michael crichton.congo-第10节

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owing。　For　the　past　several　days；　he　had　avoided　Peter　Elliot　and　his　staff。
　Elliot　went　into　his　office。
　〃Well；　Peter　my　boy；〃　Weldon　said；　reaching　out　to　give　his　version　of　a　hearty　handshake。　〃You're　in　early。〃
　Elliot　was　instantly　wary。　〃I　thought　I'd　beat　the　crowds；〃　he　said。　The　picketers　did　not　show　up　until　ten　o'clock；　sometimes　later；　depending　on　when　they　had　arranged　to　meet　the　TV　news　crews。　That　was　how　it　worked　these　days：
　protest　by　appointment。
　〃They're　not　ing　anymore。〃　Weldon　smiled。
　He　handed　Elliot　the　late　city　edition　of　the　Chronicle；　a　front…page　story　circled　in　black　pen。　Eleanor　Vries　had　resigned　her　position　as　regional　director　of　the　PPA；　pleading　overwork　and　personal　pressures；　a　statement　from　the　PPA　in　New　York　indicated　that　they　had　seriously　misconstrued　the　nature　and　content　of　Elliot's　research。
　〃Meaning　what？〃　Elliot　asked。
　〃Belli's　office　reviewed　your　paper　and　Vries's　public　statements　about　torture；　and　decided　that　the　PPA　was　exposed　to　a　major　libel　suit；〃　Weldon　said。　〃The　New　York　office　is　terrified。　They'll　be　making　overtures　to　you　later　today。　Personally；　I　hope　you'll　be　understanding。〃
　Elliot　dropped　into　his　chair。　〃What　about　the　faculty　meeting　next　week？〃
　〃Oh；　that's　essential；〃　Weldon　said。　〃There's　no　question　that　the　faculty　will　want　to　discuss　unethical　conduct…on　the　part　of　the　media；　and　issue　a　strong　statement　in　your　support。　I'm　drawing　up　a　statement　now；　to　e　from　my　office。〃
　The　irony　of　this　was　not　lost　on　Elliot。　〃You　sure　you　want　to　go　out　on　a　limb？〃　he　asked；
　〃I'm　behind　you　one　thousand　percent；　I　hope　you　know　that；〃　Weldon　said。　Weldon　was　restless；　pacing　around　the　office；　staring　at　the　walls；　which　were　covered　with　Amy's　finger　paintings。　Windy　had　something　further　on　his　mind。　〃She's　still　making　these　same　pictures？〃　he　asked；　finally。
　〃Yes；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃And　you　still　have　no　idea　what　they　mean？〃
　Elliot　paused；　at　best　it　was　premature　to　tell　Weldon　what　they　thought　the　pictures　meant。　〃No　idea；〃　he　said。
　〃Are　you　sure？〃　Weldon　asked；　frowning。　〃I　think　somebody　knows　what　they　mean。〃
　〃Why　is　that？〃
　〃Something　very　strange　has　happened；〃　Weldon　said。　〃Someone　has　offered　to　buy　Amy。〃
　〃To　buy　her？　What　are　you　talking　about；　to　buy　her？〃
　〃A　lawyer　in　Los　Angeles　called　my　office　yesterday　and　offered　to　buy　her　for　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars。〃
　〃It　must　be　some　rich　do…gooder；〃　Elliot　said；　〃trying　to　save　Amy　from　torture。〃
　〃I　don't　think　so；〃　Weldon　said。　〃For　one　thing；　the　otter　came　from　Japan。　Someone　named　Morikawa…he's　in　electronics　in　Tokyo。　I　found　that　out　when　the　lawyer　called　back　this　morning；　to　increase　his　offer　to　two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars。〃
　〃Two　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars？〃　Elliot　said。　〃For　Amy？〃　Of　course　it　was　out　of　the　question。　He　would　never　sell　her。　But　why　would　anyone　offer　so　much　money？
