What to do if a person chokes on a foreign body? Causes of acute shortness of breath during a cough

What to do if you choke? How to help if a child or an adult is choking?

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In order to imagine the sequence of effective actions in the event that a person chokes, it is necessary to know the essence of suppression. So, when a person chokes on something, this means that a non-gaseous body (solid, liquid or mushy) enters the respiratory tract and partially or completely closes their lumen. As a result, the normal breathing process is disrupted, since air cannot pass through a partially or completely blocked lumen of the bronchi or trachea, and a person develops asphyxia(oxygen starvation).

When a person chokes on something, he needs help to remove a foreign object from the respiratory tract. This is precisely what first aid when suppressed. The sequence of actions that must be taken in order to help a choking person depends on the age of the victim, his condition and the degree of airway obstruction. Moreover, the main role is played by the degree of overlap of the airways, which can be complete or incomplete.

Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to assess whether the blockage of the airways by a foreign body has occurred - complete or incomplete. If the person is conscious and can cough and breathe, then the airway blockage is incomplete. If a person catches air with his mouth, convulsively trying to draw it into himself, and does not cough, then there was a complete blockage of the airways.

What to do if you choke and there is an incomplete blockage of the airways?

With incomplete blockage of the airways, a choking person should be reassured, encouraging him with simple and understandable words that now everything will pass. Then you need to ask him to make 4 - 5 sharp and deep exhalations while tilting the torso forward, after slowly and gently drawing air into the lungs. Do not allow the victim to try to breathe deeply, as this may cause the foreign body to slip even deeper into the airway, from which it will be impossible to get it by non-invasive methods, and the person will have to undergo surgery.

If it was not possible to remove the foreign body from the respiratory tract with the help of sharp exhalations, then ask the victim to cough intensively 4-5 times, also tilting the body forward at the same time. For coughing, you also do not need to try to take a deep breath of air, as this can push through foreign body into smaller and deeper bronchi. In addition, a foreign body that came out when coughing during an intense breath can get back into the bronchi.

For the best and fastest removal of a foreign body from the respiratory tract, you can exhale intensively and cough, having previously rested top belly in the back of a chair or sofa and hanging his head and chest down.

If neither coughing nor intense exhalations led to the removal of the foreign body from the respiratory tract, then the victim's torso should be tilted forward, grabbing his stomach with his hand so that the head is as low as possible. You can lean forward strongly on your feet, or hang from a sofa or chair, etc. When the victim takes such an inclined position, you should gently tap with an open palm between the shoulder blades. In this case, it is necessary not only to pat the person on the back, but, as it were, to make a sharp and short sliding movement with the palm of the hand from the shoulder blades in the direction of the neck, thus trying to give the desired direction of movement to the foreign body.

If tapping did not help, then it is necessary to apply the so-called Heimlich maneuver. Previously, it should not be used, since this technique can provoke complications.

To perform the Heimlich maneuver, you need to put the victim on his feet, and stand behind him yourself. Then clench the non-working hand (left for right-handers or right for left-handers) into a fist and, embracing the person, put thumb to the skin in the stomach area (upper abdomen between the navel and sternum). With the palm of the second hand, also hugging the person around the body, it is necessary to grab the fist of the first, press tightly against the back of the victim, sit down (if necessary), then sharply, quickly and strongly push the fist in the direction simultaneously deep into the abdomen and up to the side chest(see figure 1). The push should be made by bending the arms at the elbows, which, as it were, press the stomach towards the spine and to the diaphragm. When making a push, you can not compress the chest from the sides.

Several such shocks should be made at minimum intervals and stopped after the foreign object flies out of the respiratory tract. The Heimlich maneuver is the most effective way to extract foreign bodies from the lumen of the respiratory organs.

Picture 1- Technique for performing the Heimlich maneuver.

If the Heimlich technique is performed to help a fat person or a pregnant woman, then the fist should not be placed on the stomach, but on the middle part of the sternum, which is located at the level of the nipples of the chest. Pushes are performed in the same way as with the position of the hands on the stomach.

If the person who is choking is too heavy for the caregiver, then the Heimlich maneuver can be performed lying down. To do this, it is necessary to lay the victim on his back on a hard and even surface and tilt his head back without turning to one side. Then you should sit on the victim's stomach and make several pushes in the stomach in the direction of the spine and up. The pushes are made using the palms of the hands and their own weight in the same way as it would be done in a standing position.

