gs.earthabides-第12章

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it　must　have　looked　before。　On　the　level　cultivated　stretches；　corn　and　cotton　were　growing。　The　corn　stood　high；　head　above　the　weeds；　it　would　bear　a　fairly　good　crop。　But　the　cotton　was　rapidly　being　choked　out。　
　　The　full　heat　of　surnmer　was　upon　him　now；　and　was　breaking　down　more　of　his　remnants　of　civilization。　He　still　'shaved　daily；　more　because　he　felt　fortable　that　way　than　for　any　sense　of　his　appearance；　but　he　had　not　had　his　hair　cut；　and　it　hung　shaggily　about　him。　He　hacked　at　it　with　a　pair　of　scissors。　He　had　reverted　merely　to　a　pair　of　blue　jeans　and　an　open…necked　shirt。　He　threw　the　shirt　away　every　morning；　and　put　on　a　clean　one。　Somewhere　he　had　forgotten　his　gray　fedora；　and　from　an　Oklahoma　general　store　he　picked　up　a　cheap　straw　hat；　the　kind　that　any　tenant　farmer　might　wear　in　the　summer。　
　　That　afternoon　he　crossed　into　Arkansas；　and　though　he　knew　that　state　lines　were　only　imaginary；　he　suddenly　be　came　conscious　of　another　change。　Here　all　the　dryness　of　the　plains　country　was　left　far　behind；　and　the　weather　was　hot　and　humid。　As　a　result　the　growth　was　everywhere　pushing　in　upon　the　roads　and　buildings。　Runners　from　vines　and　climb　mg　roses　already　dangled　across　windows　and　hung　swinging　from　eaves　and　porch　roofs。　The　smaller　houses　looked　as　if　they　were　shrinking　back　shyly　and　beginning　to　hide　in　the　woods。　Fences　also　were　being　obscured。　There　was　no　longer　a　sharp　line　between　the　road　and　the　surrounding　country。　Grass　and　weeds　were　showing　green　at　every　little　crack　in　the　concrete；　blackberry　shoots　were　pushing　in　from　the　shoulders；　breaking　the　clean　white　line。　In　one　place　the　long　runners　of　some　vme　reached　clear　to　the。　white　line　in　the　nuddle　of　the　pavement；　and　met　others　advancing　from　the　other　side。　
　　Peaches　were　ripe；　and　he　varied　his　diet　of　canned　food　by　raiding　an　orchard。　His　entry　scared　off　a　few　hogs　which　had　been　eating　the　fallen　fruit。　That　night　he　slept　at　North　Little　Rock。　
　　The　prize　boars　will　die　in　their　well…kept　pens；　and　the　fat　brood　sows　will　wander　about；　squealing　for　their　mash；　but　on　many　a　farm；　the　shoats　will　run　wild　without　restraint　of　fences。　They　need　nothing　from　man。　In　the　heat　they　seek　the　swamps　by　the　river；　and　root　there；　and　lie　in　the　mud；　grunting　happily。　When　the　air　grows　cool；　they　wander　the　oak　woods　and　feed　on　the　acorns。　After　a　few　generations；　they　grow　slimmer　of　leg　and　thinner　of　body　and　longer　of　tusk。　Before　the　fury　of　their　boars；　even　the　wolf　and　the　bear　hurry　aside。　Like　man；　they　eat　flesh　or　fowl　or　tuber　or　nut　or　fruit。　They　will　live。　
　　An　hour　on　the　road　next　morning；　at　the　edge　of　a　small　town；　he　started；　as　his　eyes　fell　upon　the　unaccustomed　sight　of　a　well…weeded　and　tended　garden。　He　stopped；　went　to　investigate；　and　found　fbr　the　first　time　what　might；　by　generous　interpretation；　be　called　a　social　group。　They　were　Negroes…a　man；　a　middle…aged　woman；　a　young　boy。　By　the　obvious　look　of　the　woman；　there　would　soon　be　a　fourth　member。　They　were　tinud。　The　boy　kept　in　the　background；　curious　but　frightened；　scratching　at　his　head　in　a　way　that　suggested　lice。　The　woman　stood；　stolidly　silent　except　to　direct　question。　The　man　took　off　his　straw　hat　and　stood　fingering　its　broken　rim　nervously；　beads　of　sweat；　from　nervousness　or　the　heat　of　the　morning　sun；　ran　down　his　shiny　black　forehead。　
　　Ish　could　hardly　understand　the　thick　dialect；　rendered　more　unintelligible　by　embarrassment。　He　made　out；　however；　that　they　knew　of　no　one　else　in　the　neighborhood；　and　in　fact　knew　very　little　of　anything；　not　having　been　beyond　walking　distance　from　the　spot　since　the　disaster。　They　were　not　a　family　group；　but　merely　a　chance　association　of　survivors…three；　against　the　law　of　chance；　having　survived　in　one　small　town。　
