Settled and dilapidated sheds, where the Germans brought hay and straw. Ataman Krivolob shot four Muscovites and one Ukrainian here, so the boys are afraid to play here. Not only Dimka is not afraid: he hides two clips of cartridges, a ramrod from a rifle and a rusted Austrian bayonet without a scabbard in the barn and plays in different commanders. If white, then he says: “They wanted a commune? Wanted freedom? Against the legitimate authority ... ” If red: “Against whom are you going? Against his brother a worker and a peasant? You need generals and admirals ... ”
Having played a bit, Dima forgets to come home in time and runs away, afraid of punishment, but at home an emergency: Goloven arrived, whom the Reds had recently taken into the army. He hit with a boot Bumblebee (beloved dog Dimka), after - Dimka. He promised to expel the "Petersburg proletarians" (as he called the family: mother, grandmother, Dima and his younger brother Top). Dima’s father is in St. Petersburg. The smut hides from the reds in the hayloft, has a rifle.
Dima gets to look at her, opens the shutter and, not understanding how, drives a cartridge into the barrel. A Golovne appears, a rifle shoots, Dimka escapes, but receives a jab in the back from Golovn. A squad of red cavalrymen saves him from beating. Dima is afraid to go home.
Meets Zhigan from the city, who sang the song "Long live the Soviets!".Sings songs on trains. He came to godmother Onufrich to eat himself. She allowed no more than two weeks.
Dima makes an appointment on the river in the morning - to catch crayfish. Mom scolds at home, but without anger. The next morning, Dimka offers Zhigan to run away, as Golove beats and drives his relatives out of the house. Zhigan suggests begging, after lying, that he served both red, and green, and "brown" (there were none). Dima suggests going to fight to the Reds. They began to gather.
Nearby is a large front. Around the Red Army chased after gangs, or gangs for the Red Army, or atamans were bustling among themselves. Arrived green, drink with Golovnem, dig a hole behind Zhigan's hut. There was a battle near the village, after which Dimka did not find the meat hidden for the trip in the straw. The provisions were hidden, the next morning they appointed an escape. Rumors of a wounded Bolshevik in the vicinity. The guys stole a pot from the Dimkin cellar and went to hide it in the barn, in the straw. They heard a groan there and, frightened, fled. The next morning, Dimka found in the barn a wounded Red Army man - the very one who interceded with him in front of Golovny. Zhigan came, the wounded were given food and water and promised to remain silent about him. Dimka took a piece of fat at home and exchanged iodine from a priest (father of Pearl).
Time passed, I could not hear about the Reds, Dima had problems: Goloven beats, drives mom and Topa, the pop told his mother about iodine. Red promised to help. In the meantime, Goloven found out that the wounded man was somewhere close, they found a book, bloodied with the letters R.S. on the first sheet, Goloven shot Bumblebee, was about to go somewhere.The guys warn the wounded of the danger, Zhigan says that they are red in the city and volunteers to carry a note with the same mysterious letters. On the way he falls into the hands of green (under the leadership of Levka), escapes, comes across the guys of Kozolup, sets them on Levkin detachment. Soon the road forks.
Zhigan asks on the farm for which city. The road was shown from the window. Zhigan delivered a note in red, those immediately on horseback. Meanwhile, the greens arrived in the village, but it’s difficult to search at night - they postponed until the morning. In the morning the Reds approached, drove off the enemies. Dimka and his family were given passes to Peter, and Zhigan - a paper that he “was not a chantrap or a charlatan, but an element who had proved his revolution in fact,” and therefore “helped him, Zhigan, to sing Soviet songs in all stations and trains and echelons ”with the official stamp.