The Heimlich maneuver leads to sharp increase intra-abdominal pressure, which, in turn, literally throws up the diaphragm and lungs, as a result of which a jet of air escapes into the bronchi, flying with great speed and energy. Due to this air flow, the foreign body stuck in the airways is removed. The effectiveness of the Heimlich technique is determined by the fact that no matter how deep a person exhales, a certain residual volume of air still remains in his lungs. And it is this air that is pushed out when performing the Heimlich maneuver.

The Heimlich maneuver is a rather dangerous method, since sharp thrusts to the abdomen can cause damage. internal organs. Therefore, if a person who choked was assisted by the Heimlich method, then you should definitely visit a doctor.

Help for a choking person with a complete blockage of the airways

If a person chokes on a rather large foreign body, then it can completely clog the airway. This situation is very dangerous, because there are literally 3 to 5 minutes to help, during which the brain remains alive without oxygen. That is why it is very important to immediately understand that a person is choking and has a complete blockage of the airways.

So, with a complete blockage of the bronchi or trachea, a person cannot cough, he convulsively opens his mouth, grabs his neck, tries to breathe, but he does not succeed. After 30 - 120 seconds, the person's lips will turn blue and the skin will turn pale, and he will lose consciousness.

While a person is catching air with his mouth, you need to very quickly approach him, raise him to his feet, then throw him over any improvised crossbar, for example, an arm, a knee, an armrest of a chair, a chair back, etc., so that the body is tilted down as far as possible stronger. Then, with sharp guiding movements to the neck, knock it between the shoulder blades 4-5 times (see Figure 2). If a person begins to cough, you should leave him in this position for a few more minutes so that he can cough up all the particles of a foreign body that could be stuck in his airways.

Figure 2- The technique of patting the victim with the palm of the hand between the shoulder blades.

If tapping on the back did not work, the cough did not start, and the person is still conscious, then you should quickly put him on his feet and perform the Heimlich maneuver. Since the victim is very weak, you should put one of your legs between his feet, press your stomach tightly against his back, wrap your arms around his torso and allow the upper chest to tilt (hanging) forward a little. Then place your fist on the stomach between the navel and sternum, turning it with your thumb to the skin of the victim, and cover it with the palm of your other hand. Then sharply and strongly press the fist into the stomach of the victim, directing the movement simultaneously deep and upward to the diaphragm.

If the injured person loses consciousness and the person providing assistance cannot hold him in his arms, then he should be placed on the floor on his back. In this case, the head must be thrown back with the chin up and not turned to the side. No rollers should be placed under the shoulder blades and back, as this can only aggravate the situation. The caregiver should then sit on the victim's feet and place the palms of both hands on the upper abdomen above the navel. Then you should begin to make sharp jerks, as in a standing position, pressing on the stomach not only with the strength of the hands, but also with the weight of your own body (see Figure 3).

Figure 3- The technique of performing the Heimlich maneuver in the supine position of the victim, who is unconscious.

Regular pushes in the stomach should be done until the person starts to cough. It is pointless to do artificial respiration before coughing, because as long as the airways are clogged, the air simply does not reach the lungs.

How to help a person who is choking: the Heimlich maneuver - video

First aid for a person who chokes and is alone in the room

If you choke and are alone in the room, then if you have a cough, you should sharply and strongly tilt your torso forward and take 4-5 deep and quick exhalations, while not inhaling deeply. In principle, by force of will, do not let yourself try to inhale strongly and deeply, as this can lead to the penetration of a foreign body even further into the airways.

After exhalations or together with them, it is necessary to make 4-5 short but strong coughing movements, also being in a position with the body tilted down and forward. For convenience, you can bend over the back of a chair, the armrest of a sofa or chair.

If it was not possible to remove the foreign body with the help of exhalations and coughing, then it is also recommended to perform the Heimlich maneuver. For this fist working hand(left for left-handers and right for right-handers) should be placed in the middle of the abdomen in the area between the navel and the sternum. Grasp your fist with your other hand and sharply push it towards you and up. If a own forces for a good push in the stomach is not enough, then you should lean with your fist on a solid and stable object, for example, the armrest of a chair or sofa, a table, etc. Then you need to sharply press your fist with your whole body, rested on a hard surface.

