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第32节

michael crichton.congo-第32节

小说: michael crichton.congo 字数: 每页4000字

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rs。
 〃He says that the sick white man has some writing on his shirt pocket。 He's going to draw the writing for us。〃
 Ross glanced at her watch and sighed。
 The pygmy picked up a stick and drew large characters in the muddy earth at their feet。 He drew carefully; frowning in concentration as he reproduced the alien symbols: E R T S。
 〃Oh; God;〃 Ross said softly。
 
 
 The pygmies did not walk through the forest: they ran at a brisk trot; slipping through the forest vines and branches; dodging rain puddles and gnarled tree roots with deceptive ease。 Occasionally they glanced over their shoulders and giggled at the difficulties of the three white people who followed。
 For Elliot; it was a difficult pace…a succession of roots to stumble over; tree limbs to strike his head on; thorny vines to tear at his flesh。 He was gasping for breath; trying to keep up with the little men who padded effortlessly ahead of him。 Ross was doing no better than he; and even Munro; although surprisingly agile; showed signs of fatigue。
 Finally they came to a small stream and a sunlit clearing。
 The pygmies paused on the rocks; squatting and turning their
 faces up to the sun。 The white people collapsed; panting and gasping。 The pygmies seemed to find this hilarious; their laughter good…natured。
 The pygmies were the earliest human inhabitants of the Congo rain forest。 Their small size; distinctive manner; and deft agility had made them famous centuries before。 More than four thousand years ago; an Egyptian mander named Herkouf entered the great forest west of the Mountains of the Moon; there he found a race of tiny men who sang and danced to their god。 Herkoufs amazing report had the ring of fact; and Herodotus and later Aristotle insisted that these stories of the tiny men were true; and not fabulous。 The Dancers of God inevitably acquired mythical trappings as the centuries passed。
 As late as the seventeenth century; Europeans remained unsure whether tiny men with tails who had the power to fly through the trees; make themselves invisible; and kill elephants actually existed。 That skeletons of chimpanzees were sometimes mistaken for pygmy skeletons added to the confusion。 Colin Turnbull notes that many elements of the fable are actually true: the pounded…bark loincloths hang down and look like tails; the pygmies can blend into the forest and bee virtually invisible; and they have always hunted and killed elephants。
 The pygmies were laughing now as they got to their feet and padded off again。 Sighing; the white people struggled up and lumbered after them。 They ran for another half hour; never pausing or hesitating; and then Elliot smelled smoke and they came into a clearing beside a stream where the village was located。
 He saw ten low rounded huts no more than four feet high; arranged in a semicircle。 The villagers were all outside in the afternoon light; the women cleaning mushrooms and berries picked during the day; or cooking grubs and turtles on crackling fires; children tottered around; bothering the men who sat before their houses and smoked tobacco while the women worked。
 At Munro's signal; they waited at the edge of the camp until they were noticed; and then they were led in。 Their arrival provoked great interest; the children giggled and pointed; the men wanted tobacco from Munro and Elliot; the women touched Ross's blonde hair; and argued about it。 A little girl crawled between Ross's legs; peering up her trousers。 Munro explained that the women were uncertain whether Ross painted her hair; and the girl had taken it upon herself to settle the question of artifice。
 〃Tell them it's natural;〃 Ross said; blushing。
 Munro spoke briefly to the women。 〃I told them it was the color of your father's hair;〃 he told Ross。 〃But I'm not sure they believe it。〃 He gave Elliot cigarettes to pass out; one to each man; they were received with broad smiles and odd girlish giggles。
 Preliminaries concluded; they were taken to a newly constructed house at the far end of the village where the dead white man was said to be。 They found a filthy; bearded man of thirty; sitting cross…legged in the small doorway; staring outward。 After a moment Elliot realized the man was catatonic…he was not moving at all。
 〃Oh; my God;〃 Ross said。 〃It's Bob Driscoll。〃
 〃You know him?〃 Munro said。
 〃He was a geologist on the first Congo expedition。〃 She leaned close to him; waved her hand in front of his face。 〃Bobby; it's me; Karen。 Bobby; what happened to you?〃
 Driscoll did not respond; did not even blink。 He continued to stare forward。
 One of the pygmies offered an explanation to Munro。 〃He came into their camp four days ago;〃 Munro said。 〃He was wild and they had to restrain him。 They thought he had blackwater fever; so they made a house for him and gave him some medicines; and he was not wild anymore。 Now he lets them feed him; but he never speaks。 They think perhaps he was captured by General Muguru's men and tortured; or else he is agudu…a mute。〃
 Ross moved back in horror。
 〃I don't see what we can do for him;〃 Munro said。 〃Not in his condition。 Physically he's okay but。。。〃 He shook his head。
 〃I'll give Houston the location;〃 Ross said; 〃and they'll send help from Kinshasa。〃
 During all this; Driscoll never moved。 Elliot leaned forward to look at his eyes; and as he approached; Driscoll wrinkled his nose。 His body tensed。 He broke into a high…pitched wail…〃Ah…ah…ah…ah〃…like a man about to scream。
 Appalled; Elliot backed off; and Driscoll relaxed; falling silent again。 〃What the hell was that all about?〃
 One of the pygmies whispered to Munro。 〃He says;〃 Munro said; 〃that you smell like gorilla。〃
 
