Remembering the legendary and beloved Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky, I want to admire the indescribable beauties of the Altai Mountains again and again, enjoy the silence of the mountains, the silence of sunsets and dawns, the murmur of freezing rivers ... Better than mountains there can only be mountains….

“In the bustle of cities and in the streams of cars, We are returning, there is simply nowhere to go. And we go down from the conquered peaks, Leaving in the mountains, Leaving our heart in the mountains. So leave unnecessary disputes, I have already proved everything to myself, Only mountains can be better than mountains, On which I have not yet been, On which I have not yet been.

Gorny Altai is an amazing and very beautiful land, about which many enthusiastic words have already been said and written. "Golden Mountains" - this is how Altai is translated from the Turkic languages.

Altai is located in the very center of Asia, in the south of Western Siberia, and borders on such countries as China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

It should be noted that Gorny Altai is also the cleanest region of Russia, there are neither industrial enterprises nor railways. I am sure that there is no person in the world who would remain indifferent to the beauty of these places.

I was in Altai for the first time in 2010, and then I was so impressed by the diversity of natural landscapes and the crazy beauty of landscapes that Altai became my favorite place. Indeed, such a variety of nature, in a relatively small area, is rare, where else can be found. In Altai, you can see not only alpine meadows, but also landscapes reminiscent of Canada, South America, the steppes of Mongolia and the classical landscapes of Central Asia. And this is all, in the aggregate, including the native taiga-Siberian landscapes - and there is the Altai Mountains.

In the village of Ust-Kan

Local school. Children in a physical education class. Here, a healthy lifestyle in children begins with the purest air, and light physical activity. Real physical education can only be in the fresh air, and no fitness center with its expensive air conditioning system can ever compare with Altai freshness. My sympathy for the children of megacities, and the experience of course.

Having passed the Kansk steppe and entering the Ust-Koksinsky region, the landscapes began to change again. Forests have appeared, there is again a lot of greenery around, horses graze in the meadows. In general, when you imagine a classic Altai landscape, the following picture is drawn in your head: green grass, horses grazing in a meadow, and all this against the backdrop of mountains shrouded in clouds. And now, these landscapes can simply be observed from the car window!

At the entrance to the Multinsky lakes, we stopped at dead lake to take pictures and collect firewood at the same time. Early in the morning, deer and bears sometimes come to the Dead Lake to drink water.

On the slopes of the Katunsky Ridge in the territory of the Katunsky Reserve. These places - real paradise. Wild and untouched alpine landscapes, cedar forests, crystal clear lake waters - this is all that makes you come back here again and again. Multinsky lakes are beautiful in any weather. No clouds, no rain, no cold - nothing will stop you from truly falling in love with these places.

In the evening, the weather began to gradually clear up, and the four of us went for a walk to the Lower Multinskoye Lake. The sun shone for the first time in the whole day. In the distance, a lone fisherman busy catching grayling.

The very next morning, we were to see another Altai. During the night, about 10 cm of snow fell, and since the snow quickly melted from the rising sun, we had to have time to capture everything as it is. In pristinely beautiful, dazzling white snow covers, another Altai appeared.

This morning was unforgettable. Everything that we filmed yesterday has changed beyond recognition today, everything has sparkled with new colors. The snow adorned the surrounding landscapes so much that I perceived all this as a real gift from the Multinsky Lakes.

The water in the lakes is so clean and tasty that you can drink it without boiling it first!

The next point of our journey through the Altai Mountains was the valley of the Chulyshman River and the famous "stone mushrooms". From Zamulta to Chulyshman is far, about 550 kilometers. Along the Chuisky tract along the Katun and Chuya.

It got dark very quickly, and we entered the Chuisky tract itself in complete darkness. Along the way, on the Chuisky tract, quite a lot interesting places worthy of the photographer's attention. One of such places is Chui-Oozy, the confluence of two great rivers of Altai - Katun and Chui. That's where we planned to stay tonight. After some time, the dark September Altai night began to lighten, and soon, it began to look more like a northern one. white night". The fact is that a very bright and full moon appeared in the sky. The moon turned out to be so bright that everything around began to cast shadows, it was possible, without problems, to read a newspaper. I have never seen such a bright moonlit night.

