gs.earthabides-第65节

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o　pressure；　when　nearlv　all　the　diseases　seemed　to　have　died　out。　
　　That　fact；　when　he　thought　of　it；　sometimes　even　made　the　Great　Disaster　seem　beneficent…a　magnificent　wiping　off　of　the　state　which　allowed　man　as　a　species　to　escape　from　most　Of　the　aches　and　pains　he　had　been　accumulating　for　so　many　centuries；　and　start　anew。　Originally　each　little　isolated　tribe　must　have　developed　and　maintained　its　own　special　infections。　If　the　evidence　had　been　available；　the　anthropologists　would　probably　have　said　that　the　Neanderthal　men　could　be　identified　as　well　by　their　own　special　parasites　as　by　their　own　special　ways　of　chipping　flint。　In　archeology；　when　you　found　one　culture　just　on　top　of　another　one；　you　assumed　that　Tribe　B　had　wiped　out　Tribe　A。　So　doubtless　it　had。　But　its　weapons　had　probably　been　stronger　parasites　more　often　than　longer　spears。　
　　As　he　thought；　he　grew　more　alarmed。　Although　less　than　half　an　hour　had　passed；　he　went　upstairs；　and　looked　in　at　Bob。　Evening　had　e；　and　Bob　lay　quietly　in　the　half…dark　room。　Ish　did　not　want　to　disturb　him；　and　so　went　downstairs　again。　
　　He　sat　in　a　big　chair　and　smoked。　He　would　have　liked　to　talk　the　matter　over　with　someone；　but　Em　did　not　have　the　background；　and　Joey　was　still　too　inexperienced。　So　he　thought　to　himself。　
　　The　Tribe…they　themselves；　that　is…had　preserved　measles　and　some　kind　of　sore　throat。　Someone；　he　himself　perhaps；　had　been　the　carrier；　or　else　the　germs　were　maintained　by　some　animal　with　which　they　were　in　contact…the　dogs；　or　the　cattle；　or　any　one　of　a　hundred　smaller　ones。　But　the　people　in　Los　Angeles　might　be　free　of　measles；　and　have　preserved　mumps　and　whooping…cough。　And　those　on　the　Rio　Grande　would　probably　have　kept　dysentery。　
　　And　now　Charlie！　Even　if　he　had　not　had　those　particular　diseases　of　which　he　boasted；　he　might　well　have　been　a　carrier　of　whatever　happened　to　be　prevalent　around　Los　Angeles。　That　had　not　been　such　a　fine　idea…sending　the　boys　off　to　explore！　Suddenly　Ish　began　to　feel　an　unreasoning　fear　of　any　stranger。　Give　them　two…hundred…yards　law；　that　was　the　idea；　and　then　look　at　them　over　the　sights　of　a　good　rifle！　
　　A　fly　buzzed　in　front　of　his　nose；　and　the　overemphatic　way　he　struck　at　it　showed　that　his　nerves　were　tense。　Josey　called　for　him　to　e　in　to　dinner。　
　　Unlike　the　human　lice；　the　house…fly…not　having　irrevocably　linked　its　destiny　with　man's…had　suffered　nothing　that　approached　annihilation。　Like　the　house　rat；　the　house　mouse；　the　human　flea；　and　the　cockroach；　this　other　intimate　household　panion　had　suffered　only　a　considerable　reverse。　Where　formerly　it　had　buzzed　by　hundreds　and　thousands；　now　it　was　reduced　to　its　twenties　or　tens。　Nevertheless；　it　survived。　
