Спрут: Калифорнийская история

           Theywerearranged,asitwere,enechelon,notinfile—notonedirectlybehindtheother,buteachsucceedingploughitsownwidthfartherinthefieldthantheoneinfrontofit.Eachoftheseploughsheldfiveshears,sothatwhentheentirecompanywasinmotion,onehundredandseventy-fivefurrowsweremadeatthesameinstant.Atadistance,theploughsresembledagreatcolumnoffieldartillery.Eachdriverwasinhisplace,hisglancealternatingbetweenhishorsesandtheforemannearestathand.Otherforemen,intheirbuggiesorbuckboards,wereatintervalsalongtheline,likebatterylieutenants.Annixterhimself,onhorseback,inbootsandcampaignhat,acigarinhisteeth,overlookedthescene.

           Thedivisionsuperintendent,ontheoppositesideoftheline,gallopedpasttoapositionatthehead.Foralongmomenttherewasasilence.Asenseofpreparednessranfromendtoendofthecolumn.Allthingswereready,eachmaninhisplace.Theday’sworkwasabouttobegin.

           Suddenly,fromadistanceattheheadofthelinecametheshrilltrillingofawhistle.AtoncetheforemannearestVanameerepeatedit,atthesametimeturningdowntheline,andwavingonearm.Thesignalwasrepeated,whistleansweringwhistle,tillthesoundslostthemselvesinthedistance.Atoncethelineofploughslostitsimmobility,movingforward,gettingslowlyunderway,thehorsesstraininginthetraces.