Here the unclear Chuya flows into the Katun. The rivers have different colors, and it is very clear how one river dissolves into another. The spectacle is impressive. It is noteworthy that both Katun and Chuya change their color of water, depending on the season. For example, the water in the Katun is either dirty gray, or muddy green, or light green, or turquoise, or blue. We caught the period when the color of the water, both in Chuya and Katun, was turquoise, the most unusual and beautiful.

I would like to say a little more about the Katun itself.

First, this largest river Altai. Originating in the glaciers of the southern slope of the Katunsky ridge, the Katun flows through high mountain ranges, then through the middle and low mountains covered with forests, and, finally, in the steppes of the West Siberian Plain, it merges with the Biya River, forming the Ob River, the fifth longest in the world. The length of the Katun is 688 km, the total difference from the source to the mouth is 2000 m. The unique and diverse landscapes along the coast and the possibility of organizing rafting of different categories of difficulty make the Katun the most popular holiday destination in Altai.

After the morning photography of Chui-Oozy, we drove further along the Chuisky tract. Now the Chuisky tract ran along the Chuya River, a lot of interesting panoramas opened from the route. No wonder the Chuysky tract is a separate tourist route.

Finally, we drove up to the same Katu-Yaryk pass. Albert could not believe his eyes when he saw the panorama before us. "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!" Albert exclaimed. From a kilometer height, a valley of crazy beauty opened up to our eyes, below the swift river Chulyshman meandered like a snake, compressed on both sides by bare rocks that formed a majestic canyon. Here you can not only see, but also hear the noise of waterfalls, bringing down, from a height of several hundred meters, their powerful, seething streams.

And here is the winning photo of The Best of Russia 2013.

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There are many corners of nature in the world that simply amaze the imagination with their beauty. One of these places is It is located in the southeastern part. In the east, the region encircles the Salair Ridge - for the most part a flat area dotted with numerous low hills. As you move to the southeast, the terrain gradually changes. Boundless plains come close to the majestic To say that they are beautiful is to say nothing.

Altai mountains is the pride of the world. Translated from the ancient Turkic "Altai" sounds like "golden mountain" or "mountain of gold". Looking at these giants, I want to believe that this is really so. In Siberia, this is the largest mountain range. It harmoniously combines snow-capped peaks and picturesque green slopes, silent hills and raging mountain rivers with crystal clear clean water. The height of the area ranges from 500 to 2000 meters above sea level. The bowels of the fabulous Altai Territory are rich in various minerals. Copper, zinc, gold, lead, silver - this is only a small part of what the local land keeps in itself. On the territory of the region, a lot of building decorative, as well as rare ornamental materials are mined. Rich deposits of jasper and quartzite are known all over the world. And the reserves of soda are the largest in the world. This further emphasizes the importance of the region for our entire country.

The Altai Mountains are cut by small streams, which, smoothly descending to the plain, form lakes. One of them (Teletskoye) is even under protection world organization UNESCO. Along its east coast is a nature reserve where many live. Among them - the famous

There is a legend that the Altai Mountains were formed over 400 million years ago. Then, under the influence of the forces of nature, they were completely destroyed, and only after 350 million years did what we see now appear. Ancient giants, shrouded in a blanket of snow, majestically rise above the green hilly plain. The Altai Mountains attract the attention of many lovers of heights. Numerous climbers come here to test their strength, climbing steep rocky areas. Those who are lucky will be able to admire the wonderful landscape from a bird's eye view with pleasure.

Despite the fact that the Altai Territory is a two-pointed Belukha, which rises 4.5 thousand meters above sea level, most climbers do not aspire here at all. They are attracted by a completely different peak - Mount Sinyukha. Altai Territory is famous precisely because of her. The height of this beauty is only 1210 meters. On the territory of the Kolyvansky Range located here, this is the most high point. But that's not what she's interested in. If you look at the mountain from a distance, it seems blue. This is due to the dense vegetation. Maybe that's why they called her that - "Sinyukha". In the nearby vicinity of this mountain, there are two of the most famous lakes in Altai: Mokhovoe and Beloe. At the foot of the massif begins a birch grove. Tourists climb up the trail. The road gradually becomes more difficult. The sunny birch forest is gradually changing into harsh taiga thickets of fir. A few hours of climbing - and the long-awaited peak opens up, which is surrounded by granite rocks. One of them has an iron cross. In the very center of the peak there is a block of granite with a cup-shaped depression filled with water. Since ancient times, people believed that if you climb to the top of Sinyukha, wash yourself with water from a bowl and pray at an iron cross, then for a whole year all problems will bypass you and your soul will be calm. The mountain has long been a place of pilgrimage for Christians. And even now, many believe in the ancient legend.

