rstacy.doomsdaywarrior-第18章

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　Rockson　stopped　when　the　chief　put　up　his　hand；　and　so　did　the　others。　〃Golly；〃　McCaughlin　said；　〃Will　you　have　a　look　at　that？〃
　Their　feet　were　at　the　edge　of　a　thousand…foot　precipice。　They　were　staring　down　into　a　circular　hole　in　the　ground　about　a　hundred　yards　across。　There　were　buildings；　similar　to　Pueblo　Indian　cliff　houses；　carved　into　the　opposite　wall　of　the　fantastic　hole。　And　people　were　moving　about　the　dwellings。　Lots　of　people。
　〃We　were　afraid　you　would　ride　your　odd…looking　sleds　right　down　into　the　abyss；　so　we　three　came　up　to　greet　you。　Our　remote…sensing　devices　…　atop　that　mesa；　the　tall　thin　one　about　twelve　miles　backtracked　some　electronic　device　you　have　with　you。〃
　Rockson　turned　to　the　Russian；　fumed；　〃That's　it；　Scheransky　…　You're　leaving　that　damned　Schecter　weather　device　here　with　the　Yumaks。〃
　Rona　changed　the　subject：　〃Chief；　did　your　people　always　live　out　here？〃
　〃My　ancestors　were　urban　Indians。　Los　Angeles。　When　our　vision…seekers　saw　the　nuke　war　ing；　they　left　the　city；　en　masse；　trekked　to　a　cavern；　a　big　one；　exposed　for　the　first　time　in　thousands　of　years　by　the　nuke　quakes。　Some　of　us　stayed　there。　Others　thought　living　in　a　big　cave　was　spooky　so　we　went　south。　And　here　we　are。　We　found　this　swell　place。　It　used　to　belong　to　the　ancient　Anasazi　Indians。　They　built　most　of　the　place；　we　just　improved　it。〃
　Smokestone　was　the　first　to　start　descending；　using　barely　visible　footholds　in　the　rock　as　a　ladder。
　〃Watch　yourself　now；　friends；〃　he　cautioned；　〃be　sure　to　place　your　feet　in　the　same　places　I　do。　There's　food　and　drink　aplenty　awaiting　you　…　and　some　excellent　motorcycles　for　continuing　your　mission。〃
　Rock　was　second　to　begin　descending。　The　footholds　and　hand　niches　were　adequate；　but　he　couldn't　talk；　he　had　to　concentrate　so　carefully　to　make　it。　He　wondered　how　the　heck　they　got　motorcycles　up　and　down　the　canyon。　Then　he　saw　a　rope　device　…　some　sort　of　elevator　…　far　across　the　circular　structure；　near　the　houses。　A　platform　of　bent　and　shaped　wood　planks　…　more　like　a　big　basket　without　sides。　Could　that　four…by…six　basket　on　thin　ropes　hold　a　Harley？　Once　they　all　descended；　they　were　invited　into　a　sandstone　dwelling；　and　Indian　maidens　brought　water　and　food。　〃This　is　wonderful；〃　exclaimed　Danik。　〃But　we　must　not　tarry。〃
　Later；　while　the　others　were　received　by　a　group　of　high　tribal　officials；　the　chief　took　Rockson　on　a　brief　tour。　From　the　erudite　quality　of　the　conversation；　it　soon　became　evident　that　Smokestone　was　a　remarkable　and　educated　man。
　His　house　was　highest　on　the　cliff；　accessed；　Rock　was　happy　to　discover；　by　a　series　of　sturdy　ladders。　They　went　up。
　The　home　of　the　chief　was　most　remarkable。　Like　the　other　dwellings　it　was　a　Pueblo…style；　and　bare　of　adornment；　or　even　of　glass　in　the　windows。　There　was　a　fireplace；　with　a　few　embers　being　cared　for　by　a　pretty　woman。　There　were　bookcases　…　hundreds　of　shelves。　All　the　classics　…　in　five　languages　one　could　read　Dickens；　Cooper；　Disney；　Heinlein；　and　Proust　…　plus　thousands　of　technical　books　dating　from　before　World　War　Three。　Rockson　also　found　a　newly　bound　twelve…volume　History　of　the　Southwestern　Indians　in　the　20th　and　21st　Centuries　by　Chief　Smokestone。　〃I　am　not　finished　with　it；〃　Smokestone　said；　as　Rockson　removed　one　volume　from　the　shelf　and　started　thumbing　through　it。
　〃Quite　impressive；〃　the　Doomsday　Warrior　said。
　〃I　am　adding　a　volume；〃　said　Smokestone；　〃so　that　people　in　the　future　will　know　of　us；　and　of　our　ways。　Perhaps　it　will　help　them。　The　air　is　very　dry　hereabouts；　and　the　books　keep　well。　But　just　in　case　I　am　having　them　all　transferred　to　hard　disk　in　our　puter　room。〃
　〃It　seems；〃　said　Rockson；　〃that　you　have　updated　these　ancient　dwellings。〃
　〃We　do　what　we　can；〃　Smokestone　replied　modestly。　He　showed　the　Doomsday　Warrior　more　of　the　plex　…　cafeteria…style　munal　eating　areas；　gymnasiums　with　stone　barbells；　and　of　course　the　puter　room　…　deep　in　the　interior　of　the　living　rock。　Must　have　been　hard　carting　it　all　down　here。
