"Fandango" by Alexander Green, summary Automatic translate

This book is a collection of romantic short stories, published posthumously, although the title work was written in 1927. Alexander Green sets the action of many stories in the fictional country of Greenland. This land is inhabited by courageous sailors, bold adventurers, and dreamers. Through the prism of exotic plots, the author explores the strength of the human spirit. A strong spirit is capable of defying any unforeseen circumstances.

The works in this collection are not formally organized into a strict series. They fit seamlessly into a single cycle of stories about Greenland. This cycle includes such well-known novels as "Scarlet Sails," "Running on the Waves," and "The Golden Chain."

Reno Island

A military clipper — a fast sailing vessel — drops anchor off the tropical island of Reno. Sailor Tart is enchanted by the wild, primeval nature. Tart decides to remain in the dense forest forever. An armed pursuit is sent after the fugitive. In the ensuing shootout, Tart kills several sailors.

Among the dead sailors is Blemer, the pursuer. The remaining crew members set up a cunning ambush for Tarta. In an unequal battle, the freedom-loving sailor falls dead under the bullets of his former comrades. The warship departs forever for the open ocean.

Pillory

In the Canterville penal colony, Goan Gnor kidnaps the charming Daisy Croc. The kidnapper is quickly caught, brutally beaten, and tied to a pillory. That night, Daisy secretly visits the beaten prisoner. The girl sincerely pities him.

In the morning, Goan is released with stern orders to leave the colony. Goan slowly rides away on horseback. Daisy suddenly catches up with the rider. The girl is very tired of her relatives’ constant insults. The lovers remain together for the rest of their lives.

A hundred miles along the river

After a steamboat boiler explodes overnight, passengers are forced to wait on shore for help. Former convict Nok is hiding under the assumed name Trumvik. He buys a wooden boat from a drunken fisherman. His fellow passenger, Gelli Sod, begs to board.

On the way, Nok tells the story of a close friend. This friend stole money for the sake of his beloved Temeza. After the theft, the unfortunate friend was sentenced to harsh hard labor. During a severe thunderstorm, the travelers take refuge in the forest hut of the hunter Gutan.

The owner identifies the fugitive from a fresh newspaper profile. Gutan persuades Gelli to help capture the fugitive. The brave girl warns Nok just in time. After a furious confrontation with Gutan, the fugitives quickly escape down the river.

Gelli guesses that Nok was telling her his own tragic story. As they part, she gives her new acquaintance her city address. Nok refuses to come to her home. Exhausted by the chase at the train freight yard, he accidentally finds the house.

Gelli selflessly hides him from the city police. Law enforcement officers fail to find the hidden fugitive. Nok safely crosses the sea. Later, Gelli and Nok meet abroad and have their long-awaited wedding.

Gnor’s Life

Young Gnor is passionately in love with the beautiful Carmen. He’s about to leave on urgent business for his ailing father. His older friend Ennioc is secretly in love with the same girl. Ennioc offers Gnor a sea cruise on a spacious yacht.

The sailors land on the deserted island of Ash. Ennioc leaves Gnor alone, condemning him to certain death. Her rival quickly sails home. For eight long years, Gnor survives in the harsh conditions of the tropical wilderness.

A three-masted brig, the Sea Grasshopper, drops anchor off the island. Sailors rescue the lone wanderer. Gnor returns to his hometown. He finds the aged Ennioc and proposes drawing lots. The cards must decide who will live on.

Ennioc draws the deadly two of spades. He bitterly confesses that the proud Carmen has decisively rejected his love. Gnor leaves forever. Ennioc seeks a quick death on the night street. He gets involved in a scandal and dies at the hands of local religious fanatics. Gnor is joyfully reunited with the beautiful Carmen.

Zurbagan shooter

Tired of his monotonous daily life, Valuer arrives in bustling Zurbagan. His childhood friend, Fils, invites him to a meeting of a secret society. The members of this exclusive club seek thrills through deadly pranks. Disappointed, Valuer quickly leaves.

