20
From Orsk to Raïm
In February all of Orenburg was abuzz with the news of the future expedition. New people showed up in the streets and offices, and the uniforms of the mariners stood out among them. Lieutenant Butakov was appointed head of the expedition on the recommendation of the famous seafarer Admiral Belingshausen, and in March construction work on the two-masted schooner Constantine commenced. A large vacant plot of land on the bank of the Ural was fenced off, and there two sheds were built — from sunup till sunset axes hacked away merrily, sharp-toothed saws whizzed, planes and drawshaves swished and scraped, and steel chisels tapped steadily at the fresh bright yellow timber like so many woodpeckers. But in vain did the passersby peep into the c****s in the fence: they did
