the metal monster-第24节

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〃Metallic；〃　he　said；　〃and　crystalline。　And　yetwhy　not？　What　are　we　but　bags　of　skin　filled　with　certain　substances　in　solution　and　stretched　over　a　supporting　and　mobile　mechanism　largely　made　up　of　lime？　Out　of　that　primeval　jelly　which　Gregory*　calls　Protobion　came　after　untold　millions　of　years　us　with　our　skins；　our　nails；　and　our　hair；　came；　too；　the　serpents　with　their　scales；　the　birds　with　their　feathers；　the　horny　hide　of　the　rhinoceros　and　the　fairy　wings　of　the　butterfly；　the　shell　of　the　crab；　the　gossamer　loveliness　of　the　moth　and　the　shimmering　wonder　of　the　mother…of…pearl。

〃Is　there　any　greater　gap　between　any　of　these　and　the　metallic？　I　think　not。〃

〃Not　materially；〃　I　answered。　〃No。　But　there　remains　consciousness！〃

〃That；〃　he　said；　〃I　cannot　understand。　Ventnor　spoke　ofhow　did　he　put　it？a　group　consciousness；　operating　in　our　sphere　and　in　spheres　above　and　below　ours；　with　senses　known　and　unknown。　I　gotglimpsesGoodwin；　but　I　cannot　understand。〃

〃We　have　agreed　for　reasons　that　seem　sufficient　to　us　to　call　these　Things　metallic；　Dick；〃　I　replied。　〃But　that　does　not　necessarily　mean　that　they　are　composed　of　any　metal　that　we　know。　Nevertheless；　being　metal；　they　must　be　of　crystalline　structure。

〃As　Gregory　has　pointed　out；　crystals　and　what　we　call　living　matter　had　an　equal　start　in　the　first　essentials　of　life。　We　cannot　conceive　life　without　giving　it　the　attribute　of　some　sort　of　consciousness。　Hunger　cannot　be　anything　but　conscious；　and　there　is　no　other　stimulus　to　eat　but　hunger。

〃The　crystals　eat。　The　extraction　of　power　from　food　is　conscious　because　it　is　purposeful；　and　there　can　be　no　purpose　without　consciousness；　similarly　the　power　to　work　from　such　derived　energy　is　also　purposeful　and　therefore　conscious。　The　crystals　do　both。　And　the　crystals　can　transmit　all　these　abilities　to　their　children；　just　as　we　do。　For　although　there　would　seem　to　be　no　reason　why　they　should　not　continue　to　grow　to　gigantic　size　under　favorable　conditionsyet　they　do　not。　They　reach　a　size　beyond　which　they　do　not　develop。

〃Instead；　they　budgive　birth；　in　factto　smaller　ones；　which　increase　until　they　reach　the　size　of　the

*　J。　W。　Gregory；　F。R。S。D。Sc。；　Professor　of　Geology；　University　　of　Glasgow。

preceding　generation。　And　like　the　children　of　man　and　animals；　these　younger　generations　grow　on　precisely　as　their　progenitors！

〃Very　well；　thenwe　arrive　at　the　conception　of　a　metallically　crystalline　being；　which　by　some　explosion　of　the　force　of　evolution　has　burst　from　the　to　us　familiar　and　apparently　inert　stage　into　these　Things　that　hold　us。　And　is　there　any　greater　difference　between　the　forms　with　which　we　are　familiar　and　them　than　there　is　between　us　and　the　crawling　amphibian　which　is　our　remote　ancestor？　Or　between　that　and　the　amoebathe　little　swimming　stomach　from　which　it　evolved？　Or　the　amoeba　and　the　inert　jelly　of　the　Protobion？


〃As　for　what　Ventnor　calls　a　group　consciousness　I　would　assume　that　he　means　a　communal　intelligence　such　as　that　shown　by　the　bees　and　the　antsthat　in　the　case　of　the　former　Maeterlinck　calls　the　'Spirit　of　the　Hive。'　It　is　shown　in　their　groupingsjust　as　the　geometric　arrangement　of　those　groupings　shows　also　clearly　their　crystalline　intelligence。

