michael crichton.congo-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　Pearl　predicted　that　fieldwork　would　be　undertaken　before　1976；　but　in　fact　no　one　had　yet　done　it。　The　reason　was　that　on　closer　examination；　no　one　could　figure　out　quite　what　the　advantages　were…most　language…using　primates　were　as　baffled　by　wild　primates　as　human　beings　were。　Some；　like　the　chimpanzee　Arthur；　denied　any　association　with　their　own　kind；　referring　to　them　as　〃black　things。〃　（Amy；　who　had　been　taken　to　the　zoo　to　view　other　gorillas；　recognized　them　but　was　haughty；　calling　them　〃stupid　gorillas〃　once　she　found　that　when　she　signed　to　them；　they　did　not　reply。）
　Such　observations　led　another　researcher；　John　Bates；　to　say　in　1977　that　〃we　are　producing　an　educated　animal　elite　which　demonstrates　the　same　snobbish　aloofness　that　a　Ph。D。　shows　toward　a　truck　driver。　。　。　。　It　is　highly　unlikely　that　the　generation　of　language…using　primates　will　be　skillful　ambassadors　in　the　field。　They　are　simply　too　disdainful。〃
　But　the　truth　was　that　no　one　really　knew　what　would　happen　when　a　primate　was　taken　into　the　field。　Because　no　one　had　done　it：　Amy　would　be　the　first。
　At　eleven　o'clock；　the　ERTS　cargo　plane　taxied　down　the　runway　at　San　Francisco　International；　lifted　ponderously　into　the　air；　and　headed　east　through　the　darkness　toward
　Africa。
　
　DAY　3：　TANGIER
　June　15；1979
　
　1。Ground　Truth
　
　PETER　ELLIOT　HAD　KNOWN　AMY　SINCE　INFANCY。　He　prided　himself　on　his　ability　to　predict　her　responses；　although　he　had　only　known　her　in　a　laboratory　setting。　Now；　as　she　was　faced　with　new　situations；　her　behavior　surprised　him。
　Elliot　had　anticipated　Amy　would　be　terrified　of　the　takeoff；　and　had　prepared　a　syringe　with　Thoralen　tranquilizer。　But　sedation　proved　unnecessary。　Amy　watched　Jensen　and　Levine　buckle　their　seat　belts；　and　she　immediately　buckled　herself　in；　too；　she　seemed　to　regard　the　procedure　as　an　amusing；　if　simpleminded；　game。　And　although　her　eyes　widened　when　she　heard　the　full　mar　of　the　engines；　the　human　beings　around　her　did　not　seem　disturbed；　and　Amy　imitated　their　bored　indifference；　raising　her　eyebrows　and　sighing　at　the　tedium　of　it　all。
　Once　airborne；　however；　Amy　looked　out　the　window　and　immediately　panicked。　She　released　her　seat　belt　and　scurried　back　and　forth　across　the　passenger　partment；　moving　from　window　to　window；　knocking　people　aside　in　whimpering　terror　while　she　signed；　Where　ground　ground　where　ground？　Outside；　the　ground　was　black　and　indistinct。　Where　ground？　Elliot　shot　her　with　Thoralen　and　then　began　grooming　her；　sitting　her　down　and　plucking　at　her　hair。
　In　the　wild；　primates　devoted　several　hours　each　day　to　grooming　one　another；　removing　ticks　and　lice。　Grooming　behavior　was　important　in　ordering　the　group's　social　dominance　structure…there　was　a　pattern　by　which　animals　groomed　each　other；　and　with　what　frequency。　And；　like　back　rubs　for　people；　grooming　seemed　to　have　a　soothing；　calming　effect。　Within　minutes；　Amy　had　relaxed　enough　to　notice　that　the　others　were　drinking；　and　she　promptly　demanded　a　〃green　drop　drink〃…her　term　for　a　martini　with　an　olive…and　a　cigarette。　She　was　allowed　this　on　special　occasions　such　as　departmental　parties；　and　Elliot　now　gave　her　a　drink　and　a　cigarette。
