– 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…
Rubtsov is I. Ilya Ilyich. Twenty four years old. It is ruddy, cheerful, mobile. Companions call me the Siskin.
Companions are Pronin Ivan and Dashkevich Kazimir, it Kazya. Pronin is similar to me, he is also young, cheerful and mobile. And Dashkevich is not even always similar to himself. It as spring weather: a rain, snow, the sun, clouds, warmly, it is cold – only little by little. Казя – high, thin, angular. It is healthy, but is hypochondriac and often finds in itself (himself) nonexistent diseases.
