gs.earthabides-第48部分

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　　Actually；　no　matter　what　he　said；　it　might　easily　be　twisted　and　made　into　some　kind　of　religion。　Again；　as　years　before；　he　revolted　from　the　idea；　for　he　treasured　the　honesty　of　his　own　skepticism。　
　　〃It's　better；〃　he　thought　in　words；　remembering　some　bit　of　reading；　〃to　have　no　opinion　of　God　at　all　than　to　have　one　that　is　unworthy　of　Him。〃　
　　He　lighted　another　cigarette；　and　settled　back　into　the　chair　again。。。　Yet　this　matter　of　the　vacuum！　It　worried　him。　Unless　it　could　be　positively　filled；　his　own　descendants　at　the　third　or　fourth　generation　might　be　practicing　primitive　rites　of　incantation；　trembling　in　terror　of　witchcraft；　and　experimenting　with　ritualistic　cannibalism。　They　might　believe　in　voodoo；　in　shamanism；　in　taboo。。。！　
　　He　started；　almost　guiltily。　Yes；　already　there　were　beliefs　in　The　Tribe　which　approached　the　intensity　of　taboo；　and　he　himself　was　inadvertently　their　chief　author。　
　　There　was　the　matter　of　Evie；　for　instance。　He　and　Em　and　Ezra　had　talked　it　over　long　ago。　They　wanted　no　half…witted　children　of　Evie's…to　be　a　care　and　drag。　So　they　had　made　her；　at　least　for　the　boys；　a　kind　of　untouchable。　Evie；　with　her　blond　hair　and　startled　blue　eyes；　was　perhaps　the　best…looking　girl　of　them　all。　But　Ish　was　sure　that　none　of　the　boys　had　even　seriously　considered　her。　Probably　they　had　no　specific　idea　that　anything　would　happen　to　them　if　they　did；　but　such　action　was　merely　outside　their　scope　of　imagination。　The　prohibition　was　stronger　than　law。　Such　a　one　you　could　only　call　taboo。　
　　Again；　there　was　all　the　allied　matter　of　fidelity。　Always　fearing　the　disruption　of　quarrels　arising　from　jealousy；　the　older　men　had　not　so　much　taught　marital　fidelity　as　assumed　it。　Young　people　had　been　married　at　the　earliest　possible　moment。　Ezra's　bigamy；　having　always　been　present；　was　not　questioned。　Although　Ish　did　not　doubt　the　utility　of　this　practice　for　their　particular　situation；　still　its　acceptance　as　a　matter　of　faith　rather　than　of　reason　seemed　to　e　close　to　taboo。　The　first　violation…and　there　would　surely　be　one…might　bring　a　tremendous　shock。　
　　A　third　possible　example　of　taboo；　though　a　minor　matter　perhaps；　was　the　turning　of　the　University　Library　into　a　sacrosanct　building。　Once；　when　the　oldest　boys　were　youngsters；　Ish　had　gone　with　them　on　a　long　walk　which　had　taken　them　to　the　campus。　While　he　was　napping；　two　of　them　had　worked　loose　a　board　which；　long　before；　he　had　nailed　across　the　broken　window；　they　had　gone　into　the　stacks；　and　started　throwing　books　onto　the　floor。　Horror…stricken　with　a　sense　of　the　violation　of　that　great　treasure　house；　Ish　had　followed　them。　He　had　been　ashamed　of　himself　later；　but　at　the　moment　he　had　been　outraged　beyond　reason　and　had　beaten　the　boys。　The　very　unreasoning　quality　of　his　rage　and　horror　must　have　impressed　them　much　more　than　the　beating。　They　had　certainly　passed　this　impression　on　to　the　younger　children。　The　Library　had　been　safe；　and　Ish　had　been　pleased。　But　this　might　also　be　called　an　example　of　taboo；　and　now　he　wondered。　
　　There　was　a　fourth　one　too；　of　course…but　this　brought　him　back　to　where　he　had　started。　He　got　out　of　the　chair　and　went　to　the　mantelpiece。　
　　The　hammer　was　there；　as　he　himself　had　replaced　it。　He　had　not　asked　any　child　to　take　it　back；　not　even　Joey。　He　had　preferred　not　to　raise　the　issue　again。　
