Chapter 28

Part two

Spring meetings

Chapter Three

Waking up, Evdokia Alexandrovna, as always, went to the kitchen. Usual morning routine. Prepare breakfast, wake up Matvey for school, feed her husband, let Kimi out for a walk. Only in the kitchen she found her husband and grandson already dressed and frying scrambled eggs.

- And what, we have today the eighth of March?

They, in turn, were surprised and delighted at the same time by her cheerful appearance.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Matvey Vlasovich hugged his wife.

— Yes, everything seems to be fine. Are you all right? Why are you up so early all of a sudden? Are there things?

Matvey Vlasovich stopped Matvey with a glance, who tried to bombard his grandmother with questions.

- Yes, it seems like you complained about a headache yesterday. So we decided that you should take a break from the kitchen today.

Evdokia Alexandrovna was sincerely surprised:

“I don’t remember that my headaches had such an effect on you before. Yes, it's all gone. But I don't mind if you pamper me like this more often. Matveyka, pour me some tea.

Matvey, still completely bewildered, put a cup of tea in front of her, not daring to ask something.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Is my nose covered in soot? - joked Evdokia Alexandrovna, noticing his strange looks.

- No, everything is in order with your nose, grandmother, but I'd better go, otherwise my grandfather does not take his eyes off me - suddenly I will say something wrong.

Evdokia Alexandrovna really looked beautiful. From yesterday's state, so frightened her husband and caused concern to the doctor, there was no trace left. She didn't seem to remember the events of the previous evening. Matvey Vlasovich made another attempt to clarify the situation.

“What about what the doctor told you yesterday?” Today it is better to lie down and rest. Do not worry.

Evdokia Alexandrovna waved it off.

“So he has a job. His advice is the only thing that doesn't work for me. My pressure is normal. I will not lie down . I went to a cheese factory.

Matvey Vlasovich did not argue. He saw his wife off and went up to the second floor, where old newspapers were still waiting on the desk . Once again, after reading everything related to Chernysh and hunters' reports about meetings with unknown people from the taiga, I watched the plot with the speech of Olga Nezhdanova. Then, after some thought, he resolutely took out a notebook, also clearly from ancient days. Found the right name, dialed the phone number. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a familiar voice after the beeps.

***

Returning from the cheese factory, Evdokia Matveevna was sincerely surprised to meet her husband on the threshold, dressed like a camper.

-Where are you going? Is it hunting again?

- No, I'm in the forestry. There is a new leadership. I want to get acquainted. Maybe it will be possible to take a ride with the foresters to the zaimka. Haven't been there for a long time. Since autumn. So don't worry if I stay there until tomorrow.

- So call, if that.

- Yes, I will. Phone took. Satellite.

“Hmm… I see you are seriously prepared. But, as I understand it, you won't tell me the details.

- But what about, only later, when I have scouted everything, then I will tell everything.

It cannot be said that Evdokia Alexandrovna was completely satisfied with her husband's answer, but many years of experience suggested that it was simply pointless to ask additional questions now. It remains only to check if the pills are forgotten.

Hearing the hum of an engine, she looked out the window. Her surprise grew even more. The husband drove out of the garage an old, proven all-terrain vehicle. It was used in the estate only for grazing and for trips to the distant taiga. There, where only this unpretentious workaholic could overcome the roads. It was not required before the loan. There was quite a tolerable road.

- What are you thinking, Matvey Vlasovich? - Evdokia Alexandrovna said aloud the question that she reserved for the return of Matvey Vlasovich. After all, now she knew for sure that she was cunning, explaining her route. There must have been a good reason for this. They never hid anything from each other. Or almost never.

Matvey Vlasovich, meanwhile, was driving in the direction of the forestry, mentally considering whether he had forgotten something before the trip. Looking at the clock, I realized that my grandson had a break at school , dialed his number.

- Hello son. That's what you are. Go home right after school. Don't go anywhere. I was away for a couple of days on business. I instruct you to look after the house, especially for your grandmother. Your parents will be back late today. So, you are the owner. Deal?

- Oh sure. Understood. Where are you?

"I'll be back, I'll tell you." Bye. I rely on you.

***

Klim Zhukov recently worked as a forester, but he had heard a lot about Matvey Vlasovich. He and his sons did a lot to gradually restore the order lost in the nineties in the taiga. They were among those who, using connections in Moscow, defended the preservation of forestry in their area. He also knew that Matvey Vlasovich was known to various structures. But still, I was somewhat surprised by the call of the General of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Gushchin. And without his request, he was ready to cooperate with Butakov. True, he considered his intention at this time of the year to visit Tretyakov, one of the most unusual inhabitants of the taiga, somewhat rash. After talking with Gushchin, he summoned a young assistant to him. The son of his predecessor, recently deceased.

