jurassic.park-第11部分

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tion。〃
　　　　〃Looks　pretty　paranoid　to　me；〃　he　said。
　　　　〃Maybe　there's　a　reason；〃　Ellie　said。
　　　　The　next　page　was　a　topographical　map。　It　showed　Isla　Nublar　as　an　inverted　teardrop；　bulging　at　the　north；　tapering　at　the　south。　The　island　was　eight　miles　long；　and　the　map　divided　it　into　several　large　sections。
　　　　The　northern　section　was　marked　VISITOR　AREA　and　it　contained　structures　marked　〃Visitor　Arrivals；〃　〃Visitor　Center/Administration；〃　〃　Power/Desalinization/Support；〃　〃Hammond　Res。；〃　and　〃Safari　Lodge。〃　Grant　could　see　the　outline　of　a　swimming　pool；　the　rectangles　of　tennis　courts；　and　the　round　squiggles　that　represented　planting　and　shrubbery。
　　　　〃Looks　like　a　resort；　all　right；〃　Ellie　said。
　　　　There　followed　detail　sheets　for　the　Safari　Lodge　itself。　In　the　elevation　sketches；　the　lodge　looked　dramatic：　a　long　low　building　with　a　series　of　pyramid　shapes　on　the　roof。　But　there　was　little　about　the　other　buildings　in　the　visitor　area。
　　　　And　the　rest　of　the　island　was　even　more　mysterious。　As　far　as　Grant　could　tell；　it　was　mostly　open　space。　A　network　of　roads；　tunnels；　and　outlying　buildings；　and　a　long　thin　lake　that　appeared　to　be　man…made；　with　concrete　dams　and　barriers。　But；　for　the　most　part；　the　island　was　divided　into　big　curving　areas　with　very　little　development　at　all。　Each　area　was　marked　by　codes：
　　　　/P/PROC/V/2A；　/D/TRIC/L/5（4A＋I）；　/LN/OTHN/C/4（3A＋＇）；　and　/VV/　HADR/X/　11（6A　＋　3　＋　3DB）。
　　　　〃Is　there　an　explanation　for　the　codes？〃　she　said。
　　　　Grant　flipped　the　pages　rapidly；　but　he　couldn't　find　one。
　　　　〃Maybe　they　took　it　out；〃　she　said。
　　　　〃I'm　telling　you；〃　Grant　said。　〃Paranoid。〃　He　looked　at　the　big　curving　divisions；　separated　from　one　another　by　the　network　of　roads。　There　were　only　six　divisions　on　the　whole　island。　And　each　division　was　separated　from　the　road　by　a　concrete　moat。　Outside　each　moat　was　a　fence　with　a　little　lightning　sign　alongside　it。　That　mystified　them　until　they　were　finally　able　to　figure　out　It　meant　the　fences　were　electrified。
　　　　〃That's　odd；〃　she　said。　〃Electrified　fences　at　a　resort？〃
　　　　〃Miles　of　them；〃　Grant　said。　〃Electrified　fences　and　moats；　together。　And　usually　with　a　road　alongside　them　as　well。〃
　　　　〃Just　like　a　zoo；〃　Ellie　said。
　　　　They　went　back　to　the　topographical　map　and　looked　closely　at　the　contour　lines。　The　roads　had　been　placed　oddly。　The　main　road　ran　north…soutb；　right　through　the　central　hills　of　the　island；　including　one　section　of　road　that　seemed　to　be　literally　cut　into　the　side　of　a　cliff；　above　a　river。　It　began　to　look　as　if　there　had　been　a　deliberate　effort　to　leave　these　open　areas　as　big　enclosures；　separated　from　the　roads　by　moats　and　electric　fences。　And　the　roads　were　raised　up　above　ground　level；　so　you　could　see　over　the　fences。　。　。　。
　　　　〃You　know；〃　Ellie　said；　〃some　of　these　dimensions　are　enormous。　Look　at　this。　This　concrete　moat　is　thirty　feet　wide。　That's　like　a　military　fortification。〃
　　　　〃So　are　these　buildings；〃　Grant　said。　He　had　noticed　that　each　open　division　had　a　few　buildings；　usually　located　in　out…of…the…way　corners。　But　the　buildings　were　all　concrete；　with　thick　walls。　In　side…view　elevations　they　looked　like　concrete　bunkers　with　small　windows。　Like　the　Nazi　pillboxes　from　old　war　movies。
　　　　At　that　moment；　they　heard　a　muffled　explosion；　and　Grant　put　the　papers　aside。　〃Back　to　work；〃　he　said。

