atlantis.found-第45部分

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　　　　　Pitt　ignored　him　and　raised　the　curtain　in　both　hands　until　it　had　curled　above　his　head。
　　　　　〃You　shouldn't　touch　that；〃　Hatfield　cautioned　irritably。　〃It's　a　priceless　relic　and　might　crumble　to　pieces。　It　must　be　handled　delicately　until　it　can　be　preserved。〃
　　　　　〃What's　under　it　is　even　more　priceless；〃　Pitt　said　in　a　impassive　voice。　He　nodded　at　Giordino。　〃Grab　a　couple　of　those　spears　and　use　them　to　prop　up　the　curtain。〃
　　　　　Hatfield；　his　face　flushed　crimson；　tried　to　stop　Giordino；　but　he　might　as　well　have　tried　to　halt　a　farm　tractor。　Giordino　brushed　him　aside　without　so　much　as　a　sideways　glance；　snatched　two　of　the　ancient　obsidian　spears；　planted　their　tips　on　the　floor　of　the　chamber；　and　used　their　butt　ends　to　hold　up　the　curtain。　Then　Pitt　adjusted　a　pair　of　floodlights　until　their　beams　were　concentrated　on　the　wall。
　　　　　Pat　held　her　breath　and　stared　at　the　four　large　circles　carved　into　the　polished　wall；　with　strange　diagrams　cut　within　their　circumferences。　〃They're　glyphs　of　some　kind；〃　she　said　solemnly。
　　　　　〃They　look　like　maps；〃　spoke　up　Giordino。
　　　　　〃Maps　of　what？〃
　　　　　A　bemused　smile　spread　Pitt's　lips。　〃Four　different　projections　of　the　earth。〃
　　　　　Hatfield　peered　through　his　glasses　over　Pat's　shoulder。　〃Ridiculous。　These　glyphs　don't　look　like　any　ancient　maps　I've　ever　seen。　They're　too　detailed；　and　they　certainly　bear　no　resemblance　to　geography　as　I　know　it。〃
　　　　　〃That's　because　your　shallow　mind　cannot　visualize　the　continents　and　shorelines　as　they　were　nine　thousand　years　ago。〃
　　　　　〃I　must　agree　with　Dr。　Hatfield；〃　said　Pat。　〃All　I　see　is　a　series　of　what　might　be　large　and　small　islands　with　jagged　coastlines　surrounded　by　wavy　images　suggesting　a　vast　sea。〃
　　　　　〃My　vote　goes　for　a　butterfly　damaged　by　antiaircraft　fire　on　a　Rorschach　inkblot　test；〃　Giordino　muttered　cynically。
　　　　　〃You　just　dropped　fifty　points　on　the　gray　matter　scale；〃　Pitt　came　back。　〃I　thought　that　of　all　the　people；　I　could　count　on　you　to　solve　the　puzzle。〃
　　　　　〃What　do　you　see？〃　Pat　asked　Pitt。
　　　　　〃I　see　four　different　views　of　the　world　as　seen　from　the　continent　of　Antarctica　nine　thousand　years　ago。〃
　　　　　〃All　jokes　aside；〃　said　Giordino；　〃you're　right。〃
　　　　　Pat　stood　back　for　an　overall　view。　〃Yes；　I　can　begin　to　distinguish　other　continents　now。　But　they're　in　different　positions。　It's　almost　as　if　the　world　has　tilted。〃
　　　　　〃I　fail　to　see　how　Antarctica　fits　into　the　picture；〃　Hatfield　insisted。
　　　　　〃It's　right　in　front　of　your　eyes。〃
　　　　　Pat　asked；　〃How　can　you　be　so　dead　sure？〃
　　　　　〃I'd　be　interested　in　knowing　how　you　reached　that　conclusion；〃　Hatfield　scoffed。
　　　　　Pitt　looked　at　Pat。　〃Do　you　have　any　chalk　in　your　tote　bag　that　you　use　to　highlight　inscriptions　in　rock？〃
　　　　　She　smiled。　〃Chalk　went　out。　Now　we　prefer　talcum　powder。〃
　　　　　〃Okay；　let's　have　it；　and　some　Kleenex。　All　women　carry　Kleenex。〃
　　　　　She　dug　in　her　pocket　and　handed　him　a　small　packet　of　tissues。　Then　she　fished　around　in　her　tote　bag　through　the　notebooks；　camera　equipment；　and　tools　used　for　examining　ancient　symbols　in　rock；　until　she　found　a　container　of　powdered　talc。
　　　　　Pitt　spent　the　short　wait　wetting　the　tissue　with　water　out　of　a　canteen　and　dampening　the　glyphs　carved　on　the　wall　so　the　talc　would　adhere　in　the　etched　stone。　Then　Pat　passed　him　the　talc；　and　he　began　dabbing　it　on　the　smooth　surface　around　the　ancient　art。　After　about　three　minutes；　he　stood　back　and　admired　his　handiwork。