“I have an assignment for you. Let's just say it's not very common. I know that your father kept Tretyakov's secret. I trusted it only to you and me. But here is a special case. Butakov Matvey Vlasovich will drive up to us. We must escort him to our hermit. He won't be able to do it himself. Eighty years old man.

The assistant tried to protest:

- Why did he decide that Tretyakov would want to do business with him?

- I do not know this. But we will fulfill the request of General Gushchin. To the best of our ability. Clear?

- Yes it is clear. I could wait until spring. Now the road there is even more difficult.

- I agree. We will discuss this with him.

***

Yuri Tretyakov was known among the locals as a semi-mythical personality. No one really knew when and why he settled in one of the most inaccessible places in the taiga. Communication with the outside world almost did not support. How he managed to survive in such harsh conditions alone, few knew. The distance to his dwelling was not great, by the standards of the taiga, but access was limited by nature itself. Several mountain ridges with frequent rockfalls, windbreaks made the road there extremely dangerous. And there was no reason to take risks in order to get to this particular area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe huge taiga, as well as the certainty that the famous hermit lives there. Few people remembered that once upon a time Tretyakov began his career in the local forestry. Although later fate threw him around the world, he kept in touch with one of the friends of his youth. And his friend eventually became a forester.

Having listened to the request of the general, Zhukov, of course, promised to help Butakov with everything he could. But he considered his decision to visit Tretyakov at this time of the year very unreasonable. He didn't tell the general about it . I decided to discuss everything with Butakov himself . Only it turned out to be more difficult than he expected. Matvey Vlasovich immediately rejected all proposals.

I can't wait until spring. And thanks, but I don't need a conductor. I will go to the taiga alone.

The forester once again looked at the man sitting in front of him. Yes, for his eighty years he is strong. He probably won't have much experience either. But after all, he will have to overcome the path that he himself with difficulty passed. In the summer, with a helper who knows the area.

- Matvey Vlasovich, with all due respect to you, to the request of the general, I cannot give you the coordinates of Tretyakov, without having a guarantee that nothing will happen to you.

“Do you want me to write a paper relieving you of responsibility?”

— Not worth it. I am not afraid of responsibility. But look into the eyes of your family...

Matvey Vlasovich did not let him finish:

“You underestimate me. Me too, you know, until I'm ready to give up my life. And I don't want to leave my wife as a widow. You can trust me, I have thought it over well and comprehensively. 43 years in geology also mean something. Therefore, we have two options. Either you give me the coordinates, and I know how it is easier and safer for me to get there, or we are now parting ways, and I myself am looking for Tretyakov's lodge in the taiga.

“And you seriously think you can do it?”

— Yes, I think it will. Only now it will take much more time. Yes, there will be a lot of problems along the way. But there are no more options. I need to get to him now.

Realizing that it would not be possible to convince this "stubborn chaldone", as he had already dubbed Butakov to himself, Zhukov suggested:

- Good. I heard you. Now let's find a compromise solution. Get undressed first. Let's have some tea and talk more.

- I don't mind tea. Yes, and discuss the details, too, will not hurt. Surely you can find a suitable option for both of us.

Time for tea drinking and conversation flew by quickly. Reluctantly, Zhukov agreed that Butakov would go to Tretyakov alone. But tomorrow morning, having spent the night at the zaimka, where his assistant will drop him on a snowmobile.

— I walked this road in six hours. According to the map compiled by Tretyakov himself, with a detailed description. In summer time. With an experienced person nearby. You will definitely need more time.

Let's say all daylight hours. Please note that I do not need to cross the river by boat. At this time, she must have become much shallower. Maybe it's completely frozen.

- Maybe. Even most likely, but not the fact that the thaw did not affect the state of the ice. There may be polynyas hidden by snow. But in any case, now it is much easier to go through it. Unless, of course, you go to the right place for the crossing.

- As a last resort, I will turn to Tretyakov himself. Will help. It's literally next to his home.

- Yes, nearby. Two kilometers. But will he be glad to see you? We haven't been able to contact him yet. He does it himself. From time to time, when he has a desire.

- You can be sure of that. He doesn't know me, most likely, but he knows the general closely. Greetings from him, I think, will be enough for him not to mind my appearance on his territory. And the rest will depend on me.

"But how will you tell him about yourself?"

“I have rocket launchers with me. I think that Tretyakov, like anyone else in the taiga, will not refuse to help.

- Well, then everything was decided. Now Pavel will come to us. This is my assistant. Don't look at how young he is. He grew up in the forestry, next to his father. I went with him to Tretyakov's. And he has been working here for almost a year now. In a word, you can trust him. In the meantime, he is going, let's see what you have tomorrow, if you decide not to deviate from your plans.

