gs.earthabides-第9节

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　　Then　suddenly　he　saw　a　strange　sight。　One　car；　a　little　green　coupé；　was　parked　neatly　at　the　railing；　headed　toward　the　East　Bay。　
　　Ish　approached　it；　gazing　curiously。　He　saw　nobody；　or　nothing；　inside。　He　passed　it；　then；　yielding　to　curiosity；　he　swung　his　car　around　in　a　wide　easy　loop；　and　parked　beside　the　coupé。　
　　He　opened　the　door　and　looked　in。　No；　nothing！　The　driver；　despairing；　feeling　the　sickness　upon　him…had　he　parked　there；　and　then　leaped　over　the　railing？　Or　had　he；　or　she；　merely　suffered　a　breakdown；　and　flagged　another　car；　or　walked　on？　Some　keys　were　still　dangling　from　the　dashboard；　the　certificate　of　registration　was　fastened　to　the　steering…column…John　S。　Robertson；　of　some　number　on　Fifty…fourth　Street；　Oakland。　An　undistinguished　name　and　an　undistinguished　address！　Now　Mr。。　Robertson's　car　had　possession　of　the　bridge！　
　　Only　after　he　was　again　entering　the　tunnel　did　Ish　think　that　he　might　at　least　have　settled　the　question　as　to　a　breakdown　by　seeing　whether　he　could　start　the　car。　But　it　did　not　really　matter…any　more　than　it　mattered　that　he　was　heading　toward　the　East　Bay　again。　Having　swung　around　to　park　beside　the　coupé；　he　had　merely　continued　on　in　the　direction　toward　which　he　was　pointed。　He　had　already　realized　that　there　would　be　no　utility　in　visiting　San　Francisco。。。。　
　　Soon　afterward；　as　he　had　promised；　Ish　came　again　to　the　street　where　in　the　morning　he　had　talked　（if　it　could　be　called　talking）　with　the　drunk　man。　
　　He　found　the　body　lying　on　the　sidewalk　in　front　of　the　liquor　store。　〃After　all；〃　Ish　reflected；　〃there　is　a　limit　to　the　amount　of　alcohol　that　any　human　can　absorb。〃　Remembering　the　eyes；　he　could　not　be　sorry。　
　　No　dogs　were　in　the　vicinity　as　yet；　but　Ish　did　not　like　to　leave　the　body　merely　lying　there。　After　all；　he　had　known　and　talked　to　Mr。　Barlow。　He　could　not　figure　out　just　where　or　how　he　could　perform　a　burial。　So　he　found　some　blankets　in　a　near…by　dry…goods　store；　and　wrapped　the　body　carefully　in　these。　Then　he　lifted　Mr。　Barlow　into　the　seat　of　the　car；　and　closed　the　windows　carefully。　It　would　make　a　tight　and　lasting　mausoleum。　
　　He　said　no　words；　for　they　seemed　hardly　in　place。　But　he　looked　through　the　window　at　the　neat　roll　of　blankets；　and　thought　of　Mr。　Barlow；　who　was　probably　a　good　guy；　but　couldn't　survive　a　world　going　to　pieces　around　him。　And　then；　because　in　some　way　it　seemed　a　decent　thing　to　do；　Ish　took　off　his　hat；　and　stood　uncovered　a　few　seconds。。。。　
　　In　that　day；　as　in　some　ancient　time　when　a　great　king　was　overthrown　and　the　remnants　of　the　conquered　peoples　were　jubilant　against　him…in　that　day　will　the　fir　trees　rejoice　and　the　cedars；　crying　out：　〃Since　thou　art　laid　down；　no　feller　is　e　up　against　us？〃　Will　the　deer　and　the　foxes　and　the　quail　exult：　〃Art　thou　also　bee　weak　as　we；　Art　thou　bee　like　unto　us？　Is　this　the　man　that　made　the　earth　to　tremble？〃　
　　（〃Thy　pomp　is　brought　down　to　the　grave　and　the　noise　of　thy　viols；　the　worm　is　spread　under　thee　and　the　worms　cover　thee。〃）　
