michael crichton.congo-第38节

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　Amy　signed；　Better　now。
　With　one　hand；　Ross　rummaged　through　the　electronics　equipment　in　the　center　of　the　units　in　the　camp；　while　with　the　other　she　held　her　nose　against　the　stench。
　Kahega　said；　〃I'll　see　if　they　have　guns；　Doctor；〃　and　he；　too；　moved　into　the　camp。　Hesitantly；　the　other　porters　followed　him。
　Alone；　Elliot　remained　with　Amy。　She　impassively　surveyed　the　destruction；　although　she　reached　up　and　took　his　hand。　He　signed；　Amy　what　happened　this　place？
　Amy　signed；　Things　e。
　What　things？
　Bad　things。
　What　things？
　Bad　things　e　things　e　bad。
　What　things？
　Bad　things。
　Obviously　he　would　get　nowhere　with　this　line　of　questioning。　He　told　her　to　remain　outside　the　camp；　and　went　in　himself；　moving　among　the　bodies　and　the　buzzing　flies。
　Ross　said；　〃Anybody　find　the　leader？〃
　Across　the　camp；　Munro　said；　〃Menard。〃
　〃Out　of　Kinshasa？〃
　Munro　nodded。　〃Yeah。〃
　〃Who's　Menard？〃　Elliot　asked。
　〃He's　got　a　good　reputation；　knows　the　Congo。〃　Ross　picked　her　way　through　the　debris。　〃But　he　wasn't　good　enough。〃　A　moment　later　she　paused。
　Elliot　went　over　to　her。　She　stared　at　a　body　lying　face　down　on　the　ground。
　〃Don't　turn　it　over；〃　she　said。　〃It's　Richter。〃　Elliot　did　not　understand　how　she　could　be　sure。　The　body　was　covered　with　black　flies。　He　bent　over。
　〃Don't　touch　him！〃
　〃Okay；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃Kahega；〃　Munro　shouted；　raising　a　green　plastic　twenty…liter　can。　The　can　sloshed　with　liquid　in　his　hand。　〃Let's　get　this　done。〃
　Kahega　and　his　men　moved　swiftly；　splashing　kerosene　over　the　tents　and　dead　bodies。　Elliot　smelled　the　sharp　odor。
　Ross；　crouched　under　a　torn　nylon　supply　tent；　shouted；　〃Give　me　a　minute！〃
　〃Take　all　the　time　you　want；〃　Munro　said。　He　turned　to　Elliot；　who　was　watching　Amy　outside　the　camp。
　Amy　was　signing　to　herself：　People　bad。　No　believe　people　bad　things　e。
　〃She　seems　very　calm　about　it；〃　Munro　said。
　〃Not　really；〃　Elliot　said。　〃I　think　she　knows　what　took　place　here。〃
　〃I　'hope　she'll　tell　us；〃　Munro　said。　〃Because　all　these　men　died　in　the　same　way。　Their　skulls　were　crushed。〃
　
　The　flames　from　the　consortium　camp　licked　upward　into　the　air；　and　the　black　smoke　bellowed　as　the　expedition　moved　onward　through　the　jungle。　Ross　was　silent；　lost　in　thought。　Elliot　said；　〃What　did　you　find？〃
　〃Nothing　good；〃　she　said。　〃They　had　a　perfectly　adequate　peripheral　system；　quite　similar　to　our　ADP…animal　defense　perimeter。　Those　cones　I　found　are　audio…sensing　units；　and　when　they　pick　up　a　signal；　they　emit　an　ultrahigh…frequency　signal　that　is　very　painful　to　auditory　systems。　Doesn't　work　for　reptiles；　but　it's　damn　effective　on　mammalian　systems。　Send…a　wolf　or　a　leopard　running　for　the　hills。〃
　〃But　it　didn't　work　here；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃No；〃　Ross　said。　〃And　it　didn't　bother　Amy　very　much。〃　Elliot　said；　〃What　does　it　do　to　human　auditory　systems？〃
　〃You　felt　it。　It's　annoying；　but　that's　all。〃　She　glanced　at　Elliot。　〃But　there　aren't　any　human　beings　in　this　part　of　the　Congo。　Except　us。〃
