– An interesting case – Mike told, throwing dry branches in a fire.
– Yes, but there are cases better – Nick responded, and his face came up from a gloom, having sparkled glasses of points. – If you are still located to listen, I will tell you an interesting case of hunting for a tiger.
– Are not located at all – Mike muttered.
But Nick probably did not catch and, having drawn near is closer to a fire, briskly told:
– There now and perfectly. It was I do not remember in which year: in the nineteenth…
– Or in the twenty ninth.
– Do not disturb, Mike. You do not want to listen, you can go to bed. And so, it was in the nineteenth or twentieth year» I traveled around Africa and decided to hunt on a tiger.
– On a tiger, in Africa? – with doubt Dick asked.
– Do not disturb it, It is wild – melancholic Mike told, clapping the lit-up rod on a fire.
– Yes, on a tiger, in Africa. What here improbable?
– I spoke to you, Is wild, do not disturb it. The tiger was a traveler too. He came from Asia, jumped through the Red Sea to take a walk in Africa, and by the way decided to get acquainted with Nick.
– I sat in the wood – Nick continued. – There was a bright moonlight night. The sky blue to blackness, and on it stars about a plate. In the silence of the night I heard careful, furtive steps of an animal and squeezed more strong my skorostrelny rifle «фильд No. 2», forty-eight-charging – the invention of my friend Richard Fild. Heard about it? Cannot be! Where you were? The invention to them did the gun «фильд No. 1» then to noise for the whole world. He, you see aimed to invent the gun of extraordinary force which had to operate nearly with energy of disintegration of atoms.
Mike poorly moaned.
– I was at its first experience with «fildy No. 1». We went with it to the island Stek-Skerri [75] and decided to make test of the gun in the deserted area, on the ocean coast. Fild set the object at height of a breast of the person and shot. I expected a thunder, but heard only whistle. I did not manage to take several steps to look on a target as suddenly Fild fell with easy groan, being covered with blood. Someone’s bullet pierced it through. Ahead of us was nobody. Survey of a wound, wider on a breast, than in a back, convinced me finally that the criminal shot behind. At Fild as all outstanding people, had envious persons and enemies.
«What bastard was able to do it!» – I indignantly exclaimed, lifting my poor friend.
«Be more careful in expressions – Filvd answered with a weak voice. – Really you do not understand that I nearly killed myself?»
«How it could be? Ricochet? The bullet returned back?»
«On the contrary, it flew all forward, with lightning speed flew about the globe and struck me behind…»
I was so stunned that, having put on wounded Fild’s earth, began to become straight slowly. At this moment at me the hat which is brought down by someone’s invisible hand fell. I lifted it and saw that the hat is shot. The bullet made one more flight around the globe and nearly killed me.
«What will be now?» – I perplexed asked, being hasty settled on the earth.
«Nasty – Fild answered. – The bullet has to strike everything on the way and many troubles will do. I did not calculate force of my gun. Now the bullet will rush around Earth as the small satellite until friction force about air gradually reduces its speeds; then it falls to the Ground».
