gs.earthabides-第53章

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　　One　day…more　than　a　week　had　passed；　and　the　memory　of　Charlie　and　the　oak　tree　had　faded　somewhat…Ish　and　Joey　came　back　to　the　house　after　having　located　what　seemed　the　most　favorable　site　they　had　yet　seen。　Em　came　out　on　the　porch　to　meet　them；　and　Ish　knew　immediately　that　something　had　happened。　〃What's　the　matter？〃　he　asked　quickly。　
　　〃Oh；　nothing　much；〃　she　said；　〃I　hope　anyway。　Bob　seems　to　be　sick；　a　little。〃　Ish　stopped　dead　on　the　porch；　and　looked　at　her。　
　　〃No；　I　don't　think　so；〃　she　said。　〃I'm　no　doctor；　but　I　don't　think　it's　anything　like　that。　I　don't　even　see　how　it　could　be。　e　and　take　a　look　at　him。　He　says　he's　felt　a　little　bad　for　the　last　few　days。〃　
　　During　the　years　Ish　had　usually　taken　the　responsibility　of　doctoring。　He　had　developed　some　skill　at　treating　cuts　and　bruises　and　sprains；　and　had　once　set　a　broken　arm。　But　he　had　gained　practically　no　experience　with　disease；　because　there　were　only　the　two　that　seemed　to　exist　in　The　Tribe。　
　　〃Bob　hasn't　just　got　a　case　of　that　sore　throat？〃　he　asked。　〃I　can　fix　that　soon　enough！〃　
　　〃No；〃　she　said；　as　he　had　known　she　would…she　would　not　be　so　obviously　worrying　about　the　sore　throat。　〃No；〃　she　repeated；　〃he　hasn't　got　a　sore　throat　at　all。　He　just　seems　laid　out；　flat。〃　
　　〃Sulfa　will　probably　do　the　job　anyway；〃　said　Ish；　cheerfully。　〃As　long　as　there　are　thousands　of　pills　in　the　drug　stores；　and　still　good；　we're　lucky！　And　if　sulfa　won't　work；　I'll　take　a　chance　with　penicillin。〃　
　　He　went　upstairs　quickly。　Bob　was　lying　in　bed；　lying　very　still　with　his　face　turned　away　from　the　light。　
　　〃Oh；　I'm　all　right！〃　he　said；　irritably。　〃Mother　gets　excited！〃　
　　Proof　enough　to　the　contrary；　thought　Ish；　lay　in　his　taking　to　bed。　A　sixteen…year…old　did　not　go　to　bed；　before　he　was　too　sick　to　stand。　
　　Ish　looked　around　and　saw　Joey；　peering　curiously　at　his　brother。　
　　〃Joey；　get　out　of　here！〃　he　snapped。　
　　〃I'd　like　to　see。　I　want　to　know　about　being　sick！〃　
　　〃No；　you　keep　your　nose　out　of　this。　When　you　get　bigger　and　stronger；　I'll　show　you；　and　teach　you。　But　we　don't　want　you　getting　sick　too。　The　first　thing　to　learn　about　sickness　is　that　it　may　go　from　one　person　to　another。〃　
　　Joey　backed　out　reluctantly；　his　curiosity　stronger　than　any　theoretical　fear　of　being　sick。　The　Tribe　had　had　so　little　experience　with　disease　that　the　children　had　no　respect　for　it。　
　　Bob　plained　of　a　headache；　and　a　general　sense　of　unlocalized　disfort。　He　kept　very　still　in　bed；　obviously　prostrated。　Ish　took　his　temperature　and　found　it　just　under　101；　not　too　good　or　too　bad。　He　prescribed　two　sulfa　pills　and　a　full　glass　of　water。　Bob　gagged　over　the　pills；　he　was　not　used　to　swallowing　such　things。　
　　Telling　Bob　to　get　some　sleep；　Ish　went　out；　and　closed　the　door。　
　　〃What　is　it？〃　Em　asked　him。　
　　He　shrugged　his　shoulders。　〃Nothing　that　sulfa　won't　cure；　I　guess。〃　
　　〃I　don't　like　it；　though。　So　soon。。。〃　
　　〃Yes。　There's　such　a　thing；　however；　as　coincidence；　you　remember。〃　
　　〃I　know　that。　But　you're　the　one　that　will　be　worrying。〃　
　　〃I'll　give　the　pills　every　four　hours；　overnight　at　least；　before　I　begin。〃　
　　〃That's　fine；　if　it's　so！〃　she　said　as　a　last　word；　and　went　off。　
　　And　Ish；　before　even　he　had　got　all　the　way　downstairs；　knew　that　her　skepticism　was　justified。　After　all；　why　should　a　man　not　worry？　In　the　Old　Times　when　you　lived　with　all　the　protection　of　doctors　and　public…health　services；　even　then　the　mysterious　and　sudden　onset　of　disease　was　terrifying。　How　much　more　so；　now！　
　　Now；　just　as　man　lacked　the　all…embracing　power　of　a　nation　around　him；　so　also　he　felt　himself　bare　and　exposed　and　helpless　for　lack　of　that　age…old　tradition　of　medical　skill。　
