gs.earthabides-第16章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


s；　a　bridge　would　go　in　the　surnmer　freshet；　in　a　few　years；　to　take　a　car　from　Chicago　to　Los　Angeles　on　Highway　66　would　be　a　task　for　a　pioneer　in　a　covered　wagon。　
　　He　thought　of　detouring　through　the　fields；　but　the　sod　was　soft　and　mucky　from　recent　rains。　Consulting　his　road…map；　he　saw　that　he　could　go　south　ten　miles　and　strike　another　paved　road；　which　would　bring　him　back　to　the　highway。　He　turned　the　station…wagon　around；　and　started　back。　
　　But　when　he　reached　the　other　road；　he　saw　no　real　reason　why　he　should　return　to　66。　The　secondary　highway　led　on　directly　toward　the　east；　and　so　far　as　he　could　tell；　that　direction　was　just　as　good　as　another。　〃Perhaps；〃　he　thought；　〃that　fallen　tree　has　changed　the　whole　future　course　of　human　history。　I　might　have　gone　on　toward　Chicago；　and　something　might　have　happened　there。　Now　something　different　will　happen。〃　
　　So　he　went　eastward　through　Oklahoma；　the　country　empty　everywhere。　On　the　rolling　hills　the　scrubby　oak…growth　looked　just　as　it　must　have　looked　before。　On　the　level　cultivated　stretches；　corn　and　cotton　were　growing。　The　corn　stood　high；　head　above　the　weeds；　it　would　bear　a　fairly　good　crop。　But　the　cotton　was　rapidly　being　choked　out。　
　　The　full　heat　of　surnmer　was　upon　him　now；　and　was　breaking　down　more　of　his　remnants　of　civilization。　He　still　'shaved　daily；　more　because　he　felt　fortable　that　way　than　for　any　sense　of　his　appearance；　but　he　had　not　had　his　hair　cut；　and　it　hung　shaggily　about　him。　He　hacked　at　it　with　a　pair　of　scissors。　He　had　reverted　merely　to　a　pair　of　blue　jeans　and　an　open…necked　shirt。　He　threw　the　shirt　away　every　morning；　and　put　on　a　clean　one。　Somewhere　he　had　forgotten　his　gray　fedora；　and　from　an　Oklahoma　general　store　he　picked　up　a　cheap　straw　hat；　the　kind　that　any　tenant　farmer　might　wear　in　the　summer。　
　　That　afternoon　he　crossed　into　Arkansas；　and　though　he　knew　that　state　lines　were　only　imaginary；　he　suddenly　be　came　conscious　of　another　change。　Here　all　the　dryness　of　the　plains　country　was　left　far　behind；　and　the　weather　was　hot　and　humid。　As　a　result　the　growth　was　everywhere　pushing　in　upon　the　roads　and　buildings。　Runners　from　vines　and　climb　mg　roses　already　dangled　across　windows　and　hung　swinging　from　eaves　and　porch　roofs。　The　smaller　houses　looked　as　if　they　were　shrinking　back　shyly　and　beginning　to　hide　in　the　woods。　Fences　also　were　being　obscured。　There　was　no　longer　a　sharp　line　between　the　road　and　the　surrounding　country。　Grass　and　weeds　were　showing　green　at　every　little　crack　in　the　concrete；　blackberry　shoots　were　pushing　in　from　the　shoulders；　breaking　the　clean　white　line。　In　one　place　the　long　runners　of　some　vme　reached　clear　to　the。　white　line　in　the　nuddle　of　the　pavement；　and　met　others　advancing　from　the　other　side。　
　　Peaches　were　ripe；　and　he　varied　his　diet　of　canned　food　by　raiding　an　orchard。　His　entry　scared　off　a　few　hogs　which　had　been　eating　the　fallen　fruit。　That　night　he　slept　at　North　Little　Rock。　
　　The　prize　boars　will　die　in　their　well…kept　pens；　and　the　fat　brood　sows　will　wander　about；　squealing　for　their　mash；　but　on　many　a　farm；　the　shoats　will　run　wild　without　restraint　of　fences。　They　need　nothing　from　man。　In　the　heat　they　seek　the　swamps　by　the　river；　and　root　there；　and　lie　in　the　mud；　grunting　happily。　When　the　air　grows　cool；　they　wander　the　oak　woods　and　feed　on　the　acorns。　After　a　few　generations；　they　grow　slimmer　of　leg　and　thinner　of　body　and　longer　of　tusk。　Before　the　fury　of　their　boars；　even　the　wolf　and　the　bear　hurry　aside。　Like　man；　they　eat　flesh　or　fowl　or　tuber　or　nut　or　fruit。　They　will　live。　
　　An　hour　on　the　road　next　morning；　at　the　edge　of　a　small　town；　he　started；　as　his　eyes　fell　upon　the　unaccustomed　sight　of　a　well…weeded　and　tended　garden。　He　stopped；　went　to　investigate；　and　found　fbr　the　first　time　what　might；　by　generous　interpretation；　be　called　a　social　group。　They　were　Negroes…a　man；　a　middle…aged　woman；　a　young　boy。　By　the　obvious　look　of　the　woman；　there　would　soon　be　a　fourth　member。　They　were　tinud。　The　boy　kept　in　the　background；　curious　but　frightened；　scratching　at　his　head　in　a　way　that　suggested　lice。　The　woman　stood；　stolidly　silent　except　to　direct　question。　The　man　took　off　his　straw　hat　and　stood　fingering　its　broken　rim　nervously；　beads　of　sweat；　from　nervousness　or　the　heat　of　the　morning　sun；　ran　down　his　shiny　black　forehead。　
