michael crichton.congo-第12章

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the　women；　stories　of　great　giants　with　hairy　bodies　and　flat　noses；　stories　of　creatures　half　leopard；　half　man；　stories　of　native　markets　where　the　fattened　carcasses　of　men　were　butchered　and　sold　as　a　delicacy。
　Such　stories　were　sufficiently　forbidding　to　keep　the　Arabs　on　the　coast；　despite　other　stories　equally　alluring：　mountains　of　shimmering　gold；　riverbeds　gleaming　with　diamonds；　animals　that　spoke　the　language　of　men；　great　jungle　civilizations　of　unimaginable　splendor。　In　particular；　one　story　was　repeated　again　and　again　in　early　accounts：　the　story　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　According　to　legend；　a　city　known　to　the　Hebrews　of　Solomonic　times　had　been　a　source　of　inconceivable　wealth　in　diamonds。　The　caravan　route　to　the　city　had　been　jealously　guarded；　passed　from　father　to　son；　as　a　sacred　trust　for　generation　after　generation。　But　the　diamond　mines　were　exhausted　and　the　city　itself　now　lay　in　crumbling　ruins；　somewhere　in　the　dark　heart　of　Africa。　The　arduous　caravan　routes　were　long　since　swallowed　up　by　jungle；　and　the　last　trader　who　remembered　the　way　had　carried　his　secret　with　him　to　the　grave　many　hundreds　of　years　before。
　This　mysterious　and　alluring　place　the　Arabs　called　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。　*　Yet　despite　its　enduring　fame；　Johnson　could　find　few　detailed　descriptions　of　the　city。　In　1187　Ibn　Baratu；　an　Arab　in　Mombasa；　recorded　that　〃the　natives　of　the　region　tell。　。　。　of　a　lost　city　far　inland；　called　Zinj。　There　the　inhabitants；　who　are　black；　once　lived　in　wealth　and　luxury；　and　even　the　slaves　decorated　themselves　with　jewels　and　especially　blue　diamonds；　for　a　great　store　of　diamonds　is　there。〃
　In　1292；　a　Persian　named　Mohammed　Zaid　stated　that　〃a　large　＇the　size＇　diamond　of　a　man's　clenched　fist　。　。　was　exhibited　on　the　streets　of　Zanzibar；　and　all　said　it　had　e　from　the　interior；　where　the　ruins　of　a　city　called　Zinj　may　be　found；　and　it　is　here　that　such　diamonds　may　be　found　in　profusion；　scattered　upon　the　ground　and　also　in　rivers　　　　　
　In　1334；　another　Arab；　Ibn　Mohammed；　stated　that　〃our　number　made　arrangements　to　seek　out　the　city　of　Zinj；　but　quitted　our　quest　upon　learning　that　the　city　was　long　since　abandoned；　and　much　ruined。　It　is　said　that　the　aspect　of　the　city　is　wondrous　strange；　for　doors　and　windows　are　built　in　the　curve　of　a　half…moon；　and　the　residences　are　now　overtaken　by　a　violent　race　of　hairy　men　who　speak　in　whispers　no　known　language　　　　　
　Then　the　Portuguese；　those　indefatigable　explorers；　arrived。　By　1544；　they　were　venturing　inland　from　the　west　coast　up　the　mighty　Congo　River；　but　they　soon　encountered　all　the　obstacles　that　would　prevent　exploration　of　central　Africa　for　hundreds　of　years　to　e。　The　Congo　was　not　navigable　beyond　the　first　set　of　rapids；　two　hundred　miles　inland　（at　what　was　once　Léopoldville；　and　is　now　Kinshasa）。　The　natives　were　hostile　and　cannibalistic。　And　the　hot　steaming　jungle　was　the　source　of　disease…malaria；　sleeping　sickness；　bilharzia；　blackwater　fever…which　decimated　foreign　intruders。
　The　Portuguese　never　managed　to　penetrate　the　central
　
　*The　fabled　city　of　Zinj　formed　the　basis　for　H。　Rider　Haggard's　popular　novel　King　Solomon's　Mines；　first　published　in　1885。　Haggard；　a　gifted　linguist；　had　served　on　the　staff　of　the　Governor　of　Natal　in　1875。　and　he　presumably　heard　of　Zinj　from　the　neighboring　Zulus　at　that　time。
　
　Congo。　Neither　did　the　English；　under　Captain　Brenner；　in　1644；　his　entire　party　was　lost。　The　Congo　would　remain　for　two　hundred　years　as　a　blank　spot　on　the　civilized　maps　of　the　world。
　But　the　early　explorers　repeated　the　legends　of　the　interior；　including　the　story　of　Zinj。　A　Portuguese　artist；　Juan　Diego　de　Valdez；　drew　a　widely　acclaimed　picture　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj　in　1642。　〃But；〃　Sarah　Johnson　said；　〃he　also　drew　pictures　of　men　with　tails；　and　monkeys　having　carnal　knowledge　of　native　women。〃
　Somebody　groaned。
　〃Apparently　Valdez　was　crippled；〃　she　continued。　〃He　lived　all　his　life　in　the　town　of　Settibal；　drinking　with　sailors　and　drawing　pictures　based　on　his　conversations。〃