　　〃It's　my　fault！〃　he　thought。　〃All　these　years　of　grace！　I　should　have　been　studying　the　medical　books。　I　should　have　made　myself　into　a　doctor。〃　
　　Yet　the　study　of　medicine　had　never　appealed　to　him；　even　far　back　in　the　Old　Times　when　he　had　been　thinking　about　a　profession。　And　a　man　couldn't　be　a　universal　genius！　Besides；　there　had　been　no　pressure；　when　nearlv　all　the　diseases　seemed　to　have　died　out。　
　　That　fact；　when　he　thought　of　it；　sometimes　even　made　the　Great　Disaster　seem　beneficent…a　magnificent　wiping　off　of　the　state　which　allowed　man　as　a　species　to　escape　from　most　Of　the　aches　and　pains　he　had　been　accumulating　for　so　many　centuries；　and　start　anew。　Originally　each　little　isolated　tribe　must　have　developed　and　maintained　its　own　special　infections。　If　the　evidence　had　been　available；　the　anthropologists　would　probably　have　said　that　the　Neanderthal　men　could　be　identified　as　well　by　their　own　special　parasites　as　by　their　own　special　ways　of　chipping　flint。　In　archeology；　when　you　found　one　culture　just　on　top　of　another　one；　you　assumed　that　Tribe　B　had　wiped　out　Tribe　A。　So　doubtless　it　had。　But　its　weapons　had　probably　been　stronger　parasites　more　often　than　longer　spears。　
　　As　he　thought；　he　grew　more　alarmed。　Although　less　than　half　an　hour　had　passed；　he　went　upstairs；　and　looked　in　at　Bob。　Evening　had　e；　and　Bob　lay　quietly　in　the　half…dark　room。　Ish　did　not　want　to　disturb　him；　and　so　went　downstairs　again。　
　　He　sat　in　a　big　chair　and　smoked。　He　would　have　liked　to　talk　the　matter　over　with　someone；　but　Em　did　not　have　the　background；　and　Joey　was　still　too　inexperienced。　So　he　thought　to　himself。　
　　The　Tribe…they　themselves；　that　is…had　preserved　measles　and　some　kind　of　sore　throat。　Someone；　he　himself　perhaps；　had　been　the　carrier；　or　else　the　germs　were　maintained　by　some　animal　with　which　they　were　in　contact…the　dogs；　or　the　cattle；　or　any　one　of　a　hundred　smaller　ones。　But　the　people　in　Los　Angeles　might　be　free　of　measles；　and　have　preserved　mumps　and　whooping…cough。　And　those　on　the　Rio　Grande　would　probably　have　kept　dysentery。　
　　And　now　Charlie！　Even　if　he　had　not　had　those　particular　diseases　of　which　he　boasted；　he　might　well　have　been　a　carrier　of　whatever　happened　to　be　prevalent　around　Los　Angeles。　That　had　not　been　such　a　fine　idea…sending　the　boys　off　to　explore！　Suddenly　Ish　began　to　feel　an　unreasoning　fear　of　any　stranger。　Give　them　two…hundred…yards　law；　that　was　the　idea；　and　then　look　at　them　over　the　sights　of　a　good　rifle！　
　　A　fly　buzzed　in　front　of　his　nose；　and　the　overemphatic　way　he　struck　at　it　showed　that　his　nerves　were　tense。　Josey　called　for　him　to　e　in　to　dinner。　
　　Unlike　the　human　lice；　the　house…fly…not　having　irrevocably　linked　its　destiny　with　man's…had　suffered　nothing　that　approached　annihilation。　Like　the　house　rat；　the　house　mouse；　the　human　flea；　and　the　cockroach；　this　other　intimate　household　panion　had　suffered　only　a　considerable　reverse。　Where　formerly　it　had　buzzed　by　hundreds　and　thousands；　now　it　was　reduced　to　its　twenties　or　tens。　Nevertheless；　it　survived。　
　　For；　like　that　lord　whom　Price　Hamlet　calls　a　〃water…fly；〃　the　house…fly　also　was　secure　in　〃the　possession　of　dirt；〃　though　for　it　dirt　must　mean；　not　lands　and　estates；　but　the　word　in　its　dysphemistic　sense；　as　when　the　Bible　of　King　James　declares　primly　that　Ehud　struck　King　Eglon　in　the　belly；　〃and　the　dirt　came　out。〃　Thus；　even　though　man　should　be　reduced　to　the　vanishing　point　or　disappear　altogether；　the　house…fly　was　secure　as　long　as　the　larger　animals　still　lived　and　continued　to　leave　droppings　behind　them。　The　eggs　of　the　fly；　thus　deposited；　soon　hatched　out；　and　the　larvae　found　themselves　embowered　in　rich　and　succulent　food　on　which　to　feast；　as　snakes　upon　rats；　woodpeckers　upon　grubs；　and　men　on　the　flesh　of　dead　animals。　