The capital of the Altai Territory is the city of Barnaul. Its history spans a little over 200 years. This is not so much, but the city is rapidly developing and gaining strength. During its existence, it has undergone earthquakes and floods, wars and devastation. Residents sacredly honor the memory of the past, which is stored in numerous museums. Modern Barnaul is a city of contrasts. Against the backdrop of wide avenues and high-rise buildings, ancient buildings have been preserved that remind of bygone years.

The road to Altai lies precisely through Barnaul. Crowds of people strive to see with their own eyes the boundless expanses of mountains and forests of indescribable beauty, swim in the purest lakes and breathe in the fresh air of the Altai meadows.

Speaking about this mountainous kingdom, the words from a poem by Vladimir Vysotsky involuntarily come to mind:

"You will not meet below, no matter how you stretch,
For all my happy life
A tenth of such beauties and wonders."

We will not attempt to describe all of them. To understand, you need to see with your own eyes.

In conclusion, we will quote only lines from another poem by Vladimir Vysotsky "Farewell to the Mountains".

"In the bustle of cities and in the streams of cars
we are returning - there is simply nowhere to go!
And we go down from the conquered peaks,
leaving in the mountains, leaving your heart in the mountains.

So leave unnecessary disputes -
I have already proved everything to myself:
Only mountains can be better than mountains -
which I haven't been to yet."

	Altyn-Tu Mount Altyn-Tu, whose name in Altai means "Golden Mountain", is located in the massif of the same name. The array has three vertices. The highest of them is Mount Korumbu - 2358 m, from the top of which a magnificent panoramic panorama of the whole Altai opens.
	Babyrgan This is the permanent sentry of the Altai Mountains, whose post is carried far into the plain. The mountain rises on the territory of the Altai region, on the left bank of the Katun, 14 km west of the village of Platovo. Its absolute height is 1008 m.
	Beluga whale Belukha - the queen of Altai - can not leave anyone indifferent, she is so beautiful, majestic and graceful that it causes a storm of feelings and emotions in anyone.
	Komsomolskaya Mount Komsomolskaya is located within the city of Gorno-Altaisk and is one of the spurs of the Iolgo ridge. The mountain is unique in its diverse species composition of plants; the flora of its northern slope, facing the city and steeply descending to the left bank of the Maima River, is especially rich.
	Charming 5 km from the village of Kolyvan and 6 km from the village of "8 March", there is a long-revered mountain Charming. During the archaeological exploration of the Sayano-Altai expedition of the State Hermitage in 1993, a kind of sanctuary was discovered on the top of the mountain.
	Cyanosis The majestic peak of Mount Sinyukha rises to a height of more than a thousand meters in the vicinity of the village. Kolyvan. These places have long attracted travelers. From the top of the mountain, a beautiful panorama opens up with rare natural contrasts: on the one hand, the endless Kulunda steppe, on the other, snow-covered Mountain peaks Altai.
	Mountains of the Gorny Charysh region Mount Big monastery. It is located in the Charysh valley near the village of Ust-Pustynka (Krasnoshchekovsky district of the Altai Territory). The remnant rock, about 100 m high, resembling the building of an ancient monastery, is composed of white, gray and pink limestones.

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The Altai Mountains represent a complex system of the highest ranges in Siberia, separated by deep river valleys and vast intramountain and intermountain basins. mountain system is located where the borders of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan converge. It is divided into Southern Altai (Southwestern), Southeastern Altai and Eastern Altai, Central Altai, Northern and Northeastern Altai, Northwestern Altai. Altai, Katunsky nature reserves and the Ukok plateau together form an object world heritage UNESCO, called "Altai - Golden Mountains".

Geological structure The Altai Mountains formed during the Baikal and Caledonian eras, but experienced a secondary uplift during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. The beginning of the formation of the Altai Mountains refers to the end of the Baikal folding, when the northeastern ridges began to appear. The sea still existed in the southwest. During the Caledonian and Hercynian eras, the bottom of the sea crumpled into folds, internal forces squeezed them upwards, forming a mountainous country. Mountain-building movements were accompanied by strong volcanic eruptions, pouring lava onto the surface of young folds. The high mountain country began to rise. In the Mesozoic era, the Altai Mountains were gradually destroyed under the influence of the sun, wind and other natural forces. Over millions of years, the former mountainous country has turned into a plain with elevated areas. In the Cenozoic era, tectonic processes of Alpine orogeny reappear in Altai.

