gs.earthabides-第2部分

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posure　to　weather；　head　of　hammer　somewhat　rusted；　still　serviceable。〃　He　had　been　extraordinarily　pleased　when　he　had　found　the　hammer；　appreciating　that　actual　link　with　the　past。　It　had　been　used　by　some　miner　in　the　old　days　when　rock…drills　were　driven　home　in　a　low　tunnel　with　a　man　swinging　a　hammer　in　one　hand；　four　pounds　was　about　the　weight　a　man　could　handle　in　that　way；　and　it　was　called　a　single…jack　because　it　was　managed　one…handedly。　He　thought；　feverishly；　that　he　might　even　include　a　picture　of　the　hammer　as　an　illustration　in　his　thesis。　
　　Most　of　those　hours　of　darkness　he　passed　in　little　better　than　a　nightmare；　racked　by　coughing；　choking　frequently；　shaking　with　the　chill　and　then　burning　with　the　fever。　A　pink　measles…like　rash　broke　out　on　him。　
　　At　daybreak　he　felt　himself　again　sinking　into　a　deep　sleep。　
　　〃It　has　never　happened！〃　cannot　be　construed　to　mean；　〃It　can　never　happen！〃…as　well　say；　〃Because　I　have　never　broken　my　leg；　my　leg　is　unbreakable；〃　or　〃Because　I've　never　died；　I　am　immortal。〃　One　thinks　first　of　some　great　plague　of　insects…locusts　or　grasshoppers…when　the　species　suddenly　increases　out　of　all　proportion；　and　then　just　as　dramatically　sinks　to　a　tiny　fraction　of　what　it　has　recently　been。　The　higher　animals　also　fluctuate。　The　lernmings　work　upon　their　cycle。　The　snowshoe…rabbits　build　up　through　a　period　of　years　until　they　reach　a　climax　when　they　seem　to　be　everywhere；　then　with　dramatic　suddenness　their　pestilence　falls　upon　them。　Some　zoologists　have　even　suggested　a　biological　law：　that　the　number　of　individuals　in　a　species　never　remains　constant；　but　always　rises　and　falls…the　higher　the　animal　and　the　slower　its　breeding…rate；　the　longer　its　period　of　fluctuation。　
　　During　most　of　the　nineteenth　century　the　African　buffalo　was　a　mon　creature　on　the　veldt。　It　was　a　powerful　beast　with　few　natural　enemies；　and　if　its　census　could　have　been　taken　by　decades；　it　would　have　proved　to　be　increasing　steadily。　Then　toward　the　century's　end　it　reached　its　climax；　and　was　suddenly　struck　by　a　plague　of　rinderpest。　Afterwards　the　buffalo　was　almost　a　curiosity；　extinct　in　many　parts　of　its　range。　In　the　last　fifty　years　it　has　again　slowly　built　up　its　numbers。　
　　As　for　man；　there　is　little　reason　to　think　that　he　can　in　the　long　run　escape　the　fate　of　other　creatures；　and　if　there　is　a　biological　law　of　flux　and　reflux；　his　situation　is　now　a　highly　perilous　one。　During　ten　thousand　years　his　numbers　have　been　on　the　upgrade　in　spite　of　wars；　pestilences；　and　famines。　This　increase　in　population　has　bee　more　and　more　rapid。　Biologically；　man　has　for　too　long　a　time　been　rolling　an　uninterrupted　run　of　sevens。　
　　When　he　awoke　in　the　middle　of　the　morning；　he　felt　a　sudden　sense　of　pleasure。　He　had　feared　he　would　be　sicker　than　ever；　but　he　felt　much　better。　He　was　not　choking　any　more；　and　also　his　hand　felt　cooler。　The　swelling　had　gone　down。　On　the　preceding　day　he　had　felt　so　bad；　from　whatever　other　trouble　had　struck　him；　that　he　had　had　no　time　to　think　about　the　hand。　Now　both　the　hand　and　the　illness　seemed　better；　as　if　the　one　had　stopped　the　other　and　they　had　both　receded。　By　noon　he　was　feeling　clear…headed　and　not　even　particularly　weak。　