Cards immediately appeared on the table, and Matvey Vlasovich took out his own from his backpack, also all dotted with additional badges. After about half an hour of studying the route, he was forced to admit:

- Yes, this man, Tretyakov is not looking for easy ways. But ... where one could go, the other can.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

- I will not say. I just want to go through this area again.

In the place where the point of the pencil pointed, three badges stood close to each other. Zhukov immediately agreed:

- Yes, it is here that you will not only have to go along a very narrow “goat path” along the cliff, but also protect yourself from rockfalls. But that's not all. Then you need to find the necessary crevices in the wall and narrow passages among the huge boulders. Only in this way will you be able to find the slope you need. After descending from it, go out to a dense forest. If you overcome windbreaks exactly where this sign stands, you will stumble upon the very river.

- I understand that no one marked these crevices for me in advance?

- That's it. Moreover, at this time of the year they can all be clogged with snow. They become even less noticeable. Here, look. I took these photos in the summer. But there are no others. I can give you a map with me. Take it to your phone? Or are you better guided by paper?

“I will need both. I would also like to take photographs and notes to the map today for collection. Walk through them again before going to bed.

- Good. Anything you don't need on the road, return Gennady. By the way, here he is. It's time for you. Evening soon.

***

The men reached the Butakovs' lodge in the dark.

“For now, park the snowmobile under a canopy, and I’ll light the stove, we’ll have dinner,” Matvey Vlasovich suggested to Pavel. But he refused.

- I'll go now to our hut. I need to drop groceries in there. Two biologists from Moscow State University will arrive soon. For a week. We have an agreement with the university. But in the morning I will return to you. I'll be here waiting for your message from Tretyakov's home. If at twenty o'clock we do not receive it, then we will act according to the instructions.

- Good. Deal.

- Okay, you say? It's not for me to teach you, but we're breaking all the rules right now. And those rules...

“I know, I know, the rules of the taiga are written in blood. You are doing great. Try never to forget them.

Gennady shrugged his shoulders, started the snowmobile, and, muttering something about those for whom the law was not written, left.

***

In the hut built by the Butakovs in the same year as the estate, everything was adapted for the hunters to have a good rest. Within half an hour, the stove heated itself up and gave off heat to a spacious room. The house was dry. The walls of thick logs, well caulked, did not freeze through even in the most severe frosts. There was always a supply of food here. Simple but satisfying. Smoked bacon, salted cabbage were stored in the cellar. And canned food, tea and cereals in bags were hung from the ceiling. Everything was in place and in complete safety. Matvey Vlasovich liked to come here not only with his family, but also alone. It was well thought here. And now, having had dinner, having hung the lantern closer to the head of the wooden flooring, where the bed had already warmed up, he returned to the notes made by Tretyakov's hand. Again I tried to mentally go through all the difficult sections of the path. I peered at summer pictures and imagined what the area looks like in winter. Gradually, his confidence grew stronger that he already knew the route.

The clock on the wall showed midnight, when the light stopped shining through the shutters of the house in the zaimka. Now only the high moon illuminated the quiet snow-covered glade with low but sprawling fir trees. The silence was broken only by the occasional rustle of snow falling from their tops.

***

Exactly at eight in the morning, Matvey Vlasovich heard the motor of a snowmobile. He scheduled the exit at half past eight. It didn't make sense to do it before. The darkness of the night became more transparent only at ten o'clock. By this time, Matvey Vlasovich was going to ski several kilometers before the start of the first pass. Then - already in daylight - move on on foot.

Gennady looked at the equipment of the old geologist with the same skeptical look. In the end, I had to admit that everything was in order with this. He also approved the battered snowshoes - a gift from one of the hunters, who, due to his advanced age, "hung his gun on a hook." Matvey Vlasovich was pleased with his new acquaintance. He was aware of his rightness, and that in his place he would also be against his own undertaking. But he couldn't refuse it. He had a chance to understand what's going on around his family lately, and he's using it.

Matvey Vlasovich overcame the easiest and most pleasant part of the journey just in time for the late dawn. The day promised to be sunny, but so far one could only guess about it. The pass, at its foot overgrown with a dense spruce forest, and at the very top framed by a pattern of sharp granite ledges, was illuminated from the east, creating the impression of their amazing proximity.

Having stuck his skis into a deep snowdrift under a spruce, Matvey Vlasovich took a few sips of tea from a thermos, but decided to refuse to rest. There was no fatigue, on the contrary, skiing cheered him up. And the ten or fifteen minutes saved here will still be needed for him to take a breather on the ascent.