　Munro　asked；　〃Can　we　make　a　better　perimeter　defense？〃
　〃Damn　right　we　can；〃　Ross　said。　〃I'll　give　you　the　next　generation　perimeter…it'll　stop　anything　except　elephants　and　rhinos。〃　But　she　didn't　sound　convinced。
　Late　in　the　afternoon；　they　came　upon　the　remains　of　the　first　ERTS　Congo　camp。　They　nearly　missed　it；　for　during　the　intervening　eight　days　the　jungle　vines　and　creepers　had　already　begun　to　grow　back　over　it；　obliterating　all　traces。　There　was　not　much　left…a　few　shreds　of　orange　nylon；　a　dented　aluminum　cooking　pan；　the　crushed　tripod；　and　the　broken　video　camera；　its　green　circuit　boards　scattered　across　the　ground。　They　found　no　bodies；　and　since　the　light　was　fading　they　pressed　on。
　Amy　was　distinctly　agitated；　She　signed；　No　go。
　Peter　Elliot　paid　no　attention。
　Bad　place　old　place　no　go。
　〃We　go；　Amy；〃　he　said。
　Fifteen　minutes　later　they　came　to　a　break　in　the　overhanging　trees。　Looking　up；　they　saw　the　dark　cone　of　Mukenko　rising　above　the　forest；　and　the　faint　crossed　green　beams　of　the　lasers　glinting　in　the　humid　air。　And　directly　beneath　the　beams　were　the　moss…covered　stone　blocks；　half　concealed　in　jungle　foliage；　of　the　Lost　City　of　Zinj。
　Elliot　turned　to　look　at　Amy。
　Amy　was　gone。
　
　4。　WEIRD
　
　HE　COULD　NOT　BELIEVE　IT。
　At　first　he　thought　she　was　just　punishing　him；　running　off　to　make　him　sorry　for　shooting　the　dart　at　her　on　the　river。　He　explained　to　Munro　and　Ross　that　she　was　capable　of　such　things；　and　they　spent　the　next　half　hour　wandering　through　the　jungle；　calling　her　name。　But　there　was　no　response；　just　the　eternal　silence　of　the　rain　forest。　The　half　hour　became　an　hour；　then　almost　two　hours。
　Elliot　was　panic…stricken。
　When　she　still　did　not　emerge　from　the　foliage；　another　possibility　had　to　be　considered。　〃Maybe　she　ran　off　with　the　last　group　of　gorillas；〃　Munro　said。
　〃Impossible；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃She's　seven；　she's　near　maturity。〃　Munro　shrugged。
　〃She　is　a　gorilla。〃 …
　〃Impossible；〃　Elliot　insisted。
　But　he　knew　what　Munro　was　saying。　Inevitably；　people　who　raised　apes　found　at　a　certain　point　they　could　no　longer　keep　them。　With　maturity　the　animals　became　too　large；　too　powerful；　too　much　their　own　species　to　be　controllable。　It　was　no　longer　possible　to　put　them　in　diapers　and　pretend　they　were　cute　humanlike　creatures。　Their　genes　coded　inevitable　differences　that　ultimately　became　impossible　to　overlook。
　〃Gorilla　troops　aren't　closed；〃　Munro　reminded　him。　〃They　accept　strangers；　particularly　female　strangers。〃
　〃She　wouldn't　do　that；〃　Elliot　insisted。　〃She　couldn't。〃
　Amy　had　been　raised　from　infancy　among　human　beings。　She　was　much　more　familiar　with　the　Westernized　world　of　freeways　and　drive…ins　than　she　was　with　the　jungle。　If　Elliot　drove　his　car　past　her　favorite　drive…in；　she　was　quick　to　tap　his　shoulder　and　point　out　his　error。　What　did　she　know　of　the　jungle？　It　was　as　alien　to　her　as　it　was　to　Elliot　himself。　And　not　only　that…　〃We'd　better　make　camp；〃　Ross　said；　glancing　at　her　watch。　〃She'll　e　back…if　she　wants　to。　After　all；〃　she　said；　〃we　didn't　leave　her。　She　left　us。〃
