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第33节

michael crichton.congo-第33节

小说: michael crichton.congo 字数: 每页4000字

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miles inland; at Kisangani; where the river was still …a mile wide; the Wagenia Cataract blocked all navigation。 And as one moved farther upriver along the fan of tributaries; the impediments became even more pronounced; for above Kisangani the tributaries were descending rapidly into the low jungle from their sources…the highland savannahs to the south; and the 16;000…foot snowcapped Ruwenzori Mountains to the east。
 The tributaries cut a series of gorges; the most striking of which was the Portes d'Enfer…the Gates of Hell…at Kongolo。 Here the placid Lualàba River funneled through a gorge half a mile deep and a hundred yards wide。
 The Ragora was a minor tributary of the Lualaba; which it joined near Kisangani。 The tribes along the river referred to it as baratawani; 〃the deceitful road;〃 for the Ragora was notoriously changeable。 Its principal feature was the Ragora Gorge; a limestone cut two hundred feet deep and in places only ten feet wide。 Depending on recent rainfall; the Ragora Gorge was either a pleasant scenic spectacle or a boiling whitewater nightmare。
 At Abutu; they were still fifteen miles upriver from the gorge; and conditions on the river told them nothing about conditions within the gorge。 Munro knew all that; but he did not feel it necessary to explain it to Elliot; particularly since at the moment Elliot was fully occupied with Amy。
 
 
 
 Amy had watched with growing uneasiness as Kahega's men inflated the two Zodiac rafts。 She tugged Elliot's sleeve and demanded to know What balloons?
 〃They're boats; Amy;〃 he said; although he sensed she had already figured that out; and was being euphemistic。 〃Boat〃 was a word she had learned with difficulty; since she disliked water; she had no interest in anything intended to ride upon it。
 Why boat? she asked。
 〃We ride boat now;〃 Elliot said。
 Indeed; Kahega's men were pushing the boats to the edge of the water; and loading the equipment on; lashing it to the rubber stanchions at the gunwales。 …
 Who ride? she asked。
 〃We all ride;〃 Elliot said。
 Amy watched a moment longer。 Unfortunately; everyone was nervous; Munro barking orders; the men working hastily。 As she had often shown; Amy was sensitive to the moods of those around her。 Elliot always remembered how she had insisted that something was wrong with Sarah Johnson for days before Sarah finally told the Project Amy staff that she had split up with her husband。 Now Elliot was certain that Amy sensed their apprehension。 Cross water in boat? she asked。
 〃No; Amy;〃 he said。 〃Not cross。 Ride boat。〃
 No; Amy signed; stiffening her back; tightening her shoulders。
 〃Amy;〃 he said; 〃we can't leave you here。〃
 She had a solution for that。 Other people go。 Peter stay Amy。
 〃I'm sorry; Amy;〃 he said。 〃I have to go。 You have to go。〃
 No; she signed。 Amy no go。
 〃Yes; Amy。〃 He went to his pack and got his syringe and a bottle of Thoralen。
 With her body stiff and angry; she tapped the underside of her chin with a clenched fist。
 〃Watch your language; Amy;〃 he warned her。
 Ross came over with orange life vests for him and Amy。
 〃Something wrong?〃
 〃She's swearing;〃 Elliot said。 〃Better leave us alone。〃 Ross took one look at Amy's tense; rigid body; and left hurriedly。
 Amy signed Peter's name; then tapped the underside of her chin again。 This was the Ameslan sign politely translated in scholarly reports as 〃dirty;〃 although it was most often employed by apes when they needed to go to the potty。 Primate investigators were under no illusions about what the animals really meant。 Amy was saying; Peter shiny。
 Nearly all language…skilled primates swore; and they employed a variety of words for swearing。 Sometimes the pejorative seemed to be chosen at random; 〃nut〃 or 〃bird〃
 or 〃wash。〃 But at least eight primates in different laboratories had independently settled on the clenched…fist sign to signify extreme displeasure。 The only reason this remarkable coincidence hadn't been written up was that no investigator was willing to try and explain it。 It seemed to prove that apes; like people; found bodily excretions suitable terms to express denigration and anger。
 Peter shitty。 she signed again。
 〃Amy。。 。〃 He doubled the Thoralen dose he was drawing into the syringe。
 Peter shiny boat shiny people shiny。
 〃Amy; cut it out。〃 He stiffened his own body and hunched over; imitating a gorilla's angry posture; that often made her back off; but this time it had no effect。
 Peter no like Amy。 Now she was sulking; turned away from him; signing to nobody。
 〃Don't be ridiculous;〃 Elliot said; approaching her with the syringe held ready。 〃Peter like Amy。〃
 She backed away and would not let him e close to her。 In the end he was forced to load the CO2 gun and shoot a dart into her chest。 He had only done this three or four times in all their years together。 She plucked out the dart with a sad expression。 Peter no like Amy。
 〃Sorry;〃 Peter Elliot said; and ran forward to catch her as her eyes rolled back and she collapsed into his arms。
 
