Prisoner of the Dungeon

By the decision of the head of the city of Riga, especially dangerous criminals were kept in the dungeons of the Riga Castle. It was believed that it was impossible to escape from there. There are not even windows in the dungeon, and the only doors leading outside, behind which the guard is on duty. But that's not all. The prisoners were kept in separate cells and complete darkness. Only during feeding or on the arrival of the high authorities did they light a few torches on the walls of the dungeon. But even in this dim light, it was clear that the walls were covered with gray-green slime from the immense dampness. And no one even thought to clean the cells. Rotten straw lying on the stone floor, mixed with some dark brown mass of unknown origin, served as a bed for the prisoners. All around the stench and pitch darkness. Finding themselves in such inhuman conditions, the prisoners could not stand it for a long time. Most of them died of various diseases long before the expiration of their term of imprisonment, and the prison authorities only sent reports to the burgomaster about the money saved on food, and he was very happy about this. And even sometimes on holidays, he made small gifts to the chief of the prison.

The guard, rhythmically rattling a huge bunch of keys hanging from a wide belt, walked along the dungeon corridor, where the most notorious criminals were kept behind thick, rusty bars. He was holding a weakly burning torch in his hands. The flame on it, because of the eternal drafts that walked along the long gloomy corridors of the dungeon, twitched erratically, but the old guard had long been accustomed to its incorrect light. When he reached another cell with a prisoner, he poked a torch through the bars and looked at the prisoner for a while. The abrupt change in illumination irritated the inhabitant of the cell, he began to grumble, and the guard from this only grinned happily and walked on to the next prisoner. He did this procedure twice a day - in the morning and the evening when he was spreading gruel, but, it was just water, in which, if he was lucky, he could catch a couple of grains of millet. The prisoners grumbled with displeasure but ate: after all, it was better than nothing at all. No one wanted to die ahead of time, everyone hoped to survive, but still, a couple of days did not pass so that one of the prisoners did not go to another world.

The guard barely had time to finish his round and return to his post, when the chief of the guard ran up to him and, raising an impressive fist to the guard's nose, asked sharply:

“Well, how are you there, is everything all right?”

“As it is, everything is by the charter, Mr. Chief! In half an hour I'll start serving food to the prisoners. I didn’t find those who had gone around during my watch!”

“Good! The burgomaster himself will come to us with an inspection now! Got it, son of a bitch?!”

“As it is, I understood, Mr. Chief!”

“He understood ... How is the stench in the dungeon?!”

“And what will happen to her, to this stench, Mr. Chief?! They stink, as they stink, they also stink, Mr. Chief!”

“This is not good! You know how delicate the burgomaster's nose is, he will smell all our prison stench at once! What will happen to us then, eh?!”

“I can’t know, Mr. Chief. I’m already used to it and I don’t hear any smells. It seems like they are not there.”

"You are accustomed to all stench and dirt, and a burgomaster is a man with dispositions. He is accustomed to various delicacies. Okay, at least open the front door - let the dungeon air a little!”

“Yes, Mr. Chief!”

The subordinate went to carry out the order, and the chief of the guard ran up the stairs to meet the head of the city. Half an hour later, the door upstairs opened again, and accompanied by the chief of security, a high-ranking guest began to descend the stairs.

“Here, please, Mr. Burgomaster!” bowing low to the guest, said the chief of the guard, pointing to the open door to the dungeon and at the same time managing from behind to shake his fist at the guard who stood at attention in front of the two gentlemen.

The chief of the guard furiously rotated the pupils of his angry eyes, pointing to the subordinate at the burgomaster's face, twisted with disgust. He held a perfumed snow-white handkerchief at his nose, embroidered along the edge with gold threads.

“Take me to the most notorious thief of our city,” ordered the burgomaster to the chief of the guard. “What was his name? And he remembered himself” Chimney sweep.

“Quite right, as there is a Chimney sweep. He carried away all the property from the houses of wealthy residents of our city at night through the chimney, but after that, the chimneys became so clean, like new ones. So the people called him Chimney-sweep, Mr. Burgomaster,” explained the guard.

Having brought the guest to the desired cage, the guard stopped and thrust a torch through the grate. In the depths of the dark cell, there was a fuss, and then a disgruntled voice:

“Why are you staring at me? Not in the circus!”

“Talk to me!” the stout guard barked at the criminal. “In a moment I will leave without gruel, then you will quickly get sick of me!”

There was disgruntled puffing behind the bars, but no more lines came from the dungeon dweller.

“Open the cage!” ordered the head of the city.

“How can you, Lord burgomaster? He will throw himself at you!” the guard worried.

“She won’t rush,” said the burgomaster confidently. “Well, deaf, or what? Or are you tired of government grubs?!”