If the child is choking

If a child who is already walking and standing on legs chokes, then the rules for providing first aid to him are exactly the same as for adults. However, since it is almost impossible to explain to a child in a critical situation the need not to try to take a deep breath, but, on the contrary, to make several sharp and deep exhalations, this method of helping with suppression is simply omitted.

Regardless of whether the child is conscious or not, adults who are nearby need to quickly tilt his torso down, throwing him at the level of the abdomen over any object, for example, his own knee, arm, the back of a chair, the armrests of a chair or sofa, the edge of the bath and etc. Then hit him on the back several times between the shoulder blades. In this case, the claps should be strong and directed towards the neck. It is the direction of the pops that is of key importance for the success of removing a foreign body from the respiratory tract. Usually they make no more than 4 - 5 such claps. If they helped remove the foreign body from the respiratory tract, then the child will begin to cough. At this, you should stop patting and ask the child to hang upside down for some more time so that all the smallest pieces of a foreign body that could get stuck in the airways can come out. At the same time, tell the child not to hold back the cough, but, on the contrary, to make intense coughing movements if such a reflex occurs.

If a pat on the back does not help to remove the foreign body from the child's airways, then take it by the legs and lift it so that it hangs upside down. In this position, shake it intensively several times (no more than 4-5 times) and put it on its feet.

If shaking in the upside down position did not help remove the foreign body from the child's airways, then the simplified Heimlich maneuver should be used. To do this, sit on your knees, put the child with his back to you and press it tightly against your stomach and chest. Then put your arms under your armpits and wrap your arms around his torso. Make a fist with one hand and rest it on the area directly under the sternum. Grasp your fist with your other hand. Ask the child to tilt the torso forward, as if to lie on your fist. After that, with a neat but sharp movement, it is necessary to press on the child's stomach in the direction towards you and up. It is necessary to make such shocks until the child begins to cough.

If the baby began to lose consciousness and cannot stand on his feet normally, you should put him on the floor or any hard, stable and even surface. The child's head should be tilted with the chin up and in no case should it be turned to the side. Then, with the palm of your hand, gently press on the sternum at a point located on the line connecting the nipples. You should make pushes on the sternum until the child begins to cough. At the same time, every 30 shocks, it is necessary to inhale air into his mouth.

Choked newborn - how to help

A newborn child has very weak muscles, cannot stand and sit, and therefore, if he chokes, he should be treated differently from children over 1 year old and adults. If you suspect that a newborn baby is choking, then it does not matter at all how blocked his airways are, since he cannot be asked to cough or take a few intense breaths. Therefore, the technique for helping a choking newborn baby is the same, no matter how severe the blockage of the airways.

First, a common technique used by many parents when crushing an infant, which consists of turning him upside down and shaking vigorously, cannot be used. The fact is that the head in children, compared to the total body weight, is very large and heavy, and they cannot keep it in a stable position, since the muscles are still too weak. Therefore, when shaking the child in the upside down position, he will not be able to absorb shocks and is highly likely to be injured. cervical spine.

Therefore, in order to provide the right help newborn choking child use the following safe algorithm:
1. Bend your non-working arm at the elbow (right-handed left, and left-handed, respectively, right) and put the child on it with its back.
2. Place your other hand on the child's stomach so that your fingers wrap around his lower jaw.
3. Then turn the arms over so that the child is in the prone position on the forearm (see Figure 4). In this case, the legs of the child should hang freely on the sides of your hand, and the head should be held with your fingers.
4. Lower your hand down a little so that the child’s head is lower than the priests, and the torso takes an inclined position.
5. Then, with the palm of the other hand, pat the child on the back between the shoulder blades with guiding movements. That is, do not just slap the child on the back, but, as it were, make a movement towards the neck and head.
6. Do 4-5 back pats. If the child began to cough or breathe earlier than after 4-5 claps, then the manipulation should be stopped, the child's mouth should be opened and the foreign body removed from it.
Figure 4– Position of the child for suppression assistance.

If, after several claps on the back, the foreign body has not left the respiratory tract, then the following method of assistance should be applied:
1. Place the child on the forearm of your hand, holding his head slightly back with your fingers.
2. Tilt your arm down slightly so that the child is in a head-down position.
3. With the fingers of the second free hand, press hard several times on the sternum on the line between the nipples. You need to do this with outstretched straight fingers, using only the strength of the hand and not applying your own weight.
4. The pressure should lead to the extrusion of the chest by 1.5 - 2.5 cm.
5. Perform such pushes until the foreign body leaves the respiratory tract, and the child begins to cough, cry, scream, etc.