 Amy lay on her back in the second boat at Elliot's feet; breathing shallowly。 Ahead; Elliot saw Munro standing in the first boat; leading the way as the Zodiacs slid silently downstream。
 Munro had divided the expedition into two rafts of six each; Munro went in the first; and Elliot; Ross; and Amy went in the second; under Kahega's mand。 As Munro put it; the second boat would 〃learn from our misfortunes。〃
 But for the first two hours on the Ragora; there were no misfortunes。 It was an extraordinarily peaceful experience to sit in the front of the boat and watch the jungle on both sides of the river glide past them in timeless; hypnotic silence。 It was idyllic; and very hot; Ross began to trail her hand over the side in the muddy water; until Kahega put a stop to it。
 〃Where there is water; there is always mambo;〃 he said。 Kahega pointed to the muddy 'banks; where crocodiles basked in the sunshine; indifferent to their approach。 Occasionally one of the huge reptiles yawned; lifting jagged jaws into the air; but for the most part they seemed sluggish; hardly noticing the boats。
 Elliot was secretly disappointed。 He had grown up on the jungle movies where the crocodiles slithered menacingly into the water at the first approach of boats。 〃Aren't they going to bother us?〃 he asked。
 〃Too hot;〃 Kahega said。 〃Mambo sleepy except at cool times; eat morning and night; not now。 In daytime; Kikuyu say mambo have joined army; one…two…three…four。〃 And he laughed。
 It took some explaining before it was clear that Kahega's tribesmen had noticed that during the day the crocodiles did pushups; periodically lifting their heavy bodies off the ground on their stubby legs in a movement that reminded Kahega of army calisthenics。
 〃What is Munro so worried about?〃 Elliot asked。 〃The crocodiles?〃
 〃No;〃 Kahega said。
 〃The Ragora Gorge?〃
 〃No;〃 Kahega said。
 〃Then what?〃
 〃After the gorge;〃 Kahega said。
 Now the Ragora twisted; and they came around a bend; and they heard the growing roar of the water。 Elliot felt the boat gathering speed; the water rippling along the rubber gunwales。 Kahega shouted; 〃Hold fast; Doctors!〃
 And they were into the gorge。
 
 Afterward; Elliot had only fragmented; kaleidoscopic impressions: the churning muddy water that boiled white in the sunlight; the erratic wrenching of his own boat; and the way Munro's boat up ahead seemed to reel and upend; yet miraculously remain upright。
 They were moving so fast it was hard to focus on the passing blur of craggy red canyon walls; bare rock except for sparse green clinging scrub; the hot humid air and the shockingly cold muddy water that smashed over them; drenching them time and again; the pure white surge of water boiling around the black protruding rocks; like the bald heads of drowned men。
 Everything was happening too fast。
 Ahead; Munro's boat was often lost from sight for minutes at a time; concealed by giant standing waves of leaping; roaring muddy water。 The roar echoed off the rock walls; reverberating; being a constant feature of their world; in the depths of the gorge; where the afternoon sun did not reach the narrow strip of dark water; the boats moved through a rushing; churning inferno; careening off rocky walls; spinning end around end; while the boatmen shouted and cursed and fended off the rock walls with paddles。
 Amy lay on her back; lashed to the side of the boat; and Elliot was in constant fear that she would drown from the muddy waves that crashed over the gunwales。 Not that Ross was doing much better; she kept repeating 〃Oh my God oh my God oh my God〃 over and over; in a low monotone; as the water smashed down on them in successive waves; soaking them to the skin。
 Other indignities were forced upon them by nature。 Even in the boiling; pounding heart of the gorge; black clouds of mosquitoes hung in the air; stinging them again and again。 Somehow it did not seem possible that there could be mosquitoes in the midst of the roaring chaos of the Ragora Gorge; but they were there。 The boats moved with gut…wrenching fury through the standing waves; and in the growing darkness the passengers baled out the boats and slapped at the mosquitoes with 

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