gs.earthabides-第74节

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it　out；　and　no　one　even　to　care　whether　it　burned。　When　the　flames　died　down；　nothing　was　left　to　burn。　
　　There　came　a　time　when　even　talking　seemed　a　labor。　So　mostly　now　Ish　merely　sat　fortably　in　the　sun；　and　beside　him　sat　an　even　older　man　who　coughed　and　grew　thinner。　It　was　hard　to　tell　just　how　the　days　passed　and　how　they　ran　into　weeks；　and　even　the　years　seemed　to　flow　with　a　man's　scarcely　noticing　them。　Yet　Ezra　remained；　and　sometimes　Ish　thought　to　himself；　〃Though　he　coughs　and　coughs　and　grows　thinner；　yet　he　will　outlive　me。〃　
　　But　now；　since　even　talking　was　a　labor；　the　mind　turned　inward　on　itself；　and　Ish　thought　of　all　this　strange　life。　What　was　the　difference　in　the　end？　Even　if　there　had　been　no　Great　Disaster；　he　would　now　be　a　very　old　man。　Now　doubtless；　if　it　had　not　happened　otherwise；　he　would　be　Professor　Emeritus；　puttering　around；　taking　some　books　out　of　the　Library　and　intending　to　do　some　research；　a　little　of　a　nuisance　to　the　younger　men　in　their　fifties　and　sixties　who　now　ran　the　Department…though　they　might　say　loyally　to　the　graduate　students；　〃That's　Professor　Williams…a　great　scholar；　once。　We're　very　proud　of　him。〃　
　　Now　the　Old　Times　were　deeper　buried　than　Nineveh　or　Mohenjodaro。　He　himself　had　seen　everything　crash　and　go　under。　Yet　curiously；　too；　all　that　crash　had　not　been　able　to　destroy　his　personality。　He　was　still　the　same　person　he　would　have　been　as　Professor　Emeritus；　even　though　now　the　shadows　were　closing　in　on　his　mind　while　he　sat　on　a　lonely　hillside　as　the　dying　patriarch　of　a　primitive　tribe。　
　　At　some　time　in　those　years　something　else　strange　began　to　happen。　The　younger　men　had　always　e　to　Ish　for　advice；　but　now…even　though　the　shadows　were　closing　in　on　his　mind…they　began　to　e　in　a　different　way。　Whether　he　sat　on　the　hillside　in　the　sun；　or　whether；　during　rain　and　fog；　he　sat　in　the　house；　still　they　began　to　e　to　him　bearing　little　gifts…a　handful　of　ripe　berries　of　which　he　was　fond；　or　a　bright　stone　or　piece　of　colored　glass　to　flash　in　the　sun。　Ish　did　not　care　for　the　glass　or　stones；　even　though　the　stones　were　sometimes　sapphires　or　emeralds　taken　from　a　jewelry　store；　but　he　appreciated　the　gifts　because　he　realized　that　the　young　men　were　giving　him　things　by　which　they　themselves　would　be　pleased。　
　　Having　given　him　something；　they　would　formally　ask　a　question；　while　he　sat　holding　his　hammer。　Sometimes　they　asked　about　the　weather；　and　then　Ish　was　glad　to　answer。　He　could　still　look　at　his　father's　barometer；　and　so　he　could　often　say…what　the　young　men　could　not　know…whether　the　low　clouds　would　soon　vanish　before　the　sun's　heat　or　they　indicated　an　approaching　storm。　
　　But　sometimes　they　asked　him　other　questions…as；　for　instance；　in　which　direction　they　should　go　for　good　hunting。　Then　Ish　did　not　wish　to　answer；　for　he　knew　nothing　of　such　matters。　But　when　he　did　not　answer；　the　young　men　were　displeased；　and　then　they　would　pinch　him　roughly。　Because　he　was　in　pain　he　answered　them；　even　though　he　knew　nothing。　He　would　cry　out；　〃Go　south！〃　or　〃Go　beyond　the　hills！〃　Then　the　young　men　were　pleased　and　went　off。　Ish　sometimes　feared　that　they　would　e　back　and　pinch　him　because　they　had　not　found　good　hunting；　but　they　never　did。　
