michael crichton.congo-第46部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ly　duplicated　by　Western　scientists　within　the　last　ten　years。
　And　as　Elliot　saw　it；　the　animals　the　Zinjians　had　trained　presented　an　awesome　problem。
　〃We　have　to　face　the　realities；〃　he　said。　〃When　Amy　was　given　a　human　IQ　test；　she　scored　ninety…two。　For　all　practical　purposes；　Amy　is　as　smart　as　a　human　being；　and　in　many　ways　she　is　smarter…more　perceptive　and　sensitive。　She　can　manipulate　us　at　least　as　skillfully　as　we　can　manipulate　her。
　〃These　gray　gorillas　possess　that　same　intelligence；　yet　they　have　been　single…mindedly　bred　to　be　the　primate　equivalent　of　Doberman　pinschers…guard　animals；　attack　animals；　trained　for　cunning　and　viciousness。　But　they　are　much　brighter　and　more　resourceful　than　dogs。　And　they　will　continue　their　attacks　until　they　succeed　in　killing　us　all；　as　they　have　killed　everyone　who　has　e　here　before。〃
　
　3。Looking　Through　the　Bars
　
　IN　1975；　THE　MATHEMATICIAN　S。　L。　BERENSKY　reviewed　the　literature　on　primate　language　and　reached　a　startling　conclusion。　〃There　is　no　doubt；〃　he　announced；　〃that　primates　are　far　superior　in　intelligence　to　man。〃
　In　Berensky's　mind；　〃The　salient　question…which　every　human　visitor　to　the　zoo　intuitively　asks…is；　who　is　behind　the　bars？　Who　is　caged；　and　who　is　free？。　。　。　On　both　sides　of　the　bars　primates　can　be　observed　making　faces　at　each　other。　It　is　too　facile　to　say　that　man　is　superior　because　he　has　made　the　zoo。　We　impose　our　special　horror　of　barred　captivity…a　form　of　punishment　among　our　species…and　assume　that　other　primates　feel　as　we　do。〃
　Berensky　likened　primates　to　foreign　ambassadors。　〃Apes　have　for　centuries　managed　to　get　along　with　human　beings；　as　ambassadors　from　their　species。　In　recent　years；　they　have　even　learned　to　municate　with　human　beings　using　sign　language。　But　it　is　a　one…sided　diplomatic　exchange；　no　human　being　has　attempted　to　live　in　ape　society；　to　master　their　language　and　customs；　to　eat　their　food；　to　live　as　they　do。　The　apes　have　learned　to　talk　to　us；　but　we　have　never　learned　to　talk　to　them。　Who；　then；　should　be　judged　the　greater　intellect？〃
　Berensky　added　a　prediction。　〃The　time　will　e；〃　he
　said；　〃when　circumstances　may　force　some　human　beings　to　municate　with　a　primate　society　on　its　own　terms。　Only　then　human　beings　will　bee　aware　of　their　placent　egotism　with　regard　to　other　animals。〃
　
　
　
　
　The　ERTS　expedition；　isolated　deep　in　the　Congo　rain　forest；　now　faced　just　such　a　problem。　Confronted　by　a　new　species　of　gorilla…like　animal；　they　somehow　had　to　deal　with　it　on　its　own　terms。
　During　the　evening；　Elliot　transmitted　the　taped　breath　sounds　to　Houston；　and　from　there　they　were　relayed　to　San　Francisco。　The　transcript　which　followed　the　transmission　was　brief：
　Seamans　Wrote：　RECVD　TRNSMISN。　SHLD　HELP。
　IMPORTNT…NEED　TRNSLATION　SOON；　Elliot　typed　back。　WHN　HAVE？
　PUTR　ANALYSS　DIFICLT…PROBLMS　XCEED　MGNITUDE　CSL　/　JSL　TRNSLATN。
　〃What　does　that　mean？〃　Ross　said。
　〃He's　saying　that　the　translation　problems　exceed　the　problem　of　translating　Chinese　or　Japanese　sign　language。〃
　She　hadn't　known　there　was　a　Chinese　or　Japanese　sign　language；　but　Elliot　explained　that　there　were　sign　languages　for　all　major　languages；　and　each　followed　its　own　rules。　For　instance；　BSL；　British　sign　language；　was　totally　different　from　ASL；　American　sign　language；　even　though　spoken　and　written　English　language　was　virtually　identical　in　the　two　countries。