　　Ish　could　hardly　understand　the　thick　dialect；　rendered　more　unintelligible　by　embarrassment。　He　made　out；　however；　that　they　knew　of　no　one　else　in　the　neighborhood；　and　in　fact　knew　very　little　of　anything；　not　having　been　beyond　walking　distance　from　the　spot　since　the　disaster。　They　were　not　a　family　group；　but　merely　a　chance　association　of　survivors…three；　against　the　law　of　chance；　having　survived　in　one　small　town。　
　　Ish　soon　realized　they　were　suffering　not　only　from　the　shock　of　the　catastrophe　but　also　from　the　taboos　carried　over　from　before　it。　They　talked　with　diffidence　in　the　presence　of　a　strange　white　man；　dropping　their　eyes。　
　　In　spite　of　their　obvious　reluctance；　Ish　looked　around　their　Place。　Although　all　the　houses　of　the　town　must　have　been　open　to　them；　they　still　lived　in　the　crude　cabin　where　the　woman　had　lived　before　the　disaster。　Ish　did　not　go　in；　but　through　the　open　door　he　saw　the　rickety　bed　and　chairs　and　the　sheet…iron　stove；　and　the　oil…cloth…draped　table　with　the　flies　buzzing　about　the　uncovered　food。　The　outside　looked　better。　They　had　a　luxuriant　garden　and　a　good　corn…patch；　and　were　actually　tending　a　small　field　of　cotton；　although　what　in　the　world　they　expected　to　do　with　the　cotton　was　more　than　Ish　could　figure　out。　Apparently　they　had　merely　carried　on；　doing　the　things　that　people　in　their　world　were　supposed　to　do；　and　thus　gaining　a　sense　of　security。　
　　They　had　chickens　in　a　pen；　and　some　pigs。　Their　painfully　naive　embarrassment　when　Ish　saw　the　pigs　was　only　too　plain　advertisement　that　they　had　appropriated　them　from　some　fw…mer's　pen　and　now　felt　that　the　white　man　would　hold　them　accountable。　
　　Ish　asked　for　some　ftesh　eggs；　and　for　a　dozen　gave　them　one　of　his　dollar　bills。　They　seemed　to　be　delighted　with　the　exchange。　After　a　quarter　of　an　hour；　having　exhausted　all　the　possibilities　of　the　situation；　Ish　got　into　the　car；　much　to　the　relief　of　the　reluctant　hosts。　
　　He　sat　in　the　front　seat　for　a　moment；　thinking　to　himself；　〃Here；〃　he　reflected；　〃I　might　be　a　king　in　a　little　way；　if　I　remained。　They　would　not　like　it；　but　from　long　habit　they　would；　I　think；　accept　the　situation…they　would　raise　vegetables　and　chickens　and　pigs　for　me；　and　I　could　soon　have　a　cow　or　two。　They　would　do　all　the　work　that　I　needed　to　have　done。　I　could　be　a　king；　at　least；　in　a　little　way。〃　
　　But　the　idea　was　only　fleeting；　and　as　he　drove　on；　he　began　to　think　that　the　Negroes　had　really　solved　the　situation　better　than　he。　He　was　living　as　a　scavenger　upon　what　was　left　of　civilization；　they；　at　least；　were　still　living　creatively；　close　to　the　land　and　in　a　stable　situation；　still　raising　most　of　what　they　needed。　
　　Of　half　a　million　species　of　insects　only　a　few　dozen　were　appreciably　affected　by　the　demise　of　man；　and　the　only　ones　actually　threatened　with　extinction　were　the　three　species　of　the　human　louse。　So　ancient；　if　not　honorable；　was　this　association　that　it　had　even　been　used　as　an　argument　for　the　single　origin　of　man；　anthropologists　noting　that　all　isolated　tribes　scratched　and　picked　at　the　same　parasites　and　therefore　inferring　that　the　original　ape…men　must　have　carried　the　original　insect…ancestors　outward　with　them　from　their　point　of　dispersal。　
　　Since　that　first　departure；　throughout　hundreds　of　millennia；　the　lice　had　adjusted　their　life　nicely　to　their　world；　which　was　the　body　of　man。　They　existed　as　three　tribes；　taking　as　their　domains；　respectively；　the　head；　the　clothing；　and　the　private　parts。　Thus；　in　spite　of　racial　differences；　they　amicably　maintained　a　tripartite　balance　of　power；　setting　for　their　host　an　example　which　he　might　well　have　followed。　At　the　same　time；　being　so　exactly　adapted　to　man；　they　lost　the　capacity　of　existing　upon　any　other　host。