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three fat men
PART ONE
ROPE WALKER TIBUL
DR. GASPAR ARNERY'S TROUBLE DAY
The time for wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All these are fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians were able to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.
There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fair reveller, a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.
Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred sciences. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.
Everyone knew about his learning: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a song about him with the following refrain:
How to fly from earth to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.
One summer, in June, when there was a very good weather, Dr. Gaspard Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some types of tavas and beetles.
Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.
This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.
“That’s good,” said the doctor, “only you still need to take a raincoat, because summer weather deceptive. It can start raining.
The doctor took care of the housework, blew on his glasses, grabbed his box, like a suitcase, from green skin and went.
Most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace was located Three Fat Men. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep canals. Above the channels hung black iron bridges. The bridges were guarded by the palace guards - guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Around the park to the very heavenly line were meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds. This was a great place to walk. Here grew the most interesting species of grass, here the most beautiful beetles rang and the most skillful birds sang.
“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and find a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.
There were more people near the city rampart than ever.
“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - I don't think. Today is Tuesday".
The doctor stepped closer.
The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats, with their wives whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a patchwork quilt; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.
Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, as high as a house, iron gates were tightly closed.
"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.
The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything. The doctor approached a young woman who was holding a fat gray cat, and asked:
– Could you please explain what is going on here? Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement and why are the city gates closed?
“Guards don’t let people out of the city…
Why aren't they released?
- So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men.
“I don’t understand anything, citizen, and I ask you to forgive me…”
“Ah, don’t you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?”
“Prospero the gunsmith?”
- Yes, citizen ... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.
Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.
The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.
“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. “It’s true, I didn’t leave the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."
At this time, even further, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps - the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children cried; the pigeons flew away with a flurry of wings; the dogs sat down and howled.
Heavy cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:
- Prospero! Prospero!
- Down with the Three Fat Men!
Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew him by sight. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him. But the doctor almost cried himself.
“What is going on there? How would you know what is going on there, behind the gate? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe everyone has already been shot!”
Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the rest, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was dilapidated and with broken railings. It is easy to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:
“Ah, my heart is bursting, and I have lost my heel!”
The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.
At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.
- I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.
Binoculars passed from hand to hand.
Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.
Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton; the flame appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top. The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.
- They run!
- They are running ... The people are defeated!
The fleeing people were approaching the city. Entire heaps of people fell along the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greens.
A doctor once lived in a city. His name was Gaspar Arneri. He was a scientist, and there was no one in the country wiser than him. The country where Gaspard Arneri lived was ruled by the Three Fat Men, gluttonous and cruel.
One summer, in June, on a clear fine day, the doctor goes for a walk. On the square, he suddenly finds pandemonium, hears shots and, climbing onto the tower, sees artisans fleeing from the Palace of the Three Fat Men, pursued by the guards. It turns out that the people, led by the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibulus, rebelled against the power of the Three Fat Men, but the uprising was defeated, and the gunsmith Prospero was captured. The bomb hits the tower, from which Gaspard Arneri is watching what is happening, it collapses, and the doctor loses consciousness. He woke up when evening came. The corpses of the dead are lying around. Returning home through the Square of the Star, the doctor sees how the other leader of the uprising, the gymnast Tibul, who remained at large, fleeing from the guards pursuing him, deftly walks along a narrow wire right above the square, and then escapes through a hatch in the dome. At home, the tired doctor is about to go to bed, when suddenly a man in a green cloak crawls out of the fireplace. This is the gymnast Tibul. The next day, ten chopping blocks are prepared for the captured rebels in the Court Square. Then an extraordinary incident happens: the wind blows the seller of balloons along with the balloons and he falls right into open window palace confectionery and falls directly into a huge cake. To avoid punishment, the confectioners decide to leave the seller in the cake, smearing it with cream and sticking it with candied fruit, and serve it in the hall where the grand breakfast is held. Thus, the seller of the balls, trembling with fear that he will be eaten, becomes a witness to what is happening in the hall. Cake tasting is temporarily postponed. The Three Fat Men want to see the captured gunsmith Prospero, and then, when, having enjoyed this spectacle, they are about to continue the feast, a twelve-year-old boy, Tutti's heir, bursts into the hall screaming and crying.