〃Fire！〃
　　　　There　was　a　slight　vibration；　and　then　yellow　contour　lines　traced　across　the　puter　screen。　This　time　the　resolution　was　perfect；　and　Alan　Grant　had　a　glimpse　of　the　skeleton；　beautifully　defined；　the　long　neck　arched　back。　It　was　unquestionably　an　infant　velociraptor；　and　it　looked　in　perfect…
　　　　The　screen　went　blank。
　　　　〃I　hate　puters；〃　Grant　said；　squinting　in　the　sun。　〃What　happened　now？〃
　　　　〃Lost　the　integrator　input；〃　one　of　the　kids　said。　〃Just　a　minute。〃　The　kid　bent　to　look　at　the　tangle　of　wires　going　into　the　back　of　the　battery…powered　portable　puter。　They　had　set　the　puter　up　on　a　beer　carton　on　top　of　Hill　Four；　not　far　from　the　device　they　called　Thumper。
　　　　Grant　sat　down　on　the　side　of　the　hill　and　looked　at　his　watch。　He　said　to　Ellie；　〃We're　going　to　have　to　do　this　the　old…fashioned　way。〃
　　　　One　of　the　kids　overheard。　〃Aw；　Alan。〃
　　　　〃Look；〃　Grant　said；　〃I've　got　a　plane　to　catch。　And　I　want　the　fossil　protected　before　I　go。〃
　　　　Once　you　began　to　expose　a　fossil；　you　had　to　continue；　or　risk　losing　it。　Visitors　imagined　the　landscape　of　the　badlands　to　be　unchanging；　but　in　fact　it　was　continuously　eroding；　literally　right　before　your　eyes；　all　day　long　you　could　hear　the　clatter　of　pebbles　rolling　down　the　crumbling　hillside。　And　there　was　always　the　risk　of　a　rainstorm；　even　a　brief　shower　would　wash　away　a　delicate　fossil。　Thus　Grant's　partially　exposed　skeleton　was　at　risk；　and　it　had　to　be　protected　until　he　returned。
　　　　Fossil　protection　ordinarily　consisted　of　a　tarp　over　the　site；　and　a　trench　around　the　perimeter　to　control　water　runoff。　The　question　was　how　large　a　trench　the　velociraptor　fossil　required。　To　decide　that；　they　were　using　puter…assisted　sonic　tomography；　or　CAST。　This　was　a　new　procedure；　in　which　Thumper　fired　a　soft　lead　slug　into　the　ground；　setting　up　shock　waves　that　were　read　by　the　puter　and　assembled　into　a　kind　of　X…ray　image　of　the　hillside。　They　had　been　using　it　all　summer　with　varying　results。
　　　　Thumper　was　twenty　feet　away　now；　a　big　silver　box　on　wheels；　with　an　umbrella　on　top。　It　looked　like　an　ice…cream　vendor's　pushcart；　parked　incongruously　on　the　badlands。　Thumper　had　two　youthful　attendants　loading　the　next　soft　lead　pellet。
　　　　So　far；　the　CAST　program　merely　located　the　extent　of　finds；　helping　Grant's　team　to　dig　more　efficiently。　But　the　kids　claimed　that　within　a　few　years　it　would　be　possible　to　generate　an　image　so　detailed　that　excavation　would　he　redundant。　You　could　get　a　perfect　image　of　the　bones；　in　three　dimensions；　and　it　promised　a　whole　new　era　of　archaeology　without　excavation。
　　　　But　none　of　that　had　happened　yet。　And　the　equipment　that　worked　flawlessly　in　the　university　laboratory　proved　pitifully　delicate　and　fickle　in　the　field。
　　　　〃How　much　longer？〃　Grant　said。
　　　　〃We　got　it　now；　Alan。　It's　not　bad。〃
　　　　Grant　went　to　look　at　the　puter　screen。　He　saw　the　plete　skeleton；　traced　in　bright　yellow。　It　was　indeed　a　young　specimen。　The　outstanding　characteristic　of　Velociraptor…the　single…toed　claw；　which　in　a　full…grown　animal　was　a　curved；　six…inch…long　weapon　capable　of　ripping　open　its　prey…was　in　this　infant　no　larger　than　the　thorn　on　a　rosebush。　It　was　hardly　visible　at　all　on　the　screen。　And　Velociraptor　was　a　lightly　built　dinosaur　in　any　case；　an　animal　as　fine…boned　as　a　bird；　and　presumably　as　intelligent。