　　Ish　soon　realized　they　were　suffering　not　only　from　the　shock　of　the　catastrophe　but　also　from　the　taboos　carried　over　from　before　it。　They　talked　with　diffidence　in　the　presence　of　a　strange　white　man；　dropping　their　eyes。　
　　In　spite　of　their　obvious　reluctance；　Ish　looked　around　their　Place。　Although　all　the　houses　of　the　town　must　have　been　open　to　them；　they　still　lived　in　the　crude　cabin　where　the　woman　had　lived　before　the　disaster。　Ish　did　not　go　in；　but　through　the　open　door　he　saw　the　rickety　bed　and　chairs　and　the　sheet…iron　stove；　and　the　oil…cloth…draped　table　with　the　flies　buzzing　about　the　uncovered　food。　The　outside　looked　better。　They　had　a　luxuriant　garden　and　a　good　corn…patch；　and　were　actually　tending　a　small　field　of　cotton；　although　what　in　the　world　they　expected　to　do　with　the　cotton　was　more　than　Ish　could　figure　out。　Apparently　they　had　merely　carried　on；　doing　the　things　that　people　in　their　world　were　supposed　to　do；　and　thus　gaining　a　sense　of　security。　
　　They　had　chickens　in　a　pen；　and　some　pigs。　Their　painfully　naive　embarrassment　when　Ish　saw　the　pigs　was　only　too　plain　advertisement　that　they　had　appropriated　them　from　some　fw…mer's　pen　and　now　felt　that　the　white　man　would　hold　them　accountable。　
　　Ish　asked　for　some　ftesh　eggs；　and　for　a　dozen　gave　them　one　of　his　dollar　bills。　They　seemed　to　be　delighted　with　the　exchange。　After　a　quarter　of　an　hour；　having　exhausted　all　the　possibilities　of　the　situation；　Ish　got　into　the　car；　much　to　the　relief　of　the　reluctant　hosts。　
　　He　sat　in　the　front　seat　for　a　moment；　thinking　to　himself；　〃Here；〃　he　reflected；　〃I　might　be　a　king　in　a　little　way；　if　I　remained。　They　would　not　like　it；　but　from　long　habit　they　would；　I　think；　accept　the　situation…they　would　raise　vegetables　and　chickens　and　pigs　for　me；　and　I　could　soon　have　a　cow　or　two。　They　would　do　all　the　work　that　I　needed　to　have　done。　I　could　be　a　king；　at　least；　in　a　little　way。〃　
　　But　the　idea　was　only　fleeting；　and　as　he　drove　on；　he　began　to　think　that　the　Negroes　had　really　solved　the　situation　better　than　he。　He　was　living　as　a　scavenger　upon　what　was　left　of　civilization；　they；　at　least；　were　still　living　creatively；　close　to　the　land　and　in　a　stable　situation；　still　raising　most　of　what　they　needed。　
　　Of　half　a　million　species　of　insects　only　a　few　dozen　were　appreciably　affected　by　the　demise　of　man；　and　the　only　ones　actually　threatened　with　extinction　were　the　three　species　of　the　human　louse。　So　ancient；　if　not　honorable；　was　this　association　that　it　had　even　been　used　as　an　argument　for　the　single　origin　of　man；　anthropologists　noting　that　all　isolated　tribes　scratched　and　picked　at　the　same　parasites　and　therefore　inferring　that　the　original　ape…men　must　have　carried　the　original　insect…ancestors　outward　with　them　from　their　point　of　dispersal。　
　　Since　that　first　departure；　throughout　hundreds　of　millennia；　the　lice　had　adjusted　their　life　nicely　to　their　world；　which　was　the　body　of　man。　They　existed　as　three　tribes；　taking　as　their　domains；　respectively；　the　head；　the　clothing；　and　the　private　parts。　Thus；　in　spite　of　racial　differences；　they　amicably　maintained　a　tripartite　balance　of　power；　setting　for　their　host　an　example　which　he　might　well　have　followed。　At　the　same　time；　being　so　exactly　adapted　to　man；　they　lost　the　capacity　of　existing　upon　any　other　host。　
　　The　overthrow　of　man　was　therefore　their　overthrow。　Feeling　their　world　growing　cold；　they　crawled　off　in　search　of　some　new　warm　world　to　inhabit；　found　none；　and　died。　Billions　perished　most　miserably。　