　But　the　excitement　proved　too　much　for　her：　an　hour　later；　she　was　quietly　looking　out　the　window　and　signing　Nice　picture　to　herself　when　she　vomited。　She　apologized　abjectly；　Amy　sorry　Amy　mess　Amy　Amy　sorry。
　〃It's　all　right；　Amy；〃　Elliot　assured　her；　stroking　the　back　of　her　head。　Soon　afterward；　signing　Amy　sleep　now；　she　twisted　the　blankets　into　a　nest　on　the　floor　and　went　to　sleep；　snoring　loudly　through　her　broad　nostrils。　Lying　next　to　her；　Elliot　thought；　how　do　other　gorillas　get　to　sleep　with　this　racket？
　
　Elliot　had　his　own　reaction　to　the　journey。　When　he　had　first　met　Karen　Ross；　he　assumed　she　was　an　academic　like　himself。　But　this　enormous　airplane　filled　with　puterized　equipment；　the　acronymic　plexity　of　the　entire　operation　suggested　that　Earth　Resources　Technology　had　powerful　resources　behind　it；　perhaps　even　a　military　association。
　Karen　Ross　laughed。　〃We're　much　too　organized　to　be　military。〃　She　then　told　him　the　background　of　the　ERTS　interest　in　Virunga。　Like　the　Project　Amy　staff；　Karen　Ross　had　also　stumbled　upon　the　legend　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。　But　she　had　drawn　very　different　conclusions　from　the　story。
　During　the　last　three　hundred　years；　there　had　been　several　attempts　to　reach　the　lost　city。　In　1692；　John　Marley；　an　English　adventurer；　led　an　expedition　of　two　hundred　into　the　Congo；　it　was　never　heard　from　again。　In　1744；　a　Dutch　expedition　went　in；　in　1804；　another　British　party　led　by　a　Scottish　aristocrat；　Sir　James　Taggert；　approached　Virunga　from　the　north；　getting　as　far　as　the　Rawana　bend　of　the　Ubangi　River。　He　sent　an　advance　party　farther　south；　but　it　never　returned。
　In　1872；　Stanley　passed　near　the　Virunga　region　but　did　not　enter　it；　in　1899；　a　German　expedition　went　in；　losing　more　than　half　its　party。　A　privately　financed　Italian　expedition　disappeared　entirely　in　1911。　There　had　been　no　more　recent　searches　for　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　〃So　no　one　has　ever　found　it；〃　Elliot　said。
　Ross　shook　her　head。　〃I　think　several　expeditions　found　the　city；〃　she　said。　〃But　nobody　ever　got　back　out　again。〃
　
　Such　an　oute　was　not　necessarily　mysterious。　The　early　days　of　African　exploration　were　incredibly　hazardous。　Even　carefully　managed　expeditions　lost　half　of　their　party　or　more。　Those　who　did　not　succumb　to　malaria；　sleeping　sickness；　and　blackwater　fever　faced　rivers　teeming　with　crocodiles　and　hippos；　jungles　with　leopards　and　suspicious；　cannibalistic　natives。　And；　for　all　its　luxuriant　growth；　the　rain　forest　provided　little　edible　food；　a　number　of　expeditions　had　starved　to　death。
　〃I　began；〃　Ross　said　to　Elliot；　〃with　the　idea　that　the　city　existed；　after　all。　Assuming　it　existed；　where　would　I　find　it？〃