　　There　it　stood；　balanced　on　its　four…pound　head　of　dull；　rust…pitted　steel。　The　hammer　had　been　with　him　a　long　time。　He　had　found　it　just　before　the　rattlesnake　had　struck　him；　and　so　it　might　be　called　his　oldest　friend。　It　had　been　with　him　longer　than　Em　or　Ezra。　
　　He　looked　at　it　curiously；　considering　it　carefully　and　selfconsciously。　The　handle　was　actually　in　bad　shape。　It　had　weathered　from　lying　so　long　in　the　open；　and　even　before　the　hammer　had　been　left　to　lie；　the　handle　had　apparently　been　banged　accidentally　against　a　rock　and　cracked　a　little。　What　was　the　wood？　He　really　did　not　know。　Ash　or　hickory；　he　supposed。　Hickory；　most　likely。　
　　The　simplest　thing；　he　concluded　impetuously；　would　be　to　get　rid　of　the　hammer。　He　could　throw　it　into　the　Bay。　No；　he　reconsidered；　that　would　be　merely　treating　the　ssymptom；　not　the　disease。　With　the　hammer　removed；　the　children's　tendency　to　superstition　would　still　remain；　and　would　merely　fix　upon　something　else；　and　perhaps　take　some　more　sinister　form。　
　　He　thought　of　destroying　the　hammer；　as　a　symbolical　leson　to　the　children　that　it　had　no　strength　in　itself。　But　he　remembered　that　he　did　not　actually　have　the　power　to　destroy　it。　The　handle　he　could　burn　easily；　but　the　steel　head　was　next　to　indestructible　by　any　means　at　his　disposal。　Even　if　he　found　a　carboy　of　acid　and　dissolved　the　steel　in　it；　to　go　to　so　much　trouble　would　make　the　children　think　that　the　hammer　must　really　have　possessed　some　deep…seated　power。　
　　So　he　looked　at　the　hammer　with　new　interest；　as　something　which　was　ing　to　have　a　life　and　power　of　its　own。　Yes；　it　had　the　qualities　which　went　toward　the　making　of　a　good　symbol…permanence；　entity；　strength。　Its　phallic　suggestion　was　obvious。　Curiously；　as　he　thought　now；　he　had　never　named　it；　though　men　were　likely　to　give　names　to　weapons；　which　also　were　symbols　of　power…Madelon　and　Brown　Bess　and　Killdeer　and　Excalibur。　Hammers　had　been　signs　of　godhead　before　this；　Thor　had　carried　a　hammer；　probably　other　gods　too。　Among　kings　there　had　been　that　old　Frankish　one　who　drove　back　the　Saracens…Martel；　they　had　called　him；　Charles　of　the　Hammer！　Ish　of　the　Hammer！　
　　Thus；　for　one　reason　or　another；　when　the　children　reassembled　in　school　the　next　morning；　Ish　said　nothing　about　superstition。　It　would　be　better；　he　told　himself；　to　bide　his　time　a　little；　to　observe　more　closely　for　a　day　or　two；　or　a　week。　Most　of　all；　he　wished　to　learn　more　about　Joey。　
　　As　the　result　of　this　observation；　over　a　period　of　some　weeks；　Ish　came　to　the　conclusion；　somewhat　reluctantly；　that　Joey　had　many　of　the　qualities　of　a　first…class　brat。　He　had　passed　his　tenth　birthday　during　the　summer。　His　precocity　was　sometimes　painful；　he　was；　in　the　old　phrase；　〃too　big　for　his　britches。〃　In　age；　he　was　half　way　between　Walt　and　Weston；　who　were　twelve；　and　Chris；　who　was　eight。　But　Joey's　precocity　put　him　naturally　into　the　pany　of　the　two　older　boys；　and　he　and　the　younger　one　had　nothing　in　mon。　This　must　be　hard　on　Joey；　Ish　concluded；　because　he　was　always　overreaching　to　attain　the　physical　power　of　boys　two　years　older　and　naturally　stronger　as　well。　Josey；　his　own　twin；　he　neglected　also；　for　he　was　at　a　stage　when　boys　had　no　interest　in　girls；　and　Josey；　besides；　was　not　nearly　so　bright　as　he。　
