Here is another story. The following is the author’s story. Spelling and some stylistics have been edited in places by me.
For a long time I was planning to wander around the Nizhnevladimirovsky mine. Or rather, by what was left of him. In the 90s, a dredge passed by and filled up this place with dumps. Vandals and that’s all, nothing sacred!
Some have coins, some have gold. The hefty horse yard alone was worth it. And there were some notable finds there, and the place itself attracted me. At work I accidentally got into a conversation with a guy. He grew up in those places. What a stroke of luck — a living witness is better than any cards.
Let me torture him about those places:
— The Japanese had a civilian barracks there, and they had a hospital there somewhere. Like in a big Chinese fanza.
— You should have poked around there before, — the guy answers, — to the dredge. The barracks were razed, but I’ll show you the approximate location of the hospital if you want. Moreover, I have my own interest there. We’ll go on Saturday.
Luck has struck, and you don’t have to spend money on gas, and he’ll show you and show you what happened and where. Otherwise, sometimes they explain it in their fingers, you walk, wander, and end up sewing.
— Just grab a second metal detector, I need to go around there too.
Yeah, things are starting to take an interesting turn. I say «I’ll take it, why not take», but I myself think about what he needs there.
Saturday, the carriage, or rather the Niva, has arrived. We’re getting dusty, it’s not far to go, 40 kilometers in total.
— Uncle San, — I say — and what were you going to look for?
— How can I say, in general, something like a treasure. Like in mining settlements here, you won’t find treasures of coins. Why accumulate and hide some round pieces that can depreciate or change. It’s easier to whistle for some gold and dig it in. Gold, no matter the power and inflation, will remain so. The finds were (champagne bottle full of golden sand — 16 kg.)
Well, then my interlocutor begins the story:
They say he was small and took the cow out to pasture. At the exit from the forest I met an old walker (that’s what the local Chinese call them). He saw him and even seemed to flinch. The boy was scared. And the next day the Chinese was twisted and died. Before his death, he revealed to his neighbor that he had buried a little gold in the forest and indicated signs — a large protruding stone next to a birch tree. Look under the birch tree. They didn’t think to pick him up and bring him into the woods so he could point out the place. The neighbor and his comrades ignored this story. After the funeral, already drunk, he started talking to the whole village. Well, it began — They searched the whole area, but found nothing…
We arrived at the place. An acquaintance led me through the wild rose thickets. We came to large ruins.
— Here — says — a place with large ruins is only here.
That’s good luck, I think! And I myself say:
— There was a temple somewhere on the hill near the passages, I haven’t heard of that place?
— No, — replies, — This is the first time I’ve heard of it, but there is a stone of Love. The place is also old. There, the daughter of a gold miner committed suicide. I’ll show you this place a little later.
I think luck has arrived!
— Well, of course you took the device for me, — says — but the devil only knows how the gold will ring. And will he smell the golden sand at all?
— Why do you think that sand? Maybe he made a stash of nuggets? Okay, — I say — The device is set up, but I don’t have an extra shovel.
When I met him, he walked empty-handed. So it must be a cache with some kind of lid or something. He shouldered the club and walked away from me into the bushes. From the bushes he shouts that a huge bear is walking around the area, he robbed the miners’ warehouse so that I would be more careful. Well, okay, people should be afraid, not bears. The old people also said that in the taiga the most dangerous animal — this is a person.
The footsteps have died down, I am quietly moving around. There are finds, but it looks like this is an ordinary Chinese fanza. That means it’s not that, but oh well, as Semyon Semyonich said — «the search continues». I sat down on a pebble, waiting for my friend. The miners’ bulldogs thunder down by the river. What a bear! He left with the stolen condensed milk.
A friend is running, his eyes are round.
— What, — I say — Uncle San, found it?
— Give me a shovel, something is ringing powerfully, I almost tore my nails off.
— No, it’s not a pity.
He left, the cunning one, and didn’t show his place. Coming soon:
— Not that coat. Iron sheet.
— Looking underneath him? — I say.
— No, — answers.
— Eh, maybe he covered the hole with a piece of iron and poured some earth on top.
— I’m an idiot, let’s go, just the two of you.
Let’s go. Leads to the place. According to the signs, it fits. Here is a flat stone sticking out of the ground, next to it is a birch tree, and here is this leaf. I rang the spot and dug deeper with a shovel. There is nothing.
— No, — I say — Akella missed.
I stepped aside, walked around, looked — there’s another flat stone sticking out. Outcropping of rock to the surface. And birches nearby.
Calling:
— Uncle San, crawl here!
— Don’t bust your guts.
He saw a hole under the boulder and reached into it with his hand, fortunately we don’t have snakes. Suitable…
— Vaughn, — I say — more of the same flat stones. And birches nearby. Now look at all this, as they say, with sober eyes. You don’t notice anything?
— No, — shrugs his shoulders.