The frightened guard immediately rushed to the door of the cage, grabbed the huge padlock with one hand, and with the other began nervously feeling the bunch of keys on his belt. Out of excitement, he forgot what the required key looked like, and with trembling fingers fingered them one by one. The burgomaster frowned impatiently and glanced meaningfully at the head of the guard. And from the darkness of the cage, a mocking laugh was heard, which, rolling under the arches of the endless dungeon, intensified many times over, and now the deafening roars of the prisoner's laughter rushed through the dungeon. In the neighboring cages, they stirred, and curious prisoners clung to the bars of their cages to better see what was happening there with their companion in misfortune.

The annoyed chief of the guards ran to the guard, who was still fiddling with the keys, pushed him away from the door, and tore the bunch from his hands. Quickly finding the right key, he finally opened the cage door, looked around, and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Come on, all to their places, misbegotten king of heaven! What, they wanted lashes?! Nobody broke your bones for a long time, do you miss the executioner?! March in places, and so that I don't see your filthy eyes again! Everyone understands?!”

There was a displeased grumbling, but all the prisoners as one obeyed the order of the chief of the guard and hid in the depths of their cells. There was a silence, only occasionally interrupted by the sobbing of the Chimney Sweep, who still could not recover from his laughter.

“What do you need to talk about separately ?!” the head of the guard barked with displeasure and raised a hefty fist. “Well shut up! And to sit quietly, like a mouse in a mill! I'll show you all here how to behave!”

Finally, everything calmed down, and the guardian of an order once again menacingly looked around the cameras, but immediately broke into a servile smile and began to bow low, letting the burgomaster into the cage to the main thief of the city.

“Leave us, - ordered the head of Riga and took the torch from the guard's hands, but, seeing that the prison guards crumple in indecision, raised his voice: - Are you idiots deaf?! Have the last brains in these caves been knocked out?! Come on, both of you!”

“But ... how are you ... and he ...” the head of security mumbled.

“In-he, I said!” Losing patience, the burgomaster shouted.

The guards together rushed to the exit, as if a pack of hungry wolves was chasing them, forgetting even about the bunch of keys that remained hanging in the open lock of the cage.

“Well, finally, you can talk calmly,” said the burgomaster contentedly.

The head of the city lit up with a torch one by one all the corners of the cage in search of where to perch. With his free hand, he continued to hold the perfumed snow-white handkerchief at his fleshy nose. Directly in front of him, on the stone floor, on half-rotten, stinking straw, leaning his back against the wall, sat a feeble little sprout with a nose sharpened like a robber's knife in a dark alley. The remnants of his clothes hung on him in rags and only somehow covered his half-naked, bony body. From the corner of his cage, he closely watched the actions of the burgomaster.

“And you sit on the floor next to me, Herr von Silbermann,” the prisoner grinned.

The head of the city glanced at him with displeasure but did not answer. Not finding where to settle down, he remained standing, towering a fatty mountain of meat and bacon over the half-withered little man.

“Well, why are you, mister burgomaster, confused?” Chimney sweep laughed. “Do you remember the last time we sat so culturally at a beautiful table in a good tavern? Right before I was thrown here. They ate such fragrant meat of a freshly cut young calf. And what spices were there ... And the wine! And the young girl, who I later gave you to the very night, do you remember? Have you forgotten all this already, Herr von Siebermann?”

“Shut up! I did not come here to remember your taverns!” the burgomaster cut him off abruptly and quickly looked back at the neighboring cells with prisoners, barely visible in the dungeon darkness.

“Then what? Maybe our former affairs brought you to me?”

“Not the former, but the future!” hissed the burgomaster and lit up the face of his interlocutor to better see his eyes. ” And you have changed, Chimney sweep.”

“By your efforts! Well, let's just say, the walls of this cozy establishment do not contribute to the improvement of my health.”

“That’s right do not contribute! So, I came here to take care of the health of my old friend,” the burgomaster grinned.

“Oh? The little man shook his head and laughed bitterly again. Do friends do this to each other? Didn't you make sure that I spent the rest of my days in this glorious hotel?”

“Himself to blame! There was no need to hide anything! Didn't I tell you which of the merchants got big money after selling the goods, and what did you do? He appropriated a third for himself! Do you think this is fair?” the burgomaster grumbled with displeasure.

“So, a third? Only a quarter,” replied the Chimney sweep, modestly dropping his eyes.

“Just!” mimicked burgomaster. “You have to deal with me honestly or not at all, do you understand?!”

“Yes, I understand, I understand. Anyone, being in this damp stone bag, would understand a lot, - slowly drawing out the words, the inhabitant of the cage answered.”

“It’s good that you finally figured it out,” the burgomaster said quietly and, groaning, bent down to the very face of the prisoner. “Now listen carefully. Tomorrow they will let you go ...”

“Me?” the Chimney sweep exclaimed happily.

- Quiet you! - the head of the city hissed and looked around, but the neighboring cells seemed to have died out. - Tomorrow you will be released, but with one condition: you must quietly take some property from the person whom I will point you to and disappear from my city forever. If you do everything right, you will remain safe and rich.