The Fat Men have no children and are going to hand over all their wealth and control of the country to Tutti, who is being raised in the Palace as a little prince. Fat men spoil him in every possible way and indulge his whims. In addition, they want the boy to have an iron heart, they do not allow him to play with other children, and his classes are held in a menagerie. Instead of a friend, an amazing doll was created for him, which is endowed with the ability to grow and develop with Tutti. The heir is extremely attached to her. And now the beloved doll is broken: the rebellious guardsmen, who went over to the side of Prospero and the rebellious people, pierced it with bayonets.
The fat men don't want Tutti's heir to be upset. The doll needs to be repaired urgently, but no one is able to do this, except for the most learned doctor Gaspard Arnery. Therefore, it was decided to send him a doll, so that by the next morning she, repaired, would again be with Tutti. Otherwise, the doctor will be in serious trouble. As the Fat Men's mood is ruined, the balloon seller's cake is taken back to the kitchen. Cooks in exchange for balloons help the seller get out of the Palace, show him a secret passage that starts from a giant pan.
Meanwhile, at the Fourteenth Market, the Three Fat Men are organizing festivities for the people: performances, entertainment, performances, during which the artists must agitate for the Three Fat Men and distract the attention of the people from the blocks that are erected for execution. At one such performance, Dr. Arneri and the gymnast Tibul, who was turned into a Negro by the doctor for conspiracy, are present. During the performance of the strongman Lapitupa, Tibul cannot stand it and drives him off the stage, revealing to the people that he is not a Negro at all, but a real Tibul. A fight breaks out between him and the bribed circus performers. Tibul defends himself with cabbage heads, plucking them straight from the garden and throwing them at the enemy. Grabbing another head of cabbage, he suddenly discovers that it is a human head, and none other than the seller of balloons. This is how Tibul learns about the existence of a secret underground passage to the Fat Man's Palace.
While Tibul is fighting, Dr. Gaspard Arneri is found by Fat Men's messengers and given him an order and a broken doll. Dr. Gaspard Arnery tries to fix the doll, but by the morning he is clearly not keeping up. It takes at least another two days, and the doctor, along with the doll, goes to the Fat Men. On the way, he is stopped by the guards guarding the Palace and is not allowed further. They do not believe that he is really Gaspard Arneri, and when the doctor wants to show them the doll, he discovers that it is not there: having dozed off, he dropped it on the way. The frustrated doctor is forced to turn back. Hungry, he drives into Uncle Brizak's booth. Imagine his surprise when he discovers here the doll of Tutti's heir, which turns out to be not a doll at all, but a living girl named Suok, who looks like two drops of water on a doll. And then Tibulus, who appeared here soon, has a plan for the release of Prospero.
In the morning, Dr. Arneri comes to the Palace. The doll is not only corrected by him, but even more like a living girl than before. Suok is a good artist and is a great doll. The heir is delighted. And then the doctor asks for the cancellation of the execution of ten rebels as a reward. The indignant Fatties have no choice but to agree, otherwise the doll may deteriorate again.
At night, when everyone is asleep, Suok infiltrates the menagerie. She is looking for Prospero, but in one of the cages she finds a monster, overgrown with hair, with long yellow claws, who hands her some kind of tablet and dies. This is the great scientist Tub, the creator of the doll for Tutti: he was imprisoned in the menagerie for not agreeing to make an iron heart for the heir. Here he spent eight years and almost lost his human form. Suok then finds Prospero's cage and frees him. With the help of the terrible panther released from the cage, Prospero and Suok break through to the very pan from where the underground passage begins, but Suok does not have time to follow Prospero and is captured by the guards.
Suok's trial will take place the next day. So that Tutti's heir does not accidentally intervene and upset their plans, by order of the Tolstyakov, he is temporarily put to sleep. Suok does not answer questions and does not react at all to what is happening. Angry Fat Men decide to give her to be torn to pieces by tigers. The tigers released from the cage, seeing the victim, first rush to it, but then suddenly turn away indifferently. It turns out that this is not Suok at all, but the same spoiled doll that the rebellious guards took away from the dance teacher Razdvatris who found her. The real Suok was hidden in a closet, replaced by a doll.
Meanwhile, shots are already ringing and shells are exploding, the rebellious people, led by the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibulus, are storming the Palace.