　Weldon　had　an　answer。　〃This　kind　of　money；　a　quarter　of　a　million　dollars；　can　only　be　ing　from　private　enterprise。　Industry。　Clearly；　Morikawa　has　read　about　your　work　and　found　a　use　for　speaking　primates　in　an　industrial　context。〃　Windy　stared　at　the　ceiling；　a　sure　sign　he　was　about　to　wax　eloquent。　〃I　think　a　new　field　might　be　opening　up　here；　the　training　of　primates　for　industrial　applications　in　the　real　world。〃
　Peter　Elliot　swore。　He　was　not　teaching　Amy　language　in　order　to　put　a　hard　hat　on　her　head　and　a　lunch　pail　in　her　hand；　and　he　said　so。
　〃You're　not　thinking　it　through；〃　Weldon　said。　〃What　if　we　are　on　the　verge　of　a　new　field　of　applied　behavior　for　the　great　apes？　Think　what　it　means。　Not　only　funding　to　the　Department；　and　an　opportunity　for　applied　research。　Most　important；　there　would　be　a　reason　to　keep　these　animals　alive。　You　know　that　the　great　apes　are　being　extinct。
　The　chimps　in　Africa　are　greatly　reduced　in　number。　The　orangs　of　Borneo　are　losing　their　natural　habitat　to　the　timber　cutters　and　will　be　extinct　in　ten　years。　The　gorilla　is　down　to　three　thousand　in　the　central　African　forests。　These　animals　will　all　disappear　in　our　lifetime…unless　there　is　a　reason　to　keep　them　alive；　as　a　species。　You　may　provide　that　reason；　Peter　my　boy。　Think　about　it。〃
　
　Elliot　did　think　about　it；　and　he　discussed　it　at　the　Project　Amy　staff　meeting　at　ten　o'clock。　They　considered　possible　industrial　applications　for　apes；　and　possible　advantages　to　employers；　such　as　the　lack　of　unions　and　fringe　benefits。　In　the　late　twentieth　century；　these　were　major　considerations。　（In　1978；　for　each　new　automobile　that　rolled　off　the　Detroit　assembly　lines；　the　cost　of　worker　health　benefits　exceeded　the　cost　of　all　the　steel　used　to　build　the　car。）
　But　they　concluded　that　a　vision　of　〃industrialized　apes〃
　was　wildly　fanciful。　An　ape　like　Amy　was　not　a　cheap　and　stupid　version　of　a　human　worker。　Quite　the　opposite：　Amy　was　a　highly　intelligent　and　plex　creature　out　of　her　element　in　the　modern　industrial　world。　She　demanded　a　great　deal　of　supervision；　she　was　whimsical　and　unreliable；　and　her　health　was　always　at　risk。　It　simply　didn't　make　sense　to　use　her　in　industry。　If　Morikawa　had　visions　of　apes　wielding　soldering　irons　on　a　microelectronic　assembly　line；　building　TVs　and　hi…fl　sets；　he　was　sorely　misinformed。
　The　only　note　of　caution　came　from　Bergman；　the　child　psychologist。　〃A　quarter　of　a　million　is　a　lot　of　money；〃　he　said；　〃and　Mr。　Morikawa　is　probably　no　fool。　He　must　have　learned　about　Amy　through　her　drawings；　which　imply　she　is　neurotic　and　difficult。　If　he's　interested　in　her；　I'd　bet　it's　because　of　her　drawings。　But　I　can't　imagine　why　those　drawings　should　be　worth　a　quarter　of　a　million　dollars。〃
　Neither　could　anyone　else；　and　the　discussion　turned　to　the　drawings　themselves；　and　the　newly　translated　texts。　Sarah　Johnson；　in　charge　of　research；　started　out　with　the　flat　ment　〃I　have　bad　news　about　the　Congo。〃*
　For　most　of　recorded　history；　she　explained；　nothing　was
　
　*Johnson's　principal　reference　was　the　definitive　work　by　A。　J。　Parkinson。　The　Congo　Delta　in　Myth　and　History　（London；　Peters。　1904）。