　　No…none　will　say　such　words；　and　none　will　be　left　to　think　them；　and　the　book　of　the　prophet　Isaiah　will　moulder　unread。　Only；　the　spike…buck　will　graze　farther　from　the　thicket　without　knowing　why；　and　the　fox…cubs　play　beside　the　dry　fountain　in　the　square；　and　the　quad　hatch　her　eggs　in　the　tall　grass　by　the　sundial。　
　　Toward　the　end　of　the　day；　swinging　in　a　wide　detour　to　avoid　one　of　those　noisome　regions　where　the　dead　bodies　lay　thickly；　Ish　came　back　to　the　house　on　San　Lupo　Drive。　
　　He　had　learned　much。　The　Great　Disaster…so　he　had　begun　to　call　it　to　himself…had　not　been　plete。　
　　Therefore　he　did　not　need　immediately　to　mit　his　future　to　the　first　person　he　met。　He　would　do　better　to　pick　and　choose　a　little；　particularly　since　everyone　he　had　so　far　seen　was　obviously　suffering　from　shock。　
　　A　new　idea　was　shaping　in　his　mind　and　a　new　phrase　with　it…Secondary　Kill。　Of　those　that　the　Great　Disaster　had　spared；　many　would　fall　victim　to　some　trouble　from　which　civilization　had　previously　protected　them。　With　unlimited　liquor　they　would　drink　themselves　to　death。　There　had　been；　he　guessed；　murder；　almost　certainly　there　had　been　suicide。　Some；　like　the　old　man；　who　ordinarily　would　have　lived　normal　enough　lives；　would　be　pushed　over　the　line　into　insanity　by　shock　and　the　need　of　readjustment；　such　ones　would　probably　not　survive　long。　Some　would　meet　with　accident；　being　alone；　they　would　die。　Others　would　die　of　disease　which　no　one　was　left　to　treat。　He　knew　that；　biologically　speaking；　there　was　a　critical　point　in　the　numbers　of　any　species…if　the　numbers　were　reduced　below　this　point；　the　species　could　not　recover。　
　　Was　mankind　going　to　survive？　Well；　that　was　one　of　those　interesting　points　which　gave　him　the　will　to　live。　But　certainly　the　result　of　his　day's　research　gave　him　little　confidence。　In　fact；　if　these　survivors　were　typical；　who　would　wish　mankind　to　survive？　
　　He　had　started　out　in　the　morning　with　a　Robinson…Cmsoe　feeling　that　he　would　wele　any　human　panionship。　He　had　ended　with　the　certainty　that　he　would　rather　be　alone　until　he　found　someone　more　congenial　than　the　day　had　offered。　The　sluttish　woman　had　been　the　only　one　who　had　even　seemed　to　want　his　pany；　and　there　had　been　treachery　and　death　in　her　invitation。　Even　if　he　found　a　shot…gun　and　bushwhacked　her　boy…friend；　she　could　offer　only　the　grossest　physical　panionship；　and　at　the　thought　of　her　he　felt　revulsion。　As　for　that　other　girl…the　young　one…the　only　way　to　make　her　acquaintance　would　be　by　means　of　a　lasso　or　a　bear…trap。　And　like　the　old　man　she　would　probably　turn　out　to　be　crazy。　
　　No；　the　Great　Disaster　had　shown　no　predilection　toward　sparing　the　nice　people；　and　the　survivors　had　not　been　rendered　pleasanter　as　the　result　of　the　ordeal　through　which　they　had　passed。　