The power of the Tolstoys is coming to an end. And on that tablet, which the dying creator of the doll handed over to the brave Suok, he revealed to her an important secret: she is Tutti's sister, who was kidnapped with him at the age of four by order of the Tolstyakov and then separated from her brother. Tutti was left in the Palace, and the girl was given to a traveling circus in exchange for a rare breed parrot with a long red beard.
The story of how ordinary people fought with arrogant, conceited, selfish and narcissistic rulers, called the Three Fat Men by the author. Thanks to a happy accident, a circus performer, a young but resourceful Suok, ends up in the palace of the rulers. She pretends to be a doll, risking her life a lot, because if the truth is discovered, the girl will inevitably be executed. But she is not afraid of difficulties and obstacles, Suok will do everything to overthrow the tyrants from the throne. And in this she will be helped by the tightrope walker Tibul, the gunsmith Prospero, Dr. Arnery and thousands of deceived citizens.
The fairy tale novel teaches to defend the truth, fight injustice, help friends in need and never give up.
Read the summary of Three fat men Olesha
In the state ruled by the Three Fat Men, discontent is brewing, the people want to overthrow the cruel tyrants from the throne. People are outraged that they have to live in poverty while the Fat Men live luxurious life without worrying about the rest. The leaders of the liberation movement are a circus tightrope walker named Tibul and a gunsmith Prospero. In one of the clashes with the guards, the gunsmith is captured and sentenced to death, Tibul loses his main ally and assistant. But he appears new friend and ally - Dr. Gaspard, who is not indifferent to the suffering of the people. Mr. Arnery himself is not a poor man, but arrogant and arrogant Fat Men cause him contempt, and ordinary people - sympathy and understanding. An educated scientist helps the gymnast hide from the guards, and then advises him to smear his face with wax to change his appearance and become like a black man. This funny trick helps Tibul to change beyond recognition and "trick" his enemies more than once. Luck smiles at Tibul again, and he very unexpectedly finds out that a secret underground passage leads to the Tolstyakov's palace.
At the same time, Dr. Gaspard Arnery appears new problem. He is summoned to the palace, because an unforeseen misfortune happened there - a doll broke, which Tutti, the heir to the Three Fat Men, loves very much. And if the little prince is dissatisfied, then Dr. Gaspard will be unhappy. The boy is brought up, indulging all whims and desires, because he should become a worthy replacement when the time comes. Tutti is very upset by what happened, because he is not allowed to communicate with children, and the broken doll looks so much like a living girl. Dr. Arneri tries to explain that the doll is hopelessly damaged, but they don’t even listen to him, they are expelled from the palace with a demand to immediately repair the unique toy and deliver it to the palace by morning. While being transported, the doll goes missing and the doctor desperately tries to find it. Instead, he meets a girl who bears an unbelievable resemblance to Tutti's heir doll. The girl's name is Suok and she agrees to a risky adventure - to pretend to be a doll in order to enter the palace and help the revolutionaries. The doctor takes Suok to the palace and shows everyone the restored doll. Tutti's heir is delighted and orders to fulfill any desire of the doctor. Gaspard Arneri asks to cancel the execution of the rebels, the commander of the guards promises to fulfill the request, but instead takes the scientist into custody.
Alone with the boy, Suok admits that she is not a doll at all. Tutti understands that if they find out about this, then a tragedy will happen and promises to keep this secret a secret. At night, Suok tricks Tutti with the key to the cage in which Prospero languishes. A smart girl sneaks into the menagerie, bypassing numerous guards, and frees Prospero.
In one of the cells she finds scary person, who before his death manages to reveal his secret to her. The fat men took him into custody because he refused to make Tutti's iron heart. It turns out that this man is a brilliant scientist who created a doll of the heir by copying the appearance of Suok. He chose this girl for a reason, she - Native sister Tutti, who was once taken away by the Fat Men from the family. More precisely, they took the two of them, the boy was left to grow a callous and heartless king out of him, and she was given to the touring circus performers.