　
　known　about　the　Congo。　The　ancient　Egyptians　on　the　upper　Nile　knew　only　that　their　river　originated　far　to　the　south；　in　a　region　they　called　the　Land　of　Trees。　This　was　a　mysterious　place　with　forests　so　dense　they　were　as　dark　as　night　in　the　middle　of　the　day。　Strange　creatures　inhabited　this　perpetual　gloom；　including　little　men　with　tails；　and　animals　half　black　and　half　white。
　For　nearly　four　thousand　years　afterward；　nothing　more　substantial　was　learned　about　the　interior　of　Africa。　The　Arabs　came　to　East　Africa　in　the　seventh　century　A。D。；　in　search　of　gold；　ivory；　spices；　and　slaves。　But　the　Arabs　were　merchant　seamen　and　did　not　venture　inland。　They　called　the　interior　Zinj…the　Land　of　the　Blacks…a　region　of　fable　and　fantasy。　There　were　stories　of　vast　forests　and　tiny　men　with　tails；　stories　of　mountains　that　spewed　fire　and　turned　the　sky　black；　stories　of　native　villages　overwhelmed　by　monkeys；　which　would　have　congress　with　the　women；　stories　of　great　giants　with　hairy　bodies　and　flat　noses；　stories　of　creatures　half　leopard；　half　man；　stories　of　native　markets　where　the　fattened　carcasses　of　men　were　butchered　and　sold　as　a　delicacy。
　Such　stories　were　sufficiently　forbidding　to　keep　the　Arabs　on　the　coast；　despite　other　stories　equally　alluring：　mountains　of　shimmering　gold；　riverbeds　gleaming　with　diamonds；　animals　that　spoke　the　language　of　men；　great　jungle　civilizations　of　unimaginable　splendor。　In　particular；　one　story　was　repeated　again　and　again　in　early　accounts：　the　story　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　According　to　legend；　a　city　known　to　the　Hebrews　of　Solomonic　times　had　been　a　source　of　inconceivable　wealth　in　diamonds。　The　caravan　route　to　the　city　had　been　jealously　guarded；　passed　from　father　to　son；　as　a　sacred　trust　for　generation　after　generation。　But　the　diamond　mines　were　exhausted　and　the　city　itself　now　lay　in　crumbling　ruins；　somewhere　in　the　dark　heart　of　Africa。　The　arduous　caravan　routes　were　long　since　swallowed　up　by　jungle；　and　the　last　trader　who　remembered　the　way　had　carried　his　secret　with　him　to　the　grave　many　hundreds　of　years　before。
　This　mysterious　and　alluring　place　the　Arabs　called　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。　*　Yet　despite　its　enduring　fame；　Johnson　could　find　few　detailed　descriptions　of　the　city。　In　1187　Ibn　Baratu；　an　Arab　in　Mombasa；　recorded　that　〃the　natives　of　the　region　tell。　。　。　of　a　lost　city　far　inland；　called　Zinj。　There　the　inhabitants；　who　are　black；　once　lived　in　wealth　and　luxury；　and　even　the　slaves　decorated　themselves　with　jewels　and　especially　blue　diamonds；　for　a　great　store　of　diamonds　is　there。〃
　In　1292；　a　Persian　named　Mohammed　Zaid　stated　that　〃a　large　＇the　size＇　diamond　of　a　man's　clenched　fist　。　。　was　exhibited　on　the　streets　of　Zanzibar；　and　all　said　it　had　e　from　the　interior；　where　the　ruins　of　a　city　called　Zinj　may　be　found；　and　it　is　here　that　such　diamonds　may　be　found　in　profusion；　scattered　upon　the　ground　and　also　in　rivers　　　　　
　In　1334；　another　Arab；　Ibn　Mohammed；　stated　that　〃our　number　made　arrangements　to　seek　out　the　city　of　Zinj；　but　quitted　ou