　　He　ate　some　lunch；　and　decided　that　he　could　make　it　down　to　Johnson's。　He　did　not　bother　to　pack　up　everything。　He　took　his　precious　notebooks　and　his　camera。　At　the　last　moment　also；　as　if　by　some　kind　of　pulsion；　he　picked　up　the　hammer；　carried　it　to　the　car；　and　threw　it　in　on　the　floor　by　his　feet。　He　drove　off　slowly；　using　his　right　hand　as　little　as　possible。　
　　At　Johnson's　everything　was　quiet。　He　let　the　car　roll　to　a　stop　at　the　gasoline…pump。　Nobody　came　out　to　fill　his　tank；　but　that　was　not　peculiar；；　because　the　Johnson　pump；　like　so　many　in　the　mountains；　was　tended　on　a　haphazard　basis。　He　blew　the　horn；　and　waited　again。　After　another　minute　he　got　out；　and　went　up　the　rickety　steps　which　led　to　the　room　serving　as　an　informal　store　where　campers　could　pick　up　cigarettes　and　canned　goods。　He　went　in；　but　there　was　nobody　there。　
　　He　had　a　certain　sense　of　surprise。　As　often；　when　he　had　been　by　himself　for　a　while；　he　was　not　exactly　sure　what　day　it　might　be。　Wednesday；　he　thought。　But　it　might　be　Tuesday　or　Thursday。　Yet　he　was　certain　that　it　was　somewhere　in　the　middle　of　the　week；　not　a　Sunday。　On　a　Sunday；　or　even　for　a　whole　weekend；　the　Johnsons　might　possibly　shut　up　the　store　and　go　somewhere　on　a　trip　of　their　own。　They　were　easygoing　and　did　not　believe　too　strongly　in　letting　business　interfere　with　pleasure。　Yet　they　were　really　dependent　to　a　large　extent　upon　the　sales　which　the　store　made　during　the　fishing　season；　they　could　hardly　afford　to　go　away　very　long。　And　if　they　had　gone　on　a　vacation；　they　would　have　locked　the　door。　Still　you　never　could　tell　about　these　mountain　people。　The　incident　might　even　be　worth　a　paragraph　in　his　thesis。　In　any　case；　his　tank　was　nearly　empty。　The　pump　was　unlocked；　and　so　he　helped　himself　to　ten　gallons　of　gas　and　with　difficulty　scrawled　a　check　which　he　left　on　the　counter　along　with　a　note：　〃Found　you　all　away。　Took　10　gal。　Ish。〃　
　　As　he　drove　down　the　road；　he　had　suddenly　a　slight　sense　of　uneasiness…the　Johnsons　gone　on　a　weekday；　the　door　unlocked；　no　fishermen；　a　car　going　by　in　the　night；　and　（most　of　all）　those　men　who　had　run　away　when　they　had　seen　another　man　lying　sick　in　his　bunk　in　a　lonely　mountain　cabin。　Yet　the　day　was　bright；　and　his　hand　was　not　paining　him　much；　moreover；　he　seemed　to　be　cured　of　that　other　strange　infection；　if　it　was　something　else　and　not　the　snake…bite。　He　felt　almost　back　to　normal　again。　Now　the　road　wound　down　restfully　between　open　groves　of　pine　trees　along　a　little　rushing　stream。　By　the　time　he　came　to　Black　Creek　Power…house；　he　felt　normal　in　his　mind　again　also。　
　　At　the　power…house　everything　looked　as　usual。　He　heard　the　whir　of　the　big　generators；　and　saw　the　streams　of　foaming　water　still　bursting　out　from　beneath。　A　light　was　burning　on　the　bridge。　He　thought　to　himself；　〃I　suppose　nobody　bothers　ever　to　turn　that　out。　They　have　so　much　electricity　that　they　don't　need　to　economize。〃　
　　He　considered　going　across　the　bridge　to　the　power…house；　just　to　see　somebody　and　allay　the　strange　fears　which　he　had　begun　to　feel。　But　the　sight　and　sound　of　everything　running　normally　were　reassuring；　signs　that　after　all　the　power…house　was　working　as　usual；　even　though　he　saw　no　people。　There　was　nothing　remarkable　about　not　seeing　people。　The　process　was　so　nearly　automatic　that　only　a　few　men　were　employed　there；　and　they　kept　indoors　mostly。　
　　Just　as　he　was　leaving　the　power…house　behind；　a　large　collie　ran　out　from　behind　one　of　the　buildings。　From　the　other　side　of　the　creek；　it　barked　loudly　and　violently　at　Ish。　It　ran　back　and　forth　excitedly。　