　After　seeing　all　their　progress　Rockson　was　more　than　happy　to　retire　to　the　Indian　chiefs　study　and　discuss　their　relative　philosophies　while　the　rest　of　the　team　looked　around；　led　by　eager　Indian　maidens；　who　expertly　elucidated　the　many　sights　for　them。
　After　inquiring　about　how　Rockson's　trip　had　been　so　far；　and　Rockson　saying　〃Not　too　bad〃　laconically；　the　subject　got　heady。　As　usual　among　men　of　learning；　the　discussion　turned　to　the　Great　Nuclear　War。　And　the　usual　Monday…morning　quarterbacking　got　more　intense　than　usual。　The　Indian　chief　insisted　that　if　the　Indians　had　run　the　world；　the　war　would　never　have　happened。
　〃Please　explain　that；〃　Rockson　asked。
　Smokestone　had　put　on　a　softer　loose　shirt　and　lit　up　a　pipe　with　a　pungent　tobacco。　He　offered　Rockson　some　…　there　were　many　pipes　…　and　Rockson　accepted　one。　He　puffed　away　too。　They　could；　Rockson　mused；　be　sitting　in　an　ancient　English　mens'　club　lined　with　books；　and　not　in　the　middle　of　a　primitive　cliff　dwelling　in　Arizona。　Smokestone；　between　puffs　of　the　stuff　which　tasted　better　than　it　smelled　to　Rockson；　went　on　with　his　remarks。
　〃When　the　Indian　nations　owned　America；　they　respected　nature；　worked　with　it。　To　us；　to　all　the　tribes；　the　earth　was　our　mother。　To　dig　up　huge　tracts　of　land　with　giant　shovels　was　evil。　Just　as　you　cannot　dig　holes　in　your　mother　breasts　with　a　knife　…　the　Indian　thought　of　the　land　as　our　mother。　The　land　repaid　us　for　our　respect；　and　fed　us；　and　the　cycle　of　life　was　plete。
　〃Neither　did　the　the　Indians　…　the　native　Americans　…　consider　the　land　dividable。　We　couldn't　own　the　land；　instead　it　owned　us。　Our　way　was　…　and　is　…　to　walk　with　the　beauty；　to　know　that　the　spirit　of　land　and　sky　and　man　are　one　whole。　The　white　man　lost　that　identification　to　the　earth。　They　took　away　the　soil；　dug　it　up　and　refined　it；　made　it　into　uranium；　and　then　into　thermonuclear　bombs。　To　destroy　themselves；　and　us；　and　the　land　and　the　air　and　water；　in　all　the　ten　directions。
　〃It　all　started　a　hundred　years　before　the　war。　The　fences　went　up　…　barbed　wire；　then　razor　wire。　The　white　man　said　to　the　native　Americans：　〃This　piece　is　my　land；　and　this　piece　is　your　land；〃　and　gave　themselves　the　better　land。　Then　the　white　man　discovered　oil；　and　it　was　on　the　Indian　lands。　And　they　said；　〃Wait　a　minute；　sorry　about　that；　this　piece　of　land　is　not　your　land　either；　so　get　off。'　And　the　Indian　nations　were　moved　again　to　even　dryer；　more　remote　and　useless　lands。　And　still　we；　the　Arapaho；　the　Cheyenne；　the　Hopi；　the　Dineh；　survived。
　〃Then　this　wasn't　enough。　The　white　man　found　an　evil　element　…　plutonium；　the　deadliest；　most　unnatural　element　of　all　…　could　be　made　out　of　a　whole　lot　of　another　element　…　uranium。　And　guess　where　all　the　uranium　was？　Right；　it　was　on　the　useless　scrubland　of　the　Indian　reservations。　But　the　times　had　bee　liberal；　so　they　couldn't　just　take　Indian　land　anymore。　They　would　have　the　Indians　sell　it　cheap　to　the　big　corporations。　But　the　Indians　would　not　sell　their　mother；　the　earth。
　So　the　panies　found　the　few　Indians　that　wanted　to　sell　…　Indians　that　had　ceased　to　be　Indians　…　and　made　them　into　the　tribal　councils。　They　did　this　by　holding　elections。　Even　though　the　pany　men　knew　Indians　ways　were　different。　To　an　Indian；　not　voting　is　a　negative　vote。　Just　not　showing　up　at　the　polls　means　they　vote　against　this　new　council。　But　the　newspapers　reported　that　the　elections　were　held；　and　though　turnout　of　voters　was　low；　the　Indians　who　wanted　to　sell　the　digging　rights　to　our　land　won　the　elections。
　〃And　so　all　was　done　legally。　The　earth　was　raped；　a　knife　was　dug　into　our　mother's　heart　and　the　uranium　dug　up；　to　make　plutonium；　and　the　plutonium　to　make　bombs。
　〃If　the　white　men　could　understand　that　nature　is　a　unity；　if　he　could　walk　in　the　beauty；　he　would　not　disturb　nature。　There　would　not　be　any　big　holes　in　the　mesa　land；　and　no　uranium　and　no　bombs　to　destroy　everyone　and　everything　under　the　sun　and　stars。〃
　Rockson　found　himself　largely　agreeing　with　the　chief。　Still；　the　Doomsday　Warrior　said；　〃Some　of　the　uranium　was　used　to　make　power　plants；　to