Freed from his cage, Prospero manages to escape through a secret underground passage, but Suok does not have time to do it. Enemies become aware that one of the courtiers found a broken doll. Who then is in the palace? The girl is detained and subjected to constant interrogations. Suok does not betray his friends. For silence and insubordination, she is sentenced to death. Only Tutti can save her. But he is put to sleep for several days so that he cannot interfere with the upcoming execution. It seems that the tragic ending is inevitable, but faithful friends come to the rescue. Instead of a girl, a doll is brought to the tigers to be torn to pieces. The guards go over to the side of the rebels. Fat men do not notice the change in the mood of the courtiers. They are carried away by a bewitching spectacle, here the girl is taken out to be torn to pieces by tigers, another minute and they will tear the unfortunate to shreds ... The Three Fat Men are very surprised why predatory animals do not react to the victim. But this is not the only disappointment of cruel dictators, they have yet to learn that their reign is coming to an end.
Good triumphs over evil: a brave girl and the inventive Dr. Arnery are freed, and the rebellious uprising ends with the victory over the Fatties. Now no one can ever separate Tutti and Suok.
Dec 26, 2016Three fat men Yuri Olesha
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Title: Three fat men
About the book "Three Fat Men" Yuri Olesha
"Three Fat Men" is the first soviet fairy tale. And the only one that is interesting to read even now, after almost a hundred years. Yes, in her in question about an oppressed people who overthrow the vile "fat men". But in fact, the revolutionary nature of the book is not in this. For the first time in Russian literature, the "adult" writer Yuri Olesha wrote a book that is equally interesting to read for both children and adults. For children, this is a wonderful fantasy story. For adults - a philosophical parable.
The book takes place in a fictional country ruled by three fat men. In fact, the very title of the book reflects the attitude towards the rulers: vile, drowning in folds of fat, constantly chewing, spitting up, swallowing, they are completely devoid of any individuality and act like one person. On the contrary, they are opposed by very different and nice people: the gunsmith Prospero, Dr. Gaspar, the tightrope walker Tibul and the wonderful little gymnast - the twelve-year-old circus performer Suok, for the sake of which Yuri Olesha once began to write this fairy tale. Since this is a fairy tale, and even a Soviet one, then, probably, we will not reveal the secret if we say that the three fat men were defeated. But the main intrigue is different: what will happen to their only beloved heir Tutti and the Suok doll girl?
Actually, this is a book about them - about a boy and a girl who become hostages of "adult" intrigues.
Suok ... More than once I had to read that Olesha dedicated the book to his wife Olga Suok. But in fact this is not so, just in a fit of desperation, the writer married older sister beloved woman - Seraphim Suok. Serafima left Olesha for the sake of the poet Vladimir Narbut. This story is described in great detail by Olesha's close friend Valentin Kaverin in the autobiographical story "My Diamond Crown". He also described how the idea of \u200b\u200bthe fairy tale "Three Fat Men" was born. Crushed by the betrayal of his beloved woman, Yuri Olesha began to look after a very young neighbor - Valya Grunzaid. Valya did not like him, he was too old, too complicated, later she married his close friend Yevgeny Petrov, the author of The Twelve Chairs. Valya Olesha was also not too interested as a woman. The writer, rather, studied her - a beautiful doll, which suddenly turned into a living girl. It was for Valya that Olesha wrote a children's fairy tale, although formally she was no longer a child, she was seventeen. The tale was liked by both Valya and her fiancé Yevgeny Petrov, and millions of Soviet readers of all ages.
As for Olga Suok, I would like to believe that she was happily married to Olesha, and he was happy with her. Both of them did not hide that true love and passion between them never was. But they supported each other all their lives and remained the closest friends.
On our site about books, you can download the site for free without registration or read online book"Three Fat Men" by Yuri Olesha in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and a real pleasure to read. Buy full version you can have our partner. Also, here you will find last news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginner writers there is a separate section with useful tips and recommendations, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at writing.
Quotes from the book "Three Fat Men" by Yuri Olesha
A person in moments of excitement sometimes does not notice such circumstances, which, as adults say, hit in the eye.
The caged beast snorted, though it wasn't a cat, but some more complex animal.
There are such messes: at first you don’t deign to look at them, and then, looking more closely, you see that such a mess is cuter than a princess, especially since princesses sometimes turn into frogs or, conversely, frogs turn into princesses.
... the day was wonderful: the sun only did what it shone; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled; a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.
- I hate to see you.
We'll cut off your head soon. In this way we will help you not to see us.