Relief There are three main types of relief in Altai: the surface of the residual ancient peneplain, alpine-type glacial high-mountain relief and mid-mountain relief. The ancient peneplain represents high mountain ranges with a wide development of leveling surfaces and steep, stepped slopes modified by regressive erosion. Separate peaks and small ridges rise above the leveling surfaces, composed of harder rocks with relative elevations of 200-400 m. lake basins. The leveled surfaces of the ancient peneplain occupy about 1/3 of the entire territory of Altai. These are mainly the southern and southeastern regions of the mountainous region - the Ukok plateau, the Chulyshman highland: the Ulagan plateau. There are areas of peneplain in the middle mountains (Korgon, Tigiretsky, Terektinsky ridges, etc.) and in the low mountains.

The alpine relief in Altai rises above the surface of the ancient peneplain and occupies higher sections of the Katunsky, Chuisky, Kuraisky, Saylyugem, Chikhachev, Shapshalsky, Southern Altai, and Sarymsakty ranges. Alpine relief is less common than the surface of the ancient peneplain. Ridges with alpine landforms are their most elevated axial parts (up to 4000-4500 m), strongly dissected by erosion and frost weathering. The main landforms here are peaked peaks and carlings, cirques, trough valleys with lake basins, moraine hills and ridges, landslides, screes, and frost-solifluction formations. The general pattern of the high-mountain alpine relief in Altai is the leveling of interfluves and the decrease in the depth of valleys as one moves away from the axial parts of the ridges to their peripheries. The mid-mountain relief has heights from 800 to 1800-2000 m and occupies more than half of the territory of Altai. The upper limit of the distribution of the mid-mountain relief is limited by the plane of the ancient peneplain, but this boundary is not sharp. The relief here is characterized by smoothed, rounded forms of low ridges and their spurs, separated by river valleys. An extensive, dense hydrographic network contributed to the strong erosional dissection of the middle mountains. The depth of river valleys reaches 300-800 m. western parts Altai. In the altitude range from 1000 to 2000 m, it is characterized by massive rocky ridges, with a predominance of steep slopes and narrow V-shaped or terraced valleys (Katun, Biya). In the altitude range of 500-1200 m, the upper parts of the slopes of the ridges are softer and leveled. The valleys are wider with well-developed floodplains and meandering channels.

The low-mountain relief is also distinguished in Altai, which covers the peripheral part of the mountainous region and occupies the space between the foothill plains and the middle mountains. Absolute heights range from 400 to 800 m, and in some peaks reach 1000 m. The relief of the low mountains is characterized by flattened or dome-shaped interfluves and gentle deluvial slopes. Near large valleys and the northern "face" of Altai, the division of the low-mountain relief is especially fragmented. In some places, it looks like a rocky "badland" - a small hillock. characteristic feature The relief of Altai is the wide distribution of intramountain basins of different heights. They occupy latitudinal valleys-grabens and belong to areas of tectonic subsidence. These are the Chui, Kurai, Dzhulukul, Bertek, Samokhin, Uimon, Abay, Kan intramountain basins. Some of them are located at a considerable height and therefore were exposed to the action of ancient glaciers that formed the relief of their bottoms, others are at low (medium-altitude) levels and were more exposed to accumulative activity, being receptacles of ancient lake basins.

: 48°45′ N. sh. 89°36′ E d. /  48.750° N sh. 89.600° E d. / 48.750; 89.600 (G) (I)

CountriesRussia, Russia
PRC PRC

Square741,569 km² Length1847 km Width1282 km highest peakBeluga whale Highest point4509 m

Etymology

Name Altai ancient, hypotheses about its origin are different. According to one of them, the name is formed by the Mongolian colloquial word "altai", which means "mountainous country with alpine meadows; nomad camps in high mountains". But it is also likely that this term is secondary, that is, on the contrary, it comes from the name of the mountains. According to G. Ramstedt, the name Altai comes from the Mongolian word alt- "gold" and pronominal formant -tai, that is, from the word Altai- “gold-bearing”, “a place where there is gold”. This version is confirmed by the fact that the Chinese used to call Altai "Jinshan" - "golden mountains", obviously, this is a tracing paper from the Mongolian. There is also an explanation of the origin from the Turkic alatau- “motley mountains”, which is associated with the color of the Altai highlands, where there are areas with white snow, black stony placers and green vegetation nearby. Radlov put forward a hypothesis about the origin from the Turkic words al- "high", thai- "mountain", which is rejected by modern data.

