michael crichton.congo-第63章

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over　the　tail　section　and　up　onto　the　fuselage　above　their　heads。　Two　warriors　managed　to　climb　through　the　open　aft　cargo　door。　Munro；　who　was　in　the　cockpit；　shouted；　〃If　they　get　you；　they　eat　you！〃
　Ross　fired　at　the　rear　door；　and　blood　spattered　on　her　clothes　as　the　intruding　Kigani　were　knocked　out　backward。
　Amy　no　like；　she　signed。　Amy　want　go　home。　She　clutched　her　seat　belt。
　〃There's　the　son　of　a　bitch；〃　Munro　shouted；　and　fired　his　machine　gun。　A　young　man　of　about　twenty；　his　eyes　smeared　with　red；　fell　onto　his　back；　shuddering　with　machine…gun　fire。　〃Got　him；〃　Munro　said。　〃Got　the　Angawa〃　He　sat　back　and　allowed　the　warriors　to　remove　the　body。〃
　It　was　then　the　Kigani　attack　ended；　the　warriors　retreating　into　the　silent　bush。　Munro　bent　over　the　slumped　body　of　the　pilot　and　stared　out　at　the　jungle。
　〃What　happens　now？〃　Elliot　asked。　〃Have　we　won？〃
　Munro　shook　his　head。　〃They'll　wait　for　nightfall。　Then　they'll　e　back　to　kill　us　all。〃
　Elliot　said；　〃What　will　we　do　then？〃
　Munro　had　been　thinking　about　that。　He　saw　no　possibility　of　their　leaving　the　aircraft　for　at　least　twenty…four　hours。
　They　needed　to　defend　themselves　at　night　and　they　needed　a　wider　clearing　around　the　plane　during　the　day。　The　obvious　solution　was　to　burn　the　waist…high　bush　in　the　immediate　vicinity　of　the　plane…if　they　could　do　that　without　exploding　the　residual　fuel　in　the　airplane　tanks。
　〃Look　for　flamethrowers；〃　he　told　Kahega；　〃or　gas　canisters。〃　And　he　began　to　check　for　documents　that　would　tell　him　tank　locations　on　the　C…130。
　Ross　approached　him。　〃We're　in　trouble；　aren't　we。〃
　〃Yes；〃　Munro　said。　He　didn't　mention　the　volcano。
　〃I　suppose　I　made　a　mistake。〃
　〃Well；　you　can　atone；〃　Munro　said；　〃by　thinking　of　some　way　out。〃
　〃I'll　see　what！　can　do；〃　she　said　seriously；　and　went　aft。　Fifteen　minutes　later；　she　screamed。
　Munro　spun　back　into　the　passenger　partment；　his　machine　gun　raised　to　fire。　But　he　saw　that　Ross　had　collapsed　into　a　seat；　laughing　hysterically。　The　others　stared　at　her；　not　sure　what　to　do。　He　grabbed　her　shoulders　and　shook　her：　〃Get　a　grip　on　yourself；〃　he　said；　but　she　just　went　on　laughing。
　Káhega　stood　next　to　a　gas　cylinder　marked　PROPANE。　〃She　see　this；　and　she　ask　how　many　more；　I　tell　her　six　more；　she　begins　to　laugh。〃
　Munro　frowned。　The　cylinder　was　large；　20　cubic　feet。　〃Kahega；　what'd　they　carry　that　propane　for？〃
　Kahega　shrugged。　〃Too　big　for　cooking。　They　need　only　five；　ten　cubic　feet　for　cooking。〃
　Munro　said；　〃And　there　are　six　more　like　this？〃
　〃Yes；　boss。　Six。〃
　〃That's　a　hell　of　a　lot　of　gas；〃　Munro　said；　and　then　he　realized　that　Ross　with　her　instinct　for　planning　would　have　grasped　at　once　the　significance　of　all　that　propane；　and　Munro　also　knew　what　it　meant；　and　he　broke　into　a　grin。
　Annoyed；　Elliot　said；　〃Will　someone　please　tell　us　what　this　means？〃
　〃It　means；〃　Munro　said　through　his　laughter；　〃it　means　things　are　looking　up。〃
　
　Buoyed　by　50；000　pounds　of　heated　air　from　the　propane　gas　ring；　the　gleaming　plastic　sphere　of　the　consortium　balloon　lifted　off　from　the　jungle　floor；　and　climbed　swiftly　into　the　darkening　night　air。
　The　Kigani　came　running　from　the　forest；　the　warriors　brandishing　spears　and　arrows。　Pale　white　arrows　sliced　up　in　the　fading　light；　but　they　fell　short；　arcing　back　down　to　the　ground　again。　The　balloon　rose　steadily　into　the　sky。
　At　an　altitude　of　2；000　feet；　the　sphere　caught　an　easterly　wind　which　carried　it　away　from　the　dark　expanse　of　the　Congo　forest；　over　the　smoking　red　volcanic　heart　of　Mount　Mukenko；　and　across　the　sharp　depression　of　the　Rift　Valley；　vertical　walls　shimmering　in　the　moonlight。
　From　there；　the　balloon　slid　across　the　Zaire　border；　moving　southeast　toward　Kenya…and　civilization。
　
　Epilogue：　The　Place　of　Fire
　