On the street, he accidentally meets the stern hunter Astaroth. The men, along with a local guide, Big, set off on horseback into the mountains. In a narrow, rocky gorge, the comrades discover a secret ambush by General Filbank’s troops.

Astaroth decides to team up with Valuer to hold off the enemy army. The hunters quickly erect a solid barricade of stones and earth. The barricade securely conceals the archers. With well-aimed shots from their repeating rifles, the hunters mercilessly eliminate the enemy’s vanguard.

Big manages to bring armed reinforcements in time. General Filbank retreats before the overwhelming numbers of the defenders. After a successful, bloody battle, Valuer regains his lost zest for a full life.

Around the world

Traveler Gilles Sedir returns triumphantly to Zurbagan. He won a bet with the wealthy manufacturer Frion. Sedir traveled around the globe in exactly two years without a single penny. Gilles expects to receive the agreed-upon hundred thousand.

Gilles needs this large sum of money to promote his brilliant technical invention. However, attorney Nork Ork brings sad news: the manufacturer Frion has gone completely bankrupt. Gilles is left without the reward he deserves.

A wealthy man named Corion Asper makes Gilles an unexpected business proposition. He firmly promises to double his winnings. To do so, he must immediately repeat the grueling round-the-world voyage under the same harsh conditions.

Leaving his weeping wife Assol behind, Gilles stubbornly sets out on a long journey. Asper catches up with him at the first forest village. The millionaire joyfully hands over the money, deeply moved by the steely strength of the unwavering Sedir.

Ships in Liss

Five merchant ships are tightly held in the picturesque harbor of Lissus. An enemy privateer — a maneuverable, armed vessel — is cruising the open sea. The merchant captains are afraid to embark on this dangerous voyage. The risk of losing their valuable cargo is too great.

Bitt-Boy suddenly appears in the port tavern. This renowned, experienced pilot always brings unprecedented luck to sailors. The disputants draw lots to determine who will receive the skilled guide. The stern Estamp wins. Bitt-Boy goes to say goodbye to his beloved Régie.

The girl tearfully begs him to stay. She sincerely vows to love him forever. The pilot refuses her. He secretly boards the brig "Felicita" under the command of the calm Captain Esquiros.

A skilled pilot safely steers the sailing vessel past the bright glare of enemy searchlights into the night ocean. Captain Esquiros suddenly learns the young pilot’s terrible secret. Bitt-Boy is gravely ill with cancer. He has only a few days to live.

Rope

The hero of this novella suffers from severe delusions of grandeur. He sincerely believes himself to be the powerful immortal prophet Amivelech. In a deserted café, the madman meets a tired circus tightrope walker named March. March bears a striking resemblance to the narrator himself.

The madman decides to demonstrate his complete spiritual superiority over mere mortals. He forces March to give up his place. The mad hero replaces his double during a daytime circus performance in the town square.

Enveloped in sweet illusions, the hero confidently walks a tightrope. Suddenly, he notices the cold hostility of the vast crowd. The people below secretly wish for his fatal fall. The saving illusions quickly dissipate without a trace.

The hero is horrified by the harsh reality. He quickly loses his balance and plummets. The flying madman miraculously lands in a taut life net. Later, the artist’s secret, cunning plan is revealed. March had insured his life for a large sum in advance. The cunning artist wanted to cleverly stage his own death at the hands of a similar madman.

The talkative brownie

A chance hunter takes refuge from the pouring rain in an abandoned, empty house. There, he encounters a tiny, sad brownie. The little spirit is suffering from a severe toothache. The brownie willingly shares with the hunter the sad story of the house’s previous owners.

Her husband, Philip, and the young, beautiful Annie lived a quiet family life. One day, Philip’s best friend, Ralph, a tanned sea vagabond, came to visit. Annie and Ralph met silently at the singing rock in the forest.

The man and woman shared a long farewell kiss. Afterward, Ralph unexpectedly left forever. Philip and Annie died about thirty years ago. The naive brownie still suffers. He tries to understand the true, hidden reason behind their deep emotional urges.