If the child has lost consciousness, then it is necessary to begin resuscitation. To do this, inhale the child into the mouth and press 30 times on his sternum. Then open the child's mouth and see if the foreign body has come out. If it is in the mouth, remove it and bring the victim to his senses by patting his cheeks, spraying cold water or ammonia. Such mouth-to-mouth breaths and pressing on the sternum should be done until the foreign body leaves the respiratory tract.

Isaac differs from the Pussy Riot church in Moscow (such is the international name of Luzhkov's new building on the site of the Moscow pool) as a general's uniform Russian Empire from the crimson jacket of the nineties. And here it is not necessary about money, even if everything here smells of money.

Isaac is the frontier. If Isaac turns into a nest of the Russian Orthodox Church, then... So what?

To be honest, I would not envy the ROC in this hypothetical situation: Isaac flashes a red light on the mental map of Russia - drawing attention to the ROC as the first target for popular anger. One must really believe in two non-obvious things at once in order not to be afraid of this: in the police omnipotence of the current regime and in its desire to protect the Russian Orthodox Church more than its own stomach. But everything is possible for believers who have ceased to believe in God - therefore, the most intricate superstitions are found in the ROC. And that's what we're interested in. What is this Isaac dream?

And this is: in it, the Russian Orthodox Church, created by Comrade Stalin, turns into the state church of the Russian Empire. It will be similar to Stalinist

... Shoulder straps glow like old
On every red commander...

But really, seriously. The current state of the Russian Federation does not have succession from the Russian Empire, but it wants to have it. But legally it succeeds the miserable state of the Bolsheviks. But such a succession with the empire will appear in the ROC. Crawling into St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Stalinist creature is instantly transformed into a princess. Will there be anyone like her in the state Russian Federation? What will all these and future descendants of “thin-necked leaders” mean in comparison with the radiance of the patriarchal belly? They will be wild animals grafted onto the thick trunk of Russian statehood, embodied in the Russian Orthodox Church alone.

But, I repeat, this whole picture is only in my dreams. It is curious only because it explains to us the seeming madness of the clerics in the struggle for Isaac.

But in reality, Isaac is a turning point, even though the ROC will capture him, though not. A similar turn in the fate of the Russian Orthodox Church occurred in August 2012, after the verdict of Pussy Riot. Then the ROC lost its reputation. Reputation is a category that is important for a small part of the population, but public opinion she is shaping. As long as the state protects you, you don't give a damn about public opinion. What if the state looked to the side, did not keep track? And suddenly it itself wanted to pinch you a little? (Let's not consider all sorts of horrors like the fact that it suddenly disappeared altogether.) That's when it's important that someone mobilizes society to protect you. After August 2012, there is no one to protect the ROC. Even the police and traffic police are sometimes protected by someone, but the ROC - no one will come.

Now the ROC will begin to lose property - exactly according to the same scheme by which it lost its reputation (this scheme is described by the theory of catastrophes: for lovers of thoughtful reading, I am in 2013). With property it will be the same as with reputation. Once the reputation of the ROC was artificially inflated. Therefore, all negative information was not accepted by society, and the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church grew pathologically. And then - kaaak shied away! In a catastrophic process there is no return to the equilibrium value, but can only be "up to the foundation", without any "then".

Now the same thing will begin with property. Public attention was fixed at some point of maximum, similar to the verdict for Pussy Riot. But now we have this attention not only of harmless people with glasses. Serious people have also pulled themselves together, and we already feel their invisible presence in the split in the camp of officials. Their grazing areas have just decreased here, and not all of them are equally herbivorous.

Not everyone knows how to react correctly if a person sitting next to him suddenly chokes and begins to choke.

And how to behave if this happened to you and there is no one nearby to help?

We have prepared for you detailed guide, which will help not to get confused, act competently and save the life of a person who chokes.

If you choke, you need to cough

Correctly. Cough is the most effective method open the airways and push a piece of food out of the trachea. The best thing you can do in similar situation- try to calm the person: "Everything is fine, cough."

Not properly. Some people in this situation try to suppress their cough by straightening their back and trying to breathe through their nose. It won't lead to anything good. Also, you can not drink water during an attack. Give the victim a glass of water after he has coughed.

