michael crichton.congo-第1节

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　Introduction
　
　Only　prejudice；　and　a　trick　of　the　Mercator　projection；　prevents　us　from　recognizing　the　enormity　of　the　African　continent。　Covering　nearly　twelve　million　square　miles；　Africa　is　almost　as　large　as　North　America　and　Europe　bined。　It　is　nearly　twice　the　size　of　South　America。　As　we　mistake　its　dimensions；　we　also　mistake　its　essential　nature：　the　Dark　Continent　is　mostly　hot　desert　and　open　grassy　plains。
　In　fact；　Africa　is　called　the　Dark　Continent　for　one　reason　only：　the　vast　equatorial　rain　forests　of　its　central　region。　This　is　the　drainage　basin　of　the　Congo　River；　and　one…tenth　of　the　continent　is　given　over　to　it…a　million　and　a　half　square　miles　of　silent；　damp；　dark　forest；　a　single　uniform　geographical　feature　nearly　half　the　size　of　the　continental　United　States。　This　primeval　forest　has　stood；　unchanged　and　unchallenged；　for　more　than　sixty　million　years。
　Even　today；　only　half　a　million　people　inhabit　the　Congo　Basin；　and　they　are　mostly　clustered　in　villages　along　the　banks　of　the　slow　muddy　rivers　that　flow　through　the　jungle。　The　great　expanse　of　the　forest　remains　inviolate；　and　to　this　day　thousands　of　square　miles　are　still　unexplored。
　This　is　true　particularly　of　the　northeastern　corner　of　the　Congo　Basin；　where　the　rain　forest　meets　the　Virunga　volcanoes；　at　the　edge　of　the　Great　Rift　Valley。　Lacking　established　trade　routes　or　pelling　features　of　interest；　Virunga　was　never　seen　by　Western　eyes　until　less　than　a　hundred　years　ago。
　The　race　to　make　〃the　most　important　discovery　of　the　1980s〃　in　the　Congo　took　place　during　six　weeks　of　1979。　This　book　recounts　the　thirteen　days　of　the　last　American　expedition　to　the　Congo；　in　June；　1979…barely　a　hundred　years　after　Henry　Morton　Stanley　first　explored　the　Congo　in　1874…77。　A　parison　of　the　two　expeditions　reveals　much　about　the　changing…and　unchanging…nature　of　African　exploration　in　the　intervening　century。
　Stanley　is　usually　remembered　as　the　newsman　who　found　Livingstone　in　1871；　but　his　real　importance　lay　in　later　exploits。　Moorehead　calls　him　〃a　new　kind　of　man　in　Africa。　。　。　a　businessman…explorer。。　。　。　Stanley　was　not　in　Africa　to　reform　the　people　nor　to　build　an　empire；　and　he　was　not　impelled　by　any　real　interest　in　such　matters　as　anthropology；　botany　or　geology。　To　put　it　bluntly；　he　was　out　to　make　a　name　for　himself。〃
　When　Stanley　set　out　again　from　Zanzibar　in　1874；　he　was　again　handsomely　financed　by　newspapers。　And　when　he　emerged　from　the　jungle　at　the
　Atlantic　Ocean　999　days　later；　having　suffered　incredible　hardships　and　the　loss　of　more　than　two…thirds　of　his　original　party；　both　he　and　his　newspapers　had　one　of　the　great　stories　of　the　century：　Stanley　had　traveled　the　entire　length　of　the　Congo　River。
　But　two　years　later；　Stanley　was　back　in　Africa　under　very　different　circumstances。　He　traveled　under　an　assumed　name；　he　made　diversionary　excursions　to　throw　spies　off　his　trail；　the　few　people　who　knew　he　was　in　Africa　could　only　guess　that　he　had　in　mind　〃some　grand　mercial　scheme。〃