　　He　prepared　some　supper；　and　ate；　but　without　appetite。　Afterwards　he　tried　to　read；　but　the　words　had　as　little　savor　as　the　food。　He　still　thought　of　Mr。　Barlow　and　the　others；　in　one　way　or　another；　each　in　his　own　manner；　everyone　whom　he　38　George　R　Stewart　had　seen　that　day　was　going　to　pieces。　He　did　not　think　that　he　himself　was。　But　was　he　actually　still　sane？　Was　he　too；　perhaps；　suffering　from　shock？　In　calm　self…consciousness　h（　thought　about　it。　After　a　while　he　took　pencil　and　paper；　deciding　to　write　down　what　qualifications　he　had；　why　he　might　be　going　to　live；　even　with　some　degree　of　happiness；　while　the　others　were　not。　
　　First　of　all；　without　hesitation；　he　scribbled：　
　　1）　Have　will　to　live。　Want　to　see　what　will　happen　in　world　without　man；　and　how。　Geographer。　
　　Beneath　this　he　wrote　other　notes。　
　　2）　Always　was　solitary。　Don't　have　to　talk　to　other　people。
　　3）　Have　appendix　out。
　　4）　Moderately　practical；　though　not　mechanical。　Camper。
　　5）　Did　not　suffer　devastating　experience　of　living　through　it　all；　seeing　family；　other　people；　die。　Thus　escaped　worst　of　shock。　
　　He　paused；　looking　at　his　last　note。　At　least　he　could　hope　that　it　was　true。　
　　Still　he　sat　staring；　and　thinking。　He　could　list　others　of　his　qualities；　such　as　his　being　intellectually　oriented；　and　therefore；　he　supposed；　adaptable　to　new　circumstances。　He　could　list　that　he　was　a　reader　and　so　had　still　available　an　important　means　of　relaxation　and　escape。　'At　the　same　time　he　was　more　than　a　mere　reader　in　that　he　knew　also　the　means　of　research　through　books；　and　thus　possessed　a　powerful　tool　for　reconstruction。　
　　His　fingers　tightened　about　the　pencil　for　a　moment　while　he　considered　writing　down　that　he　was　not　superstitious。　This　might　be　important。　Otherwise　he　would　even　now；　like　the　old　man；　be　fighting　the　fear　that　the　whole　disaster　had　been　the　work　of　an　angry　God；　who　had　now　wiped　out　his　people　by　pestilence　as　once　before　by　flood；　leaving　Ish　（though　as　yet　unsupplied　with　wife　and　children）　like　another　Noah　to　repopulate　the　emptiness。　But　such　thoughts　opened　up　the　way　to　madness。　Yes；　he　realized；　if　a　man　began　to　think　of　himself　as　divinely　appointed；　he　was　close　to　thinking　of　himself　as　God…and　at　that　point　lay　insanity。　
　　〃No；〃　he　thought。　〃What　happens；　at　least　I　shall　never　believe　that　I　am　a　god。　No；　I　shall　never　be　a　god！〃　
　　Then；　his　flight　of　ideas　still　continuing；　he　realized　that　in　some　ways；　very　curiously；　he　felt　a　new　security　and　even　satisfaction　at　the　contemplation　of　a　solitary　life。。　His　worries　in　the　old　days　had　been　chiefly　about　people。　The　prospect　of　going　to　a　dance　had　more　than　once　sent　him　into　a　sweat；　he　had　never　been　a　good　mixer；　no　one　had　asked　him　to　join　a　fraternity。　In　the　old　days；　such　things　were　a　handicap　to　a　man。　Now；　he　realized；　they　were　actually　a　great　advantage。　Because　he　had　sat　on　the　edge　of　so　many　social　gatherings；　not　quite。　able　to　mingle　in　the　conversation；　listening；　watching　objectively；　now　he　could　endure　not　being　able　to　talk；　and　again　could　sit　and　watch；　noting　what　happened。　His　weakness　had　bee　strength。　It　was　as　if　there　had　been　a　blind　man　in　a　world　suddenly　bereft　of　light。　In　that　world；　those　with　seeing　eyes　could　only　blunder　abo