Portartur. 1940. Boris Trofimov
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1,200 pieces, pine bars – 20,000 pieces, T-shaped beams – 6,000 pieces, cement – 1,500 barrels”.
– Sasha-san made such notes calmly and freely even in the presence of Lykov.
After the scandal at the Inovy Lykov before everyone went home. He felt sad and annoyed. He laughed internally at the captain’s conclusions, but the doubt crept in.
Sasha-san met her host with a joyful smile and wanted to go with him to the bedroom.
– . Wait, my dear. I need to read one letter. It lies on the desk.
They entered the office. Seeing a long sheet of fine Japanese paper written up, Lykov laughed:
– Again, a letter to dad and mom? You teach me to write in Japanese. Beautiful squiggles you go out.
Lykov put his hand on the letter and looked at him.
“Numbers. Why the numbers in the letter? “He thought, and the blood rushed to his face. He leaned on the table with his whole chest, as if searching for the paper he needed, he looked at the results of the consignment notes and bills of lading. The letter had the same numbers.
– I can not find. Did put in the safe? Did you finish writing? Stop it Let’s go to sleep. Go get the bed ready and I’ll lock the paper. You, my dear, tortured with translations of bills of lading.And I still walk. Sabbat! Seriously take up the Russian case.
The Japanese woman kissed Lykov and went into the bedroom, and he grabbed all the correspondence from the table.
“Wait! I have another key to a fireproof cabinet. It probably does not fit here, “thought Lykov, locking the safe. He took the key out of his wallet. – Very similar to each other. Does not fit. Fine… It will be funny if thieves steal the keys …”
Sasha-san was lying in bed with her eyes closed. Lykov was not allowed to sleep by surging thoughts. Right or wrong captain? Having stretched his arms, Lykov pretended to snore. It took ten – twelve weary minutes. Sasha-san pulled her legs out of bed and put her hand under the pillow behind the keys. Rising, she stood to her full height and, pouring cold water into a glass, listened to Lykov’s snoring, then moved away from the bed and quietly moved toward the door.
Finding herself at the safe, she used the usual gesture to take the key and shoved it into the well. Excluded. Turned over. Again not included. Sasha-san’s forehead was covered with cold sweat.
“Any new keys? Why don’t I know anything about them? “She thought, and returned to the bedroom. Lykov was still snoring.
“Likhomanka shook. Are you worried? The key did not fit? So it’s a serious matter. Cleverly I thought up! Dad and Mom will not receive another letter.” Lykov could not resist and laughed.
– What’s the matter? – screamed the Japanese and threw back the blanket.
– I had a merry dream. Sleep Tomorrow I will tell.
The troubles of the night tired Sasha-san, and before dawn, lulled by the light snoring of her host, she fell soundly asleep. Lykov played the sleeper all night. It was not difficult – the annoyance of himself inflated his nerves.
At eight and a half hours he got up and, having chosen yesterday’s bypass from the safe, went to the bank.
– There, probably, there are translators. I’ll check, and tomorrow I’ll take action. Scandal!..
Returning to dinner, he did not find the Japanese. It soon became clear that she had disappeared along with Cherry-san.
3
And the second night Lykov was worried, but already alone. He did not regret the Japanese woman, but he was stifling anger: how was that? He, a Russian merchant, was suddenly held by the Japanese! Babu fooled! A captain is right a thousand times…
The next morning, Lykov went to Arthur, instructing a reliable person to watch the departing Japanese women on the pier.
Port Arthur lived the life of a large port city, and Far from it seemed an abandoned exhibition that played its role and was subject to destruction. The plans of the governor Alekseev were opposite to the plans of Count Witte. The deputy did not pay attention to the Far, and tried to build more commercial buildings in Port Arthur itself. Forty millions spent on a commercial port hung in the air long before the declaration of war. Port Arthur would look completely different if these millions were spent on it.
As soon as Lykov arrived in Port Arthur, he was stunned by all sorts of rumors. Tokyo still defends the demands made of St. Petersburg, and in every way intimidates our government; in turn, in Petersburg they talk ungraciously with the Japanese ambassador. The Japanese living in Arthur, liquidate their affairs and leave. Lykov was personally convinced of this: the Japanese barber shop of the “chief chief of the Kwantung Oblast” (as it was written on the sign) was closed. Lykov spent the whole day unshaven and often mentally exclaimed:
“All is fine with them.” They will come to shave, they talk, and the Japanese spy listens. There are no Russian hairdressing salons, but the Chinese are not very clean…
Particularly intriguing was the rumor about a treaty between the Chinese government, Japan, and the United States, according to which the Celestial Empire gave some of its ports to the designated states.
Lykov was surprised to see the fighting ships repainted gray. Many of them were urgently filmed with excessive rigging and inventory-disturbing equipment.
The soldiers marched in full ammunition, and decently dressed civilian Japanese walked around the harbor.
“There are plenty more Japanese,” thought Lykov, “but there really shouldn’t be any on Kvantuna at all.”
An alarming condition swept the inhabitants. And only the military looked calm and, it seemed to Lykov, even careless.
– However, what to worry? To be ready for everything is their direct duty, – decided Lykov.
four
It was the eve of the Chinese New Year. The streets were discharged merchants and coolies. Red stickers with various good wishes glittered on shops, carts, gates of dwellings, hauliers of peddlers and even on rocker arms of water carriers.
In the restaurant, Lykov met a familiar naval officer.
– How are you in the Far? – he asked.
We live as if in an abandoned village. Meanwhile, events seem to be brewing.
– Yes, the Japanese squash.
– Are we ready?
– Sure.
“I don’t like the external raid,” said Lykov. – It is difficult to keep track of the enemy destroyers.
“Sorry, but this is a naive question.” Every night there are patrols of combat light vessels. But we, the sailors, do not assume that there will be military actions, although we want them. Japanese should have taught a lesson.
– Tell me, do you have our vessels in other nearby ports, for example in Korean ones? In my opinion, in such an alarming time, all vessels must be assembled so that they will not be shot one by one.
– You worry in vain.
– I will tell you in a friendly way, there is much carelessness among the military. They say that naval officers do not always spend the night on their ships.
– It