　In　fact；　Stanley　was　financed　by　Leopold　II　of　Belgium；　who　intended　to　acquire　personally　a　large　piece　of　Africa。　〃It　is　not　a　question　of　Belgian　colonies；〃　Leopold　wrote　Stanley。　〃It　is　a　question　of　creating　a　new　State；　as　big　as　possible。　。　。　。　The　King；　as　a　private　person；　wishes　to　possess　properties　in　Africa。　Belgium　wants　neither　a　colony　nor　territories。　Mr。　Stanley　must　therefore　buy　lands　or　get　them　conceded　to　him　　　
　This　incredible　plan　was　carried　out。　By　1885；　one　American　said　that　Leopold　〃possesses　the　Congo　just　as　Rockefeller　possesses　Standard　Oil。〃　The　parison　was　apt　in　more　ways　than　one；　for　African　exploration　had　bee　dominated　by　business。
　It　has　remained　so　to　this　day。　Stanley　would　have　approved　the　1979　American　expedition；　which　was　conducted　in　secrecy；　with　an　emphasis　on　speed。　But　the　differences　would　have　astonished　him。　When　Stanley　passed　near　Virunga　in　1875；　it　had　taken　him　almost　a　year　to　get　there；　the　Americans　got　their　expedition　on…site　in　just　over　a　week。　And　Stanley；　who　traveled　with　a　small　army　of　four　hundred；　would　have　been　amazed　at　an　expedition　of　only　twelve…and　one　of　them　an　ape。　The　territories　through　which　the　Americans　moved　a　century　later　were　autonomous　political　states；　the　Congo　was　now　Zaire；　and　the　Congo　River　the　Zaire　River。　In　fact；　by　1979　the　word　〃Congo〃　technically　referred　only　to　the　drainage　basin　of　the　Zaire　River；　although　Congo　was　still　used　in　geological　circles　as　a　matter　of　familiarity；　and　for　its　romantic　connotations。
　Despite　these　differences；　the　expeditions　had　remarkably　similar　outes。　Like　Stanley；　the　Americans　lost　two…thirds　of　their　party；　and　emerged　from　the　jungle　as　desperately　as　Stanley's　men　a　century　before。　And　like　Stanley；　they　returned　with　incredible　tales　of　cannibals　and　pygmies；　ruined　jungle　civilizations；　and　fabulous　lost　treasures。
　
　I　would　like　to　thank　R。　B。　Travis；　of　Earth　Resources　Technology　Services　in　Houston；　for　permission　to　use　videotaped　debriefings；　Dr。　Karen　Ross；　of　ERTS；　for　further　background　on　the　expedition；　Dr。　Peter　Elliot；　of　the　Department　of　Zoology；　University　of　California　at　Berkeley；　and　the　Project　Amy　staff；　including　Amy　herself；　Dr。　William　Wens；　of　Kasai　Mining　&　Manufacturing；　Zaire；　Dr。　Smith　Jefferson；　of　the　Department　of　Medical　Pathology；　University　of　Nairobi；　Kenya；　and　Captain　Charles　Munro；　of　Tangier；　Morocco。
　I　am　further　indebted　to　Mark　Warwick；　of　Nairobi；　for　his　initial　interest　in
　this　project；　Alan　Binb；　of　Nairobi；　for　graciously　offering　to　take　me　Into　the　Virunga　region　of　Zaire；　Joyce　Small　for　arranging　my　transport；　usually　at　short　notice；　to　obscure　parts　of　the　world；　and　finally　my　special　thanks　to　my　assistant；　Judith　Lovejoy；　whose　untiring　efforts　through　very　difficult　times　were　crucial　to　the　pletion　of　this　book。
　
　M。C。
　
　
　
　Prologue：
　The　Place　of　Bones
　
　DAWN　CAME　TO　THE　CONGO　RAIN　FOREST。