If coughing is not possible, tap on the back

Correctly. When a person cannot cough, the first thing to do is to tilt him forward down (you can over the knee or the back of the chair) and pat your open palm hard between the shoulder blades (towards the mouth). It is important to do exactly the guiding movements, and not the usual claps.

Not properly. You can’t clap in a straightened position, let alone beat with your fist, otherwise the piece of food will fall further and tightly block the airways. If the cough comes back, stop clapping.

If the person cannot breathe, use the Heimlich maneuver

When performing the Heimlich maneuver, air is released from the lungs, which is not used during breathing, which helps to push out the stuck object.

Correctly. Stand behind the victim and wrap your arms around him. Make a fist with one hand and place it on your stomach between your navel and lower ribs. The palm of the second hand is on top. Pull your fist upwards (under the diaphragm) with a quick push several times. Repeat several times until the airways are clear.

Not properly. Do not pat the victim on the back - this can only worsen the situation. You need to clasp below the ribs, and not along them, otherwise you risk breaking them. If the choking person is larger than you or is a pregnant woman, grab it over the stomach, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe lower ribs.

The choked lost consciousness

Correctly. If the person is unconscious, lay them on their back. Sit on top of the victim's thighs facing the head. With one hand on top of the other, place the base of your palm between your navel and lower ribs. Press vigorously on the abdomen in an upward direction towards the diaphragm. Repeat several times until the airways are clear. After removing the object, if the person is not breathing, perform artificial respiration.

Not properly. The victim must not be held vertical position. And even more so to give him artificial respiration until the object is removed from the trachea.

If there is no one to help (self-help)

If you yourself choked and began to choke, apply the Heimlich method yourself.

Correctly. Lean on a solid object (table corner, chair, railing) and push upwards with your body weight.

Not properly. It's difficult, but try not to panic. The more we panic, the more air we take in. This pushes the piece of food further. Don't straighten up or hit yourself on your chest or back.

How to act in other situations

The victim is bigger than you. It happens that the choking one is many times larger than you, or it is a pregnant woman. In this case, when performing the Heimlich maneuver, you need to wrap around the lower ribs, as close to the stomach as possible.

The baby choked. Put the baby on the tummy on your hand and with the edge of the palm make 5 pats between the baby's shoulder blades. If a solid foreign object is stuck, we put the child on the arm face down. The head should be lower than the chest. free hand slap the child between the shoulder blades.

A child older than a year choked. We stand behind the child (if his height is small, we kneel). We wrap our arms around the waist. We squeeze the brush of one hand into a fist and place it between the ribs and the navel with the thumb inward. Grab a fist with the other hand. We spread our elbows to the sides and press on the child's stomach in the direction from the bottom up.

Isaac differs from the Pussy Riot church in Moscow (such is the international name of Luzhkov's new building on the site of the Moscow pool) as the general uniform of the Russian Empire from the crimson jacket of the nineties. And here it is not necessary about money, even if everything here smells of money.

Isaac is the frontier. If Isaac turns into a nest of the Russian Orthodox Church, then... So what?
Frankly, I would not envy the ROC in this hypothetical situation: Isaac blinks a red light on the mental map of Russia - drawing attention to the ROC as the first target for popular anger. One must really believe in two non-obvious things at once in order not to be afraid of this: in the police omnipotence of the current regime and in its desire to protect the Russian Orthodox Church more than its own stomach. But everything is possible for believers who have ceased to believe in God - therefore, the most intricate superstitions are found in the ROC. And that's what we're interested in. What is this Isaac dream?

And this is: in it, the Russian Orthodox Church, created by Comrade Stalin, turns into the state church of the Russian Empire. It will be similar to Stalinist

Shoulder straps glow like old
On every red commander...

- but really, seriously. The current state of the Russian Federation does not have succession from the Russian Empire, but it wants to have it. But legally it succeeds the miserable state of the Bolsheviks. But such a succession with the empire will appear in the ROC. Crawling into St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Stalinist creature is instantly transformed into a princess. Will there be anyone like her in the state of the Russian Federation? What will all these and future descendants of “thin-necked leaders” mean in comparison with the radiance of the patriarchal belly? They will be wild animals grafted onto the thick trunk of Russian statehood, embodied in the Russian Orthodox Church alone.
But, I repeat, this whole picture is only in my dreams. It is curious only because it explains to us the seeming madness of the clerics in the struggle for Isaac.