- I'm not afraid. My head is one. The people have hundreds of thousands of heads. You don't cut them off.
Girls her age are not afraid of obvious danger. They will not be afraid of the muzzle of a pistol aimed at them, but they will be afraid to stay in a dark room.
England has always been afraid of competition with Russia. She constantly pushed Russia against other states. A century and a half ago, the English Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, admitted - "how hard it is to live when no one is at war with Russia." There is nothing to add! Trying to weaken Russia, the British have always successfully fought with us by proxy - French, German, Turkish. It seems to me that Mayakovsky's revolutionary agitprop of the 1920s fully corresponds to reality. There is world capital, the “three fat men”, about whom Olesha brilliantly guessed everything - this is what world imperialism looks like.
A terrible night has come for the rich and fat.
There are very good remedy from fear: sleep. It is especially recommended to pull a blanket over your head.
Yuri Olesha
Three Fat Men
Dedicated to Valentina Leontievna Gryunzaid
Part one. Rope walker Tibul
Chapter I. The Restless Day of Dr. Gaspard Arnery
The time of wizards is over. In all likelihood, they never actually existed. All this is fiction and fairy tales for very young children. It's just that some magicians were able to deceive all sorts of onlookers so cleverly that these magicians were mistaken for sorcerers and wizards.
There was such a doctor. His name was Gaspar Arneri. A naive person, a fairground reveler or a half-educated student could also take him for a magician. In fact, this doctor did such amazing things that they really looked like miracles. Of course, he had nothing to do with wizards and charlatans who fooled too gullible people.
Dr. Gaspard Arneri was a scientist. Perhaps he studied about a hundred spiders. In any case, there was no one in the country wiser and more learned than Gaspard Arnery.
Everyone knew about his scholarship: the miller, the soldiers, the ladies, and the ministers. And the schoolchildren sang a whole song about him with such a refrain;
How to fly from earth to the stars
How to catch a fox by the tail.
How to make steam out of stone
Our doctor Gaspar knows.
One day, when the weather was very fine, in the summer of June, Dr. Gaspard Arneri decided to go on a long walk to collect some species of grasses and beetles.
Dr. Gaspard was a middle-aged man and therefore was afraid of rain and wind. When he left the house, he wrapped a thick scarf around his neck, put on goggles against dust, took a cane so as not to stumble, and generally went for a walk with great precautions.
This time the day was wonderful; the sun did nothing but shine; the grass was so green that there was even a sensation of sweetness in the mouth; dandelions flew, birds whistled, a light breeze fluttered like an airy ball gown.
That's good, - said the doctor, - but you still need to take a raincoat, because the summer weather is deceptive. It can start raining.
The doctor took care of the household chores, blew on his spectacles, grabbed his box, a sort of green leather suitcase, and left.
The most interesting places were outside the city - where the Palace of the Three Fat Men was located. The doctor visited these places most often. The Palace of the Three Fat Men stood in the middle of a huge park. The park was surrounded by deep channels. Black iron bridges hung over the canals. The bridges were guarded by palace guards: guardsmen in black oilcloth hats with yellow feathers. Meadows covered with flowers, groves and ponds swirled around the park to the very heavenly line. This was a great place to walk. Here grew the most interesting species of grass, here the most beautiful beetles rang, and the most skillful birds sang.
“But walking is a long way. I will go to the city rampart and hire a cab. He will take me to the palace park, thought the doctor.
There were more people near the city rampart than usual.
“Is today Sunday? the doctor doubted. - I don't think. Today is Tuesday".
The doctor stepped closer.
The whole area was crowded with people. The doctor saw craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs; sailors with faces the color of clay; wealthy townspeople in colored waistcoats, with their wives whose skirts looked like rose bushes; merchants with decanters, trays, ice cream makers and braziers; skinny street actors, green, yellow and motley, as if sewn from a blanket; very small guys pulling red funny dogs by the tails.
Everyone crowded in front of the city gates. Huge, house-high, iron gates were tightly closed.
"Why are the gates closed?" the doctor wondered.
The crowd was noisy, everyone was talking loudly, shouting, cursing, but it was really impossible to make out anything.
The doctor approached a young woman holding a fat gray cat on her arm and asked:
Kindly explain what is going on here. Why are there so many people, what is the reason for their excitement, and why are the city gates closed?