　　Still；　with　man　eclipsed；　times　were　hard。　No　longer　did　barnyards　offer　sites　as　rich　as　the　ancient　gift　of　the　Nile；　no　longer　was　the　countryside　studded　with　beneficently　unscreened　privies；　no　longer　did　innumerable　slums　offer　their　choice　piles　of　garbage　and　filth。　Only　here　and　there　some　few　accumulations　of　nourishing　excrement　permitted　the　house…fly　to　lay　numerous　eggs　and　breed　up　well…fostered　larvae　and　send　forth　vigorous　and　busily　traveling　adults。　
　　A　week　later　the　epidemic　was　in　full　course。　Dick；　Bob's　panion　on　the　expedition；　had　been　the　next　to　go　down。　But　now　Ezra　and　five　of　the　children　lay　stricken。　In　proportion　to　its　numbers；　the　munity　was　in　the　grip　of　a　devastating　outbreak　of　what　must　be…Ish　felt　certain…typhoid　fever。　
　　Some　of　the　adults　had　been　inoculated　in　the　Old　Times；　but　their　immunity　must　long　since　have　lapsed。　All　the　children　were　totally　unguarded。　Even　with　all　the　old…time　medical　skill　typhoid　had　been　batted　chiefly　by　prevention。　Once　the　disease　was　established；　there　was　no　remedy　but　to　let　it　run　its　long　and　sinister　course。　
　　Easy　enough　now；　thought　Ish；　to　do　some　second　thinking！　Easy　enough；　he　thought　bitterly；　to　know　that　Charlie；　no　matter　what　other　diseases　he　might　have　had　or　thought　he　had；　was　really　carrying　the　germs　from　an　attack　of　typhoid　fever！　Perhaps　he　had　been　sick　years　before；　perhaps　he　had　been　sick　recently；　for　quite　possibly　the　disease　had　made　the　passage　in　the　area　where　he　had　lived。　They　would　never　know。　And　now；　what　did　it　matter？　
　　What　they　knew　for　certain　was　that　Charlie；　obviously　unclean　in　personal　habits；　had　eaten　with　the　two　boys　for　more　than　a　week。　In　addition；　the　not　too　carefully　constructed　outhouses　and　the　flies　offered　an　obvious　route　of　general　infection。　
　　They　began　to　boil　all　drinking…water。　They　burned　the　old　latrines　and　filled　the　old　pits。　They　kept　the　new　ones　so　well　sprayed　with　DDT　that　no　fly　could　alight　and　live。　All　such　Precautions　were　obviously　too　late。　Already　every　individual　must　have　been　exposed　to　infection。　Those　who　had　not　yet　succumbed　must　either　by　good　luck　possess　natural　immunity；　or　else　the　disease　was　still　lying　dormant　in　them；　building　up　strength　through　its　period　of　incubation。　
　　Day　by　day；　one　or　more　took　to　bed。　Bob；　now　in　his　second　week；　lay　tossing　in　delirium；　a　grim　indication　of　the　long　road　all　the　others　must　follow　before　they　could　grow　better。　Already　those　still　on　their　feet　were　being　worn　down　by　the　strain　of　nursing。　
　　They　had　scarcely　time　to　give　any　thought　to　fear；　and　yet　fear　lay　all　around　them；　daily　drawing　its　circle　closer。　There　had　been　no　deaths　as　yet；　but　neither　had　anyone　passed　the　crisis　of　the　fever。　As　in　earlier　years　each　birth　had　seemed　to　force　back　the　circle　of　darkness；　so　now　with　each　newly　stricken　one　the　darkness　moved　a　step　inward；　bringing　annihilation　with　it。　Even　if　they　did　not　all　die　in　the　epidemic；　the　loss　of　any　large　number　might　break；　it　seemed；　the　munal　will　to　live。　
　　George　and　Maurine　and　Molly　had　taken　to　prayer；　and　some　of　the　younger　ones　had　joined　with　them。　They　were　afraid　that　God　was　exacting　retribution　upon　them　for　the　death　of　Charlie。　Ralph　was　just　on　the　point　of　taking　his　family；　as　yet　not　stricken；　and　fleeing　off　somewhere。　Ish　dissuaded　him；　for　the　moment　at　least；　arguing　that　any　of　them　might　already　be　infected　and　that　to　be　taken　sick　as　a　small　and　isolated　group　would　be　much　more　dangerous　than　to　share　with　the　whole　munity。　
　　〃We　are　close　to　panic！〃　thought　Ish。　and　t