sk.thewastelands-第64部分

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　　　6
　　〃WHEN　ARE　YOU　GOING　to　tell　us　what　you　do　know？〃　Eddie　asked　the　next　morning。　The　day　was　bright　and　blue；　but　there　was　a　bite　in　the　air；　their　first　autumn　in　this　world　was　almost　upon　them。
　　Roland　glanced　at　him。　〃What　do　you　mean？〃
　　〃I'd　like　to　hear　your　whole　story；　from　beginning　to　end；　starting　with　Gilead。　How　you　grew　up　there　and　what　happened　to　end　it　all。　I　want　to　know　how　you　found　out　about　the　Dark　Tower　and　why　you　started　chasing　after　it　in　the　first　place。　I　want　to　know　about　your　first　bunch　of　friends；　too。　And　what　happened　to　them。〃
　　Roland　removed　his　hat；　armed　sweat　from　his　brow；　then　replaced　it。　〃You　have　the　right　to　know　all　those　things；　I　suppose；　and　I'll　tell　them　to　you　。　。　。　but　not　now。　It's　a　very　long　story。　I　never　expected　to　tell　it　to　anyone；　and　I'll　only　tell　it　once。〃
　　〃When？〃　Eddie　persisted。
　　〃When　the　time　is　right；〃　Roland　said；　and　with　that　they　had　to　be　content。
　　　
　　　7
　　ROLAND　CAME　AWAKE　THE　moment　before　Jake　began　to　shake　him。　He　sat　up　and　looked　around；　but　Eddie　and　Susannah　were　still　fast　asleep　and　in　the　first　faint　light　of　morning；　he　could　see　nothing　amiss。
　　〃What　is　it？〃　he　asked　Jake　in　a　low　voice。
　　〃I　don't　know。　Fighting；　maybe。　e　and　listen。〃
　　Roland　threw　his　blanket　aside　and　followed　Jake　out　to　the　road。　He　reckoned　they　were　now　only　three　days'　walk　from　the　place　where　the　Send　passed　in　front　of　the　city；　and　the　bridge…built　squarely　along　the　path　of　the　Beam…dominated　the　horizon。　Its　pronounced　tilt　was　more　clearly　visible　than　ever；　and　he　could　see　at　least　a　dozen　gaps　where　over…stressed　cables　had　snapped　like　the　strings　of　a　lyre。
　　Tonight　the　wind　blew　directly　into　their　faces　as　they　looked　toward　the　city；　and　the　sounds　it　carried　to　them　were　faint　but　clear。
　　〃Is　it　fighting？〃　Jake　asked。
　　Roland　nodded　and　held　a　finger　to　his　lips。
　　He　heard　faint　shouts；　a　crash　that　sounded　like　some　huge　object　falling；　and…of　course…the　drums。　Now　there　was　another　crash；　this　one　more　musical：　the　sound　of　breaking　glass。
　　〃Jeepers；〃　Jake　whispered；　and　moved　closer　to　the　gunslinger。
　　Then　came　the　sounds　which　Roland　had　hoped　not　to　hear：　a　fast；　sandy　rattle　of　small…arms　fire　followed　by　a　loud　hollow　bang…clearly　an　explosion　of　some　land。　It　rolled　across　the　flatlands　toward　them　like　an　invisible　bowling　ball。　After　that；　the　shouts；　thuds；　and　sounds　of　breakage　quickly　sank　below　the　level　of　the　drums；　and　when　the　drums　quit　a　few　minutes　later　with　their　usual　unsettling　suddenness；　the　city　was　silent　again。　But　now　that　silence　had　an　unpleasant　waiting　quality。
　　Roland　put　an　arm　around　Jake's　shoulders。　〃Still　not　too　late　to　detour　around；〃　he　said。
　　Jake　glanced　up　at　him。　〃We　can't。〃
　　〃Because　of　the　train？〃
　　Jake　nodded　and　singsonged：　〃Blaine　is　a　pain；　but　we　have　to　take　the　train。　And　the　city's　the　only　place　where　we　can　get　on。〃
　　Roland　looked　thoughtfully　at　Jake。　〃Why　do　you　say　we　have　to？　Is　it　ka？　Because；　Jake；　you　have　to　understand　that　you　don't　know　much　about　ka　yet…it's　the　sort　of　subject　men　study　all　their　lives。〃
　　〃I　don't　know　if　it's　ka　or　not；　but　I　do　know　that　we　can't　go　into　the　waste　lands　unless　we're　protected；　and　that　means　Blaine。　Without　him　we'll　die；　like　those　bees　we　saw　are　going　to　die　when　winter　es。　We　have　to　be　protected。　Because　the　waste　lands　are　poison。〃