　Africa　was　not　thoroughly　explored　until　the　mid…　nineteenth　century；　by　Burton　and　Speke；　Baker　and　Living…stone；　and　especially　Stanley。　No　trace　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj　was　found　by　any　of　them。　Nor　had　any　trace　of　the　apocryphal　city　been　found　in　the　hundred　years　since。
　The　gloom　that　descended　over　the　Project　Amy　staff　meeting　was　profound。　〃I　told　you　it　was　bad　news；〃　Sarah　Johnson　said。
　〃You　mean；〃　Peter　Elliot　said；　〃that　this　picture　is　based　on　a　description；　and　we　don't　know　whether　the　city　actually　exists　or　not。〃
　〃I'm　afraid　so；〃　Sarah　Johnson　said。　〃There　is　no　proof　that　the　city　in　the　picture　exists　at　all。　It's　just　a　story。〃
　
　4。　Resolution
　
　PETER　ELLIOT'S　UNQUESTIONED　RELIANCE　ON　twentieth…century　hard　data…facts；　figures；　graphs…left　him　unprepared　for　the　possibility　that　the　1642　engraving；　in　all　its　detail；　was　merely　the　fanciful　speculation　of　an　uninhibited　artist。　The　news　came　as　a　shock。
　Their　plans　to　take　Amy　to　the　Congo　suddenly　appeared　childishly　na？ve；　the　resemblance　of　her　sketchy；　schematic　drawings　to　the　1642　Valdez　engraving　was　obviously　coincidental。　How　could　they　ever　have　imagined　that　a　Lost　City　of　Zinj　was　anything　but　the　stuff　of　ancient　fable？　In　the　seventeenth…century　world　of　widening　horizons　and　new　wonders；　the　idea　of　such　a　city　would　have　seemed　perfectly　reasonable；　even　pelling。　But　in　the　puterized　twentieth　century；　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj　was　as　unlikely　as　Camelot　or　Xanadu。　They　had　been　fools　ever　to　take　it　seriously。　〃The　lost　city　doesn't　exist；〃　he　said。
　〃Oh；　it　exists；　all　right；〃　she　said。　〃There's　no　doubt　about　that。〃
　Elliot　glanced　up　quickly；　and　then　he　saw　that　Sarah　Johnson　had　not　answered　him。　A　tall　gangly　girl　in　her　early　twenties　stood　at　the　back　of　the　room。　She　might　have　been　considered　beautiful　except　for　her　cold；　aloof　demeanor。　This　girl　was　dressed　in　a　severe；　businesslike　suit；　and　she　carried　a　briefcase；　which　she　now　set　on　the　table；　popping　the　latches。
　〃I'm　Dr。　Ross；〃　she　announced；　〃from　the　Wildlife　Fund；　and　I'd　like　your　opinion　of　these　pictures。〃
　She　passed　around　a　series　of　photographs；　which　were　viewed　by　the　staff　with　an　assortment　of　whistles　and　sighs。　At　the　head　of　the　table；　Elliot　waited　impatiently　until　the　photographs　came　down　to　him。
　They　were　grainy　black…and…white　images　with　horizontal　scanning　line　streaks；　photographed　off　a　video　screen。　But　the　image　was　unmistakable：　a　ruined　city　in　the　jungle；　with　curious　inverted　crescent…shaped　doors　and　windows。
　
　5。　Amy
　
　〃BY　SATELLITE？〃　ELLIOT　REPEATED；　HEARING　THE　tension　in　his　voice。
　〃That's　right；　the　pictures　were　transmitted　by　satellite　from　Africa　two　days　ago。〃
　〃Then　you　know　the　location　of　this　ruin？〃
　〃Of　course。〃
　〃And　your　expedition　leaves　in　a　matter　of　hours？〃
　〃Six　hours　and　twenty…three　minutes；　to　be　exact；〃　Ross　said；　glancing　at　her　digital　watch；
　Elliot　adjourned　the　meeting；　and　talked　privately　with　Ross　for　more　than　an　hour。　Elliot　later　claimed　that　Ross　had　〃deceived〃　him　about　the　purpose　of　the　expedition　and　the　hazards　they　would　face。　But　Elliot　was　eager　to　go；　and　probably　not　inclined　to　be　too　fussy　about　the　reasons　behind　Ross's　ing　expedition；　or　the　dangers　involved。　As　a　skilled　grantsman；　he　had　long　ago　grown　fortable　with　situations　where　other　peoples'　money　and　his　own　motivations　did　not　exactly　coincide。　This　was　the　cynical　side　of　academic　life：　how　much　pure　research　had　been　funded　because　it　might　cure　cancer？　A　researcher　promised　anything　to　get　his　money。
　Apparently　it　never　occurred　to　Elliot　that　Ross　might　be　using　him　as　coldly　as　he　was　using　her。　From　the　start　Ross　was　never　entirely　truthful；　she　had　been　instructed　by　Travis　to　explain　the　ERTS　Congo　mission　〃with　a　little　data　dropout。〃　Data　dropout　was　second　nature　to　her；　everyone　at　ERTS　had　learned　to　say　no　more　than　was　necessary。　Elliot　treated　her　as　if　she　were　an　ordinary　funding　agency；　and　that　was　a　serious　mistake。
　In　the　final　analysis；　Ross　and　Elliot　misjudged　each　other；　for　each　presented　a　deceptive　ap