Geological structure

Geologists believe that the mountains formed during the Caledonian era, but experienced a secondary uplift during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.

According to the modern concept of lithospheric plate tectonics, the beginning of the formation of the Altai mountain-fold system could be associated with the collision of oceanic islands and uplifts (Kurai, Biysko-Katun) with tectonic blocks of the paleoisland arc (Uymensko-Lebedskaya, Gorno-Shorsky, Teletsky, Chulyshmansky). In the Cambrian, blocks Gorny Altai constituted a mature island-arc system. Starting from the Middle Cambrian, collisions of the Gorno-Altai block with the adjacent structures of Salair, Kuznetsk Alatau, Western Sayan could take place, accompanied by intense shear deformations. In the areas of the eastern part of Gorny Altai, these deformation events are expressed by breaks in sedimentation and volcanism, as well as local manifestations of adakite, subalkaline granitoid and syenite intrusive magmatism. At that time, the sea still existed in the southwest. In the Caledonian era (Late Cambrian - Ordovician), the structure containing the Altai Mountains was attached to Siberia, but this deformation stage is practically not reflected in the geology of the region, except for a break in sedimentation and the widespread cessation of volcanism. In the Ordovician and Early Silurian, the region was flooded by a shallow basin. Apparently, there was an opening of the oceanic basin to the west of Gorny Altai. In the Hercynian time (Devonian-Permian), the ocean located to the south and west of Gorny Altai began to close. In Gorny Altai, the process was accompanied by the formation of subduction zones, intense volcanism, similar to the modern Andean active continental margin. Since the Late Devonian, numerous accretionary-collision events have taken place: the attachment of the island-arc blocks of the Rudny Altai, the oblique collision of the Altai-Mongolian microcontinent, and the repeated collision with the Kazakhstani composite terrane. In the Mesozoic era, the Altai Mountains were gradually destroyed under the influence of the sun, wind and other natural forces, however, manifestations of Jurassic intraplate magmatism and deposits associated with it are known in the region. Over millions of years, the former mountainous country has turned into a plain with elevated areas. In the Cenozoic era, tectonic processes of Alpine mountain building reappear in Altai, which formed the modern relief.

The mountain building of Altai continues at the present time: evidence of this is the earthquake of 2003 and the tremors that continue after it.

Relief

Three main types of relief are distinguished in Altai: the surface of the residual ancient peneplain, the alpine glacial high-mountain relief and the mid-mountain relief.

The ancient peneplain is a high mountain range with a wide development of leveling surfaces and steep, stepped slopes modified by regressive erosion. Separate peaks and small ridges rise above the leveling surfaces, composed of harder rocks with relative elevations of 200-400 m.

The leveled surfaces of the ancient peneplain occupy about 1/3 of the entire territory of Altai. These are mainly the southern and southeastern regions of the mountainous region - the Ukok Plateau, the Chulyshman Upland, and the Ulagan Plateau. There are areas of peneplain in the middle mountains (Korgon, Tigiretsky, Terektinsky ridges, etc.) and in the low mountains.

Alpine relief in Altai rises above the surface of the ancient peneplain and occupies higher sections of the Katunsky, Chuisky, Kuraisky, Sailyugem, Chikhachev, Shapshalsky, Southern Altai, and Sarymsakty ranges. Alpine relief is less common than the surface of the ancient peneplain. Ridges with alpine landforms are their most elevated axial parts (up to 4000-4500 m), strongly dissected by erosion and frost weathering. The main landforms here are peaked peaks and carlings, kars, trough valleys with lake basins, moraine hills and ridges, landslides, scree, frost-solifluction formations. The general pattern of the high-mountain alpine relief in Altai is the leveling of interfluves and the decrease in the depth of valleys as one moves away from the axial parts of the ridges to their peripheries.