　　　　　〃Ladies　and　gentlemen；　I　give　you　Antarctica。〃
　　　　　All　three　gazed　intently　at　the　crude　coating　of　white　talc　Pitt　had　dabbed　on　the　polished　rock　and　then　wiped　clean；　outlining　the　etched　features。　It　now　bore　a　distinct　similarity　to　the　South　Polar　continent。
　　　　　〃What　does　all　this　mean？〃　Pat　asked；　confused。
　　　　　〃What　it　means；〃　explained　Pitt；　gesturing　toward　the　mummies　sitting　mute　in　their　throne　chairs；　〃is　that　these　ancient　people　walked　on　Antarctica　thousands　of　years　before　modern　man。　They　sailed　around　and　charted　it　before　it　was　covered　with　ice　and　snow。〃
　　　　　〃Nonsense！〃　Hatfield　snorted。　〃It's　a　scientifically　proven　fact　that　all　but　three　percent　of　the　continent　has　been　covered　by　an　ice　sheet　for　millions　of　years。〃
　　　　　Pitt　didn't　say　anything　for　several　seconds。　He　stared　at　the　ancient　figures　as　if　they　were　alive；　his　eyes　moving　from　one　face　to　the　next　as　if　trying　to　municate　with　them。　Finally；　he　gestured　toward　the　ancient；　silent　dead。　〃The　answers；〃　he　said　with　steadfast　conviction；　〃will　e　from　them。〃
　
　　　　　Hiram　Yaeger　returned　to　his　puter　plex　after　lunch　carrying　a　large　cardboard　box　with　a　basset　hound　puppy　inside　that　he'd　saved　from　the　city　pound　just　hours　before　it　was　scheduled　to　be　put　to　sleep。　Since　the　family　golden　retriever　had　died　from　old　age；　Yaeger　had　sworn　that　he　had　buried　his　last　family　dog　and　refused　to　replace　it。　But　his　two　teenage　daughters　had　begged　and　pleaded　for　another　one　and　even　threatened　to　ignore　their　school　studies　if　their　retriever　wasn't　replaced。　Yaeger's　only　consolation　was　that　he　wasn't　the　first　father　to　be　coerced　by　his　children　into　bringing　home　an　animal。
　　　　　He　had　meant　to　find　another　golden　retriever；　but　when　he'd　looked　into　the　sad；　soulful　coffee…cup　eyes　of　the　basset　and　seen　the　ungainly　body　with　the　short　legs；　big　feet；　and　ears　that　dragged　on　the　floor；　he'd　been　hooked。　He　laid　newspapers　around　his　desk　and　allowed　the　puppy　to　roam　free；　but　it　preferred　to　lie　on　a　towel　in　the　open　box　and　stare　at　Yaeger；　who　found　it　next　to　impossible　to　steer　his　concentration　away　from　those　sad　eyes。
　　　　　Finally；　he　forced　his　attention　on　his　work　and　called　up　Max。　She　appeared　on　the　monitor　and　scowled　at　him。　〃Must　you　always　keep　me　waiting？〃
　　　　　He　reached　down　and　held　up　the　puppy　for　Max　to　see。　〃I　stopped　off　and　picked　up　a　doggy　for　my　daughters。〃
　　　　　Max's　face　instantly　softened。　〃He's　cute。　The　girls　should　be　thrilled。〃
　　　　　〃Have　you　made　progress　in　deciphering　the　inscriptions？〃　he　asked。
　　　　　〃I've　pretty　much　unraveled　the　meaning　of　the　symbols；　but　it　takes　a　bit　of　doing　to　connect　them　into　words　than　can　be　interpreted　in　English。〃
　　　　　〃Tell　me　what　you　have　so　far。〃
　　　　　〃Quite　a　lot；　actually；〃　Max　said　proudly。
　　　　　〃I'm　listening。〃
　　　　　〃Sometime　around　7000　B。C。；　the　world　suffered　a　massive　catastrophe。〃
　　　　　〃Any　idea　of　what　it　was？〃　inquired　Yaeger。
　　　　　〃Yes；　it　was　recorded　in　the　map　of　the　heavens　on　the　ceiling　of　the　Colorado　chamber；〃　explained　Max。　〃I　haven't　deciphered　the　entire　narrative　yet；　but　it　seems　that　not　one；　but　two　ets　swept　in　from　the　far　outer　solar　system　and　caused　worldwide　calamity。〃
　　　　　〃Are　you　sure　they　weren't　asteroids？　I'm　no　astronomer；　but　I've　never　heard　of　ets　orbiting　in　parallel。〃
