michael crichton.congo-第58章

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　Elliot　was　bored；　talking　about　verbalizations　and　why　he　wanted　tape　recordings；　and　whether　it　was　possible　to　preserve　a　brain　from　one　of　the　apes　to　take　back　with　them。　It　seemed　there　was　some　academic　debate　about　where　language　came　from；　people　used　to　think　language　was　a　development　of　animal　cries；　but　now　they　knew　that　animal　barks　and　cries　were　controlled　by　the　limbic　system　of　the　brain；　and　that　real　language　came　from　some　other　part　of　the　brain　called　Broca's　area。　。　。　。　Munro　couldn't　pay　attention。　He　kept　listening　to　the　distant　rumbling　of　Mukenko。
　Munro　had　firsthand　experience　with　volcanoes；　he　had　been　in　the　Congo　in　1968；　when　Mbuti；　another　of　the　Virunga　volcanoes；　erupted。　When　he　had　heard　the　sharp　explosions　the　day　before；　he　had　recognized　them　as　bromides；　the　unexplained　acpaniments　of　ing　earthquakes。　Munro　had　assumed　that　Mukenko　would　soon　erupt；　and　when　he　had　seen　the　flickering　laser　beam　the　night　before；　he　had　known　there　was　new　rumbling　activity　on　the　upper　slopes　of　the　volcano。
　Munro　knew　that　volcanoes　were　unpredictable…as　witnessed　by　the　fact　that　this　ruined　city　at　the　base　of　an　active　volcano　had　been　untouched　after　more　than　five　hundred　years。　There　were　recent　lava　fields　on　the　mountain　slopes　above；　and　others　a　few　miles　to　the　south；　but　the　city　itself　was　spared。　This　in　itself　was　not　so　remarkable…the　configuration　of　Mukenko　was　such　that　most　eruptions　occurred　on　the　gentle　south　slopes。　But　it　did　not　mean　that　they　were　now　in　any　less　danger。　The　unpredictability　of　volcanic　eruptions　meant　that　they　could　bee　life…threatening　in　a　matter　of　minutes。　The　danger　was　not　from　lava；　which　rarely　flowed　faster　than　a　man　could　walk；　it　would　take　hours　for　lava　to　flow　down　from　Mukenko's　summit。　The　real　danger　from　volcanic　eruptions　was　ash　and　gas。
　Just　as　most　people　killed　by　fires　actually　died　from　smoke　inhalation；　most　deaths　from　volcanoes　were　caused　by　asphyxiation　from　dust　and　carbon　monoxide。　Volcanic　gases　were　heavier　than　air；　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj；　located　in　a　valley；　could　be　filled　in　minutes　with　a　heavy；　poisonous　atmosphere；　should　Mukenko　discharge　a　large　quantity　of　gas。
　The　question　was　how　rapidly　Mukenko　was　building　toward　a　major　eruptive　phase。　That　was　why　Munro　was　so　interested　in　Amy's　reactions：　it　was　well　known　that　primates　could　anticipate　geological　events　such　as　earthquakes　and　eruptions。　Munro　was　surprised　that　Elliot；　babbling　away　about　freezing　gorilla　brains；　didn't　know　about　that。　And　he　was　even　more　surprised　that　Ross；　with　her　extensive　geological　knowledge；　did　not　regard　the　morning　ash…fall　as　the　start　of　a　major　volcanic　eruption。
　
　Ross　knew　a　major　eruption　was　building。　That　morning；　she　had　routinely　tried　to　establish　contact　with　Houston；　to　her　surprise；　the　transmission　keys　immediately　locked　through。　After　the　scrambler　notations　registered；　she　began　typing　in　field　updates；　but　the　screen　went　blank；　and　flashed：
　
　HUSTN　STAIN　OVRIDE　CLR　BANX。
　
　This　was　an　emergency　signal；　she　had　never　seen　it　before　on　a　field　expedition。　She　cleared　the　memory　banks　and　pushed　the　transmit　button。　There　was　a　burst　transmission　delay；　then　the　screen　printed：
　
　PUTR　DESIGNATN　MAJR　ERUPIN　SIGNATR　MU…KENKO　ADVIS　LEAV　SITE　NOW　EXPEDN　JEPRDY　DANGR　REPET　ALL　LEAV　SITE　NOW。
　
　Ross　glanced　across　the　campsite。　Kahega　was　making　breakfast；　Amy　squatted　by　the　fire；　eating　a　roasted　banana　（she　had　got　Kahega　to　make　special　treats　for　her）；　Munro　and　Elliot　were　having　coffee。　Except　for　the　black　ashfall；　it　was　a　perfectly　normal　morning　at　the　camp。　She　looked　back　at　the　screen。
　
　MAJR　ERUPTN　SIGNATR　MUKENKO　ADVIS　LEAV　SITE　NOW。
　
　Ross　glanced　up　at　the　smoking　cone　of　Mukenko。　The　hell　with　it；　she　thought。　She　wanted　the　diamonds；　and　she　had　gone　too　far　to　quit　now。
　The　screen　blinked：　PLS　SIGNL　REPLY。
　Ross　turned　the　transmitter　off。
　
