Amur

Asubuhi ya sita, treni ilikuwa katika Mashariki ya Mbali ya Urusi. Msitu ulikuwa umebadilika. Kulikuwa na mikaratusi ya Korea, miashu ya Manchuria, na mialoni ya Mongolia. Msitu ulionekana kuwa karibu zaidi. Huu ni moja ya misitu yenye mvua nyingi zaidi duniani nje ya tropiki.

On the sixth morning, the train was in the Russian Far East. The forest had changed. There were now Korean pine, Manchurian ash, and Mongolian oak. The forest felt closer. This is one of the wettest forests in the world outside the tropics.

Polly alikuwa peke yake katika chumba cha treni. Pavel alikuwa ameondoka. Askari alikuwa amehamia.

Polly was alone in the compartment. Pavel had left. The soldier had moved.

Treni ya mizigo ilipita upande mwingine. Ilikuwa na urefu wa kilomita mbili. Ilikuwa inabeba mbao. Polly alihesabu mabehewa thelathini na nane.

A freight train passed in the other direction. It was two kilometres long. It carried timber. Polly counted thirty-eight flatbeds.

Treni ilifika Khabarovsk. Mji huu uko kwenye Mto Amur. Amur ni mto wa nane kwa urefu duniani. Ni mpaka kati ya Urusi na China. Polly aliweza kuona China upande wa pili wa mto kupitia ukungu.

The train arrived at Khabarovsk. The city is on the Amur River. The Amur is the eighth-longest river in the world. It is the border between Russia and China. Polly could see China across the river through the haze.

Alishuka kwenye treni ili kunyoosha miguu yake.

She got off the train to stretch her legs.

Kwenye ukingo wa kinamasi, kulikuwa na korongo. Ilikuwa nyeusi na nyeupe na nyekundu karibu na jicho. Ilikuwa karibu na urefu wa mita mbili. Hii ni korongo ya Mashariki ya Mbali ya Urusi. Ni moja ya korongo adimu zaidi duniani. Zimebaki takriban elfu tatu tu.

A crane was standing at the edge of a marsh. It was black and white with red around the eye. It was nearly two metres tall. This is the Russian Far East crane. It is one of the rarest cranes in the world. Only about three thousand are left.

Polly alikunja kichwa chake. Korongo ilikunja kichwa chake pia. Walitazamana.

Polly tilted her head. The crane tilted its head back. They watched each other.

Kondakta alipiga filimbi. Polly akarudi kwenye treni. Aligeuka na kutazama. Korongo iliinua shingo yake polepole. Ilitembea kuelekea kwenye kinamasi.

A conductor blew a whistle. Polly hopped back to the train. She turned and looked. The crane lifted its neck slowly. It walked away into the marsh.

Treni iligeuka kuelekea kusini. Bahari ya Pasifiki sasa ilikuwa chini ya kilomita 700 mbali.

The train turned south. The Pacific was now less than 700 kilometres away.