　　For；　like　that　lord　whom　Price　Hamlet　calls　a　〃water…fly；〃　the　house…fly　also　was　secure　in　〃the　possession　of　dirt；〃　though　for　it　dirt　must　mean；　not　lands　and　estates；　but　the　word　in　its　dysphemistic　sense；　as　when　the　Bible　of　King　James　declares　primly　that　Ehud　struck　King　Eglon　in　the　belly；　〃and　the　dirt　came　out。〃　Thus；　even　though　man　should　be　reduced　to　the　vanishing　point　or　disappear　altogether；　the　house…fly　was　secure　as　long　as　the　larger　animals　still　lived　and　continued　to　leave　droppings　behind　them。　The　eggs　of　the　fly；　thus　deposited；　soon　hatched　out；　and　the　larvae　found　themselves　embowered　in　rich　and　succulent　food　on　which　to　feast；　as　snakes　upon　rats；　woodpeckers　upon　grubs；　and　men　on　the　flesh　of　dead　animals。　
　　Still；　with　man　eclipsed；　times　were　hard。　No　longer　did　barnyards　offer　sites　as　rich　as　the　ancient　gift　of　the　Nile；　no　longer　was　the　countryside　studded　with　beneficently　unscreened　privies；　no　longer　did　innumerable　slums　offer　their　choice　piles　of　garbage　and　filth。　Only　here　and　there　some　few　accumulations　of　nourishing　excrement　permitted　the　house…fly　to　lay　numerous　eggs　and　breed　up　well…fostered　larvae　and　send　forth　vigorous　and　busily　traveling　adults。　
　　A　week　later　the　epidemic　was　in　full　course。　Dick；　Bob's　panion　on　the　expedition；　had　been　the　next　to　go　down。　But　now　Ezra　and　five　of　the　children　lay　stricken。　In　proportion　to　its　numbers；　the　munity　was　in　the　grip　of　a　devastating　outbreak　of　what　must　be…Ish　felt　certain…typhoid　fever。　
　　Some　of　the　adults　had　been　inoculated　in　the　Old　Times；　but　their　immunity　must　long　since　have　lapsed。　All　the　children　were　totally　unguarded。　Even　with　all　the　old…time　medical　skill　typhoid　had　been　batted　chiefly　by　prevention。　Once　the　disease　was　established；　there　was　no　remedy　but　to　let　it　run　its　long　and　sinister　course。　
　　Easy　enough　now；　thought　Ish；　to　do　some　second　thinking！　Easy　enough；　he　thought　bitterly；　to　know　that　Charlie；　no　matter　what　other　diseases　he　might　have　had　or　thought　he　had；　was　really　carrying　the　germs　from　an　attack　of　typhoid　fever！　Perhaps　he　had　been　sick　years　before；　perhaps　he　had　been　sick　recently；　for　quite　possibly　the　disease　had　made　the　passage　in　the　area　where　he　had　lived。　They　would　never　know。　And　now；　what　did　it　matter？　
　　What　they　knew　for　certain　was　that　Charlie；　obviously　unclean　in　personal　habits；　had　eaten　with　the　two　boys　for　more　than　a　week。　In　addition；　the　not　too　carefully　constructed　outhouses　and　the　flies　offered　an　obvious　route　of　general　infection。　
　　They　began　to　boil　all　drinking…water。　They　burned　the　old　latrines　and　filled　the　old　pits。　They　kept　the　new　ones　so　well　sprayed　with　DDT　that　no　fly　could　alight　and　live。　All　such　Precautions　were　obviously　too　late。　Already　every　individual　must　have　been　exposed　to　infection。　Those　who　had　not　yet　succumbed　must　either　by　good　luck　possess　natural　immunity；　or　else　the　disease　was　still　lying　dormant　in　them；　building　up　strength　through　its　period　of　incubation。　
　　Day　by　day；　one　or　more　took　to　bed。　Bob；　now　in　his　second　week；　lay　tossing　in　delirium；　a　grim　indication　of　the　long　road　all　the　others　must　follow　before　they　could　grow　better。　Already　those　still　on　their　feet　were　being　worn　down　by　the　strain　of　nursing。　