　The　pale　sun　burned　away　the　morning　chill　and　the　clinging　damp　mist；　revealing　a　gigantic　silent　world。　Enormous　trees　with　trunks　forty　feet　in　diameter　rose　two　hundred　feet　overhead；　where　they　spread　their　dense　leafy　canopy；　blotting　out　the　sky　and　perpetually　dripping　water　to　the　ground　below。　Curtains　of　gray　moss；　and　creepers　and　lianas；　hung　down　in　a　tangle　from　the　trees；　parasitic　orchids　sprouted　from　the　trunks。　At　ground　level；　huge　ferns；　gleaming　with　moisture；　grew　higher　than　a　man's　chest　and　held　the　low　ground　fog。　Here　and　there　was　a　spot　of　color：　the　red　acanthema　blossoms；　which　were　deadly　poison；　and　the　blue　dicindra　vine；　which　only　opened　in　early　morning。　But　the　basic　impression　was　of　a　vast；　oversized；　gray…green　world…　an　alien　place；　inhospitable　to　man。
　Jan　Kruger　put　aside　his　rifle　and　stretched　his　stiff　muscles。　Dawn　came　quickly　at　the　equator；　soon　it　was　quite　light；　although　the　mist　remained。　He　glanced　at　the　expedition　campsite　he　had　been　guarding：　eight　bright　orange　nylon　tents；　a　blue　mess　tent；　a　supply　tarp　lashed　over　boxed　equipment　in　a　vain　attempt　to　keep　them　dry。　He　saw　the　other　guard；　Misulu；　sitting　on　a　rock；　Misulu　waved　sleepily。　Nearby　was　the　transmitting　equipment：　a　silver　dish　antenna；　the　black　transmitter　box；　the　snaking　coaxial　cables　running　to　the　portable　video　camera　mounted　on　the　collapsible　tripod。　The　Americans　used　this　equipment　to　transmit　daily　reports　by　satellite　to　their　home　office　in　Houston。
　Kruger　was　the　bwana　mukubwa；　hired　to　take　the　expedition　into　the　Congo。　He　had　led　expeditions　before：　oil　panies；　map…survey　parties；　timber…mining　teams；　and　geological　parties　like　this　one。　panies　sending　teams　into　the　field　wanted　someone　who　knew　local　customs　and　local　dialects　well　enough　to　handle　the　porters　and　arrange　the　travel。　Kruger　was　well　suited　for　this　job；　he　spoke　Kiswahili　as　well　as　Bantu　and　a　little　Bagindi；　and　he　had　been　to　the　Congo　many　times；　although　never　to　Virunga。
　Kruger　could　not　imagine　why　American　geologists　would　want　to　go　to　the　Virunga　region　of　Zaire；　in　the　northeast　corner　of　the　Congo　rain　forest。　Zaire　was　the　richest　country　in　black　Africa；　in　minerals…the　world's　largest　producer　of　cobalt　and　industrial　diamonds；　the　seventh　largest　producer　of　copper。　In　addition　there　were　major　deposits　of　gold；　tin；　zinc；　tungsten　and　uranium。　But　most　of　the　minerals　were　found　in　Shaba　and　Kasai；　not　in　Virunga。
　Kruger　knew　better　than　to　ask　why　the　Americans　wanted　to　go　to　Virunga；　and　in　any　case　he　had　his　answer　soon　enough。　Once　the　expedition　passed　Lake　Kivu　and　entered　the　rain　forest；　the　geologists　began　scouring　rivers　and　streambeds。　Searching　placer　deposits　meant　that　they　were　looking　for　gold；　or　diamonds。　It　turned　out　to　be　diamonds。
　But　not　just　any　diamonds。　The　geologists　were　after　what　they　called　Type　IIb　diamonds。　Each　new　sample　was　immediately　submitted　to　an　electrical　test。　The　resulting　conversations　were　beyond　Kruger…talk　of　dielectric　gaps；　lattice　ions；　resistively。　But　he　gathered　that　it　was　the　electrical　properties　of　the　diamonds　that　mattered。　Certainly　the　samples　were　useless　as　gemstones。