　　〃How　do　you　know　these　things？〃
　　〃I　don't　know！〃　Jake　said；　almost　angrily。　〃I　just　do。〃
　　〃All　right；〃　Roland　said　mildly。　He　looked　toward　Lud　again。　〃But　we'll　have　to　be　damned　careful。　It's　unlucky　that　they　still　have　gunpow…der。　If　they　have　that；　they　may　have　things　that　are　even　more　powerful。　I　doubt　if　they　know　how　to　use　them；　but　that　only　increases　the　danger。　They　could　get　excited　and　blow　us　all　to　hell。〃
　　〃Ell；〃　a　grave　voice　said　from　behind　them。　They　glanced　around　and　saw　Oy　sitting　by　the　side　of　the　road；　watching　them。
　　　
　　　8
　　LATER　THAT　DAY　THEY　came　to　a　new　road　which　swept　toward　them　out　of　the　west　and　joined　their　own　way。　Beyond　this　point；　the　Great　Road…now　much　wider　and　split　down　the　middle　by　a　median　divider　of　some　polished　dark　stone…began　to　sink；　and　the　crumbling　concrete　embankments　which　rose　on　either　side　of　them　gave　the　pilgrims　a　claustrophobic　trapped　feeling。　They　stopped　at　a　point　where　one　of　these　concrete　dikes　had　born　broken　open；　affording　a　forting　line　of　sight　to　the　open　land　beyond；　and　ate　a　light；　unsatisfying　meal。
　　〃Why　do　you　think　they　dropped　the　road　down　like　this；　Eddie？〃　Jake　asked。　〃I　mean；　someone　did　do　it　this　way　on　purpose；　didn't　they？〃
　　Eddie　looked　through　the　break　in　the　concrete；　where　the　flatlands　stretched　on　as　smoothly　as　ever；　and　nodded。
　　〃Then　why？〃
　　〃Dunno；　champ；〃　Eddie　said；　but　he　thought　he　did。　He　glanced　at　Roland　and　guessed　that　he　knew；　too。　The　sunken　road　leading　to　the　bridge　had　been　a　defensive　measure。　Troops　placed　atop　the　concrete　slopes　were　in　control　of　two　carefully　engineered　redoubts。　If　the　defenders　didn't　like　the　look　of　the　folks　approaching　Lud　along　the　Great　Road；　they　could　rain　destruction　down　on　them。
　　〃You　sure　you　don't　know？〃　Jake　asked。
　　Eddie　smiled　at　Jake　and　tried　to　stop　imagining　that　there　was　some　nut　up　there　right　now；　getting　ready　to　roll　a　large；　rusty　bomb　down　one　of　those　decayed　concrete　ramps。　〃No　idea；〃　he　said。
　　Susannah　whistled　disgustedly　between　her　teeth。　〃This　road's　goin　to　hell；　Roland。　I　was　hoping　we　were　done　with　that　damn　harness；　but　you　better　get　it　out　again。〃　He　nodded　and　rummaged　in　his　purse　for　it　without　a　word。
　　The　condition　of　the　Great　Road　deteriorated　as　other；　smaller　roads　joined　it　like　tributaries　joining　a　great　river。　As　they　neared　the　bridge；　the　cobbles　were　replaced　with　a　surface　Roland　thought　of　as　metal　and　the　rest　of　them　thought　of　as　asphalt　or　hot…top。　It　had　not　held　up　as　well　as　the　cobbles。　Time　had　done　some　damage；　the　passage　of　count…less　horses　and　wagons　since　the　last　repairs　were　made　had　done　more。　The　surface　had　been　chewed　into　treacherous　rubble。　Foot　travel　would　be　difficult；　and　the　idea　of　pushing　Susannah's　wheelchair　over　that　crumbled　surface　was　ridiculous。
　　The　banks　oh　either　side　had　grown　steadily　steeper；　and　now；　at　their　tops；　they　could　see　slim；　pointed　shapes　looming　against　the　sky。　Roland　thought　of　arrowheads…huge　ones；　weapons　made　by　a　tribe　of　giants。　To　his　panions；　they　looked　like　rockets　or　guided　missiles。　Susannah　thought　of　Redstones　fired　from　Cape　Canaveral；　Eddie　thought　about　SAMs；　some　built　to　be　fired　from　the　backs　of　flatbed　trucks；　stored　all　over　Europe；　Jake　thought　of　ICBMs　hiding　in　rein…forced　concrete　silos　under　the　plains　of　Kansas　and　the　unpopulated　mountains　of　Nevada；　programmed　to　hit　back　at　China　or　the　USSR　in　the　event　of　nuclear　armageddon。　All　of　them　felt　as　if　they　had　passed　into　a　dark　and　woeful　zone　of　shadow；　or　into　a　countryside　laboring　under　some　old　but　still　powerful　curse。
