michael crichton.congo-第15章

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　They　were　introduced　to　Jensen；　a　young　bearded　geologist；　and　to　Irving；　who　announced　that　he　was　the　〃triple　B。〃　The　two　men　were　running　some　kind　of　probability　study　on　the　puter　but　they　paused　to　shake　hands　with　Amy；　who　regarded　them　gravely；　and　then　turned　her　attention　to　the　screen。　Amy　was　captivated　by　the　colorful　screen　images　and　bright　LEDs；　and　kept　trying　to　punch　the　keys　herself。　She　signed；　Amy　play　box。
　〃Not　now；　Amy；〃　Elliot　said；　and　swatted　her　hands　away。
　Jensen　asked；　〃Is　she　always　this　way？〃
　〃I'm　afraid　so；〃　Elliot…　said。　〃She　likes　puters。　She's　worked　around　them　ever　since　she　was　very　young；　and　she　thinks　of　them　as　her　private　property。〃　And　then　he　added；　〃What's　a　triple　E？〃
　〃Expedition　electronic　expert；〃　Irving　said　cheerfully。　He　was　a　short　man　with　an　impish　quick　smile。　〃Doing　the　best　I　can。　We　picked　up　some　stuff　from　Intec；　that's　about　all。　God　knows　what　the　Japanese　and　the　Germans　will　throw　at　us。〃
　〃Oh；　damn；　there　she　goes；〃　Jensen　said；　laughing　as　Amy　pushed　the　keyboard。
　Elliot　said；　〃Amy；　no！〃
　〃It's　just　a　game。　Probably　not　interesting　to　apes；〃　Jensen　said。　And　he　added；　〃She　can't　hurt　anything。〃
　Amy　signed；　Amy　good　gorilla；　and　pushed　the　keys　on　the　puter　again。　She　appeared　relaxed；　and　Elliot　was　grateful　for　the　distraction　the　puter　provided。　He　was　always　amused　by　the　sight　of　Amy's　heavy　dark　form　before　a　puter　console。　She　would　touch　her　lower　lip　thoughtfully　before　pushing　the　keys；　in　what　seemed　a　parody　of　human　behavior。
　Ross；　practical　as　always；　brought　them　back　to　mundane　matters。　〃Will　Amy　sleep　on　one　of　the　bunks？〃
　Elliot　shook　his　head。　〃No。　Gorillas　expect　to　make　a　fresh　bed　each　night。　Give　her　some　blankets；　and　she'll　twist　them　into　a　nest　on　the　floor　and　sleep　there。〃
　Ross　nodded。　〃What　about　her　vitamins　and　medications？　Will　she　swallow　pills？〃
　〃Ordinarily　you　have　to　bribe　her；　or　hide　the　pills　in　a　piece　of　banana。　She　tends　to　gulp　banana；　without　chewing　it　
　〃Without　chewing。〃　Ross　nodded　as　if　that　were　important。　〃We　have　a　standard　issue；〃　she　said。　〃I'll　see　that　she　gets　them。〃
　〃She　takes　the　same　vitamins　that　people　do；　except　that　she'll　need　lots　of　ascorbic　acid。〃
　〃We　issue　three　thousand　units　a　day。　That's　enough？　Good。　And　she'll　tolerate　anti…malarials？　We　have　to　start　them　right　away。〃
　〃Generally　speaking；〃　Elliot　said；　〃she　has　the　same　reaction　to　medication　as　people。〃
　Ross　nodded。　〃Will　the　cabin　pressurization　bother　her？　It's　set　at　five　thousand　feet。〃
　Elliot　shook　his　head。　〃She's　a　mountain　gorilla；　and　they　live　at　five　thousand　to　nine　thousand　feet；　so　she's　actually　altitude…adapted。　But　she's　acclimated　to　a　moist　climate　and　she　dehydrates　quickly；　we'll　have　to　keep　forcing　fluids　on　her。〃
　〃Can　she　use　the　head？〃
　〃The　seat's　probably　too　high　for　her；〃　Elliot　said；　〃but　I　brought　her　potty。〃
　〃She'll　use　her　potty？〃
　〃Sure。〃
　〃I　have　a　new　collar　for　her；　will　she　wear　it？〃
　〃If　you　give　it　to　her　as　a　gift。〃
　As　they　reviewed　other　details　of　Amy's　requirements；　Elliot　realized　that　something　had　happened　during　the　last　　few　hours；　almost　without　his　knowing　it：　Amy's　unpredictable；　dream…driven　neurotic　behavior　had　fallen　away。　It　was　as　if　the　earlier　behavior　was　irrelevant；　now　that　she　was　going　on　a　trip；　she　was　no　longer　moody　and　introspective；　her　interests　were　outgoing；　she　was　once　again　a　youthful　female　gorilla。　He　found　himself　wondering　whether　her　dreams；　her　depression…finger　paintings；　everything…were　a　result　of　her　confined　laboratory　environment　for　so　many　years。　At　first　the　laboratory　had　been　agreeable；　like　a　crib　for　young　children。　But　perhaps　in　later　years　it　pinched。　Perhaps；　he　thought；　Amy　just　needed　a　little　excitement。
　Excitement　was　in　the　air：　as　he　talked　with　Ross；　Elliot　felt　something　remarkable　was　about　to　happen。　This　expedition　with　Amy　was　the　first　example　of　an　event　primate　researchers　had　predicted　for　years…the　Pearl　thesis。