At the very first steps uphill, he felt that unforgettable feeling that accompanied him all the long years of service in geology. All thoughts have gone somewhere far away. Only the goal remains. And he walked towards her measuredly, slowly, but not slowing down either. Breathing remained even. Eyes in such a rhythm managed to determine the road a few steps ahead. How many ups and downs did he manage to overcome in 43 years? All, of course, and do not remember. And the number of kilometers traveled can not be counted. As before, now his senses were heightened. In the first hour of the journey, he walked easily, easily found the necessary landmarks, avoided several rockfalls, but fatigue gradually accumulated. Backpack on the back was getting harder. Respite was required. But the place was not right for her. Absolutely treeless, rocky slope blown by cold wind. On the left is a steep cliff, on the right is a high wall, whimsically twined with thick tree roots. They once grew far from here, but during heavy rains, tens of tons of earth moved hundreds of meters away, here, to the very edge of the cliff in the gorge. Stopping for a minute, Matvey Vlasovich took out binoculars from his backpack. Ahead, after about three hundred meters, a small platform could be seen where one could hide from the wind, but the climb became steeper. Go there for at least half an hour. And yet Matvey Vlasovich decided not to stop even for a few minutes. Instead, he quickened his pace. And on time. A minute later, where he had just examined the road through binoculars, stones fell from the very top of the cliff.

- Yeah, your gut didn't let you down. Well done, he praised himself and continued on his way.

The site he had chosen seemed to be intended for recreation. Having settled down on a fairly wide ledge in the wall, Matvey Vlasovich finally took off his backpack from his shoulders, loosened the lacing of his boots, poured himself tea, and took out a sandwich with smoked lard. Here the wind did not reach him, the sun heated the stone, it even became hot. But he still did not dare to take off his quilted jacket, which can withstand a forty-degree frost. Just opened it a little at the gate. Savoring, he chewed fragrant fat, drank tea, inhaled the mountain air. Now it felt only the scent of pine needles and melted snow. The drifts were already beginning to melt under the sun. A little more - and streams will flow down from the very height.

“ That was all I needed! Then I'll be stuck in the taiga for a long time. We have to get back.

Having said this aloud, Matvey Vlasovich immediately continued the dialogue with himself:

“Go there first, old man. Still go and go, and you are already going back.

The sun had already risen high, its rays fell on the snow, on the stones that had already become wet, blinded my eyes. But Matvey Vlasovich was ready for this. All the way I felt a large case in the inner pocket of the jacket. Matveyka's famous glasses, in which he so loved to dissect on a snowmobile, were waiting in the wings. Now they were very helpful. All that was left was to check the route. Convinced that he was going absolutely right, Matvey Vlasovich admitted to himself that without the map given to him by Zhukov, he could hardly have taken this path. But right now, he didn't have time to think. Only a third of the road to Tretyakov remained behind. He managed to pass it almost an hour faster, but what awaits him ahead? Ahead - the same "stone labyrinth". Again and again the man listened to himself. He breathed in the mountain air with a full chest and said aloud the usual:

“You have enough strength. But a little luck won't hurt either.

Glancing one last time at the map, determining approximately the place of the next respite, he got up, checked his boots, tightened his belt, threw one strap of his backpack over his shoulder ... Then what happened was what Zhukov had warned him about. The narrow strip along the stone wall lost its stability after autumn showers and winter frosts. Right under Butakov's feet, it began to sink slowly at first, then faster and faster, disintegrating into separate fragments. The first stones fell noisily down. Only for a second Matvey Vlasovich froze. In the next moment, he did the only thing that could save him - with all his might he grabbed the root of a huge cedar that had once grown far from here. It was washed out of the soil by a stream of water quite recently, therefore it still remained powerful, to match the tree itself. This made it possible to keep from falling into the gorge, but did not guarantee salvation. Having leaned with his chest on the preserved narrow ledge of the rock, with one hand clinging to some kind of stone, and with the other at the root of a tree, an elderly man tried with all his might to find support under his feet. A heavy backpack pulled down. When it already seemed that the fall was inevitable, Matvey Vlasovich decided to throw him off, then his right foot felt something like a step in the wall. Trying to even out his breathing, to keep his balance, he forced himself to release one hand, carefully remove one snowshoe from his back and, catching it on a sharp stone sticking out of the rock, tried to crawl out to the rest of the path. It succeeded only on the third attempt. Not daring to get up, he advanced another fifteen meters to the place where a gaping gap in the rock. It was narrow, but through it one could see two larches growing at some distance from the forest. To their right, the tip of a huge boulder split in two glittered in the sun. This was the first sign of a stone labyrinth.