Morning at the south port. Huge cars are noisy around and people who have generated this noise are bustling. Miserable and fussy human figures, bent under the weight of goods, "are insignificant in comparison with the iron colosses surrounding them." They fill the deep holds of the ships with “the products of their slave labor” to buy some bread.

But the copper bell struck twelve times, and the noise died down - it was lunch time.

I

Grishka Chelkash appeared in the port, “an avid drunkard and a clever, bold thief,” well known to the port people. This barefoot, bony man in ragged clothes, with a thick and long mustache stood out among other port tramp in its resemblance to the steppe hawk.

Chelkash was looking for his friend and accomplice Mishka. A profitable business was planned for tonight, and the thief needed an assistant. From the customs guard Chelkash learned that Mishka was taken to the hospital - his leg was crushed by a cast-iron blank. Then the angry watchman escorted Chelkash to the port gate.

Sitting nearby, Chelkash thought about a case that required "a little work and a lot of dexterity."

He was sure that he would have enough dexterity, and, squinting his eyes, dreamed of going on a walk tomorrow morning, when credit papers appeared in his pocket ...

Then the thief remembered Mishka and cursed to himself - without an assistant, he, perhaps, could not cope with this. He looked around the street and noticed near him a broad-shouldered, fair-haired guy in peasant clothes and with a scythe wrapped in straw.

Chelkash spoke to the guy, calling himself a fisherman. He said that he was coming from the Kuban, where he worked as a hired pig. It was not possible to earn much - a lot of starving people came to the Kuban, and prices fell.

Chelkash asked the guy if he loved freedom. The guy replied that he loved - "walk know, as he please, only remember God." But only the guy who called himself Gavrila will never have freedom. His father died, the old mother remained, and a patch of depleted land, but we must live. Gavrila is called in-law in a rich house, only his father-in-law does not want to separate his daughter, which means that the guy has to work for his father-in-law for many years. That would have been 150 rubles for him! He would have built a house, and bought land, and he took the girl as his wife, which one he likes. He thought to get rich in the Kuban, but did not burn out.

Trusting and good-natured, like a calf, Gavril awoke in Chelkash a sense of annoyance. His assistant, however, was necessary, and the thief suggested that the guy go fishing and earn good money in one night. At first he was frightened - as if not to plunge into what, Chelkash seemed to him a very dark personality. The thief was offended by Gavrila’s opinion about him, and he immediately hated the guy for his youth and health, for the fact that somewhere this calf wanted to be in-law, and he dares to love freedom that he does not need.

It is always unpleasant to see that a person whom you think is worse and lower than yourself loves or hates the same as you, and thus becomes like you.

Greed in the soul of Gavrila, meanwhile, overpowered fear, and he agreed, naively thinking that he and Chelkash would go fishing. The agreement was washed in a dark tavern full of strange personalities.

Chelkash understood that now the guy’s life is in his hands, he felt like his master, thought “that this guy will never drink such a cup that fate gave him to drink”, and Gavrila was a little jealous of that. Finally, all the feelings of Chelkash merged into one, "fatherly and economic."

II

At night on a boat they went to sea. Chelkash loved the sea, which was now black, calm, thick as oil. Gavril was frightened by this dark mass of water, which seemed even worse because of the heavy lead clouds.

The guy asked Chelkash where fishing gear.The thief was embarrassed to lie to this boy, he became angry and shouted fiercely at Gabriel. He realized that they were not going to fishing at all, he was very scared and began to ask Chelkash to let him go, not to destroy his soul. The thief again poked at the guy, and then that crab was silent, only cried and fidgeted from the bench in fear.

Meanwhile, Chelkash brought the boat close to the granite wall of the breakwater, which was leaving for the water. Having taken the oars and Gavril’s passport so that he wouldn’t run away, Chelkash climbed the granite wall and soon he loaded bales of stolen goods into the boat. After experiencing such great fear, the guy decided to follow all the orders of the thief in order to quickly part with him.

Chelkash was pleased with his luck, with himself and this guy, who was so intimidated by him and turned into his slave.

Now the accomplices had to lead the boat through the customs cordons. Hearing the word "cordons", Gavrila decided to call for help and had already opened his mouth, when suddenly a fiery blue sword rose from the water, "lay on the chest of the sea" and its wide streak illuminated the ships invisible in the dark. From fear, Gabriel fell to the bottom of the boat. Chelkash picked it up and hissed angrily that it was just an electric torch from a customs cruiser.

Cordons were completed. After relaxing a little, Chelkash said that in one night he “pulled out five thousand.” Gavrila dreamed about an economy that could be spent on the money.

Chelkash was also carried away, remembered his father, a wealthy peasant. Gavrila sincerely felt sorry for him, who had arbitrarily taken his leave from the earth and “suffered proper punishment for this absence”. Malice flared up in Chelkash - his "pride of a reckless daredevil" was hurt by those who had no value in his eyes.

Then they sailed in silence. Chelkash recalled his childhood, mother and father, a beautiful wife. I remembered how the whole village met him from the army - a handsome and tall guard, how proud his gray-haired father, hunched from work.

Memory, this scourge of the unfortunate, revives even the stones of the past and even into the poison, once drunk, adds drops of honey ...

Chelkash felt lonely, forever thrown out of the order of life in which he had grown.

Soon the boat docked to a low vessel. Non-Russian, swarthy people took the goods and put accomplices to sleep.

III

In the morning, Gavril did not recognize Chelkash - so another, slightly worn, but still strong clothes changed that. The guy recovered from his fright and was not averse to once again working for Chelkash - you can’t even ruin your soul, but you will definitely become a rich person.

Once in the boat, they went to the shore. On the way, Chelkash gave Gavrila his share, while the guy saw how much money he had left.

Gavril came ashore very excited. He fell at the feet of Chelkash and began to beg to give him all the money. The thief walks them, and he, Gavrila, will manage the farm and become a respected person in the village. Amazed and embittered, Chelkash pulled banknotes from his pocket and threw them to Gavril.

- On the! Eat ... - he shouted, trembling with excitement, acute pity and hatred for this greedy slave. And, throwing money, he felt like a hero.

Chelkash felt that he, a thief and a reveler, "will never be so greedy, low, not remembering himself."

Gavrila raised money and admitted that he was ready to hit the thief with an oar, rob and drown in the sea - all the same, no one would miss such a lost person. Hearing this, Chelkash grabbed the guy by the throat, took the money and turned to leave. And then Gavrila strongly threw a big stone at the head of a thief.

Chelkash fell. Mortally frightened, Gavril rushed away, forgetting about the money, but soon returned and began to bring the thief to his senses. He kissed Chelkash’s hands, asked for forgiveness, but he spat in the guy’s eyes, then scornfully threw money at him and left, staggering along the coast. Gavrila sighed, collected the bills and took firm steps in the opposite direction from Chelkash.

Soon, rain and tide washed away the traces and the stain of blood on the sand, and nothing reminded me of "the little drama that was played out between two people."