Chapter 24 Chapter VII Crossing the Yenisei

At sunset on August 25, the carriage finally reached a place where Krasnoyarsk could be seen.This is the eighth day since we left Tomsk.The reason they couldn't go fast enough—Michel Storgoff could have sped up the carriage—was that Nikolay seldom slept while driving.You know, if the horse had had a different driver, it would have taken only sixty hours to complete the journey. Fortunately they encountered no Tatars, nor did they see a single Tatar scout along the way.This seemed puzzling, since the emir's troops would not delay the march to Irkutsk unless something serious happened.

In fact something really happened.A group of Russian officers and soldiers hastily assembled in Yeniseysk drove to Tomsk in an attempt to retake the city.But they were too weak compared with the concentrated emir's forces and had to retreat.Feofa-Khan, together with his own men and the troops of Kokand and Kundus Khanate, commanded a total of 250,000 people, and the Russian government could not resist at all.The Tatar offensive will never stop here, they will still march on Irkutsk. The battle for Tomsk took place on the 22nd of August—Michel Storgov knew nothing of all this—but this explains why the emir's vanguard remained on the 25th. Did not reach Krasnoyarsk.

However, even if Michel Storgov did not know what happened after he left Tomsk, at least he knew that he had already surpassed the number of days of the Tatars, so he should be very concerned about his arrival in Iraq before the enemy. Irkutsk is hopeful.There are another 850 versts (900 kilometers) to go. Besides, in Krasnoyarsk, a city of twelve thousand people, he would not be without means of transportation.This was Nikolai's destination, and Michel Storgoff had to find another guide and a faster carriage.After finding the local officials and explaining to them that he was the tsar's courier--these things would be easy--he had no doubt that he could reach Irkutsk in the shortest possible time.He just needs to thank the kind Nikolai for his help, and then he and Nadya can go on the road together.He did not want to leave Nadya until he had sent the girl to her father.

However, the prerequisite for Nikolai to stay in Krasnoyarsk, as he himself said, was "to find a job here". In fact, the exemplary clerk who had held his post at Colivan's telegraph office to the last hour was still intent on getting a job in the government office. He always said: "Why don't I live on my salary honestly like before?" That being the case, if he can't find work in Krasnoyarsk, a city that should have always had a telecommunications connection with Irkutsk, he intends to go to the post office in Uginsk, or go all the way to the capital of Siberia. luck.If so, he will continue on his way with the "brother and sister".Where, indeed, could they find a more sure guide and a more faithful friend?

The carriage was only half a mile from Krasnoyarsk.On both sides of the road on the outskirts of the city, wooden crosses are erected everywhere.It was seven o'clock in the evening, and the outlines of churches and houses built on the high cliffs of the Yenisei River appeared in the clear sky. Under the setting sun, the water of the Yenisei River reflected some sparse light and shadows. The carriage stopped. "Where are we, sister?" asked Michel Storgoff. "The nearest house in town is less than half a mile away," replied Nadya. "Is everyone in the town asleep?" Michel Storgov asked again. "I can't hear a sound."

"Me too, I can't see a light or a wisp of smoke." Nadya said. "This is a strange city!" Nicholas lost his composure, "There was no sound at all. Did everyone go to bed so early?" A sense of foreboding passed over Michel Storgoff's heart.He hadn't told Nadya how much he had hoped for the city and how he expected to find suitable transportation here, and how worried he was that this hope would fail again.Although Nadia didn't understand why he rushed to Irkutsk after losing the tsar's letter, she guessed what he was thinking at the moment.Today, she is also worried about it.