The mid-mountain relief has heights from 800 to 1800-2000 m and occupies more than half of the territory of Altai. The upper limit of the distribution of the mid-mountain relief is limited by the plane of the ancient peneplain, but this boundary is not sharp. The relief here is characterized by smoothed, rounded forms of low ridges and their spurs, separated by river valleys. An extensive, dense hydrographic network contributed to the strong erosional dissection of the middle mountains. The depth of the river valleys reaches 300-800 m. The mid-mountain erosive relief is distributed mainly in the northern, northwestern and western parts of Altai. In the altitude range from 1000 to 2000 m, it is characterized by massive rocky ridges, with a predominance of steep slopes and narrow V-shaped or terraced valleys (Katun, Biya). In the altitude range of 500-1200 m, the upper parts of the slopes of the ridges are softer and leveled. The valleys are wider with well-developed floodplains and meandering channels.

The flat relief is also distinguished in Altai, which covers the peripheral part of the mountainous region and occupies the space between the foothill plains and the middle mountains. Absolute heights range from 400 to 800 m, and at some peaks they reach 1000 m. The relief of the low mountains is characterized by flattened or dome-shaped interfluves and gentle deluvial slopes. Near large valleys and the northern "face" of Altai, the division of the low-mountain relief is especially fragmented. In some places, it looks like a rocky "badland" - a small hillock.

A characteristic feature of the Altai relief is the wide distribution of intramountain basins of different heights. They occupy latitudinal valleys-grabens and belong to areas of tectonic subsidence. These are Chuiskaya, Kuraiskaya, Dzhulukulskaya, Bertekskaya, Samokhinskaya, Uimonskaya, Abayskaya, Kanskaya intramountain basins. Some of them are located at a considerable height and therefore were exposed to the action of ancient glaciers that formed the relief of their bottoms, others are at low (medium-altitude) levels and were more exposed to accumulative activity, being receptacles of ancient lake basins.

Russian Altai is divided into Southern Altai (Southwestern), Southeastern Altai and Eastern Altai, Central Altai, Northern and Northeastern Altai, Northwestern Altai.

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Notes

Sources

• Altai Mountains // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M. : Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978. (Retrieved October 30, 2009)
• in the book: N. A. Gvozdetsky, N. I. Mikhailov. Physical geography of the USSR. M., 1978.
• Online

Literature

• Murzaev E. M. Dictionary of popular geographical terms. 1st ed. - M., Thought, 1984.
• Murzaev E. M. Turkic geographical names. - M., Vost. lit., 1996.
• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

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Mountain systems of Asia

An excerpt characterizing the Altai Mountains

“I am very glad that you have come,” Princess Marya began, without raising her eyes and feeling how quickly and strongly her heart was beating. “Dronushka told me that the war ruined you. This is our common grief, and I will spare nothing to help you. I am going myself, because it is already dangerous here and the enemy is close ... because ... I give you everything, my friends, and I ask you to take everything, all our bread, so that you do not have a need. And if you were told that I am giving you bread so that you stay here, then this is not true. On the contrary, I ask you to leave with all your property to our suburban area, and there I take upon myself and promise you that you will not be in need. You will be given houses and bread. The princess stopped. Only sighs could be heard in the crowd.
“I am not doing this on my own,” the princess continued, “I am doing this in the name of my late father, who was a good master to you, and for my brother and his son.
She stopped again. No one interrupted her silence.
- Woe is our common, and we will divide everything in half. Everything that is mine is yours,” she said, looking around at the faces that stood before her.
All eyes looked at her with the same expression, the meaning of which she could not understand. Whether it was curiosity, devotion, gratitude, or fear and distrust, the expression on all faces was the same.
“Many are pleased with your grace, only we don’t have to take the master’s bread,” said a voice from behind.
- Yes, why? - said the princess.
No one answered, and Princess Mary, looking around the crowd, noticed that now all the eyes she met immediately dropped.
- Why don't you want to? she asked again.
Nobody answered.
Princess Marya felt heavy from this silence; she tried to catch someone's gaze.
- Why don't you speak? - the princess turned to the old old man, who, leaning on a stick, stood in front of her. Tell me if you think you need anything else. I'll do anything," she said, catching his eye. But he, as if angry at this, lowered his head completely and said:
- Why agree, we do not need bread.
- Well, should we quit everything? Do not agree. Disagree... There is no our consent. We pity you, but there is no our consent. Go on your own, alone…” was heard in the crowd from different directions. And again the same expression appeared on all the faces of this crowd, and now it was probably no longer an expression of curiosity and gratitude, but an expression of embittered determination.
“Yes, you didn’t understand, right,” said Princess Marya with a sad smile. Why don't you want to go? I promise to accommodate you, feed you. And here the enemy will ruin you ...
But her voice was drowned out by the voices of the crowd.
- There is no our consent, let them ruin! We do not take your bread, there is no our consent!
Princess Mary tried again to catch someone's gaze from the crowd, but not a single glance was directed at her; her eyes obviously avoided her. She felt strange and uncomfortable.
“Look, she taught me cleverly, follow her to the fortress!” Ruin the houses and into bondage and go. How! I'll give you bread! voices were heard in the crowd.
Princess Mary, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Dron that there should be horses for departure tomorrow, she went to her room and was left alone with her thoughts.