— The birches are skinny, or rather young. Judging by your story, this was about 50 years ago. This place is not here, but you have to look for it. The main thing is to set a goal. The Chinese was already decrepit, he could not go far to hide.
— Okay, — says — I’ll go again tomorrow, can you give me a metal detector?
— Dame, — lol — look… so you can go crazy!
Let’s go back. Places of fresh search are visible and old holes are found.
— At one time there was a whole pilgrimage here, people were moving here and there. Go look for all the gold.
— So maybe they found it?
— So they found it, you could hear it…
— Well, yes, — I say — what kind of idiot would find something like this and run to the village council to hand it over? Maybe they dug it up on the quiet?
— But God knows.
— Yes, you promised to show the stone of love.
— A… Let’s go show you. Or rather, we’ll go, although it’s not far from here.
We get into the car and drive off. The path is blocked by a checkpoint. Gold mining zone, the place is closed to strangers. Cossacks are on guard at the barrier. The real ones, from Ussuri. There are no checkers, but the whips are hanging. Everyone says they’ve arrived. They don’t let me in. Uncle Sanya, in his scandalous manner, begins to talk to them, saying that he was hanging around here barefoot as a boy and that’s his thing. Open it and that’s it. Those are not what. On foot please, otherwise no. They say let you go in the car, what if you end up hanging from the bulldozer? OK. They yelled and calmed down. Let’s go on foot. Uncle Sanya with a gun, I — with a backpack. Colorful personalities. In the back… they say, if you shoot him, then you will cut the kusman for the boiler. Yeah… All we are thinking about is how to shoot something from the game. Lest the bear devour them themselves. They got a little lost, he says he hasn’t been for a long time, everything here is overgrown.
They went out to the stone, where the girl met with a simple prospector. Here she committed suicide. And a couple more people, here they say that before, men from their wives had parties with their friends, and lovers made wishes. I rummaged around the stone and around. Everything is overgrown with bushes. Well, at least I saw him, otherwise there were only some stories going around. Let’s go back, longing… There are some finds, but something is not quite right… I still wanted to find a hospital. Come on, what are my years?
«You have ginseng here?» — Cossacks ask… Yeah, basically it just keeps growing.
— Village — I say — Chinese when washed, the finds were ?
— Yes, there are all sorts of things, but what?
— Yes, nothing. A Chinese jeweler lived in this village. He made a golden samovar for the Russian doctor because he cured their elder.
— And where did he go? — The Cossacks opened their mouths.
— Who? Samovar or doctor?
— Samovar.
— And I know… The doctor left before the revolution and obviously took him with him. Yes, — I say, waddling over the fence, — here, even under the Tsar-Father, your checkpoint stood.
We’re going home, the trip was still a success. On the way, Uncle Sanya tells an interesting story connected with this place.
At one time, in the old days, in the mines, you could wash the little gold yourself in your free time from work. And, of course, take it to your place of work. For this purpose, gold buying offices were built. Only at the neighboring mines they could have given a higher price to attract more people. So that people don’t play pranks, don’t run to their competitors, the manager’s people keep an eye on this, and there are always plenty of informers. They could report for a reward.
And then one Chinese comes across a large nugget. He decided to take it to a nearby gold buying shop. They gave more there. How the manager found out about this is unknown, but you won’t just conduct a search in a Chinese settlement, and he doesn’t keep it at home. However, he knows the approximate time when the Chinese will go to take the exam. Well, he tells his assistants to keep an eye on him. Hit the road one of the coming Sundays.
And sure enough, I got ready to go hiking and dust myself off. The assistants gave him time to move away and have time to take the nugget from the cache. We got on the horses and caught up.
— Where is the gold?
— What gold? — he answers.
— Yes, the nugget that you are carrying to Vesely.
— There is nothing.
They searched him… definitely empty. They sat down and left. There is no smoke without fire. They turned around, caught up, and again the search yielded nothing. What is it… maybe the informers told a lie, but still he goes to Vesely…
Through the forest, we came straight to Vesely, went into the office, and stood there waiting. Talk to the receptionist. And sure enough, after some time this Chinese man comes in, approaches the table and puts dry horse droppings on it. The receiver got angry, why are you putting manure here while walking around? I wanted to hit him in the neck. The Chinese started babbling, breaking the dung, and inside there was a nugget. They just jerked towards the table, and that’s all… According to the law, what’s on the table is someone else’s. The Chinese understood that they would guard him and carry out a search. He took it and hid the gold in fresh horse droppings. As soon as it dried up, it went away. He walks along, carrying manure in his hand. He sees or hears that someone is walking or driving and throws him onto the road… You never know then there was a lot of manure like this lying on the side of the road… That’s how I fooled you.
My interlocutor did not know what happened to that Chinese man. Most likely they caught him in the neck from that mine. I laughed at the story. Interesting, and then my home appeared. That’s it, end of the trip. I went for a ride and dissipated. And there will still be finds…
Sent a story by Sergey I.
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