　　During　those　years；　there　were　days　when　he　thought　clearly；　and　other　days　when　a　fog　seemed　to　hang　in　all　the　corners　of　his　brain。　But　one　day　when　they　came　to　ask　him　a　question　and　he　was　clear…minded；　he　realized　that　he　must　have　bee　a　god；　or　at　least　an　oracle　by　which　a　god　spoke。　Then　he　remembered　that　time　long　ago　when　the　children　had　been　afraid　to　carry　the　hammer　and　when　they　had　nodded　knowingly　at　his　saying　he　was　an　American。　Yet　he　had　never　wished　to　be　a　god。　
　　One　day　Ish　sat　on　the　hillside　in　the　sun；　and　after　a　while　he　looked　at　his　left　side；　and　saw　that　no　one　sat　there。　Then　he　realized　that　at　last　Ezra；　the　good　helper；　was　gone；　and　that　no　one　would　ever　sit　there　beside　him　on　the　hillside　again。　At　that　thought　he　gripped　the　handle　of　the　hammer；　which　in　these　days　was　very　heavy　for　him　to　lift；　even　with　both　hands。　
　　〃It　is　called　a　single…jack；〃　he　thought；　〃but　now　it　is　too　heavy　for　my　one　hand。　Yet　now　it　has　bee　the　symbol　of　a　tribal　god；　and　it　is　still　with　me；　though　all　the　others；　even　Ezra；　have　gone。〃　
　　Then；　because　the　shock　of　that　sudden　knowledge　about　Ezra　had　made　him　think　and　see　more　clearly；　he　looked　alertly　about　him；　and　observed　that　he　was　sitting　on　the　slope　of　the　hill　where　many　years　before　there　had　been　a　neat　garden　and　was　now　only　a　trampled　place　of　tall　grass　in　the　midst　of　overgrown　bushes　and　high　trees；　with　a　half…ruined　house　standing　up　from　among　the　tangle。　
　　Then　he　looked　at　the　sun；　and　saw　that　it　was　in　the　east；　not　in　the　west；　as　he　had　thought　it　would　be。　Also；　it　was　far　to　the　north；　so　that　the　season　must　be　nearly　mid…summer；　whereas　he　had　thought　it　should　be　early　spring。　Yes；　in　all　those　years；　as　he　had　sat　on　the　hillside；　he　had　lost　hold　of　time　itself；　so　that　the　swinging　of　the　sun　from　east　to　west　with　the　passing　of　the　day　seemed　much　the　same　as　the　swinging　of　the　sun　from　north　to　south　with　the　passing　of　the　seasons；　and　he　had　lost　track　of　them　both。　This　thought　made　him　feel　very　old　and　very　sad。　
　　Perhaps　that　sadness　brought　back　to　him　the　thought　of　other　sadness　also；　and　he　thought：　
　　〃Yes；　Em　is　gone；　and　Joey；　and　even　Ezra；　my　helper；　is　gone　now。〃　
　　When　he　thus　recalled　all　that　had　happened；　and　his　loneliness；　he　began　to　cry　gently；　for　he　was　an　old　man；　and　he　could　not　control　what　he　did。　And　he　thought　to　himself；　〃Yes；　they　are　all　gone！　I　am　the　last　American！〃　
　　End　of　the　second　inter…chapter　called　Quick　Years。
　　
　　3
　　The　Last　American
　　'Tis　merry；　'tis　merry　in　good　greenwood。　
　　…　Old　Song
　　
　　Chapter　1