　As　the　morning　progressed　they　felt　several　sharp　jolting　earth　tremors；　which　released　clouds　of　dust　from　the　crumbling　buildings。　The　rumblings　of　Mukenko　became　more　frequent。　Ross　paid　no　attention。　〃It　just　means　this　is　elephant　country；〃　she　said。　That　was　an　old　geological　adage：　〃If　you're　looking　for　elephants；　go　to　elephant　country。〃　Elephant　country　meant　a　likely　spot　to　find　whatever　minerals　you　were　looking　for。　〃And　if　you　want　diamonds；〃　Ross　said；　shrugging；　〃you　go　to　volcanoes。〃
　The　association　of　diamonds　with　volcanoes　had　been　recognized　for　more　than　a　century；　but　it　was　still　poorly　understood。　Most　theories　postulated　that　diamonds；　crystals　of　pure　carbon；　were　formed　in　the　intense　heat　and　pressure　of　the　upper　mantle　one　thousand　miles　beneath　the　earth's　surface。　The　diamonds　remained　inaccessible　at　this　depth　except　in　volcanic　areas　where　rivers　of　molten　magma　carried　them　to　the　surface。
　But　this　did　not　mean　that　you　went　to　erupting　volcanoes　to　catch　diamonds　being　spewed　out；　Most　diamond　mines　were　at　the　site　of　extinct　volcanoes；　in　fossilized　cones　called　kimberlite　pipes；　named　for　the　geological　formations　in　Kimberley；　South　Africa。　Virunga；　near　the　geologically　unstable　Rift　Valley；　showed　evidence　of　continuous　volcanic　activity　for　more　than　fifty　million　years。　They　were　now　looking　for　the　same　fossil　volcanoes　which　the　earlier　inhabitants　of　Zinj　had　found。
　Shortly　before　noon　they　found　them；　halfway　up　the　hills　east　of　the　city…a　series　of　excavated　tunnels　running　into　the　mountain　slopes　of　Mukenko。
　
　Elliot　felt　disappointed。　〃I　don't　know　what　I　was　expecting；〃　he　said　later；　〃but　it　was　just　a　brown…colored　tunnel　in　the　earth；　with　occasional　bits　of　dull　brown　rock　sticking　out。　I　couldn't　understand　why　Ross　got　so　excited。〃　Those　bits　of　dull　brown　rock　were　diamonds；　when　cleaned；　they　had　the　transparency　of　dirty　glass。
　〃They　thought　I　was　crazy；〃　Ross　said；　〃because　I　began　jumping　up　and　down。　But　they　didn't　know　what　they　were　looking　at。〃
　In　an　ordinary　kimberilte　pipe；　diamonds　were　distributed　sparsely　in　the　rock　matrix。　The　average　mine　recovered　only　thirty…two　karats…a　fifth　of　an　ounce…for　every　hundred　tons　of　rock　removed。　When　you　looked　down　a　diamond　mine…shaft；　you　saw　no　diamonds　at　all。　But　the　Zinj　mines　were　lumpy　with　protruding　stones。　Using　his　machete；　Munro　dug　out　six　hundred　karats。　And　Ross　saw　six　or　seven　stones　protruding　from　the　wall；　each　as　large　as　the　one　Munro　had　removed。　〃Just　looking；〃　she　said　later；　〃I　could　see　easily　four　or　five　thousand　karats。　With　no　further　digging；　no　separation；　nothing。　Just　sitting　there。　It　was　a　richer　mine　than　the　Premier　in　South　Africa。　It　was　unbelievable。〃
　Elliot　asked　the　question　that　had　already　formed　in　Ross's　own　mind。　〃If　this　mine　is　so　damn　rich；〃　he　said；　〃why　was　it　abandoned？〃
　〃The　gorillas　got　out　of　control；〃　Munro　said。　〃They　staged　a　coup。〃　He　was　laughing；　plucking　diamonds　out　of　the　rock。
　Ross　had　considered　that；　as　she　had　considered　Elliot's　earlier　suggestion　that　the　city　had　been　wiped　out　by　disease。　She　thought　a　less　exotic　explanation　was　likely。　〃I　think；〃　she　said；　〃that　as　far　as　they　were　concerned；　the　diamond　mines　had　dried　up。〃　Because　as　gemstones；　these　crystals　were　very　poor　indeed…blue；　streaked　with　impurities。
　The　people　of　Zinj　could　not　have　imagined　that　five　hundred　years　in　the　future　these　same　worthless　stones　would　be　more　scarce　and　desirable　than　any　other　mineral　resources　on　the　planet。
　〃What　makes　these　blue　diamonds　so　valuable？〃
　〃They　are　going　to　change　the　world；〃　Ross　said；　in　a　soft　voice。　〃They　are　going　to　end　the　nuclear　age。〃
　
　2。War　at　the　Speed　of　Light
　
　IN　JANUARY；　1979；　TESTIFYING　BEFORE　THE　Senate　Armed　Services　Submittee；　General　Franklin　F。　Martin　of　the　Pentagon　Advanced　Research　Project　Agency　said；　〃In　1939；　at　the　start　of　World　War　II；　the　most　important　country　in　the　world　to　the　American　military　effort　was　the　Belgian　Congo。〃　Martin　explained　that　as　a　kind　of　〃accident　of　geography〃　the　Congo；　now　Zaire；　has　for　forty　years　remained　vital　to　American　interests…and　will　assume　even　more　importance　in　the　future。　（Marti