　
　They　had　brought　a　bottle　of　Dom　Perignon　champagne　but　nobody　was　in　a　mood　to　celebrate。　Elliot　was　remorseful　over　the　loss　of　Amy；　the　others　were　horrified　by　what　they　had　seen　of　the　earlier　camp；　with　night　rapidly　falling；　there　was　much　to　do　to　setup　the　ERTS　system　known　as　WEIRD　（Wilderness　Environmental　Intruder　Response　Defenses）。
　The　exotic　WEIRD　technology　recognized　the　fact　that　perimeter　defenses　were　traditional　throughout　the　history　of　Congo　exploration。　More　than　a　century　before；　Stanley　observed　that　〃no　camp　is　to　be　considered　plete　until　it　is　fenced　around　by　bush　or　trees。〃　In　the　years　since　there　was　little　reason　to　alter　the　essential　nature　of　that　instruction。
　But　defensive　technology　had　changed；　and　the　WEIRD　system　incorporated　all　the　latest　innovations。
　Kahega　and　his　men　inflated　the　silvered　Mylar　tents；　arranging　them　close　together。　Ross　directed　the　placement　of　the　tubular　infrared　night　lights　on　telescoping　tripods。　These　were　positioned　shining　outward　around　the　camp。
　Next　the　perimeter　fence　was　installed。　This　was　a　lightweight　metalloid　mesh；　more　like　cloth　than　wire。　Attached　to　stakes；　it　pletely　enclosed　the　campsite；　and　when　hooked　to　the　transformer　carried　10；000　volts　of　electrical　current。　To　reduce　drain　on　the　fuel　cells；　the　current　was　pulsed　at　four　cycles　a　second；　creating　a　throbbing；　intermittent　hum。
　Dinner　on　the　night　of　June　20　was　rice　with　rehydrated　Creole　shrimp　sauce。　The　shrimps　did　not　rehydrate　well；　remaining　little　cardboard…tasting　chunks　in　the　mix；　but　nobody　plained　about　this　failure　of　twentieth…century　technology　as　they　glanced　around　them　at　the　deepening　jungle　darkness。
　Munro　positioned　the　sentries。　They　would　stand　…four…hour　watches；　Munro　announced　that　he；　Kahega；　and　Elliot　would　take　the　first　watch。
　
　With　night　goggles　in　place；　the　sentries　looked　like　mysterious　grasshoppers　peering　out　at　the　jungle。　The　night　goggles　intensified　ambient　light　and　overlaid　this　on　the　preexisting　imagery；　rimming　it　in　ghostly　green。　Elliot　found　the　goggles　heavy；　and　the　electronic　view　through　them　difficult　to　adjust　to。　He　pulled　them　off　after　several　minutes；　and　was　astonished　to　see　that　the　jungle　was　inky　black　around　him。　He　put　them　back　on　hastily。
　The　night　passed　quietly；　without　incident。
　
　DAY　9：　ZINJ
　June　21；　1979
　
　1。Tiger　Tail
　
　THEIR　ENTRANCE　INTO　THE　LOST　CITY　OF　ZINJ　ON　the　morning　of　June　21　was　acplished　with　none　of　the　mystery　and　romance　of　nineteenth…century　accounts　of　similar　journeys。　These　twentieth…century　explorers　sweated　and　grunted　under　a　burdensome　load　of　technical　equipment…　optical　range　finders；　data…lock　passes；　RF　directionals　with　attached　transmitters；　and　microwave　transponders…all　deemed　essential　to　the　modem　high…speed　evaluation　of　a　ruined　archaeological　site。
　They　were　only　interested　in　diamonds。　Schliemann　had　been　only　interested　in　gold　when　he　excavated　Troy；　and　he　had　devoted　three　years　to　it。　Ross　expected　to　find　her　diamonds　in　three　da