In three jumps all Field of Mars flew by.

– The boy was gone! Now and will jump around the globe…

However, on the happiness, it got into the river Seine. To the bottom dived, then the rubber bubble on a back took out it, and people caught.

As badly it was necessary to the daredevil, from a flea it was necessary even worse. And the young man, and behind him and other young people began to learn to jump in a flea way and reached big art soon. Even in a system could jump. Very much it was pleasant to the Minister of War.

– A new type of military forces – says – jumpers! Through entrenchments very easily can jump.

Jumpers began to hunt for a flea. Exhausted it completely. From Paris expelled. Did not allow to drink-eat, all drove. The flea in Arzhanteyle died. And twenty young people Tezeev brought a skin of «Minotaur» to Paris.

On pleasures the president awarded the order to professor Wagner of the Honourable legion.

– Only – says – depart from Paris with the first airplane!.

(The story is written down according to two persons – тг. N. A. P. and K. E. N. They told almost at the same time, interrupting and supplementing each other: from here some unevenness of style.)

* * *

Remark of professor Wagner:

«Again inventions! With me it was not. But similar I read something in some magazine several decades ago. Apparently, begin to attribute me legendary feats.

The assumption that if the flea was growth from the person, she could jump through the highest houses, is absolutely incorrect: is overlooked that the attraction of Earth increases in direct ratio to body weight or in proportion to a cube of linear increase. Despite all anatomic fitness of a flea to jumps, the flea increased before human growth would jump almost the same as the person, or is slightly higher.

I have one project concerning jumping, but absolutely in other sort. I thought of jumping through abysses and the rivers of cars and even trains to which the known dispersal by a reorganization of a profile of a way would be reported. It will not be necessary to do bridges. Principle of the American mountains. Why not to arrange such jump of cars through English Channel? Perhaps, it would be more favorable, than construction of a tunnel near English Channel. I looked after also the town: the bottleneck of the channel – only thirty three kilometers. Coast are abrupt, rocky. I only have no time to do calculations. I am going to fly for Novaya Zemlya. If ask – why, you speak: to breed ostriches.

Your Wagner».

To breed ostriches! It is, of course, a joke. Perhaps, from such jokes of professor taken seriously and added with imagination there were also apocryphal stories about its inventions…