 3。 Ragora
 
 Two HOURS LATER; THEY WERE REUNITED WITH Kahega and the others; led by a pygmy guide across the rain forest south of Gabutu。 They were all sullen; unmunicative…and suffering from dysentery。
 The pygmies had insisted they stay for an early dinner; and Munro felt they had no choice but to accept。 The meal was mostly a slender wild potato called kitsombe; which looked like a shriveled asparagus; forest onions; called otsa; and modoke; wild manioc leaves; along with several kinds of mushrooms。 There were also small quantities of sour; tough turtle meat and occasional grasshoppers; caterpillars; worms; frogs; and snails。
 This diet actually contained twice as much protein by weight as beefsteak; but it did not sit well on unaccustomed stomachs。 Nor was the news around the campfire likely to improve their spirits。
 According to the pygmies; General Muguru's men had established a supply camp up at the Makran escarpment; which was where Munro was headed。 It seemed wise to avoid the troops。 Munro explained there was no Swahili word for chivalry or sportsmanship; and the same was true of the Congolese variant; Lingala。 〃In this part of the world; it's kill or be killed。 We'd best stay away。〃
 Their only alternate mute took them west; to the Ragora River。 Munro frowned at his map; and Ross frowned at her puter console。
 〃What's wrong with the Ragora River?〃 Elliot asked。
 〃Maybe nothing;〃 Munro said。 〃Depends on how hard it's mined lately。〃
 Ross glanced at her watch。 〃We're now twelve hours behind;〃 she said。 〃The only thing we can do is continue straight through the night on the river。〃
 〃I'd do that anyway;〃 Munro said。
 Ross had never heard of an expedition guide leading a party through a wilderness area at night。 〃You would? Why?〃
 〃Because;〃 Munro said; 〃the obstacles on the lower river will be much easier at night。〃
 〃What obstacles?〃
 〃We'll discuss them when we e to them;〃 Munro said。
 A mile before they reached the Ragora; they heard the distant mar of powerful water。 Amy was immediately anxious; signing What water? again and again。 Elliot tried to reassure her; but he was not inclined to do much; Amy was going to have to put up with the river; despite her fears。
 But when they got to the Ragora they found that the sound came from tumbling cataracts somewhere upstream; directly before them; the river was fifty feet wide and a placid muddy brown。
 〃Doesn't look too bad;〃 Elliot said。
 〃No;〃 Munro said; 〃it doesn't。〃
 But Munro understood about the Congo。 The fourth largest river in the world (after the Nile; the Amazon; and the Yangize) was unique in many ways。 It twisted like a giant snake across the face of Africa; twice crossing the equator… the first time going north; toward Kisangani; and later going south; at Mbandaka。 This fact was so remarkable that even a hundred years ago geographers did not believe it was true。
 Because the Congo flowed both north and south of the equator; there was always a rainy season somewhere along its path; the river was not subject to the seasonal fluctuations that characterized rivers such as the Nile。 The Congo poured a steady 1;500;000 cubic feet of water every second into the Atlantic Ocean; a flow greater than any river except the Amazon。
 But this tortuous course also made the Congo the least navigable of the great rivers。 Serious disruptions began with the rapids of Stanley Pool; three hundred miles from the Atlantic。 Two thousand miles inland; at Kisangani; where the river was still …a mile wide; the Wagenia Cataract blocked all

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