michael crichton.congo-第43章

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　Munro　asked；　〃Can　we　make　a　better　perimeter　defense？〃
　〃Damn　right　we　can；〃　Ross　said。　〃I'll　give　you　the　next　generation　perimeter…it'll　stop　anything　except　elephants　and　rhinos。〃　But　she　didn't　sound　convinced。
　Late　in　the　afternoon；　they　came　upon　the　remains　of　the　first　ERTS　Congo　camp。　They　nearly　missed　it；　for　during　the　intervening　eight　days　the　jungle　vines　and　creepers　had　already　begun　to　grow　back　over　it；　obliterating　all　traces。　There　was　not　much　left…a　few　shreds　of　orange　nylon；　a　dented　aluminum　cooking　pan；　the　crushed　tripod；　and　the　broken　video　camera；　its　green　circuit　boards　scattered　across　the　ground。　They　found　no　bodies；　and　since　the　light　was　fading　they　pressed　on。
　Amy　was　distinctly　agitated；　She　signed；　No　go。
　Peter　Elliot　paid　no　attention。
　Bad　place　old　place　no　go。
　〃We　go；　Amy；〃　he　said。
　Fifteen　minutes　later　they　came　to　a　break　in　the　overhanging　trees。　Looking　up；　they　saw　the　dark　cone　of　Mukenko　rising　above　the　forest；　and　the　faint　crossed　green　beams　of　the　lasers　glinting　in　the　humid　air。　And　directly　beneath　the　beams　were　the　moss…covered　stone　blocks；　half　concealed　in　jungle　foliage；　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　Elliot　turned　to　look　at　Amy。
　Amy　was　gone。
　
　4。　WEIRD
　
　HE　COULD　NOT　BELIEVE　IT。
　At　first　he　thought　she　was　just　punishing　him；　running　off　to　make　him　sorry　for　shooting　the　dart　at　her　on　the　river。　He　explained　to　Munro　and　Ross　that　she　was　capable　of　such　things；　and　they　spent　the　next　half　hour　wandering　through　the　jungle；　calling　her　name。　But　there　was　no　response；　just　the　eternal　silence　of　the　rain　forest。　The　half　hour　became　an　hour；　then　almost　two　hours。
　Elliot　was　panic…stricken。
　When　she　still　did　not　emerge　from　the　foliage；　another　possibility　had　to　be　considered。　〃Maybe　she　ran　off　with　the　last　group　of　gorillas；〃　Munro　said。
　〃Impossible；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃She's　seven；　she's　near　maturity。〃　Munro　shrugged。
　〃She　is　a　gorilla。〃 …
　〃Impossible；〃　Elliot　insisted。
　But　he　knew　what　Munro　was　saying。　Inevitably；　people　who　raised　apes　found　at　a　certain　point　they　could　no　longer　keep　them。　With　maturity　the　animals　became　too　large；　too　powerful；　too　much　their　own　species　to　be　controllable。　It　was　no　longer　possible　to　put　them　in　diapers　and　pretend　they　were　cute　humanlike　creatures。　Their　genes　coded　inevitable　differences　that　ultimately　became　impossible　to　overlook。
　〃Gorilla　troops　aren't　closed；〃　Munro　reminded　him。　〃They　accept　strangers；　particularly　female　strangers。〃
　〃She　wouldn't　do　that；〃　Elliot　insisted。　〃She　couldn't。〃
　Amy　had　been　raised　from　infancy　among　human　beings。　She　was　much　more　familiar　with　the　Westernized　world　of　freeways　and　drive…ins　than　she　was　with　the　jungle。　If　Elliot　drove　his　car　past　her　favorite　drive…in；　she　was　quick　to　tap　his　shoulder　and　point　out　his　error。　What　did　she　know　of　the　jungle？　It　was　as　alien　to　her　as　it　was　to　Elliot　himself。　And　not　only　that…　〃We'd　better　make　camp；〃　Ross　said；　glancing　at　her　watch。　〃She'll　e　back…if　she　wants　to。　After　all；〃　she　said；　〃we　didn't　leave　her。　She　left　us。〃
　
　They　had　brought　a　bottle　of　Dom　Perignon　champagne　but　nobody　was　in　a　mood　to　celebrate。　Elliot　was　remorseful　over　the　loss　of　Amy；　the　others　were　horrified　by　what　they　had　seen　of　the　earlier　camp；　with　night　rapidly　falling；　there　was　much　to　do　to　setup　the　ERTS　system　known　as　WEIRD　（Wilderness　Environmental　Intruder　Response　Defenses）。
　The　exotic　WEIRD　technology　recognized　the　fact　that　perimeter　defenses　were　traditional　throughout　the　history　of　Congo　exploration。　More　than　a　century　before；　Stanley　observed　that　〃no　camp　is　to　be　considered　plete　until　it　is　fenced　around　by　bush　or　trees。〃　In　the　years　since　there　was　little　reason　to　alter　the　essential　nature　of　that　instruction。
　But　defensive　technology　had　changed；　and　the　WEIRD　system　incorporated　all　the　latest　innovations。