　　　　　〃The　celestial　map　showed　two　objects　with　long　tails　traveling　side　by　side　that　collide　with　the　earth。〃
　　　　　Yaeger　lowered　his　hand　and　petted　the　dog　as　he　spoke。　〃Two　ets　striking　at　the　same　time。　Depending　on　their　size；　they　must　have　caused　a　huge　convulsion。〃
　　　　　〃Sorry；　Hiram；〃　said　Max；　〃I　didn't　mean　to　mislead　you。　Only　one　of　the　ets　hit　the　earth。　The　other　circled　past　the　sun　and　disappeared　into　deep　space。〃
　　　　　〃Did　the　star　map　indicate　where　the　et　fell？〃
　　　　　Max　shook　her　head。　〃The　depiction　of　the　impact　site　indicated　Canada；　probably　somewhere　in　the　Hudson　Bay　area。〃
　　　　　〃I'm　proud　of　you；　Max。〃　Yeager　had　lifted　the　basset　hound　onto　his　lap；　where　it　promptly　fell　asleep。　〃You'd　make　a　classic　detective。〃
　　　　　〃Solving　an　ordinary　people　crime　would　be　mere　child's　play　for　me；〃　Max　said　loftily。
　　　　　〃All　right；　we　have　a　et　crashing　to　the　earth　in　a　Canadian　province　about　7000　B。C。　that　caused　worldwide　destruction。〃
　　　　　〃Only　the　first　act。　The　meat　of　the　story　es　later；　with　the　description　of　the　people　and　their　civilization　that　existed　before　the　cataclysm　and　the　aftermath。　Most　all　were　annihilated。　The　pitiful　few　who　survived；　too　weakened　to　rebuild　their　empire；　saw　it　as　their　divine　mission　to　wander　the　world；　educate　the　primitive　stone…age　inhabitants　of　the　era　who　endured　in　remote　areas；　and　build　monuments　warning　of　the　next　cataclysm。〃
　　　　　〃Why　did　they　expect　another　threat　from　space？〃
　　　　　〃From　what　I　can　gather；　they　foresaw　the　return　of　the　second　et　that　would　finish　the　job　of　plete　destruction。〃
　　　　　Yaeger　was　nearly　speechless。　〃What　you're　suggesting；　Max；　is　that　there　really　was　a　civilization　called　Atlantis？〃
　　　　　〃I　didn't　say　that；〃　Max　stated　irritably。　〃I　haven't　determined　what　these　ancient　people　called　themselves。　I　do　know　that　they　only　vaguely　resembled　the　tale　passed　down　from　Plato；　the　famed　Greek　philosopher。　His　record　of　a　conversation　that　took　place　two　hundred　years　before　his　time；　between　his　ancestor；　the　great　Greek　statesman　Solon；　and　an　Egyptian　priest；　is　the　first　written　account　of　a　land　called　Atlantis。〃
　　　　　〃Everyone　knows　the　legend；〃　said　Yaeger；　his　thoughts　spinning　into　space。　〃The　priest　told　of　an　island　continent　larger　than　Australia　that　rose　in　the　middle　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean　west　of　the　Pillars　of　Hercules；　or　the　Strait　of　Gibraltar；　as　we　know　it　today。　Several　thousand　years　ago；　it　was　destroyed　and　sank　beneath　the　sea　after　a　great　upheaval；　and　vanished。　A　riddle　that　has　puzzled　believers；　and　is　scoffed　at　by　historians　to　this　day。　Personally；　I　tend　to　agree　with　historians　that　Atlantis　is　nothing　more　than　an　early　saga　of　science　fiction。〃
　　　　　〃Perhaps　it　was　not　a　total　fabrication　after　all。〃
　　　　　Yaeger　stared　at　Max；　his　eyebrows　pinched。　〃There　is　absolutely　no　geological　basis　for　a　lost　continent　to　have　disappeared　in　the　middle　of　the　Atlantic　Ocean　nine　thousand　years　ago。　It　never　existed。　Certainly　not　between　North　Africa　and　the　Caribbean。　It's　now　generally　accepted　that　the　legend　is　linked　to　a　catastrophic　earthquake　and　flood　caused　by　a　volcanic　eruption　that　took　place　on　the　island　of　Thera；　or　Santorini　as　it　is　known　today；　and　wiped　out　the　great　Minoan　civilization　on　Crete。〃
　　　　　〃So　you　think　Plato's　portrait　of　Atlantis；　in　his