　　〃Fool　dog！〃　he　thought。　〃What's　it　so　excited　about？　Is　it　trying　to　tell　me　not　to　steal　the　power…house？〃　People　certainly　tended　to　overestimate　the　intelligence　of　dogs！　
　　Rounding　the　curve；　he　left　the　sound　of　barking　behind。　But　the　sight　of　the　dog　had　been　another　evidence　of　normality。　Ish　began　to　whistle　contentedly。　It　was　ten　miles　now　until　he　came　to　the　first　town；　a　little　place　called　Hutsonville。　
　　Consider　the　case　of　Captain　Maclear's　rat。　This　interesting　rodent　inhabited　Christmas　Island；　a　small　bit　of　tropical　verdure　some　two　hundred　miles　south　of　Java。　The　species　was　first　described　for　science　in　1887；　the　skull　being　noted　as　large　and　strongly　built；　with　beaded　supra…orbital　edges　and　the　anterior　edge　of　the　zygomatic　plate　projecting　forward　conspicuously。　
　　A　naturalist　observed　the　rats　as　populating　the　island　〃in　swarms；　〃　feeding　upon　fruit　and　young　shoots。　To　the　rats　the　island　was　as　a　whole　world；　an　earthly　paradise。　The　observer　noted：　〃They　seem　to　breed　all　the　year　round。〃　Yet　such　was　the　luxuriance　of　the　tropical　growth　that　the　rats　had　not　attained　such　numbers　as　to　provide　petition　among　members　of　the　species。　The　individual　rats　were　extremely　well　nourished；　and　even　unduly　fat。　
　　In　1903　some　new　disease　sprang　up。　Because　of　their　crowding　and　also　probably　because　of　the　softened　condition　of　the　individuals；　the　rats　proved　universally　susceptible；　and　soon　were　dying　by　thousands。　In　spite　of　great　numbers；　in　spite　of　an　abundant　supply　of　food；　in　spite　of　a　very　rapid　breeding　rate；　the　species　is　extinct。　
　　He　came　over　the　rise；　and　saw　Hutsonville　a　mile　away。　Just　as　he　started　to　slide　down　the　grade；　out　of　the　corner　of　his　eye；　he　caught　sight　of　something　which　turned　him　inwardly　cold。　Automatically　he　tramped　hard　on　the　brake。　He　walked　back；　scarcely　believing　that　he　had　really　seen　it。　Just　there　at　the　side　of　the　road；　in　full　view；　lay　the　body　of　a　fully　clothed　man；　ants　were　crawling　over　the　face。　The　body　must　have　lain　there　a　day　or　two　at　least。　Why　had　it　not　been　seen？　He　did　not　look　closely　or　long；　obviously　the　thing　to　do　was　to　get　into　Hutsonville；　and　tell　the　Coroner　as　soon　as　possible。　He　hurried　back　to　the　car。　
　　Yet　as　he　started　again；　he　had　a　deep　feeling　inside　him　somewhere；　strangely；　that　this　was　not　a　case　for　the　Coroner；　and　that　possibly　there　would　even　be　no　Coroner。　He　had　seen　no　one　at　the　Johnson's　or　at　the　power…house；　and　he　had　not　met　a　single　car　on　the　road。　The　only　things　that　seemed　real　from　all　the　old　life　had　been　the　light　burning　at　the　power…house　and　the　quiet　hum　of　the　great　generators　at　their　work。　
　　Then；　as　he　came　to　the　first　houses；　he　suddenly　breathed　more　easily；　for　there　on　a　vacant　lot　a　hen　was　quietly　scratching　in　the　dust；　a　half…dozen　chicks　beside　her；　and　a　little　farther　on；　a　black…and…white　cat　wandered　across　the　sidewalk　as　unconcernedly　as　it　would　have　done　upon　any　other　June　day。　
　　The　heat　of　the　afternoon　lay　heavy　on　the　street；　and　he　saw　no　one。　〃Bad　as　a　Mexican　town；〃　he　thought；　〃everyone　taking　a　siesta。〃　Then　suddenly　he　realized　that　he　had　said　it　as　a　man　whistles　to　keep　up　his　courage。　He　came　to　the　business　center；　stopped　the　car　by　the　curb；　and　got　out。　There　was　nobody。　
　　He　tried　the