　Kahega　and　his　men　inflated　the　silvered　Mylar　tents；　arranging　them　close　together。　Ross　directed　the　placement　of　the　tubular　infrared　night　lights　on　telescoping　tripods。　These　were　positioned　shining　outward　around　the　camp。
　Next　the　perimeter　fence　was　installed。　This　was　a　lightweight　metalloid　mesh；　more　like　cloth　than　wire。　Attached　to　stakes；　it　pletely　enclosed　the　campsite；　and　when　hooked　to　the　transformer　carried　10；000　volts　of　electrical　current。　To　reduce　drain　on　the　fuel　cells；　the　current　was　pulsed　at　four　cycles　a　second；　creating　a　throbbing；　intermittent　hum。
　Dinner　on　the　night　of　June　20　was　rice　with　rehydrated　Creole　shrimp　sauce。　The　shrimps　did　not　rehydrate　well；　remaining　little　cardboard…tasting　chunks　in　the　mix；　but　nobody　plained　about　this　failure　of　twentieth…century　technology　as　they　glanced　around　them　at　the　deepening　jungle　darkness。
　Munro　positioned　the　sentries。　They　would　stand　…four…hour　watches；　Munro　announced　that　he；　Kahega；　and　Elliot　would　take　the　first　watch。
　
　With　night　goggles　in　place；　the　sentries　looked　like　mysterious　grasshoppers　peering　out　at　the　jungle。　The　night　goggles　intensified　ambient　light　and　overlaid　this　on　the　preexisting　imagery；　rimming　it　in　ghostly　green。　Elliot　found　the　goggles　heavy；　and　the　electronic　view　through　them　difficult　to　adjust　to。　He　pulled　them　off　after　several　minutes；　and　was　astonished　to　see　that　the　jungle　was　inky　black　around　him。　He　put　them　back　on　hastily。
　The　night　passed　quietly；　without　incident。
　
　DAY　9：　ZINJ
　June　21；　1979
　
　1。Tiger　Tail
　
　THEIR　ENTRANCE　INTO　THE　LOST　CITY　OF　ZINJ　ON　the　morning　of　June　21　was　acplished　with　none　of　the　mystery　and　romance　of　nineteenth…century　accounts　of　similar　journeys。　These　twentieth…century　explorers　sweated　and　grunted　under　a　burdensome　load　of　technical　equipment…　optical　range　finders；　data…lock　passes；　RF　directionals　with　attached　transmitters；　and　microwave　transponders…all　deemed　essential　to　the　modem　high…speed　evaluation　of　a　ruined　archaeological　site。
　They　were　only　interested　in　diamonds。　Schliemann　had　been　only　interested　in　gold　when　he　excavated　Troy；　and　he　had　devoted　three　years　to　it。　Ross　expected　to　find　her　diamonds　in　three　days。
　According　to　the　ERTS　puter　simulation　the　best　way　to　do　this　was　to　draw　up　a　ground　plan　of　the　city。　With　a　plan　in　hand；　it　would　be　relatively　simple　to　deduce　mine　locations　from　the　arrangement　of　urban　structures。
　They　expected　a　usable　plan　of　the　city　within　six　hours。　Using　RF　transponders；　they　had　only　to　stand　in　each　of　the　four　corners　of　a　building；　pressing　the　radio　beeper　at　each　corner。　Back　in　camp；　two　widely　spaced　receivers　recorded　their　signals　so　that　their　puter　could　plot　them　in　two　dimensions。　But　the　ruins　were　extensive；　covering　more　than　three　square　kilometers。　A　radio　survey　would　separate　them　widely　in　dense　foliage…and；　considering　what　had　happened　to　the　previous　expedition；　this　seemed　unwise。
　Their　alternative　was　what　ERTS　called　the　non…systematic　Survey；　or　〃the　tiger…tail　approach。〃　（It　was　a　joke　at　ERTS　that　one　way　to　find　a　tiger　was　to　keep　walking　until　you　stepped　on　its　tail。）　They　moved　through　the　ruined　buildings；　avoiding　slithering　snakes　and　giant　spiders　that　scurried　into　dark　recesses。　The　spiders　were　the　size　of　a　man's　hand；　and　to　Ross's　astonishment　made　a　loud　clicking　noise。
　They　noticed　that　the　stonework　was　of　excellent　quality；　although　the　limestone　in　many　places　was　pitted　and　crumbling。　And　everywhere　they　saw　the　half…moon　curve　of　doors　and　windows；　which　seemed　to　be　a　cultural　design　motif。
　But　aside　from　that　curved　shape；　they　found　almost　nothing　distinctive　about　the　rooms　they　passed　through。　In　general；　the　rooms　were　rectangular　and　roughly　the　same　size；　the　walls　were　bare；　lacking　decoration。　After　so　many　intervening　centuries　they　found　no　artifacts　at　all…although　Elliot　finally　came　upon　a　pair　of　disc…shaped　stone　paddles；　which　they　presumed　had　been　used　to　grind　spices　or　grain。
　The　bland；　characterless　quality　of　the　city　grew　more　disturbing　as　they　continued；　it　was　also　inconvenient；　since　they　had　no　way　to　refer　to　one　place　or　another；　they　began　assigning　arbitrary　name