　　At　the　funeral　of　Homo　sapiens　there　will　be　few　mourners。　Canis　familiaris　as　an　individual　will　perhaps　send　up　a　few　howls；　but　as　a　species；　remembering　all　the　kicks　and　curses；　he　will　soon　be　forted　and　run　off　to　join　his　wild　fellows。　Homo　sapiens；　however；　may　take　fort　from　the　thought　that　at　his　funeral　there　will　be　three　wholly　sincere　mourners。　
　　He　came　to　the　long　bridge　across　the　great　brown　rolling　river；　and　a　truck　was　stalled；　blocking　the　narrow　single　lane　which　led　across　to　Memphis。　
　　Feeling　like　a　bad　boy；　who　is　doing　something　forbidden　and　will　be　punished　for　it；　he　went　against　all　the　traffic　signs；　took　the　narrow　single　lane　on　the　lefthand　side　of　the　railroad　tracks；　and　headed　across　toward　Tennessee　on　the　road　which　should　lead　to　Arkansas。　
　　But　he　met　no　one；　and　before　long　he　came　to　the　Tennessee　side；　and　drove　out　（still　in　the　wrong　direction）　through　the　bridge　approach。　Memphis　was　as；　empty　as　other　cities　had　been；　but　a　south　wind　was　blowing；　and　it　brought　a　fetid　reek　from　what　had　been　the　teeming　districts　around　Beale　Street。　If　this　was　any　indication　of　what　Southern　cities　would　be　like；　Ish　wanted　no　more　of　them。　He　headed　fast　toward　the　country　again。　
　　Before　he　had　gone　far；　however；　the　south　wind　brought　steady　rain。　Since　driving　became　dull　and　wearisome；　and　since　he　was　certainly　in　no　hurry　to　get　anywhere；　he　holed　up　in　a　tourist…court　at　the　edge　of　a　small　town；　the　name　of　which　he　did　not　even　bother　to　ascertain。　The　gas　pressure　was　still　working　at　the　stove　in　the　kitchenette；　and　he　made　the　fresh　eggs　his　chief　dish　for　dinner。　They　were　a　real　treat；　and　yet　he　ended　by　being　in；some　way　still　unsatisfied。　〃I　wonder〃　he　thought；　〃if　I'm　getting　all　the　things　I　should　to　eat。〃　Perhaps　he　should　raid　a　drug　store　for　some　vitamin　tablets。　Later；　he　let　Princess　out　for　a　run；　and　she　suddenly　vanished　into　the　rain　with　a　long　yapping　which　ended　in　a　bay　as　she　struck　on　the　trail　of　some　animal。　He　was　disgusted；　since　he　knew　that　he　might　have　to　wait　up　an　hour　for　her　pleasure　to　return。　She　was　back　sooner；　however；　smelling　woefully　of　a　skunk。　He　shut　her　in　the　garage；　and　she　plained　bitterly　with　her　yapping；　at　the　disgraceful　way　she　was　being　treated。　
　　Ish　went　to　bed；　still　with　the　unsatisfied　feeling。　〃Must　be　suffering　from　shock　more　than　I　realize　consciously；〃　he　thought。　〃Or　else　the　loneliness　is　getting　me；　or　maybe　good　old　sex　is　raising　its　ugly　head。〃　
　　Shock　could　do　strange　things；　he　knew。　He　remembered　hearing　the　story　of　a　man　who　had　seen　his　wife　killed　before　his　eyes　in　an　accident　and　who　had　felt　no　desire　for　months。　
　　He　thought　of　the　Negroes　whom　he　had　seen　that　day。　The　woman…middle…aged；　far　gone　in　pregnancy；　no　beauty　at　any　time…could　scarcely　have　thus　disturbed　him。　When　he　thought　of　the　incident；　his　memories　turned　chiefly　to　the　way　in　which　they　had　found　a　kind　of　security　by　keeping　close　to　the　soil。　Then　Princess　bayed　from　the　garage；　and　he　cursed　her；　and　went　to　sleep。　
　　In　the　morning　he　still　felt　unsatisfied　and　restless。　The　storm　was　not　yet　over；　but　at　the　moment　no　rain　was　falling。　He　decided　not　to　leave；　but　to　take　a　walk　down　the　road。　Before　going　he　looked　into　the　station…wagon；　and　saw　the　rifle　lying　on　the　middle　seat。　He　had　hardly　touched　it　since　leaving　California；　now；　without　any　definite　thought；　he　took　it；　tucked　it　under　his　arm；　and　walked　down　the　road。　
　　Princess　followed　him　a　few　yards；　then　discovered　a　new　trail；　and　in　spite　of　the　last　night's　experience　was　off　upon　it；　vanishing　over　the　hill　in　a　series　of　delighted　yelps　and　bays。　〃Better　luck　this　time！〃　he　called　after　her。　
　　Ish　himself　walked　along　with　no　more　definite　idea　than　to　stretch　his　legs　a　little　or　perhaps