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the terrible rumble and the fire from the sky. Yes! Not only was the forest felled, it burned, was scorched by the fierce fire from the explosion. And so, comrades, the second expedition turned back. Expedition No. 3 is now in this auditorium. And I would verrrry much like to hope that it will not be overtaken by the sad fate of the second expedition! Henceforth, I will be merciless toward whiners and panic-mongers. I am certain that there are none among you. And so! There are more of us this time. There are people here of different professions: astronomers, geophysicists, meteorologists, drillers, and even a cameraman. The student enthusiasts desiring to come with us will, I hope, satisfy their longing for discoveries and adventures. We are taking serious gear with us: equipment for meteorological, hydrological, geological, and photographic work, sets of drills, a water pump, and various other instruments. Now, about the rout e... ”
    Kulik stepped down from the podium, unrolled a map lying on the table, hung it on a blackboard, and picked up a wooden pointer.
    “We leave tomorrow from Moscow station. We will travel by train to Taishet. There we will be met by thirty wagons, which will take us and the equipment four hundred kilometers along the horse route to the village of Kezhma on the Angara River, where we will change horses, saddle up, and ride over the taiga path another two hundred kilometers to the village of Vanavara on the banks of the Stony Tunguska. There is a Gostorg trading station in that settlement that supplies the Evenki with goods, gunpowder, and small shot in exchange for fur pelts. The last outpost of civilization, so to speak. The location of the meteorite’s landing is eighty kilometers to the north of Vanavara. We will get there on foot, following the reindeer trail. On passing into the forest blast zone and determining the exact place where the meteorite landed, we will build a barracks from the timber the meteorite has already felled for us, have a housewarming party, and begin our scientific activity. Any questions?”
    The plump astronomer Ikhilevich raised his hand. “How long might the expedition last?”
    “Colleague, don’t pose metaphysical questions,” Kulik retorted. “Until we find it!”
    “As long as the provisions last,” smiled the homely Trifonov.
    “Until the cold hits!” the small, fidgety driller Gridiukh added.
    A slouching student enthusiast with a barely distinguishable beard stood up. “Comrade Kulik, is it true that smoker s... wel l... you don’t take them?”
    “That’s the genuine truth, young man! I cannot abide tobacco smoke. And I believe smoking to be a most harmful habit of the old world. You and I are building a new world. So make your choice — tobacco or the Tungus meteorite!”
    Everyone laughed. The student scratched his chin. “Well, I gues s ... the meteorite.”
    “An excellent choice, young man!” Kulik exclaimed.
    Everyone laughed even louder.
    “Oh, God.” Masha shook her head. “How awful that he doesn’t take women on expeditions. It’s such a mistake! I would keep a journa l.. .”
    “One more thing, comrades!” said Kulik, growing serious. “The local population that we will be working with — the Evenki and Angara peoples — prefer goods to money, and most of all gunpowder, shot, and alcohol. We have an abundance of ammunition, but we aren’t getting much alcohol. So if each of you could bring a flask of alcohol, it would noticeably hasten our progress across the taiga. Questions? No? Then — to work, comrades! Nikolai Savelevich will instruct you further.”
    “I’ll ask everyone to proceed to packing the baggage,” said Trifonov, standing.
    The group stood up and people began talking. Kulik took off his glasses and wiped them, squinting shortsightedly.
    “Oh, yes! One more thin g.. .”
    Everyone immediately fell silent. Kulik put his glasses on and looked at me. “Among us there will be a person who was born at the