　　There　was　thus；　Ish　saw；　always　a　kind　of　strain　about　what　Joey　was　doing　or　trying　to　do。　Again　and　again　Ish　thought　of　that　little　incident　in　which　the　other　children　had　been　afraid　to　pick　up　the　hammer；　but　had　acquiesced　in　Joey's　doing　something　that　they　themselves　did　not　dare　to　do。　Obviously；　in　their　minds；　there　was　some　kind　of　power　inherent　in　Joey。　Ish　thought　far　back　to　the　times　of　his　studies；　and　he　remembered　the　wide…spread　belief　that　certain　members　of　a　tribe　had　a　special　power　within　them。　Mana；　the　anthropologists　had　called　it。　Perhaps　the　children　believed　that　Joey　had　mana；　possibly　Joey　himself　believed　it。　
　　Yet；　though　Ish　recognized　Joey's　limitations　and　disabilities　and　bad　qualities；　still　he　kept　his　thought　centered　more　on　Joey　than　on　any　of　the　others。　Joey　held　the　hope　for　the　future。　Only　by　the　power　of　intelligence；　Ish　believed　firmly；　had　mankind　ever　risen　to　civilization；　and　only　by　further　exercise　of　that　same　power；　would　mankind　ever　rise　again。　And　Joey　possessed　intelligence。　Possibly　also　he　possessed　that　other　power。　Mana　might　be　a　fallacy　of　simple　minds；　but　even　the　most　civilized　peoples　had　realized　that　certain　individuals　carried　within　them　some　strange　power　that　went　for　leadership。　Had　anyone　ever　explained　why　certain　men　became　leaders；　and　others；　though　they　seemed　better　qualified；　did　not？　
　　How　much　of　all　this　did　Joey　realize？　Many　times　Ish　asked　himself　the　question；　but　he　could　not　as　yet　answer　it。　Yet　more　and　more；　as　the　summer　progressed；　he　felt　that　in　Joey　lay　the　hope　of　the　future。　
　　All　mysticism　aside！　All　idea　of　mana　discounted！　Still；　only　Joey　could　keep　the　light　burning　through　this　dark　time。　
　　Only　he　could　store　up　and　transmit　the　great　tradition　of　mankind！　
　　But　mere　acquisition　of　knowledge　was　not　all　in　which　Joey　excelled。　Even　though　he　was　only　ten；　he　was　beginning　to　branch　out　for　himself；　to　experiment；　to　discover　things　on　his　own。　Indeed；　that　was　the　way　he　had　really　taught　himself　to　read　in　the　beginning。　To　be　sure；　all　this　development　was　still　at　a　childish　level。　
　　There　was　that　matter　of　the　jig…saw　puzzles；　for　instance。　The　children　had　developed　a　sudden　craze　for　the　puzzles；　and　had　set　about　rifling　some　of　the　stores。　Ish　had　watched　them　at　their　play；　and　at　first　Joey　had　not　been　as　good　as　the　others。　He　seemed　to　lack　some　basic　spatial　sense。　Sometimes　he　tried　to　join　pieces　which　obviously　did　not　fit；　and　the　others　indignantly　told　him　so。　Joey　had　been　irked　at　his　inferiority；　and　for　a　while　had　withdrawn　from　the　game。　
　　Then　Joey　had　suddenly　got　a　new　idea　of　how　to　go　about　it。　He　collected　himself　a　number　of　pieces　bearing　the　same　shade　of　yellow；　and　thus　was　able　to　put　them　together　more　rapidly　and　make　better　progress　than　the　other　children。　
　　When　he　proudly　displayed　what　he　had　done；　the　others　were　impressed。　But　even　after　he　had　explained　his　system；　they　did　not　want　to　adopt　it。　
　　〃What's　the　use　anyway！〃　Weston　had　argued。　〃We　might　be　able　to　do　it　faster　your　way；　but　it　wouldn't　be　any　more　fun；　and　nobody　cares　how　soon　we　get　this　finished。〃　
　　Betty　had　agreed。　〃Yes；　it's　no　fun　just　going　through　all　the　work；　picking　up　the　yellow　pieces　and　the　blue　pieces　and　the　red　pieces；　and　putting　them　in　different　places！〃　
　　Joey；　Ish　noticed；　could　not　put　up　a　good　argument　for　his　method；　and　yet　Ish　could　understand　his　motives。　In　the　first　place；　gr