Guardsmen do not let people out of the city ...
Why aren't they released?
So that they do not help those who have already left the city and went to the Palace of the Three Fat Men ...
I don't understand anything, citizen, and I beg your pardon...
Oh, don't you know that today the gunsmith Prospero and the gymnast Tibul have led the people to storm the Palace of the Three Fat Men?
Gunsmith Prospero?
Yes, citizen... The rampart is high, and on the other side guards riflemen sat down. No one will leave the city, and those who went with the gunsmith Prospero will be killed by the palace guards.
Indeed, several very distant shots rang out.
The woman dropped the fat cat. The cat plopped down like raw dough. The crowd roared.
“So I missed such a significant event,” thought the doctor. - True, I left the room for a whole month. I worked in lockdown. I didn't know anything..."
At this time, even farther, the cannon hit several times. Thunder bounced like a ball and rolled in the wind. Not only the doctor was frightened and hurriedly retreated a few steps, but the whole crowd shied away and collapsed. The children began to cry, the pigeons flew away with a crackling of their wings, the dogs sat down and began to howl.
A strong cannon fire began. The noise rose unimaginable. The crowd pressed on the gate and shouted:
Prospero! Prospero!
Down with the Three Fat Men!
Dr. Gaspar was completely taken aback. He was recognized in the crowd because many knew his face. Some rushed to him, as if seeking protection from him.
But the doctor almost cried himself.
What's going on there? How would you know what is going on behind the gates? Maybe the people are winning, or maybe to be already everyone was shot.
Then about ten people ran in the direction where three narrow streets began from the square. On the corner was a house with a tall old tower. Together with the others, the doctor decided to climb the tower. Downstairs was a laundry room, similar to a bathhouse. It was as dark as a basement there. A spiral staircase led up. Light penetrated through the narrow windows, but there was very little of it, and everyone climbed slowly, with great difficulty, especially since the staircase was torn and with broken railings. It is not difficult to imagine how much work and excitement it cost Dr. Gaspard to climb to the top floor. In any case, even on the twentieth step, in the darkness, his cry was heard:
Oh, my heart is breaking and I've lost my heel!
The doctor lost his cloak even on the square, after the tenth shot from the cannon.
At the top of the tower was a platform surrounded by stone railings. From here, there was a view of at least fifty kilometers around. There was no time to admire the view, although the view deserved it. Everyone looked in the direction where the battle was taking place.
I have binoculars. I always carry 8-glass binoculars with me. Here it is, - said the doctor and unfastened the strap.
Binoculars passed from hand to hand.
Dr. Gaspar saw a lot of people in the green space. They ran towards the city. They ran away. From a distance, people looked like colorful flags. Guardsmen on horseback chased the people.
Dr. Gaspar thought it all looked like a picture of a magic lantern. The sun shone brightly, the greenery shone. The bombs exploded like pieces of cotton wool, the flames appeared for one second, as if someone was letting sunbeams into the crowd. The horses prancing, rearing up and spinning like a top.
The park and the Palace of the Three Fat Men were shrouded in white transparent smoke.
They run!
They run... The people are defeated!
The fleeing people were approaching the city. Entire heaps of people fell along the road. It seemed that multi-colored shreds were pouring onto the greens.
The bomb whistled over the square.
Someone, frightened, dropped the binoculars. The bomb exploded, and everyone who was at the top of the tower rushed back, down, inside the tower.
The locksmith caught on a hook with a leather apron. He looked around, saw something terrible and yelled at the whole area:
Run! They've got the gunsmith Prospero! They're about to enter the city...
A commotion began on the square. The crowd backed away from the gate and ran from the square to the streets. Everyone went deaf from the gunfire.
Dr. Gaspard and two others stopped on the third floor of the tower. They looked out of a narrow window punched into the thick wall.
Only one could look right. The rest watched with one eye. The doctor also looked with one eye. But even for one eye, the sight was scary enough.
The huge iron gates swung open to their full width. About three hundred people flew into these gates at once. They were craftsmen in gray cloth jackets with green cuffs. They fell, covered in blood. Guards jumped over their heads. They cut with sabers and fired with guns. Yellow feathers fluttered, black oilcloth hats sparkled, horses opened their red mouths, twisted their eyes and scattered foam.