The prisoner was silent, trying to make out the eyes of the burgomaster, but the face of the interlocutor was drowning in the semi-darkness that reigned in the cage. A lot of thoughts flashed through the Chimney Sweep's head, he sensed catch in the proposal of the head of the city, but the sweet light of hope for freedom beckoned with such force that it was simply impossible to resist. And could there be anything worse than his current position?

“Well?” hastened von Siebermann. “Or do you still prefer to rot in this stinking prison?”

“I agree!” The chimney sweep answered with lightning speed.

“I knew that you would not refuse your old friend,” the burgomaster laughed contentedly.

“And where should I go now?” the little man answered contritely.

“That's it. But if you try to deceive me this time too, you will regret that you were born!” barked the burgomaster and threw a useless handkerchief on the dirty floor.

Grabbing the puny little man by the breasts, he shook him with all his might. The prisoner's head shook as if he were not a living person, but a rag doll. The rags on the Chimney Sweep's body instantly disintegrated, and in the hands of the burgomaster remained a piece of stinking cloth.

“You’re barely alive,” the burgomaster grumbled disdainfully, throwing a stinking rag on the floor.

Slowly, straightening up in a businesslike manner, he wiped his soiled palms on a brand-new jacket and began to knead his numb back, while continuing to closely watch the former accomplice.

“What is, thank you again,” rubbing his chest and clearing his throat, replied to the Chimney sweep.

“Okay, whoever remembers the old will be out of sight. I think we agreed with you! Tomorrow you will leave here and go to a tavern you know. There will be a room prepared for you. You can eat whatever you want, but don't overdo it. Remember that you have been starving for a long time! Get a good night's sleep, and the next day we'll meet, and I'll tell you whose pipe you need to clean. But remember this is your last business in my city!”

“And where should I then?”

“Yes, even to Dorpat, to visit my cousin. Let my relative have some fun when the merchants come to him with complaints!” the burgomaster laughed. “I’ll give you money for the trip, and after the case, you’ll have something left over. In the meantime, spend one more night here! I think that you will not object - after all, the latter, and I will arrange everything in such a way that no one will interfere with you in this dungeon with my snoring!”

With these words, the burgomaster quickly left the cage, slammed the door, and deftly locked the huge lock, as if he had been doing this all his life. Once again, he illuminated the cage with the Chimney sweep, grunted with satisfaction, and with quick steps went to the exit from the dungeon, where a single burning torch with a barely smoldering, constantly twitching flame hung at the door. He climbed the stairs knocked down by thousands of feet to the closed door and looked around at the exit from the dungeon. The light of the torch was barely enough only to the first chamber, and then there was an impenetrable darkness. The unbearable stench emanating from the cells with people only intensified the feeling of a dense border between the world of light above and the world of darkness in the underground. The head of the city in disgust spat down from the top step of the stairs, opened the door, and left the dungeon.

In the guardroom, several torches hung on each of the walls, and it seemed that it was very bright here. At first, the burgomaster even had to close his eyes, this light seemed so bright to him, and the disgusting smell was no longer so obvious.

Seeing the mayor, both jailers drew themselves to attention. The burgomaster attentively, as if seeing them for the first time, looked them over and slowly, carefully pronouncing every word, ordered:

“Execute all prisoners of the dungeon till nightfall! Everyone! Got it? Everyone except the Chimney Sweep. There is no point in these parasites in vain to eat the state gruel and waste the city treasury. And tomorrow morning to the Chimney sweep to give out a half-taler and set free! Enlightened?”

“But ... how is it possible, mister burgomaster? We have a decision of the city court for all the prisoners, they are here on the verdict! True, the prisoners themselves are dying like flies in our country, so do not worry - sooner or later they will all become dead. That's for sure, don't even worry about it! Yes, and today we will not be able to execute them in any way - the executioner fell ill the other day. The little finger was badly damaged while fishing, then washed down. He cannot hold an ax in his hands,” - the chief of the guard tried to object.

“So, find another executioner! In our city there is a whole pack of people eager to earn extra money, so look for those who want to do a good deed - to eradicate crime in the city! And expel the slacker executioner without pay! And about the court ruling - here's a new ruling!” the burgomaster muttered displeased and took out from his jacket a scroll, entwined with a twisted silk thread with a wax seal hanging on it.

The head of the guard, carefully, as if he was touching the greatest secret, took an important paper in his hands and, like a hypnotized one, looked at the seal swinging in front of his nose.

“Do not hesitate, servant, the seal is real and still quite fresh!” the burgomaster laughed loudly and walked quickly to the exit, leaving behind his back the jailers looking after him in bewilderment.

“Well, everyone is like that,” the chief of the guard shrugged his shoulders and put the unopened scroll with the judge's decision on the battered table. “The authorities know it better, of course.