But in reality, Isaac is a turning point, even though the ROC will capture him, though not. A similar turn in the fate of the Russian Orthodox Church occurred in August 2012, after the verdict of Pussy Riot. Then the ROC lost its reputation. Reputation is a category that is important for a small part of the population, but it is she who forms public opinion. As long as the state protects you, you don't give a damn about public opinion. What if the state looked to the side, did not keep track? And suddenly it itself wanted to pinch you a little? (Let's not consider all sorts of horrors like the fact that it suddenly disappeared altogether.) That's when it's important that someone mobilizes society to protect you. After August 2012, there is no one to protect the ROC. Even the police and traffic police are sometimes protected by someone, but the Russian Orthodox Church - no one will come.

Now the ROC will begin to lose property - exactly according to the same scheme by which it lost its reputation (this scheme is described by the theory of catastrophes: for lovers of thoughtful reading, in 2013 I painted it in detail and with graphs). With property it will be the same as with reputation. Once the reputation of the ROC was artificially inflated. Therefore, all negative information was not accepted by society, and the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church grew pathologically. And then - kaaak shied away! In a catastrophic process there is no return to the equilibrium value, but can only be "up to the foundation", without any "then".

TEARS OF THE DEAD

The steamer could have run into the boat and crushed it, hitting the schooner at the same time, but the captain of the Cayman did not dare to do this in the presence of the destroyer. The steamer began to move to the left, reducing speed in order to be able to observe further events.

The boat had not yet reached the Columbus when a revolver shot cracked on board. The commander of the pirate submarine unloaded his revolver, putting the last bullet in his head. The pirate fired in such a way as to fall overboard and drown along with incriminating documents.

He fell into the sea, cutting through the water with his back. At the same moment, the cabin boy jumped headfirst overboard. The commander of the boat thought that the young man had become stupefied with joy or was afraid that he would be shot by the surviving invader. The latter they had to take under any circumstances.

The boat instantly stood next to the Columbus, and two Red Navy men, jumping onto the schooner, shouted:

Give up!

Anch did not resist. He sat down on a bench and sat motionless, waiting to be approached and told what to do next. They searched him, but they did not find any weapons or documents - all this was already at sea. One Red Navy sailor remained near Anch, while the other approached Levka. Others jumped from the boat to the schooner. The commander surveyed the sea. Mark's act surprised him at first, but now it worried him. The young man did not surface for a long time.

More than a minute has passed. Finally, yoongi's head popped out of the water. He was breathing heavily. It seemed that something was preventing him from swimming and pulling him under water. Marco sank again, but now only for a few seconds and, having surfaced, called for help.

When Marco jumped into the sea, the boat did not notice that his legs were tied. However, this circumstance alone would not embarrass a swimmer like him. The point was that Mark's hands were also busy with something. The senior lieutenant guessed that the cabin boy dived after the suicide pirate, caught him and now holds him under water. And so it was. Marco held the corpse of the commander of a pirate submarine, and this load made it difficult for the swimmer to move and required the greatest efforts from him to stay on the surface. Having caught the pirate under water, he grabbed his clothes with his teeth and, working with his hands, quickly swam out. Now he was waiting for the boat to come up.

The Red Navy did not keep themselves waiting: they immediately brought a boat to Mark and dragged him along with the cargo. Only now, when it was all over, did Marco feel weak. He asked to untie or cut his bonds.

Hello they are you! - said the senior lieutenant, looking sympathetically at the young man's feet.

Freed from the fetters, the cabin boy immediately leaned over the corpse, unbuttoned his jacket and took out a sheaf of papers from his bosom. The documents that the pirate wanted to destroy didn't even get wet. The senior lieutenant looked at the cabin boy with admiration. From the schooner, Anch followed Mark's behavior. Never before had a spy experienced such annoyance and impotent rage.

From the deck of the Cayman, they also followed the events on the schooner and the boat. The steamer was moving slowly. Suddenly Marco jumped from the lifeboat aboard the Columbus and, rising to be seen better, spread his fingers and stretched out his long bow to the steamer. At the stern of the Cayman, the cabin boy recognized an old acquaintance - the "one-eyed man", whom the Columbus met in the dining room "Caucasus".