"I swore to go to Irkutsk," he simply said to her. But to do that, faster vehicles will have to be found in Krasnoyarsk. "Ah, my friend," he said to Nicholas, "why don't we go on?" "I'm afraid that the sound of the carriage will startle the sleeping people." As he spoke, Nicholas flicked his whip lightly, and the carriage moved forward again.Segou yelled a few times, and the carriage galloped along the avenue into the city.Ten minutes later, they came to the street. Krasnoyarsk is a ghost city!Mrs. de Bourblon called the city "the Athens of the North", but there is no "Athenian" here now.On the clean and wide avenue, there is not a gorgeous carriage, and there is no pedestrian on the road in front of the majestic wooden houses; the beautiful park stretches all the way to the Yenisei River under the cover of the birch forest, but here is also No Siberian dame walking around in the latest French fashion!The church bells are silent, how strange it is to hear no bells in a Russian city!However, here is an out-and-out empty city.In a city that was bustling and bustling not long ago, there is no longer a living creature!

In the last telegram before the interruption of the communication line, the court issued an order to the local governors, defenders and residents to abandon the city, asking them to transport all valuables and things that might be useful to the Tatars. Go, retreat to Irkutsk.This order also concerns all townspeople in the province.Moscow wants to let the invaders taste the taste of solid walls and clear fields.In Rostopshin, the order was resolutely carried out, which is why not a single resident remained in the city of Krasnoyarsk. Michel Storgov, Nadya and Nikolay walked through the streets in silence, overwhelmed by the sight before them.In this lifeless city, they only heard their own voices.Michel Storgoff kept his bad mood from showing a little, but he was indeed very angry at the bad luck that haunted him, because once again his hopes were shattered.

"My God!" cried Nicholas, "how can I earn a salary in this desert!" "My friend," said Nadya, "you must go to Irkutsk with us." "I have no other choice!" Nikolay said. "The telegraph line between Uginsk and Irkutsk should not be broken. There... then shall we go now, brother?" "Wait until tomorrow," replied Michel Storgoff. "That makes sense," said Nikolai. "We have to cross the Yenisei, and we can't do it like this." "No way?!" Nadya murmured, thinking of her blind companion. Nikolay heard her voice, turned to Michel Storgoff and said:

"I'm sorry, brother. Well, night and day are all the same to you!" "No apology, my friend," replied Michel Storgoff, covering his eyes with his hands, "thanks to your guide, I can still walk. Let's rest for a few hours, Nadya too .Tomorrow will be fine weather!" The three found a place to spend the night without much trouble.The first house they pushed was empty, as were the rest.Finding no better fodder, the horses had to eat the few bundles of leaves they could find.There was still some food in the car, and the three of them shared it.Nadya and Nikolai prayed on their knees before the portrait illuminated by the afterglow of a single lamp, and then fell asleep.Michel Storgoff did not sleep, and stayed there to watch the night.