For a long time that night, Princess Marya sat by the open window in her room, listening to the sounds of peasants talking from the village, but she did not think about them. She felt that no matter how much she thought about them, she could not understand them. She kept thinking about one thing - about her grief, which now, after the break made by worries about the present, has already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun went down, the wind died down. The night was calm and cool. At twelve o'clock the voices began to subside, a rooster crowed, the full moon began to emerge from behind the linden trees, a fresh, white dew mist rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, she imagined pictures of the close past - illness and the last moments of her father. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last idea of ​​​​his death, which - she felt - she was unable to contemplate even in her imagination at this quiet and mysterious hour of the night. And these pictures appeared to her with such clarity and in such detail that they seemed to her either reality, or the past, or the future.
Then she vividly imagined the moment when he had a stroke and he was being dragged from the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he was muttering something in an impotent tongue, twitching his gray eyebrows and looking restlessly and timidly at her.
“He wanted to tell me even then what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always thought what he said to me.” And now she remembered with all the details that night in the Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Mary, anticipating trouble, stayed with him against his will. She did not sleep and went downstairs on tiptoe at night and, going to the door to the flower room, where her father spent the night that night, she listened to his voice. He was saying something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He seemed to want to talk. "Why didn't he call me? Why didn't he allow me to be here in Tikhon's place? thought then and now Princess Marya. - He will never tell anyone now all that was in his soul. This moment will never return for him and for me when he would say everything that he wanted to express, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn't I come into the room then? she thought. “Perhaps he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death. Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked twice about me. He wanted to see me, and I was standing there, outside the door. He was sad, it was hard to talk with Tikhon, who did not understand him. I remember how he spoke to him about Liza, as if alive - he forgot that she was dead, and Tikhon reminded him that she was no longer there, and he shouted: "Fool." It was hard for him. I heard from behind the door how, groaning, he lay down on the bed and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I go up then? What would he do to me? What would I lose? Or maybe then he would have consoled himself, he would have said this word to me. And Princess Marya uttered aloud that affectionate word that he had spoken to her on the day of his death. “Dude she nka! - Princess Marya repeated this word and sobbed tears that relieved her soul. She saw his face in front of her now. And not the face she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face - timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth in order to hear what he was saying, for the first time examined closely with all its wrinkles and details.
"Darling," she repeated.
What was he thinking when he said that word? What does he think now? - suddenly a question came to her, and in response to this she saw him in front of her with the expression on his face that he had in the coffin on his face tied with a white handkerchief. And the horror that seized her when she touched him and became convinced that it was not only not him, but something mysterious and repulsive, seized her even now. She wanted to think about something else, she wanted to pray, and there was nothing she could do. She gazed with large open eyes at the moonlight and the shadows, every second she expected to see his dead face, and she felt that the silence that stood over the house and in the house chained her.
- Dunyasha! she whispered. - Dunyasha! she cried in a wild voice and, breaking out of the silence, ran to the girls' room, towards the nanny and girls running towards her.