Heart of the Desert

Three wealthy cynics — Conseil, Weber, and Garth — are relaxing in the African café Cordon Brune. They cunningly concoct a beautiful legend about a secret, flourishing oasis called "The Heart of the Desert." Supposedly, the most joyful and free people live there.

The cynics convincingly tell this tale to the gullible adventurer Emmanuel Stil. Stil immediately sets out on a difficult, grueling search. Two years later, Stil suddenly finds Conseil in a spacious house in the capital.

The adventurer joyfully reports that he actually founded the heavenly settlement he described. He didn’t find an oasis, but he built seven beautiful log houses amidst the wild forest. The tale of bored cynics has truly come true. This miracle was accomplished thanks to the sincere faith and persistent, hard work of Emmanuel Steele.

The Pied Piper

The action takes place in hungry Petrograd in early spring. The protagonist is left without any means of support. At the Hay Market, he accidentally meets a sweet girl. She carefully fastens the open collar of his summer coat with a light-colored safety pin.

An acquaintance gives a homeless wanderer a place to stay for the night. He finds himself in the vast, empty building of the Central Bank. That night, the hungry wanderer discovers a tightly locked cabinet. Inside, he finds a magnificent supply of food and expensive wine. Suddenly, huge, vile rats appear.

The hero hears strange phone conversations at night. He wanders for a long time through the gloomy labyrinths of an empty bank. The wanderer accidentally becomes a secret witness to a gathering of terrifying creatures. These insidious creatures are capable of skillfully assuming human form.

The werewolves solemnly sentence the old, experienced Pied Piper to an early death. The hero flees the abandoned building in panic. He miraculously finds the Pied Piper’s apartment and warns the owner of the danger. The gray-haired old man’s daughter turns out to be Susie.

Suzi is the kind savior from the Hay Market. The Pied Piper successfully destroys the werewolf with a special steel trap. The vicious rat dies in the sturdy iron trap.

Fandango

A cold winter descends on freezing revolutionary Petrograd. Professor Alexander Kaur suffers agonizingly from severe hunger and bitter cold. While visiting the artist Brock, he sees an unusual painting. The canvas depicts a spacious southern room bathed in the hot sun.

Later, a mysterious foreign delegation led by Bam-Gran appears at the House of Scholars. The Spaniards generously distribute luxurious gifts to the assembled people. Bam-Gran proudly declares to the assembled crowd: "All adults are children." Mother-of-pearl guitars, expensive, brightly colored silks, and red corals fly into the crowd.

The dim electric light suddenly goes out. The passionate melody of a fast fandango plays. Kaur immediately loses consciousness. Waking up on the street, the professor finds a yellow bag of gold piastres in his pocket. The heavy bag weighs almost one kilogram.

Miraculously, Kaur is transported directly into a familiar painting by the artist Brok. The professor finds himself in the fragrant spring of Zurbagan. There, he once again encounters the cunning Bam-Gran. The professor safely returns to cold Petrograd with the precious coins. The modest scientist forever retains in his soul a firm belief in the transformative power of an unpredictable miracle.

Green lamp

Wintertime London. Bored rich man Stilton decides to play a cruel joke on a hungry street tramp, John Eve. The millionaire arrogantly tells John, "I have an offer." He pays the poor man ten pounds a month. For this large sum, Eve is obliged to keep a bright green lamp burning steadily in his window every evening. The tramp is strictly forbidden to leave his room in the evenings.

John Ive faithfully carries out a strange task. Out of extreme boredom, he begins to engross himself in reading old medical books on anatomy. Having studied these medical texts, John passes rigorous exams. Yesterday’s vagabond becomes a renowned, qualified surgeon.

Years later, the ruined old man Stilton is admitted to a London hospital for the poor with a broken leg. He undergoes successful surgery under the guidance of Dr. John Eve. The former tramp generously saves the old man’s life. The rich man’s cruel joke unexpectedly opens the pauper’s path to profound scientific knowledge. The doctor offers the penniless old man a job in the hospital outpatient clinic.