michael crichton.congo-第39节

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three　years　to　it。　Ross　expected　to　find　her　diamonds　in　three　days。
　According　to　the　ERTS　puter　simulation　the　best　way　to　do　this　was　to　draw　up　a　ground　plan　of　the　city。　With　a　plan　in　hand；　it　would　be　relatively　simple　to　deduce　mine　locations　from　the　arrangement　of　urban　structures。
　They　expected　a　usable　plan　of　the　city　within　six　hours。　Using　RF　transponders；　they　had　only　to　stand　in　each　of　the　four　corners　of　a　building；　pressing　the　radio　beeper　at　each　corner。　Back　in　camp；　two　widely　spaced　receivers　recorded　their　signals　so　that　their　puter　could　plot　them　in　two　dimensions。　But　the　ruins　were　extensive；　covering　more　than　three　square　kilometers。　A　radio　survey　would　separate　them　widely　in　dense　foliage…and；　considering　what　had　happened　to　the　previous　expedition；　this　seemed　unwise。
　Their　alternative　was　what　ERTS　called　the　non…systematic　Survey；　or　〃the　tiger…tail　approach。〃　（It　was　a　joke　at　ERTS　that　one　way　to　find　a　tiger　was　to　keep　walking　until　you　stepped　on　its　tail。）　They　moved　through　the　ruined　buildings；　avoiding　slithering　snakes　and　giant　spiders　that　scurried　into　dark　recesses。　The　spiders　were　the　size　of　a　man's　hand；　and　to　Ross's　astonishment　made　a　loud　clicking　noise。
　They　noticed　that　the　stonework　was　of　excellent　quality；　although　the　limestone　in　many　places　was　pitted　and　crumbling。　And　everywhere　they　saw　the　half…moon　curve　of　doors　and　windows；　which　seemed　to　be　a　cultural　design　motif。
　But　aside　from　that　curved　shape；　they　found　almost　nothing　distinctive　about　the　rooms　they　passed　through。　In　general；　the　rooms　were　rectangular　and　roughly　the　same　size；　the　walls　were　bare；　lacking　decoration。　After　so　many　intervening　centuries　they　found　no　artifacts　at　all…although　Elliot　finally　came　upon　a　pair　of　disc…shaped　stone　paddles；　which　they　presumed　had　been　used　to　grind　spices　or　grain。
　The　bland；　characterless　quality　of　the　city　grew　more　disturbing　as　they　continued；　it　was　also　inconvenient；　since　they　had　no　way　to　refer　to　one　place　or　another；　they　began　assigning　arbitrary　names　to　different　buildings。　When　Karen　Ross　found　a　series　of　cubby　holes　carved　into　the　wall　of　one　room；　she　announced　that　this　must　be　a　post　office；　and　from　then　on　it　was　referred　to　as　〃the　post　office。〃
　They　came　upon　a　row　of　small　rooms　with　postholes　for　wooden　bars。　Munro　thought　these　were　cells　of　a　jail；　but　the　cells　were　extremely　small。　Ross　said　that　perhaps　the　people　were　small；　or　perhaps　the　cells　were　intentionally　small　for　punishment。　Elliot　thought　perhaps　they　were　cages　for　a　zoo。　But　in　that　case；　why　were　all　the　cages　of　the　same　size？　And　Munro　pointed　out　there　was　no　provision　for　viewing　the　animals；　he　repeated　his　conviction　that　it　was　a　jail；　and　the　rooms　became　known　as　〃the　jail。〃
　Near　to。　the　jail　they　found　an　open　court　they　called　〃the　gymnasium。〃　It　was　apparently　an　athletic　field　or　training　ground。　There　were　four　tall　stone　stakes　with　a　crumbling　stone　ring　at　the　top；　evidently　these　had　been　used　for　some　kind　of　game　like　tetherball。　In　a　corner　of　the　court　stood　a　horizontal　overhead　bar；　like　a　jungle　gym；　no　more　than　five　feet　off　the　ground。　The　low　bar　led　Elliot　to　conclude　that　this　was　a　playground　for　children。　Ross　repeated　her　belief　that　the　people　were　small。　Munro　wondered　if　the　gymnasium　was　a　training　area　for　soldiers。
　As　they　continued　their　search；　they　were　all　aware　that　their　reactions　simply　mirrored　their　preoccupations。　The　city　was　so　neutral；　so　uninformative；　that　it　became　a　kind　of　Rorschach　for　them。　What　they　needed　was　objective　information　about　the　people　who　had　built　the　city；　and　their　life。
　
　
　
　
　It　was　there　all　along；　although　they　were　slow　to　realize　it。　In　many　rooms；　one　wall　or　another　was　overgrown　with　black…green　mold。　Munro　noticed　that　this　mold　did　not　grow　in　relation　to　light　from　a　window；　or　air　currents；　or　any　other　factor　they　could　identify。　In　some　rooms；　the　mold　grew　thickly　halfway　down　a　wall；　only　to　stop　in　a　sharp　horizontal　line；　as　if　cut　by　a　knife。
　〃Damn　strange；〃　Munro　said；　peering　at　the　mold；　rubbing　his　finger　against　it。　His　finger　came　away　with　traces　of　blue　paint。
　That　was　how　they　discovered　the　elaborate　bas…reliefs；　once　painted；　that　appeared　throughout　the　city。　However；　the　overgrowth　of　mold　on　the　irregular　carved　surface　and　the　pitting　of　the　limestone　made　any　interpretation　of　the　images　impossible。
　At　lunch；　Munro　mentioned　that　it　was　too　bad　they　hadn't　brought　along　a　group　of　art　historians　to　recover　the　bas…relief　images。　〃With　all　their　lights　and　machines；　they　could　see　what's　there　in　no　time；〃　he　said。
　The　most　recent　examination　techniques　for　artwork；　as　devised　by　Degusto　and　others；　employed　infrared　light　and　image　intensification；　and　the　Congo　expedition　had　the　necessary　equipment　to　contrive　such　a　method　on　the　spot。　At　least　it　was　worth　a　try。　After　lunch　they　returned　to　the　ruins；　lugging　in　the　video　camera；　one　of　the　infrared　night　lights；　and　the　tiny　puter　display　screen。
　After　an　hour　of　fiddling　they　had　worked　out　a　system。　By　shining　infrared　light　on　the　walls　and　recording　the　image　with　the　video　camera…and　then　feeding　that　image　via　Satellite　through　the　digitizing　puter　programs　in　Houston；　and　returning　it　back　to　their　portable　display　unit…they　were　able　to　reconstitute　the　pictures　on　the　walls。
　Seeing　the　bas…reliefs　in　this　way　reminded　Peter　Elliot　of　the　night　goggles。　If　you　looked　directly　at　the　walls；　you　saw　nothing　but　dark　moss　and　lichen　and　pitted　stone。　But　if　you　looked　at　the　little　puter　screen；　you　saw　the　original　painted　scenes；　vibrant　and　lifelike。　It　was；　he　remembered；　〃very　peculiar。　There　we　were　in　the　middle　of　the　jungle；　but　we　could　only　examine　our　environment　indirectly；　with　the　machines。　We　used　goggles　to　see　at　night；　arid　video　to　see　during　the　day。　We　were　using　machines　to　see　what　we　could　not　see　otherwise；　and　we　were　totally　dependent　on　them。〃
　He　also　found　it　odd　that　the　information　recorded　by　the　video　camera　had　to　travel　more　than　twenty　thousand　miles　before　returning　to　the　display　screen；　only　a　few　feet　away。　It　was；　he　said　later；　the　〃world's　longest　spinal　cord；〃　and　it　produced　an　odd　effect。　Even　at　the　speed　of　light；　the　transmission　required　a　tenth　of　a　second；　and　since　there　was　a　short　processing　time　in　the　Houston　puter；　the　images　did　not　appear　on　the　screen　instantaneously；　but　arrived　about　half　a　second　late。　The　delay　was　just　barely　noticeable。　The　scenes　they　saw　provided　them　with　their　first　insight　into　the　city　and　its　inhabitants。
　
　The　people　of　Zinj　were　relatively　tall　blacks；　with　round　beads　and　muscular　bodies；　in　appearance　they　resembled　the　Bantu…speaking　people　who　had　first　entered　the　Congo　from　the　highland　savannahs　to　the　north；　two　thousand　years　ago。　They　were　depicted　here　as　lively　and　energetic：　despite　the　climate；　they　favored　elaborately　decorated；　colorful　long　robes；　their　attitudes　and　gestures　were　expansive；　in　all　ways　they　contrasted　sharply　with　the　bland　and　crumbling　structures；　now　all　that　remained　of　their　civilization。
　The　first　decoded　frescoes　showed　marketplace　scenes：　sellers　squatted　on　the　ground　beside　beautiful　woven　baskets　containing　round　objects；　while　buyers　stood　and　bargained　with　them。　At　first　they　thought　the　round　objects　were　fruit；　but　Ross　decided　they　were　stones。
　〃Those　are　uncut　diamonds　in　a　surrounding　matrix；〃　she　said；　staring　at　the　screen。　〃They're　selling　diamonds。〃
　
　The　frescoes　led　them　to　consider　what　had　happened　to　the　inhabitants　of　the　city　of　Zinj；　for　the　city　was　clearly　abandoned；　not　destroyed…there　was　no　sign　of　war　or　invaders；　no　evidence　of　any　cataclysm　or　natural　disaster。
　Ross；　voicing　her　deepest　fears；　suspected　the　diamond　mines　had　given　out；　turning　this　city　into　a　ghost　town　like　so　many　other　mining　settlements　in　history。　Elliot　thought　that　a　plague　or　disease　had　overe　the　inhabitants。　Munro　said　he　thought　the　gorillas　were　responsible。
　〃Don't　laugh；〃　he　said。　〃This　is　a　volcanic　area。　Eruptions；　earthquakes；　drought；　fires　on　the　savannah…the　animals　go　berserk；　and　don't　behave　in　the　ordinary　way　at　all。〃
　〃Nature　on　the　rampage？〃　Elliot　asked；　shaking　his　head。　〃There　are　volcanic　eruptions　here　every　few　years；　and　we　know　this　city　existed　for　centuries。　It　can't　be　that。〃
　〃Maybe　there　was　a　palace　revolution；　a　coup。〃
　〃What　would　that　matter　to　gorillas？〃　Elliot　laughed。
　〃It　happens；〃　Munro　said。　〃In　Africa；　the　animals　always　get　strange　when　there's　a　war　on；　you　know。〃　He　then　told　them　stories　of　baboons　attacking　farmhouses　in　South　Africa　and　buses　in　Ethiopia。
　Elliot　was　unimpressed。　These　ideas　of　nature　mirroring　the　affairs　of　man　were　very　old…at　least　as　old　as　Aesop；　and　about　as　scientific。　〃The　natural　world　is　indifferent　to　man；〃　he　said。
　〃Oh；　no　question；〃　Munro　said；　〃but　there　isn't　much　natural　world　left。〃
　Elliot　was　reluctant　to　agree　with　Munro；　but。　in　fact　a　well…known　academic　thesis　argued　just　that。　In　1955；　the　French　anthropologist　Maurice　Cavalle　published　a　controversial　paper　en