The Cayman was leaving. The "senior assistant" tried not to look at Mark. He looked at Anch, whom an unenviable fate awaited, and perhaps thought with horror that he himself would inevitably have to find himself in such a situation someday.

On the schooner, the Red Navy helped Levka to come to his senses. He sat on a bench and patiently waited for his head to be bandaged.

How did you find us? he asked. - And most importantly, how did you know that Columbus was captured?

The girl told about it, and then the plane was found.

What girl?

Yes, the one that was with you on the schooner. How is her ... Beware! What's wrong with you? I'm tying...

Zorya? Zorya? Yes? Levko jumped up from his seat.

It seems that Zorya ... Just don't twitch when they bandage you.

The destroyer had already stopped, turned around and slowly returned to the schooner. Meanwhile, the Red Navy on the Columbus tried to unlock the wheelhouse door, where the dead Andriy and the seriously wounded skipper were supposed to be.

Almost simultaneously, the noise of the aircraft died down over the Columbus, and the Fish Scout made a landing, running up the waves to the schooner and intending to overtake the destroyer. Baril and Petimko shouted hello to the Columbus people from the plane. They could not launch a clipperboat on such a wave.

The felling fell on the door strong blows instead of the former quiet and cautious. But she remained locked up. They knocked on the porthole, shouted, but no one answered.

The destroyer had already approached the schooner and stood side by side. There were shouts of joy. Mother called Mark. He immediately boarded the ship and found himself in her arms. Grandfather Makhtei, with shining eyes, went up to the commander's bridge to thank Trofimov.

Semyon Ivanovich hugged his grandfather and said:

Not for anything, not for anything ... Whom to thank is the chief engineer, - and ordered the old sailor to be escorted to him.

The senior mechanic assured grandfather that the navigator should be thanked, because if it were not for his calculations, the destroyer would not have gone this way. The navigator said that everything depended on the commissar, and sent grandfather to him. And the commissar assured that everything depended on all the Red Navy men and on Grandfather Makhtey himself, who brought the news about the schooner. Grandfather was confused and finally realized that he should thank Zorya. And he went to look for her.

But Zorya was not on the destroyer. She jumped onto the deck of the schooner and rushed to Levko. He grabbed her and lifted her high into the air. He did not believe his own eyes. He believed that the girl went to the bottom, shot by pirates. And she was in front of him, and, most importantly, none other than she reported the capture of the Columbus. The girl told about her salvation.

A joyous excitement reigned on the schooner and on the ship. Anch was already taken into custody on the ship, and he watched everything that happened with a wolfish look.

It remained to open the cabin and find out the fate of the skipper and helmsman.

A real siege of the felling was organized on the schooner. However, dead silence reigned inside, as if there was no one there or both of its inhabitants were unconscious.

It's just a hermetic blockage, - said the lieutenant.

Maybe they suffocated there?

Levko objected, pointing to a small fan. It was decided to use this fan as a speaking tube.

At the same time, they sent to the destroyer for axes and crowbars, in order to smash the doors as a last resort if no one opens them from the inside. Some assured that some sounds were heard in the wheelhouse. They began to listen carefully. Indeed, a barely audible groan could be heard from there.

Crowbars and axes appeared. Soon strong Oak planks crackled. A military doctor descended onto the schooner, waiting for the door to be broken down. He was preparing to give help to the one whose groan came from the wheelhouse.

A hole had been smashed through the door, but the massive iron bolt remained in place. I had to enlarge the hole, and then it turned out that instead of a bolt, a crowbar was put into the brackets. Two figures were visible through the hole: one was lying on a bunk, the other on the deck. The one who was moaning lay on the bunk. The Red Navy man, putting his hand into the hole, took out the crowbar from the brackets and was the first to let the doctor into the wheelhouse. He cautiously entered and bent over the man on the bunk.

It was Stakh Ocheret, girded with a cork belt. His wound was well bandaged. He opened his eyes and gave a barely audible thank you for the drink offered to him. The doctor noticed that the wounded man took only a few sips. Apparently he was already drinking. The Red Navy sailors found several bottles of soda and beer nearby. The doctor was surprised that the seriously wounded man had the strength to bandage himself and pull the corks out of the bottles.

In a small cramped cabin it was difficult to inspect. The doctor asked the Red Navy to bring people on deck.

The helmsman's head was tied with a piece of old canvas. He was carried out completely motionless. Unfolded the canvas. The helmsman was also tied with a cork rescue belt.