　ON　SEPTEMBER　18；　1979；　THE　LANDSAT　3　Satellite；　at　a　nominal　altitude　of　918　kilometers；　recorded　a　185…kilometer…wide　scan　on　Band　6　（。7…。8　millimicrons　in　the　infrared　spectrum）　over　central　Africa。　Penetrating　cloud　cover　over　the　rain　forest；　the　acquired　image　clearly　showed　the　eruption　of　Mount　Mukenko　still　continuing　after　three　months。　A　puter　projection　of　ejecta　estimated　6…8　cubic　kilometers　of　debris　dispersed　into　the　atmosphere；　and　another　23　cubic　kilometers　of　lava　released　down　the　western　flanks　of　the　mountain。　The　natives　called　it　Kanya4feka；　〃the　place　of　fire。〃
　On　October　1；　1979；　R。　B。　Travis　formally　canceled　the　Blue　Contract；　reporting　that　no　natural　source　of　Type　IIb　diamonds　could　be　anticipated　in　the　foreseeable　future。　The　Japanese　electronics　firm　of　Monkawa　revived　interest　in　the　Nagaura　artificial　boron…doping　process。　American　firms　had　also　begun　work　on　doping；　it　was　expected　that　the　process　would　be　perfected　by　1984。
　On　October　23；　Karen　Ross　resigned　from　ERTS　to　work　for　the　U。S。　Geological　Survey　EDC　in　Sioux　Falls；　South　Dakota；　where　no　military　work　was　conducted；　and　no　fieldwork　was　possible。　She　has　since　married　John　Bellingham；　a　scientist　at　EDC。
　Peter　Elliot　took　an　indefinite　leave　of　absence　from　the　Berkeley　Department　of　Zoology　on　October　30。　A　press　release　cited　〃Amy's　increasing　maturity　and　size。　。　。　making　further　laboratory　research　difficult。　。　。〃　Project　Amy　was　formally　disbanded；　although　most　of　the　staff　acpanied　Elliot　and　Amy　to　the　Institut　d'Etudes　Ethnologiques　at　Bukama；　Zaire。　Here　Amy's　interaction　with　wild　gorillas　continued　to　be　studied　in　the　fold。　In　November；　1979；　she　was　thought　to　be　pregnant；　by　then　she　was　spending　most　of　her　time　with　a　local　gorilla　troop；　so　it　was　difficult　to　be　sure。　She　disappeared　in　May　l980。*
　The　institute　conducted　a　census　of　mountain　gorillas　from　March　to　August　1980。　The　estimate　was　five　thousand　animals　in　all；　approximately　half　the　estimate　of　George　Schaller；　field　biologist；　twenty　years　before。　These　data　confirm　that　the　mountain　gorilla　is　disappearing　rapidly。
　Zoo　reproduction　rates　have　increased；　and　gorillas　are　unlikely　to　bee　technically　extinct；　but　their　habitats　are　shrinking　under　the　press　of　mankind；　and　researchers　suspect　that　the　gorilla　will　vanish　as　a　wild；　free…roaming　animal　in　the　next　few　years。
　Kabega　returned　to　Nairobi　in　1979；　working　in　a　Chinese　restaurant　which　went　bankrupt　in　1980。　He　then　joined　the　National　Geographic　Society　expedition　to　Botswana　to　study　hippos。
　Aid　Ubara；　the　eldest　son　of　the　porter　Marawani　and　a　radio　astronomer　at　Cambridge；　England；　won　the　Herskovita　Prize　in　1980　for　research　on　X…ray　emissions　from　the　galactic　source　M322。
　At　a　handsome　profit；　Charles　Munro　sold　31　karats　of　blue　Type　IIb　diamonds　on　the　Amsterdam　bourse　in　late　1979；　the　diamonds　were　purchased　by　Intel；　Inc。；　an　American　micronics　pany。　Subsequently　he　was　stabbed　by　a　Russian　agent　in　Antwerp　in　January　1980；　the　agent's　body　was　later　recovered　in　Brussels。　Munro　was　arrested　by　an　armed　border　patrol　in　Zambia　in　March　1980；　but　charges　were　dropped。　He　was　reported　in　Somalia　in　May；　but　there　is　no　confirmation。　He　still　resides　in　Tangier。
　A　Landsat　3　image　acquired　on　January　8；　1980；　showed　that　the　eruption　of　Mount　Mukenko　had　ceased。　The　faint　signature　of　crossed　laser　beams；　recorded　on　some　earlier　satellite　passes；　was　no　longer　visible。　The　projected　intersection　point　now　marked　a　field　of　black　quatermain　lava　with　an　average　depth　of　eight　hundred　meters…nearly　half　a　mile…over　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　*In　May　1980；　Amy　disappeared　for　four　months；　but　in　September　she　returned　with　a　male　infant　clinging　to　her　chest。　Elliot　signed　to　her；　and　had　the　unexpected　satisfaction　of　seeing　the　infant　sign　back　to　him　Amy　like　Peter　like　Peter。　The　signing　was　crisp　and　correct　and　has　been　recorded　on　videotape。　Amy　would　not　approach　closely　with　her　infant；　when　the　infant　moved　toward　Elliot；　Amy　grabbed　him　to　her　chest；　disappearing　into　the　bush。　She　was　later　sighted　among　a　troop　of　twelve　gorillas　on　the　slopes　of　Mt。　Kyambara　in　northeastern　Zaire。
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
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