　　Perhaps　it　was　that　same　day　or　perhaps　it　was　only　that　same　summer　or　perhaps　even　it　was　another　year。。。。　When　Ish　looked　up；　he　saw；　very　clearly；　a　young　man　standing　in　front　of　him。　The　young　man　wore　a　neat…enough　pair　of　blue　jeans　with　copper　rivets　shining　brightly；　and　yet　over　his　shoulders　he　wore　a　tawny　hide　with　sharp　claws　dangling　from　it。　In　his　hand　he　held　a　strong　bow；　and　over　his　shoulder　was　a　quiver　with　the　feathered　ends　of　arrows　sticking　from　it。　Ish　blinked；　for　in　his　old　eyes　the　sunshine　was　strong。　
　　〃Who　are　you？〃　said　Ish。　
　　The　young　man　answered　respectfully；　〃I　am　Jack；　Ish；　as　indeed　you　yourself　well　know。〃　
　　The　way　he　said　〃Ish〃　did　not　indicate　that　he　was　trying　to　be　unduly　familiar　with　an　old　man；　thus　calling　him　by　a　nickname；　but　rather　it　carried　something　of　great　respect　and　even　of　awe；　and　as　if　〃Ish〃　stood　for　much　more　than　merely　the　name　of　an　old　man。　
　　But　Ish　himself　was　confused；　and　he　squinted；　peering　more　carefully；　because　at　short　distances　he　no　longer　saw　clearly。　But　he　was　sure　that　Jack　should　have　dark　hair；　or　perhaps　turned　somewhat　gray　by　now；　and　this　one　who　called　himself　Jack　had　long　wavy　yellow　hair。　
　　〃You　should　not　make　jokes　with　an　old　man；〃　said　Ish。　〃Jack　is　my　oldest　son；　and　I　would　recognize　him。　He　has　dark　hair；　and　he　is　older　than　you。〃　
　　The　young　man　laughed；　but　politely；　and　said；　〃You　are　talking；　Ish；　of　my　grandfather；　as　indeed　you　yourself　well　know。〃　Again　the　way　in　which　he　said　〃Ish〃　had　a　certain　strange　sound　to　it；　and　now　Ish　noticed　also　the　strangeness　of　his　other　repeated　words；　〃as　indeed　you　yourself　well　know。〃　
　　〃Are　you　of　the　First　Ones？〃　Ish　asked。　〃Or　of　the　Others？〃　
　　〃Of　the　First　Ones；〃　he　said。　
　　Then；　as　Ish　still　looked；　he　was　puzzled　that　the　young　man；　who　was　certainly　not　a　child；　was　carrying　a　bow　instead　of　a　rifle。　〃Why　do　you　not　have　a　rifle？〃　he　asked。　
　　〃Rifles　are　good　for　playthings！〃　the　young　man　said；　and　he　laughed；　a　little　scornfully　perhaps。　〃You　cannot　be　sure　of　a　rifle；　as　indeed　you　yourself；　Ish；　well　know。　Sometimes　the　rifle　works；　and　it　makes　the　big　noise；　but　other　times　you　pull　the　trigger；　and　it　only　goes　'click。'〃　Here　he　snapped　his　fingers。　〃So　you　cannot　use　the　rifles　for　real　hunting；　although　the　older　men　say　that　this　was　not　so　in　the　long　past　years。　But　now　we　use　the　arrow　because　it　is　sure；　and　never　refuses　to　fly　and　besides；〃　here　the　young　man　held　himself　proudly；　〃besides；　it　is　a　matter　of　strength　and　skill　to　shoot　with　the　bow…but　anyone；　they　say；　could　shoot　with　a　rifle；　as　you　yourself；　Ish；　well　know。〃　
　　〃Let　me　see　an　arrow；〃　said　Ish。　
　　The　young　man　took　an　arrow　from　the　quiver；　and　looked　at　it；　and　then　handed　it　across。　
　　〃That　is　a　good　arrow；〃　he　said。　〃I　made　it　myself。〃　
　　Ish　looked　at　the　arrow　and　felt　the　weight　of　it。　This　was　no　plaything　for　a　child。　The　shaft　was　nearly　a　yard　long；　split　cleanly　from　a　billet　of　flawless　straight…grained　wood；　and　then　rounded　and　smoothed。　It　was　well　feathered；　with　pinions　of　some　kind；　although　Ish　could　not　see　well　enough　to　know　what　bird　had　yielded　the　feathers。　By　feeling；　however；　he　could　tell　that　they　were　arranged　carefully　so　that　the　arrow　in　f