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An Unexpected Role
The steppe along the Syr Darya turned green tenderly and inconspicuously. The shattering noise of countless flocks of ducks, geese, swans and all sorts of other small waterfowl filled the rustling thickets of scrub and reeds, where the birds built their nests, while high up in the sky wedge after wedge of swans drifted toward the north. In the evening the frogs croaked in a clamorous chorus in the boggy lakes. Everything sang of spring and the joy of nature’s resurrection after the winter sleep.
The expedition members were preparing to head out to sea.
The Constantine was lying on her right side on the river bank. The sailors examined her bilge and sides, tarring and caulking her before the voyage. The tar bubbled in a cauldron over a fire.
Just like last year,