〃I　submit　that　in　their　rapid　coordination　either　for　attack　or　movement　or　work　without　apparent　communication　having　passed　between　the　units；　there　is　nothing　more　remarkable　than　the　swarming　of　a　hive　of　bees　where　also　without　apparent　communication　just　so　many　waxmakers；　nurses；　honey…gatherers；　chemists；　bread…makers；　and　all　the　varied　specialists　of　the　hive　go　with　the　old　queen；　leaving　behind　sufficient　number　of　each　class　for　the　needs　of　the　young　queen。

〃All　this　apportionment　is　effected　without　any　means　of　communication　that　we　recognize。　Still　it　is　most　obviously　intelligent　selection。　For　if　it　were　haphazard　all　the　honeymakers　might　leave　and　the　hive　starve；　or　all　the　chemists　might　go　and　the　food　for　the　young　bees　not　be　properly　preparedand　so　on　and　so　on。〃

〃But　metal；〃　he　muttered；　〃and　conscious。　It's　all　very　wellbut　where　did　that　consciousness　come　from？　And　what　is　it？　And　where　did　they　come　from？　And　most　of　all；　why　haven't　they　overrun　the　world　before　this？

〃Such　development　as　theirs；　such　an　evolution；　presupposes　aeons　of　timelong　as　it　took　us　to　drag　up　from　the　lizards。　What　have　they　been　doingwhy　haven't　they　been　ready　to　strikeif　Ventnor's　rightat　humanity　until　now？〃

〃I　don't　know；〃　I　answered；　helplessly。　〃But　evolution　is　not　the　slow；　plodding　process　that　Darwin　thought。　There　seem　to　be　explosionsnature　will　create　a　new　form　almost　in　a　night。　Then　comes　the　long　ages　of　development　and　adjustment；　and　suddenly　another　new　race　appears。

〃It　might　be　so　of　thesesome　extraordinary　conditions　that　shaped　them。　Or　they　might　have　developed　through　the　ages　in　spaces　within　the　earththere's　that　incredible　abyss　we　saw　that　is　evidently　one　of　their　highways。　Or　they　might　have　dropped　here　upon　some　fragment　of　a　broken　world；　found　in　this　valley　the　right　conditions　and　developed　in　amazing　rapidity。*　They're　all　possible　theoriestake　your　pick。〃

〃Something's　held　them　backand　they're　rushing　to　a　climax；〃　he　whispered。　〃Ventnor's　right　about　that　I　feel　it。　And　what　can　we　do？〃

〃Go　back　to　their　city；〃　I　said。　〃Go　back　as　he　ordered。　I　believe　he　knows　what　he's　talking　about。　And　I　believe　he'll　be　able　to　help　us。　It　wasn't　just　a　request　he　made；　nor　even　an　appealit　was　a　command。〃

〃But　what　can　we　dojust　two　menagainst　these　Things？〃　he　groaned。

〃Maybe　we'll　find　outwhen　we're　back　in　the　city；〃　I　answered。

〃Well；〃　his　old　reckless　cheerfulness　came　back　to　him；　〃in　every　crisis　of　this　old　globe　it's　been　up　to　one　man　to　turn　the　trick。　We're　two。　And　at　the　worst　we　can　only　go　down　fighting　a　little　before　the　rest　of　us。　So；　after　all；　whatEVER　the　hell；　WHAT　the　hell。〃

For　a　time　we　were　silent。

〃Well；〃　he　said　at　last；　〃we　have　to　go　to　the　city　in　the　morning。〃　He　laughed。　〃Sounds　as　though　we　were　living　in　the　suburbs；　somehow；　doesn't　it？〃

〃It　can't　be　many　hours　before　dawn；〃　I　said。　〃Turn　in　for　a　while；　I'll　wake　you　when　I　think　you've　slept　enough。〃