　　Some　hours　after　they　entered　this　area…Jake　called　it　The　Gauntlet…the　concrete　embankments　ended　at　a　place　where　half　a　dozen　access　roads　drew　together；　like　the　strands　of　a　spiderweb；　and　here　the　land　opened　out　again　。。。　a　fact　which　relieved　all　of　them；　although　none　of　them　said　so　out　loud。　Another　traffic…light　swung　over　the　junc…tion。　This　one　was　more　familiar　to　Eddie；　Susannah；　and　Jake；　it　had　once　had　lenses　on　its　four　faces；　although　the　glass　had　been　broken　out　long　ago。
　　〃I'll　bet　this　road　was　the　eighth　wonder　of　the　world；　once　upon　a　time；〃　Susannah　said；　〃and　look　at　it　now。　It's　a　minefield。〃
　　〃Old　ways　are　sometimes　the　best　ways；〃　Roland　agreed。
　　Eddie　was　pointing　west。　〃Look。〃
　　Now　that　the　high　concrete　barriers　were　gone；　they　could　see　exactly　what　old　Si　had　described　to　them　over　cups　of　bitter　coffee　in　River　Crossing。　〃One　track　only；〃　he　had　said；　〃set　up　high　on　a　colyum　of　man…made　stone；　such　as　the　Old　Ones　used　to　make　their　streets　and　walls。〃　The　track　raced　toward　them　out　of　the　west　in　a　slim；　straight　line；　then　flowed　across　the　Send　and　into　the　city　on　a　narrow　golden　trestle。　It　was　a　simple；　elegant　construction…and　the　only　one　they　had　seen　so　far　which　was　totally　without　rust…but　it　was　badly　marred；　all　the　same。　Halfway　across；　a　large　piece　of　the　trestle　had　fallen　into　the　rushing　river　below。　What　remained　were　two　long；　jutting　piers　that　pointed　at　each　other　like　accusing　fingers。　Jutting　out　of　the　water　below　the　hole　was　a　streamlined　tube　of　metal。　Once　it　had　been　bright　blue；　but　now　the　color　had　been　dimmed　by　spreading　scales　of　rust。　It　looked　very　small　from　this　distance。
　　〃So　much　for　Blaine；〃　Eddie　said。　〃No　wonder　they　stopped　hearing　it。　The　supports　finally　gave　way　while　it　was　crossing　the　river　and　it　fell　in　the　drink。　It　must　have　been　decelerating　when　it　happened；　or　it　would　have　carried　straight　across　and　all　we'd　see　would　be　a　big　hole　like　a　bomb…crater　in　the　far　bank。　Well；　it　was　a　great　idea　while　it　lasted。〃
　　〃Mercy　said　there　was　another　one；〃　Susannah　reminded　him。
　　〃Yeah。　She　also　said　she　hadn't　heard　it　in　seven　or　eight　years；　and　Aunt　Talitha　said　it　was　more　like　ten。　What　do　you　think；　Jake　。　。　。　Jake？　Earth　to　Jake；　Earth　to　Jake；　e　in；　little　buddy。〃
　　Jake；　who　had　been　staring　intently　at　the　remains　of　the　train　in　the　river；　only　shrugged。
　　〃You're　a　big　help；　Jake；〃　Eddie　said。　〃Valuable　input…that's　why　I　love　you。　Why　we　all　love　you。〃
　　Jake　paid　no　attention。　He　knew　what　he　was　seeing；　and　it　wasn't　Blaine。　The　remains　of　the　mono　sticking　out　of　the　river　were　blue。　In　his　dream；　Blaine　had　been　the　dusty；　sugary　pink　of　the　bubblegum　you　got　with　baseball　trading　cards。
　　Roland；　meanwhile；　had　cinched　the　straps　of　Susannah's　carry…har…ness　across　his　chest。　〃Eddie；　boost　your　lady　into　this　contraption。　It's　time　we　moved　on　and　saw　for　ourselves。〃
　　Jake　now　shifted　his　gaze；　looking　nervously　toward　the　bridge　loom…ing　ahead。　He　could　hear　a　high；　ghostly　humming　noise　in　the　distance…the　sound　of　the　wind　playing　in　t