　　They　had　scarcely　time　to　give　any　thought　to　fear；　and　yet　fear　lay　all　around　them；　daily　drawing　its　circle　closer。　There　had　been　no　deaths　as　yet；　but　neither　had　anyone　passed　the　crisis　of　the　fever。　As　in　earlier　years　each　birth　had　seemed　to　force　back　the　circle　of　darkness；　so　now　with　each　newly　stricken　one　the　darkness　moved　a　step　inward；　bringing　annihilation　with　it。　Even　if　they　did　not　all　die　in　the　epidemic；　the　loss　of　any　large　number　might　break；　it　seemed；　the　munal　will　to　live。　
　　George　and　Maurine　and　Molly　had　taken　to　prayer；　and　some　of　the　younger　ones　had　joined　with　them。　They　were　afraid　that　God　was　exacting　retribution　upon　them　for　the　death　of　Charlie。　Ralph　was　just　on　the　point　of　taking　his　family；　as　yet　not　stricken；　and　fleeing　off　somewhere。　Ish　dissuaded　him；　for　the　moment　at　least；　arguing　that　any　of　them　might　already　be　infected　and　that　to　be　taken　sick　as　a　small　and　isolated　group　would　be　much　more　dangerous　than　to　share　with　the　whole　munity。　
　　〃We　are　close　to　panic！〃　thought　Ish。　and　then　the　next　morning　he　himself　awoke…depressed；　feverish；　and　half…prostrated。　He　forced　himself　to　his　feet；　made　light　of　Em's　inquiries；　and　avoided　her　glances。　Bob　was　very　bad；　and　took　most　of　Em's　time。　Ish　tended　Joey　and　Josey；　who　were　both　in　the　early　stages。　Walt；　they　had　sent　off　to　help　in　one　of　the　other　houses。　
　　In　the　afternoon；　leaning　over　Joey's　bed；　Ish　felt　himself　collapsing。　With　his　last　effort　he　managed　to　get　to　his　own　bed；　and　fall　upon　it。　
　　Hours　later；　it　seemed；　he　came　to　himself。　Em　was　looking　down　at　him。　She　had　managed　to　undress　him　and　get　him　into　bed。　
　　He　looked　up　at　her；　feeling　small。　He　gazed　as　a　child　might　have　gazed…above　all；　fearing　that　he　would　see　fear。　If　she　was　afraid；　all　was　lost！　
　　But　in　her　face　he　saw　no　fear。　
　　The　dark；　wide…set　eyes　looked　calnily　at　him。　Oh；　Mother　of　Nations！　And　then　he　slept。　
　　In　his　days　and　nights　of　delirium；　he　knew　little　of　what　happened。　Through　his　fever　the　great　vague　dream…shapes　moved　in　and　pressed　upon　him　from　the　dark　outside…horrible；　inchoate　as　fog；　not　to　be　batted。　Then　sometimes　he　called　out　for　someone　to　bring　him　his　hammer；　and　he　called　the　name　of　Joey　sometimes；　and　again　（worst　of　all）　the　name　of　Charlie。　But　also　in　his　terrors　he　called　sometimes　on　the　name　of　Em；　and　then　it　might　be　that　he　awoke　at　the　pressure　of　her　hand　and　looked　up。　Always　he　looked　for　fear；　but　there　was　no　fear。　
　　Then　there　was　a　week　when　he　lay　quieter　but　so　prostrated　that　at　times　his　life　seemed　to　him　to　be　fluttering　weakly　to　take　flight　and　go…and　he　cared　little。　Only；　when　he　looked　up　and　saw　Em；　he　felt　courage　and　strength　move　out　from　her；　and　he　held　his　lips　hard　together；　for　he　thought　life　itself　pressed　close　behind　his　lips　and　that　if　he　opened　its　mouth　it　would　escape　like　a　butterfly。　But　as　long　as　he　looked　up　at　Em；　he　knew　that　he　would　have　strength　to　hold　that　little；　faintly　struggling　thing　within　him。　
　　Only；　when　she　had　gone；　he　said　to　himself；　now　that　he　could　think　a　little；　〃She　will　break