〃It　doesn't　seem　fair；〃　he　protested；　but　sleepily。

*　Professor　Svante　Arrhenius's　theory　of　propagation　of　life　by　means　of　minute　spores　carried　through　space。　See　his　〃Worlds　in　the　Making。〃W。T。G。

〃I'm　not　sleepy；〃　I　told　him；　nor　was　I。

But　whether　I　was　or　not；　I　wanted　to　question　Yuruk；　uninterrupted　and　undisturbed。

Drake　stretched　himself　out。　When　his　breathing　showed　him　fast　asleep　indeed；　I　slipped　over　to　the　black　eunuch　and　crouched；　right　hand　close　to　the　butt　of　my　automatic；　facing　him。





CHAPTER　XVII

YURUK

〃Yuruk；〃　I　whispered；　〃you　love　us　as　the　wheat　field　loves　the　hail；　we　are　as　welcome　to　you　as　the　death　cord　to　the　condemned。　Lo；　a　door　opened　into　a　land　of　unpleasant　dreams　you　thought　sealed；　and　we　came　through。　Answer　my　questions　truthfully　and　it　may　be　that　we　shall　return　through　that　door。〃

Interest　welled　up　in　the　depths　of　the　black　eyes。

〃There　is　a　way　from　here；〃　he　muttered。　〃Nor　does　it　pass　throughThem。　I　can　show　it　to　you。〃

I　had　not　been　blind　to　the　flash　of　malice；　of　cunning；　that　had　shot　across　the　wrinkled　face。

〃Where　does　that　way　lead？〃　I　asked。　〃There　were　those　who　sought　us；　men　clad　in　armor　with　javelins　and　arrows。　Does　your　way　lead　to　them；　Yuruk？〃

For　a　time　he　hesitated；　the　lashless　lids　half　closed。

〃Yes；〃　he　said　sullenly。　〃The　way　leads　to　them；　to　their　place。　But　will　it　not　be　safer　for　you　thereamong　your　kind？〃

〃I　don't　know　that　it　will；〃　I　answered　promptly。　〃Those　who　are　unlike　us　smote　those　who　are　like　us　and　drove　them　back　when　they　would　have　taken　and　slain　us。　Why　is　it　not　better　to　remain　with　them　than　to　go　to　our　kind　who　would　destroy　us？〃

〃They　would　not；〃　he　said　〃If　you　gave　themher。〃　He　thrust　a　long　thumb　backward　toward　sleeping　Ruth。　〃Cherkis　would　forgive　much　for　her。　And　why　should　you　not？　She　is　only　a　woman。〃

He　spatin　a　way　that　made　me　want　to　kill　him。

〃Besides；〃　he　ended；　〃have　you　no　arts　to　amuse　him？〃

〃Cherkis？〃　I　asked。

〃Cherkis；〃　he　whined。　〃Is　Yuruk　a　fool　not　to　know　that　in　the　world　without；　new　things　have　arisen　since　long　ago　we　fled　from　Iskander　into　the　secret　valley？　What　have　you　to　beguile　Cherkis　beyond　this　woman　flesh？　Much；　I　think。　Go　then　to　himunafraid。〃

Cherkis？　There　was　a　familiar　sound　to　that。　Cherkis？　Of　courseit　was　the　name　of　Xerxes；　the　Persian　Conqueror；　corrupted　by　time　into　thisCherkis。　And　Iskander？　Equally；　of　courseAlexander。　Ventnor　had　been　right。

〃Yuruk；〃　I　demanded　directly；　〃is　she　whom　you　call　goddessNorhalaof　the　people　of　Cherkis？〃

〃Long　ago；〃　he　answered；　〃long；　long　ago　there　was　trouble　in　their　city；　even　in　the　great　dwelling　place　of　Cherkis。　I　fled　with　her　who　was　the　mother　of　the　goddess。　There　were　twenty　of　us；　and　we　fled　hereby　the　way　which　I　will　show　you〃

He　leered　cunningly；　I　gave　no　sign　of　interest。

〃She　who　was　the　mother　of　the　goddess　found　favor　in　the　sight　of　the