The next day, the twenty-sixth of August, they hitched their carriages before dawn and set off through Birch Grove Park towards the river bank. Michel, Storgov was worried. If unfortunately, as he expected, all the ships, big and small, were destroyed to stop the enemy, how would they cross the river?Based on the experience of crossing the Yenisei River several times before, he knew very well that the river here is vast, and the water in the two riverbeds between the islands in the river is fast-moving.Under normal circumstances, it would take three hours to reach the right bank by overcoming great difficulties using a ferry boat specially used to ferry passengers and horses and horses.If there is no ferry, how can the carriage cross the river? "I have to cross the river!" Michel Storgoff's original intention remained unchanged. When the carriage came to the left bank of the Yenisei along an avenue in the park, the sky gradually brightened.The embankment at this place is more than a hundred feet above the river, and standing on the embankment has a very wide view. "Do you see a boat?" No doubt out of habit, Michel Storgoff's eyes were still eagerly turned towards the opposite bank, as if he could still see. "It's not daylight yet, brother," Nadya answered.At this time, the river was still foggy, making it difficult to see the river. "But I seem to hear something," Michel Storgoff said. Indeed, from the bottom of the mist came the muffled crash of swirling water.This season is when the water level is high and the torrents are surging.The three of them listened to the sound of water and waited for the fog to dissipate.The sun rose quickly above the horizon, and it would not be long before the sunlight dispelled the moisture. "See now?" Michel Storgoff asked again. "The fog is starting to lift, brother," Nadya replied, "and the sun is coming in." "Can't you see the river clearly, sister?" "I can't see it yet." "Be patient, brother," said Nicholas, "it won't be long. Look! The wind is blowing! The fog will be blown away in a moment. I can see the trees on the other side of the mountain! The fog is starting to lift! The sun is blowing the fog away Condensation. Ah, what a view, and what a misfortune my poor blind brother cannot see!" "Did you see the boat?" Michel Storgoff asked again. "Not one," replied Nikolay. "Look more carefully, my friend, try to look as far away as possible, and look to the other side to see if there is a ferry, a small boat, or even a canoe!" Nicholas and Nadya hugged the last row of birch trees on the edge of the cliff and looked down.What a magnificent scene unfolded in front of their eyes!The width of the Yenisei in this section is not less than one and a half versts, the rapids in the river are divided into two streams of unequal width, and in the middle there are several small islands, where topwoods, willows and poplars grow, which look like anchors from a distance. A green boat anchored in the river.Farther away are the high hills on the east bank, and the crowns of the trees on the hills are dyed bright red by the rising sun.The endless Yenisei River extends upstream and downstream, and the panorama of mountains and rivers within a radius of fifty versts is really beautiful. However, there is not a single ferry on either side of the bank or on the island in the middle of the river.All ships were destroyed or removed as ordered.Obviously, as long as the Tatars do not bring materials for the construction of the pontoon bridge from the south for a day, they will be separated from this bank by the natural barrier of the Yenisei River. "I remember," said Michel Storgov, "upstream, just beyond the city of Krasnoyarsk, there is a small ferry where all the ships stop. Friends, let's go upstream Let's go and see if there are any forgotten ferries." Nicholas ran in the direction he indicated.Nadya followed closely behind with Michel Storgoff in her arms.Michel Storgoff would cross the river without hesitation if there was a boat capable of carrying the wagons—even if there were boats capable of carrying people! Twenty minutes later, the three arrived at the small ferry.There was a village in Nizhny Krasnoyarsk, with houses built all the way to the river. However, there were no boats on the beach.Protruding into the river, there is nothing beside the stone embankment that is usually used as a pier, and there is even no material that can be used to tie a raft that can carry three people. Michel Storgoff asked Nikolai, but received a dismal answer: in Nikolai's view, crossing the river was impossible. "We must go." Michel Storgoff was not discouraged. They continued to search and searched several empty houses on the shore, but found nothing after opening the door.It was a shack where some poor people lived.Nikolai and Nadya searched a house alone, while Michel Storgoff wandered around, groping for something that might come in handy. Nikolay and Nadya had been searching for a long time, and were about to give up in disappointment, when they heard Michel Storgov calling them. The two rushed to the shore and saw him standing in front of a door. "Come on!" he shouted. "They ran towards him and followed him into the shed." "What's this?" asked Michel Storgoff, touching a pile of sundries in a storage cellar. "Sheepskin pockets," replied Nikolai, "there are six of them, my God!" "Is there something in there?" "Yes, it's full