The Amur

On the sixth morning, the train was running through the Russian Far East. The taiga had changed character. The trees were now Korean pine, Manchurian ash, and Mongolian oak. The forest felt closer. This is the temperate rainforest of the Russian Far East, one of the wettest forests in the world outside the tropics.

Šiesty deň ráno vlak prechádzal cez ruský Ďaleký východ. Tajga zmenila svoj charakter. Stromy boli teraz kórejské borovice, mandžuské jasene a mongolské duby. Les sa zdal byť bližšie. Toto je mierny dažďový prales ruského Ďalekého východu, jeden z najvlhkejších lesov na svete mimo trópov.

Polly was alone in the compartment. Pavel had gotten off in Ulan-Ude. The soldier had moved to another carriage. The new occupant of the upper bunk was a thin woman who slept most of the day.

Polly bola sama v kupé. Pavel vystúpil v Ulan-Ude. Vojak sa presunul do iného vozňa. Novou obyvateľkou hornej postele bola chudá žena, ktorá väčšinu dňa prespala.

A freight train passed in the opposite direction. It was nearly two kilometres long, carrying timber. Polly counted thirty-eight flatbeds before she stopped.

Protiidúci nákladný vlak prešiel okolo. Mal takmer dva kilometre a viezol drevo. Polly napočítala tridsaťosem plošinových vozňov, než prestala.

The train arrived at Khabarovsk in mid-morning. Khabarovsk sits on the Amur River, the eighth-longest river in the world. The Amur forms much of the border between Russia and China. From the platform, Polly could see the river through a gap between two buildings. It was wide. It was the colour of strong tea. On the far bank, through the haze, was China.

Vlak dorazil do Chabarovska v polovici rána. Chabarovsk leží na rieke Amur, ôsmej najdlhšej rieke na svete. Amur tvorí veľkú časť hranice medzi Ruskom a Čínou. Z nástupišťa mohla Polly vidieť rieku cez medzeru medzi dvoma budovami. Bola široká. Mala farbu silného čaju. Na druhom brehu, cez opar, bola Čína.

Polly hopped down and walked the length of the train.

Polly zoskočila a prešla celú dĺžku vlaku.

A Russian Far East crane was standing at the edge of a small marsh near the station yards. Almost two metres tall, black and white with red around the eye. The Russian Far East crane is one of the rarest cranes in the world. Maybe three thousand left, breeding mostly in the Amur basin.

Na okraji malej močariny pri stanici stál žeriav z ruského Ďalekého východu. Takmer dva metre vysoký, čierno-biely s červenou okolo oka. Žeriav z ruského Ďalekého východu je jedným z najvzácnejších žeriavov na svete. Možno ich zostalo tri tisíce, rozmnožujú sa hlavne v povodí Amuru.

Polly tilted her head at it. The crane tilted its head back. Polly walked closer. The crane did not move.

Polly naklonila hlavu k nemu. Žeriav naklonil hlavu späť. Polly sa priblížila. Žeriav sa nepohol.

A conductor blew a whistle. Polly hopped back to the train. She turned and looked at the crane. The crane was still looking at her. Then it lifted its long neck very slowly and walked, in deliberate steps, away into the marsh.

Sprievodca zapískal na píšťalku. Polly sa vrátila späť do vlaku. Otočila sa a pozrela na žeriava. Žeriav sa stále pozeral na ňu. Potom veľmi pomaly zdvihol svoj dlhý krk a odkráčal, s úmyselnými krokmi, preč do močariny.

The train pulled out of Khabarovsk and turned south. The Pacific was less than seven hundred kilometres away now.

Vlak sa pohol z Chabarovska a zamieril na juh. Pacifik bol teraz menej ako sedemsto kilometrov ďaleko.