　The　Lost　City　of　Zinj　was　associated　with　diamond　mines；　and　diamonds　were　found　with　volcanoes。　This　led　Ross　to　look　along　the　Great　Rift　Valley…an　enormous　geological　fault　thirty　miles　wide；　which　sliced　vertically　up　the　eastern　third　of　the　continent　for　a　distance　of　fifteen　hundred　miles。　The　Rift　Valley　was　so　huge　that　its　existence　was　not　recognized　until　the　1890s；　when　a　geologist　named　Gregory　noticed　that　the　cliff　walls　thirty　miles　apart　were　posed　of　the　same　rocks。　In　modern　terms　the　Great　Rift　was　actually　an　abortive　attempt　to　form　an　ocean；　for　the　eastern　third　of　the　continent　had　begun　splitting　off　from　the　rest　of　the　African　land　mass　two　hundred　million　years　ago；　for　some　reason；　it　had　stopped　before　the　break　was　plete。
　On　a　map　the　Great　Rift　depression　was　marked　by　two　features：　a　series　of　thin　vertical　lakes…Malawi；　Tanganyika；　Kivu；　Mobutu…and　a　series　of　volcanoes；　including　the　only　active　volcanoes　in　Africa　at　Virunga。　Three　volcanoes　in　the　Virunga　chain　were　active：　Mukenko；　Mubuti；　and　Kanagarawi。　They　rose　11；000…　15；000　feet　above　the　Rift　Valley　to　the　east；　and　the　Congo　Basin　to　the　west。　Thus　Virunga　seemed　a　good　place　to　look　for　diamonds。　Her　next　step　was　to　investigate　the　ground　truth。
　〃What's　ground　truth？〃　Peter　asked。
　〃At　ERTS；　we　deal　mostly　in　remote　sensing；〃　she　explained。　〃Satellite　photographs；　aerial　run…bys；　radar　side　scans。　We　carry　millions　of　remote　images；　but　there's　no　substitute　for　ground　truth；　the　experience　of　a　team　actually　on　the　site；　finding　out　what's　there。　I　started　with　the　preliminary　expedition　we　sent　in　looking　for　gold。　They　found　diamonds　as　well。〃　She　punched　buttons　on　the　console；　and　the　screen　images　changed；　glowing　with　dozens　of　flashing　pinpoints　of　light。
　〃This　shows　the　placer　deposit　locations　in　streambeds　near　Virunga。　You　see　the　deposits　form　concentric　semicircles　leading　back　to　the　volcanoes。　The　obvious　conclusion　is　that　diamonds　were　eroded　from　the　slopes　of　the　Virunga　volcanoes；　and　washed　down　the　streams　to　their　present　locations。〃
　〃So　you　sent　in　a　party　to　look　for　the　source？〃
　〃Yes。〃　She　pointed　to　the　screen。　〃But　don't　be　deceived　by　what　you　see　here。　This　satellite　image　covers　fifty　thousand　square　kilometers　of　jungle。　Most　of　it　has　never　been　seen　by　white　men。　It's　hard　terrain；　with　visibility　limited　to　a　few　meters　in　any　direction。　An　expedition　could　search　that　area　for　years；　passing　within　two　hundred　meters　of　the　city　and　failing　to　see　it。　So　I　needed　to　narrow　the　search　sector。　I　decided　to　see　if　I　could　find　the　city。〃
　〃Find　the　city？　From　satellite　pictures？〃
　〃Yes；〃　she　said。　〃And　I　found　it。〃
　
　The　rain　forests　of　the　world　had　traditionally　frustrated　remote…sensing　technology。　The　great　jungle　trees　spread　an　impenetrable　canopy　of　vegetation；　concealing　whatever　lay　beneath。　In　aerial　or　satellite　pictures；　the　Congo　rain　forest　appeared　as　a　vast；　undulating　carpet　of　featureless　and　monotonous　green。　Even　large　features；　rivers　fifty　or　a　hundred　feet　wide；　were　hidden　beneath　this　leafy　canopy；　invisible　from　the　air。
　So　it　seemed　unlikely　she　would　find　any　evidence　for　a　lost　city　in　aerial　photographs。　But　Ross　had　a　different　idea：　she　would　utilize　the　very　vegetation　that　o