of 'Kumis', what a coincidence, we have something to eat again!" "Komis" is a refreshing drink made from goat's or camel's milk, which is somewhat intoxicating.Nicholas could not contain his excitement. "Let's keep one bag of milk wine," Michel Storgoff told him, "and empty the rest." "I'll do it right away, bro." "These things will get us across the Yenisei." "But what about the raft?" "The carriage can be used as a raft. It is so light that it can float on the water. Besides, we use sheepskin bags to increase the buoyancy of the carriage and horse." "That's a wonderful idea!" cried Nicholas. "Bless God, we can cross the river! But the river is so fast that we may not be able to walk in a straight line." "What does that matter!" replied Michel Storgov, "first cross the river, and then we can find our way to Irkutsk again on the other side." "Let's do it!" said Nikolay, emptying the sheepskin bags and taking them to the carriage. Among them, the wide bag of wine remained, and the rest was carefully sealed after being filled with air and used as a buoyancy device.An air bag was tied on each side of the horse to support it to float on the river, and two bags were tied to the shaft between the wheels of the carriage to ensure that the carriage floated above the water, so that the carriage was converted into a raft. The work was done quickly. "Are you afraid, Nadya?" Michel Storgoff asked her. "No," replied the girl. "And you, my friend?" "I!" exclaimed Nikolai, "sailing in a cart, and today I have fulfilled my dream!" This section of the embankment dipped into the river at a slant, just as the carriage went downhill.The horses pulled the carriage all the way to the water's edge.Soon the body of the car floated on the water.Segu also bravely jumped into the river. The three of them stood on the carriage, taking off their shoes and socks for the sake of caution, but relying on the buoyancy of the airbag, the water didn't even reach their ankles. Michel Storgoff held the reins and steered the horse diagonally in the direction Nikolai pointed out to him.But he loved the animal very much, and he didn't want it to waste its energy fighting the rapids.The carriage followed the current, and in a few minutes passed the Krasnoyarsk embankment and drifted north.Apparently it would land far downstream from the city, but what did it matter? If the river is calm, even if the "raft" is not perfect, it will not take much effort to cross the river.Unfortunately, the fast-flowing river was full of eddies, and no matter how hard Michel Storgov tried to avoid them, the carriage was ruthlessly swept into it. The situation was immediately critical.The carriage no longer drifted to the east bank, but spun rapidly in the vortex, like a circus performer circling on the field, turning faster and faster.The horse could barely keep its head out of the water and was about to drown in the rapids.Segou also had to cling to the car body to prevent himself from being swept away by the rapids. Michel Storgoff understood the seriousness of the matter.He felt drawn into a circle whose radius was gradually shrinking, but he was powerless to break free.He said nothing, and seemed to want to get a glimpse of the danger in front of him so that he could get out, but they couldn't help it, and they had to resign themselves to their fate. Did Nikolai see the danger clearly?Is he calm or contemptuous of all this?Is it courageous or indifferent?From his point of view, life is already hopeless, just like the oriental saying, "stay in a hotel for five days", and on the sixth day, you have to leave whether you like it or not... No matter what, he always has a smile on his face. The carriage was still up and down in the whirlpool, and the horse was exhausted.Suddenly, Michel Storgoff took off the clothes that might cause trouble, jumped into the water, grabbed the reins of the frightened animal with his strong arms, and gave a jerk.The carriage broke free from the attraction of the whirlpool, returned to the rushing river, and floated again. "Hurrah!" Nicholas shouted. Two hours after leaving the shore, the carriage floated across a wider river and leaned against a small island in the middle of the river.They had launched six versts upriver. Horses pull carts onto land.After an hour's rest, the brave animal pulled the cart across the island under the birch forest and came to a narrower channel. From here it is easier to get to the other side.There was not a whirlpool in the river, but the current was stronger, and when the carriage reached the opposite bank, it had drifted another five versts downstream, so it was already eleven versts from the point of departure. On these huge rivers in Siberia, so far no bridge has been built, which is really an insurmountable moat.For Michel Storgov, everything was so unfortunate: on the Irtysh River, the boat in which he and Nadya were traveling was attacked by the Tatars; on the Ob River, his horse was hit by a stray bullet. Among them, I escaped from the pursuit of the cavalry with a narrow escape.In comparison, the turmoil on the Yenisei River was nothing. "If crossing the river wasn't so difficult," cried Nicholas, rubbing his hands as soon as he stepped onto the right bank, "it wouldn't be so interesting." "Crossing the river is only a difficult task for us, my friend," Michel Storgov told him, "but for the Tartars it is a elusive dream!" Notes: