thunter.fearloathinglasvegas-第28节

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　your　pockets　and　put　it　up　on　the　desk　and　then　strip　naked…with　everybody　watching　you。
　　〃I　only　had　about　twenty　bucks；　and　the　fine　for　vagrancy　was　twenty…five；　so　they　put　me　over　on　a　bench　with　the　peo　ple　who　were　going　to　jail。　Nobody　hassled　me。　It　was　like　an　assembly　line。
　　〃The　two　guys　right　behind　me　were　longhairs。　Acid　people。　They'd　been　picked　up　for　vagrancy；　too。　But　when　they　started　emptying　their　pockets；　the　whole　room　freaked。　Between　them；　they　had　130；000；　mostly　in　big　bills。　The　cops　couldn't　believe　it。　These　guys　just　kept　pulling　out　wads　of　money　and　dumping　it　up　there　on　the　desk…both　of　them　naked　and　kind　of　hunched　over；　not　saying　anything。
　　
　　〃The　cops　went　crazy　when　they　saw　all　that　money。　They　started　whispering　to　each　other；　shit；　there　was　no　way　they　could　hold　these　guys　for　'vagrancy。〃'　He　laughed。　〃So　they　charged　them　with　'suspicion　of　evasion　of　ine　taxes。'　〃They　took　us　all　to　jail；　and　these　two　guys　were　just　about　nuts。　They　were　dealers；　of　course；　and　they　had　their　stash　back　in　their　hotel　room…so　they　had　to　get　out　before　the　cops　found　out　where　they　were　staying。
　　〃They　offered　one　of　the　guards　a　hundred　bucks　to　go　out　and　get　the　best　lawyer　in　town。。。and　about　twenty　minutes　later　there　he　was；　yelling　about　habeas　corpus　and　that　kind　of　shit。。。hell；　I　tried　to　talk　to　him　myself；　but　this　guy　had　a　one…track　mind。　I　told　him　I　could　make　bail　and　even　pay　him　something　if　they'd　let　me　call　my　father　in　Chicago；　but　he　was　too　busy　hustling　for　these　other　guys。
　　〃About　two　hours　later　he　came　back　with　a　guard　and　said　'Let's　go。'　They　were　out。　One　of　the　guys　had　told　me；　while　they　were　waiting；　that　it　was　going　to　cost　them　30；000。。。and　I　guess　it　did；　but　what　the　hell？　That's　cheap；　pared　to　what　would　have　happened　If　they　hadn't　got　themselves　sprung。
　　〃They　finally　let　me　send　a　telegram　to　my　old　man　and　he　wired　me　125　bucks　。　。　。but　it　took　seven　or　eight　days。　I'm　not　sure　how　long　I　was　in　there；　because　the　place　didn't　have　any　windows　and　they　fed　us　every　twelve　hours。。。You　lose　track　of　time　when　you　can't　see　the　sun。　〃They　had　seventy…five　guys　in　each　cell…big　rooms　with　a　bowl　out　in　the　middle。　They　gave　you　a　pallet　when　came　in；　and　you　slept　wherever　you　wanted。　The　guy　next　to　me　had　been　in　there　for　thirty　years；　for　robbing　a　gas　station。
　　〃When　I　finally　got　out；　the　cop　on　the　desk　took　another　twenty…five　bucks　out　of　what　my　father　sent　me；　on　top　of　what　I　owed　for　the　vagrancy　fine。　What　could　I　say？　He　just　took　it。　Then　he　gave　me　the　other　75　and　said　they　had　a　cab　waiting　for　me　outside；　for　the　ride　to　the　airport。。。and　when　I　got　in　the　cab　the　driver　said；　'We're　not　making　any　stops；　fella；　and　you'd　better　not　move　until　we　get　to　the　terminal。'　〃I　didn't　move　a　goddamn　muscle。　He'd　have　shot　me。　I'm　sure　of　that。　I　went　straight　to　the　plane　and　I　didn't　say　a　word　to　anybody　until　I　knew　we　were　out　of　Nevada。　Man；　it's　one　place　I'll　never　go　back　to。〃
　　
　　　11。　Fraud？　Larcent？　Rape？。。。A　Brutal　Connection　with　the　Alice　from　Room　Service
　　
　　I　was　brooding　on　this　tale　as　I　eased　the　White　Whale　into　Flamingo　parking　lot。　Fifty　bucks　and　a　week　in　jail　for　standing　on　a　corner　and　acting　curious。。。
　　Jesus；　what　kind　of　incredible　penalties　would　they　spew　out　on　me？　I　eked　off　the　various　charges…but　in　skeleton；　legal…lan　re　form　they　didn't　seem　so　bad：　Rape？　We　could　surely　beat　that　one。　I'd　never　even　coveted　the　goddamn　girl；　much　less　put　my　hands　on　her　flesh。　Fraud？　Larceny？　I　could　always　offer　to　〃settle。〃　Pay　it　off。　Say　I　was　sent　out　here　by　Sports　Illustrated　and　then　drag　the　Time。　Inc。　lawyers　into　a　nightmare　lawsuit。　Tie　them　up　for　years　with　a　blizzard　of　writs　and　appeals。
　　Attach　all　their　assets　in　places　like　Juneau　and　Houston；　then　constantly　file　for　change　of　venue　to　Quito；　Nome　and　Aruba。。。keep　the　thing　moving；　run　them　in　circles；　force　them　into　conflict　with　the　accounting　department：
　　
　　TIME　SHEET　FOR　ABNER　H。　DODGE；
　　
　　CHIEF　COUNSEL　Item　44；066。12。。。　Special　outlay；　to　wit：　We　pursued　the　defendant；　R。　Duke；　throughtout　the　Western　Hemosphere　and　finally　brought　him　to　bay　in　a　village　on　the　north　shore　of　an　island　known　as　Culebra　in　the　Caribbean；　where　his　attorney　obtained　a　ruliong　that　all　further　proceedings　should　be　conducted　in　the　language　of　the　Carib　tribe。　We　sent　three　men　to　Berlitz　for　this　purpose；　but　nineteen　hours　before　the　date　scheduled　for　opening　arguments；　the　defendant　fled　to　Colombia；　where　he　established　residence　in　a　fishing　village　called　Guajira　near　the　Venezuelan　border；　where　the　official　language　of　jurisprudence　is　an　obscure　dialect　known　as　〃Guajiro。〃　After　many　monthe　we　were　able　to　establish　3urls…　diction　in　this　place；　but　by　that　time　the　defendant　had　moved　his　residence　to　a　virtually　inaccessible　port　at　the　headwaters　of　the　Amazon　River；　where　he　cultivated　powerful　connec　tions　with　a　tribe　of　headhunters　called　'〃Jibaros。〃　Our　stringer　in　Manaus　was　dispatched　upriver；　to　locate　and　hire　a　native　attorney　conversant　in　Jibaro；　but　the　search　has　been　hampered　by　serious　munications　problems。　There　is　in　fact　grave　concern；　in　our　Rio　office；　that　the　widow　of　the　aforementioned　Manaus　stringer　might　obtain　a　ruinous　judgment…due　to　bias　in　local　courts…far　larger　than　any　thing　a　jury　in　our　own　country　would　consider　reasonable　or　even　sane。
　　Indeed。　But　what　is　sane？　Especially　here　in　〃our　own　country〃…in　this　doomstruck　era　of　Nixon。　We　are　all　wired　into　a　survival　trip　now。　No　more　of　the　speed　that　fueled　the　Sixties。　Uppers　are　going　out　of　style。　This　was　the　fatal　flaw　in　Tim　Leary's　trip。　He　crashed　around　America　selling　〃con　sciousness　expansion〃　without　ever　giving　a　thought　to　the　grim　meat…hook　realities　that　were　lying　in　wait　for　all　the　people　who　took　him　too　seriously。　After　West　Point　and　the　Priesthood；　LSD　must　have　seemed　entirely　logical　to　him。。。but　there　is　not　much　satisfaction　in　knowing　that　he　blew　it　very　badiy　for　himself；　because　he　took　too　many　oth　ers　down　with　him。
　　Not　that　they　didn't　deserve　it：　No　doubt　they　all　Got　What　Was　ing　To　Them。　All　those　pathetically　eager　acid　freaks　who　thought　they　could　buy　Peace　and　Understanding　fot　three　bucks　a　hit。　But　their　failure　is　ours；　too。
　　
　　What　Leary　took　down　with　him　was　the　central　illusion　of　a　whole　life…style　that　he　helped　to　create。。。a　generation　of　permanent　cripples；　failed　seekers；　who　never　understood　the　essential　old…mystic　fallacy　of　the　Acid　Culture：　the　desperate　assumption　that　somebody…or　at　least　some　force…is　tending　that　Light　at　the　end　of　the　tunnel。
　　
　　This　is　the　same　cruel　and　paradoxically　benevolent　bullshit　has　kept　the　Catholic　Church　going　for　so　many　centuries。　It　is　also　the　military　ethic。。。a　blind　faith　in　some　higher　and　wiser　〃authority。〃　The　Pope；　The　General；　The　Prime　Minister　。　。　。　all　the　way　up　to　〃God。〃　One　of　the　crucial　moments　of　the　Sixties　came　on　that　day　when　the　Beatles　cast　their　lot　with　the　Maharishi。　It　was　like　Dylan　going　to　the　Vatican　to　kiss　the　Pope's　ring。
　　First　〃gurus。〃　Then；　when　that　didn't　work；　back　to　Jesus。　And　now；　following　Manson's　primitive/instinct　lead；　a　whole　new　wave　of　clan…type　mune　Gods　like　Mel　Lyman；　ruler　Avatar；　and　What's　His　Name　who　runs　〃Spirit　and　Flesh。〃　Barger　never　quite　got　the　hang　of　it；　but　he'll　never　iw　how　close　he　was　to　a　king…hell　breakthrough。　The　An…　blew　it　in　1965；　at　the　Oakland…Berkeley　line；　when　they　acted　on　Barger's　hardhat；　con…boss　instincts　and　attacked　the　front　ranks　of　an　anti…war　march。　This　proved　to　be　an　historic　schism　in　the　then　Rising　Tide　of　the　Youth　Movement　of　the　Sixties。　It　was　the　first　open　break　between　the　Greasers　and　the　Longhairs；　and　the　importance　of　that　break　can　be　read　in　the　history　of　SDS；　which　eventually　destroyed　in　the　doomed　effort　to　reconcile　the　interests　of　the　'working　class　biker/dropout　types　and　the　upper/mid　Berkeley/student　activists。
　　Nobody　involved　in　that　scene；　at　the　time；　could　possibly　have　foreseen　the　Implications　of　the　Ginsberg/Kesey　failure　to　pursuade　the　Hell's　Angels　to　join　forces　with　the　radical　Left　from　Berkeley。　The　final　split　came　at　Altamont；　four　years　later；　but　by　that　time　it　had　long　been　clear　to　everybody　except　a　handful　of　rock　industry　dopers　and　the　national　press。　The　orgy　of　violence　at　Altamont　merey　dramatized　the　problem。　The　realities　were　already　fixed；　the　illness　was　understood　to　be　terminal；　and　the　energies　of　The　Movement　were　long　since　aggressively　dissipated　by　the　rush　to　self…preservation。
　　Ah；　this　terrible　gibberish。　Grim　memories　and　bad　flash　backs；　looming　up　through　the　time/fog　of　Stanyan　Street。。。no　solace　for　refugees；　no　point　in　looking　back。　The　question；　as　always；　is　now　。。。？
　　I　was　slumped　on　my　bed　in　the　Flamingo；　feeling　dangerously　out　of　phase　with　my　surroundings。　Something　ugly　was　about　to　happen。　I　was　sure　of　it。　The　room　looked　like　the　site　of　some　disastrous　zoological　experiment　involving　whiskey　and　gorillas。　The　ten…foot　mirror　was　shattered；　but　still　hanging　together…bad　evidenc