On August 17, Rostov and Ilyin, accompanied by Lavrushka and the escort hussar, who had just returned from captivity, from their Yankovo ​​camp, fifteen miles from Bogucharov, went riding - to try a new horse bought by Ilyin and find out if there is hay in the villages.
Bogucharovo had been between the two enemy armies for the last three days, so that the Russian rearguard could just as easily enter there as the French avant-garde, and therefore Rostov, as a caring squadron commander, wanted to take advantage of the provisions that remained in Bogucharov before the French.
Rostov and Ilyin were in the most cheerful mood. On the way to Bogucharovo, to the princely estate with a manor, where they hoped to find a large household and pretty girls, they first asked Lavrushka about Napoleon and laughed at his stories, then they drove, trying Ilyin's horse.
Rostov did not know and did not think that this village to which he was going was the estate of that same Bolkonsky, who was his sister's fiancé.
Rostov and Ilyin let the horses out for the last time in the cart in front of Bogucharov, and Rostov, having overtaken Ilyin, was the first to jump into the street of the village of Bogucharov.
“You took it ahead,” said Ilyin, flushed.
“Yes, everything is forward, and forward in the meadow, and here,” answered Rostov, stroking his soaring bottom with his hand.
“And I’m in French, Your Excellency,” Lavrushka said from behind, calling his draft horse French, “I would have overtaken, but I just didn’t want to shame.
They walked up to the barn, where a large crowd of peasants was standing.
Some peasants took off their hats, some, without taking off their hats, looked at the approachers. Two long old peasants, with wrinkled faces and sparse beards, came out of the tavern and with smiles, swaying and singing some awkward song, approached the officers.
- Well done! - said, laughing, Rostov. - What, do you have hay?
“And the same ones…” said Ilyin.
- Weigh ... oo ... oooh ... barking demon ... demon ... - the men sang with happy smiles.
One peasant left the crowd and approached Rostov.
- Which one will you be? - he asked.
“French,” answered Ilyin, laughing. "That's Napoleon himself," he said, pointing to Lavrushka.
- So, the Russians will be? the man asked.
- How much of your power is there? asked another small man, approaching them.
“Many, many,” answered Rostov. - Yes, what are you gathered here for? he added. Holiday, huh?
“The old men have gathered, on a worldly matter,” answered the peasant, moving away from him.
At this time, two women and a man in a white hat appeared on the road from the manor house, walking towards the officers.
- In my pink, mind not beating! said Ilyin, noticing Dunyasha resolutely advancing towards him.
Ours will be! Lavrushka said with a wink.
- What, my beauty, do you need? - said Ilyin, smiling.
- The princess was ordered to find out what regiment you are and your names?
- This is Count Rostov, squadron commander, and I am your obedient servant.
- Be ... se ... e ... du ... shka! sang the drunk peasant, smiling happily and looking at Ilyin, who was talking to the girl. Following Dunyasha, Alpatych approached Rostov, taking off his hat from a distance.
“I dare to disturb, your honor,” he said with deference, but with relative disdain for the youth of this officer, and putting his hand in his bosom. “My lady, the daughter of General-in-Chief Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, who died this fifteenth day, being in difficulty on the occasion of the ignorance of these persons,” he pointed to the peasants, “asks you to come in ... if you don’t mind,” Alpatych said with a sad smile, “move off a few, otherwise it’s not so convenient when ... - Alpatych pointed to two men who were rushing around him from behind, like horseflies near a horse.
- Ah! .. Alpatych ... Huh? Yakov Alpatych!.. Important! sorry for Christ. Important! Huh? .. - said the men, smiling happily at him. Rostov looked at the drunken old men and smiled.
“Or maybe that’s a consolation to Your Excellency?” - said Yakov Alpatych with a sedate look, pointing at the old people with his hand not in his bosom.
“No, there is little consolation here,” said Rostov, and drove off. - What's the matter? - he asked.
- I dare to report to your excellency that the rude people here do not want to let the lady out of the estate and threaten to disown the horses, so that everything is packed in the morning and her excellency cannot leave.
- Can't be! cried Rostov.
“I have the honor to report to you the real truth,” Alpatych repeated.
Rostov got off the horse and, handing it over to the orderly, went with Alpatych to the house, asking him about the details of the case. Indeed, yesterday's offer of bread by the princess to the peasants, her explanation with Dron and with the gathering spoiled the matter so much that Dron finally handed over the keys, joined the peasants and did not appear at the request of Alpatych, and that in the morning, when the princess ordered to lay the mortgage in order to go, the peasants came out in a large crowd to the barn and sent to say that they would not let the princess out of the village, that there was an order not to be taken out, and they would unharness the horses. Alpatych went out to them, advising them, but they answered him (Karp spoke the most; Dron did not show up from the crowd) that the princess could not be released, that there was an order for that; but that let the princess remain, and they will serve her as before and obey her in everything.