　Frederick　Pearl　was　a　theoretical　animal　behaviorist。　At　a　meeting　of　the　American　Ethnological　Society　in　New　York　in　1972；　he　had　said；　〃Now　that　primates　have　learned　sign　language；　it　is　only　a　matter　of　time　until　someone　takes　an　animal　into　the　field　to　assist　the　study　of　wild　animals　of　the　same　species。　We　can　imagine　language…skilled　primates　acting　as　interpreters　or　perhaps　even　as　ambassadors　for　mankind；　in　contact　with　wild　creatures。〃
　Pearl's　thesis　attracted　considerable　attention；　and　funding　from　the　U。S。　Air　Force；　which　had　supported　linguistic　research　since　the　l960s。　According　to　one　story；　the　Air　Force　had　a　secret　project　called　CONTOUR；　involving　possible　contact　with　alien　life　forms。　The　official　military　position　was　that　UFOs　were　of　natural　origin…but　the　military　was　covering　its　bets。　Should　alien　contact　occur；　linguistic　fundamentals　were　obviously　critically　important。　And　taking　primates　into　the　field　was　seen　as　an　example　of　contact　with　〃alien　intelligence〃；　hence　the　Air　Force　funding。
　Pearl　predicted　that　fieldwork　would　be　undertaken　before　1976；　but　in　fact　no　one　had　yet　done　it。　The　reason　was　that　on　closer　examination；　no　one　could　figure　out　quite　what　the　advantages　were…most　language…using　primates　were　as　baffled　by　wild　primates　as　human　beings　were。　Some；　like　the　chimpanzee　Arthur；　denied　any　association　with　their　own　kind；　referring　to　them　as　〃black　things。〃　（Amy；　who　had　been　taken　to　the　zoo　to　view　other　gorillas；　recognized　them　but　was　haughty；　calling　them　〃stupid　gorillas〃　once　she　found　that　when　she　signed　to　them；　they　did　not　reply。）
　Such　observations　led　another　researcher；　John　Bates；　to　say　in　1977　that　〃we　are　producing　an　educated　animal　elite　which　demonstrates　the　same　snobbish　aloofness　that　a　Ph。D。　shows　toward　a　truck　driver。　。　。　。　It　is　highly　unlikely　that　the　generation　of　language…using　primates　will　be　skillful　ambassadors　in　the　field。　They　are　simply　too　disdainful。〃
　But　the　truth　was　that　no　one　really　knew　what　would　happen　when　a　primate　was　taken　into　the　field。　Because　no　one　had　done　it：　Amy　would　be　the　first。
　At　eleven　o'clock；　the　ERTS　cargo　plane　taxied　down　the　runway　at　San　Francisco　International；　lifted　ponderously　into　the　air；　and　headed　east　through　the　darkness　toward
　Africa。
　
　DAY　3：　TANGIER
　June　15；1979
　
　1。Ground　Truth
　
　PETER　ELLIOT　HAD　KNOWN　AMY　SINCE　INFANCY。　He　prided　himself　on　his　ability　to　predict　her　responses；　although　he　had　only　known　her　in　a　laboratory　setting。　Now；　as　she　was　faced　with　new　situations；　her　behavior　surprised　him。
　Elliot　had　anticipated　Amy　would　be　terrified　of　the　takeoff；　and　had　prepared　a　syringe　with　Thoralen　tranquilizer。　But　sedation　proved　unnecessary。　Amy　watched　Jensen　and　Levine　buckle　their　seat　belts；　and　she　immediately　buckled　herself　in；　too；　she　seemed　to　regard　the　procedure　as　an　amusing；　if　simpleminded；　game。　And　although　her　eyes　widened　when　she　heard　the　full　mar　of　the　engines；　the　human　beings　around　her　did　not　seem　disturbed；　and　Amy　imitated　their　bored　indifference；　raising　her　eyebrows　and　sighing　at　the　tedium　of　it　all。
　Once　airborne；　however；　Amy　looked　out　the　window　and　immediately　panicked。　She　released　her　seat　belt　and　scurried　back　and　forth　across　the　passenger　partment；　moving　from　window　to　window；　knocking　people　aside　in　whimpering　terror　while　she　signed；　Where　ground　ground　where　ground？　Outside；　the　ground　was　black　and　indistinct。　Where　ground？　Elliot　shot　her　with　Thoralen　and　then　began　grooming　her；　sitting　her　down　and　plucking　at　her　hair。
　In　the　wild；　primates　devoted　several　hours　each　day　to　grooming　one　another；　removing　ticks　and　lice。　Grooming　behavior　was　important　in　ordering　the　group's　social　dominance　structure…there　was　a　pattern　by　which　animals　groomed　each　other；　and　with　what　frequency。　And；　like　back　rubs　for　people；　grooming　seemed　to　have　a　soothing；　calming　effect。　Within　minutes；　Amy　had　relaxed　enough　to　notice　that　the　others　were　drinking；　and　she　promptly　demanded　a　〃green　drop　drink〃…her　term　for　a　martini　with　an　olive…and　a　cigarette。　She　was　allowed　this　on　special　occasions　such