　　　　Here　the　skeleton　appeared　in　perfect　order；　except　that　the　head　and　neck　were　bent　back；　toward　the　posterior。　Such　neck　flexion　was　so　mon　in　fossils　that　some　scientists　had　formulated　a　theory　to　explain　it；　suggesting　that　the　dinosaurs　had　bee　extinct　because　they　had　been　poisoned　by　the　evolving　alkaloids　in　plants。　The　twisted　neck　was　thought　to　signify　the　death　agony　of　the　dinosaurs。　Grant　had　finally　put　that　one　to　rest；　by　demonstrating　that　many　species　of　birds　and　reptiles　underwent　a　postmortem　contraction　of　posterior　neck　ligaments；　which　bent　the　head　backward　in　a　characteristic　way。　It　had　nothing　to　do　with　the　cause　of　death；　it　had　to　do　with　the　way　a　carcass　dried　in　the　sun。
　　　　Grant　saw　that　this　particular　skeleton　had　also　been　twisted　laterally；　so　that　the　right　leg　and　foot　were　raised　up　above　the　backbone。
　　　　〃It　looks　kind　of　distorted；〃　one　of　the　kids　said。　〃But　I　don't　think　it's　the　puter。〃
　　　　〃No；〃　Grant　said。　〃It's　just　time。　Lots　and　lots　of　time。〃
　　　　Grant　knew　that　people　could　not　imagine　geological　time。　Human　life　was　lived　on　another　scale　of　time　entirely。　An　apple　turned　brown　in　a　few　minutes。　Silverware　turned　black　in　a　few　days。　A　post　heap　decayed　in　a　season。　A　child　grew　up　in　a　decade。　None　of　these　everyday　human　experiences　prepared　people　to　be　able　to　imagine　the　meaning　of　eighty　million　years　…　the　length　of　time　that　had　passed　since　this　little　animal　had　died。
　　　　In　the　classroom；　Grant　had　tried　different　parisons。　If　you　imagined　the　human　lifespan　of　sixty　years　was　pressed　to　an　hour；　then　eighty　million　years　would　still　be　3；652　years…older　than　the　pyramids。　The　velociraptor　had　been　dead　a　long　time。
　　　　〃Doesn't　look　very　fearsome；〃　one　of　the　kids　said。
　　　　〃He　wasn't；〃　Grant　said。　〃At　least；　not　until　he　grew　up。〃　Probably　this　baby　had　scavenged；　feeding　off　carcasses　slain　by　the　adults；　after　the　big　animals　had　gorged　themselves；　and　lay　basking　in　the　sun。　Carnivores　could　eat　as　much　as　25　percent　of　their　body　weight　in　a　single　meal；　and　it　made　them　sleepy　afterward。　The　babies　would　chitter　and　scramble　over　the　indulgent；　somnolent　bodies　of　the　adults；　and　nip　little　bites　from　the　dead　animal。　The　babies　were　probably　cute　little　animals。
　　　　But　an　adult　velociraptor　was　another　matter　entirely。　Pound　for　pound；　a　velociraptor　was　the　most　rapacious　dinosaur　that　ever　lived。　Although　relatively　small…about　two　hundred　pounds；　the　size　of　a　leopard…velociraptors　were　quick；　intelligent；　and　vicious；　able　to　attack　with　sharp　jaws；　powerful　clawed　forearms；　and　the　devastating　single　claw　on　the　foot。
　　　　Velociraptors　hunted　in　packs；　and　Grant　thought　it　must　have　been　a　sight　to　see　a　dozen　of　these　animals　racing　at　full　speed；　leaping　onto　the　back　of　a　much　larger　dinosaur；　tearing　at　the　neck　and　slashing　at　the　ribs　and　belly。　。　。　。
　　　　〃We're　running　out　of　time；〃　Ellie　said；　bringing　him　back。
　　　　Grant　gave　instructions　for　the　trench。　From　the　puter　image；　they　knew　the　skeleton　lay　in　a　relatively　confined　area；　a　ditch　around　a　two…meter　square　would　be　sufficient。　Meanwhile；　Ellie　lashed　down　the　tarp　that　covered　the　side　of　the　hill。　Grant　helped　her　pound　in　the　final　stakes。
　　　　〃How　did　the　baby　die？〃　one　of　the　kids　asked。
　　　　〃I　doubt　we'll　know；〃　Grant　replied。　〃Infant　mortality　in　the　wild　is　high。　In　African　parks；　it　runs　seventy　percent　among　some　carnivores。　It　could　have　been　anything　…　disease；　separation　from　the　g