　Different　sign　languages　had　different　grammar　and　syntax；　and　even　obeyed　different　sign　traditions。　Chinese　sign　language　used　the　middle　finger　pointing　outward　for　several　signs；　such　as　TWO　WEEKS　FROM　NOW　and　BROTHER；　although　this　configuration　was　insulting　and　unacceptable　in　American　sign　language。
　〃But　this　is　a　spoken　language；〃　Ross　said。
　〃Yes；〃　Elliot　said；　〃but　it's　a　plicated　problem。　We　aren't　likely　to　get　it　translated　soon。〃
　By　nightfall；　they　had　two　additional　pieces　of　information。　Ross　ran　a　puter　simulation　through　Houston　which　came　back　with　a　probability　course　of　three　days　and　a　standard　deviation　of　two　days　to　find　the　diamond　mines。　That　meant　they　should　be　prepared　for　five　more　days　at　the　site。　Food　was　not　a　problem；　but　ammunition　was：　Munro　proposed　to　use　tear　gas。
　They　expected　the　gray　gorillas　to　try　a　different　approach；　and　they　did；　attacking　immediately　after　dark。　The　battle　on　the　night　of　June　23　was　punctuated　by　the　coughing　explosions　of　canisters　and　the　sizzling　hiss　of　the　gas。　The　strategy　was　effective；　the　gorillas　were　driven　away；　and　did　not　return　again　that　night。
　Munro　was　pleased。　He　announced　that　they　had　enough　tear　gas　to　hold　off　the　gorillas　for　a　week；　perhaps　more。　For　the　moment；　their　problems　appeared　to　be　solved。
　
　DAY　12：　ZINJ　
　June　24；　1979
　
　1。The　Offensive
　
　SHORTLY　AFTER　DAWN；　THEY　DISCOVERED　THE　bodies　of　Mulewe　and　Akari　near　their　tent。　Apparently　the　attack　the　night　before　had　been　a　diversion；　allowing　one　gorilla　to　enter　the　pound；　kill　the　porters；　and　slip　out　again。　Even　more　disturbing；　they　could　find　no　clue　to　how　the　gorilla　had　got　through　the　electrified　fence　and　back　out　again。
　A　careful　search　revealed　a　section　of　fence　torn　near　the　bottom。　A　long　stick　lay　on　the　ground　nearby。　The　gorillas　had　used　the　stick　to　lift　the　bottom　of　the　fence；　enabling　one　to　crawl　through。　And　before　leaving；　the　gorillas　had　carefully　restored　the　fence　to　its　original　condition。
　The　intelligence　implied　by　such　behavior　was　hard　to　accept。　〃Time　and　again；〃　Elliot　said　later；　〃we　came　up　against　our　prejudices　about　animals。　We　kept　expecting　the　gorillas　to　behave　in　stupid；　stereotyped　ways　but　they　never　did。　We　never　treated　them　as　flexible　and　responsive　adversaries；　though　they　had　already　reduced　our　numbers　by　one　fourth。〃
　Munro　had　difficulty　accepting　the　calculated　hostility　of　the　gorillas。　His　experience　had　taught　him　that　animals　in　nature　were　indifferent　to　man。　Finally　he　concluded　that　〃these　animals　had　been　trained　by　men；　and　I　had　to　think　of　them　as　men。　The　question　became　what　would　I　do　if　they　were　men？〃
　For　Munro　the　answer　was　clear：　take　the　offensive。
　
　Amy　agreed　to　lead　them　into　the　jungle　where　she　said　the　gorillas　lived。　By　ten　o'clock　that　morning；　they　were　moving　up　the　hillsides　north　of　the　city　armed　with　machine　guns。　It　was　not　long　before　they　found　gorilla　spoor…　quantities　of　dung；　and　nests　on　the　ground　and　in　the　trees。　Munro　was　disturbed　by　what　he　saw；　some　trees　held　twenty　or　thirty　nests；　suggesting　a　large　population　of　animals。
　Ten　minutes　later；　they　came　upon　a　group　of　ten　gray　gorillas　feeding　on　succulent　vines：　four　males　and　three　females；　a　juvenile；　and　two　scampering　infants。　The　adults　were　lazy；　basking　in　the　sun；　eating　in　desultory　fashion。　Several　other　animals　slept　on　their　backs；　snoring　loudly。　They　all　seemed　remarkably　unguarded。
　Munro　gave　a　hand　signal；　the　safeties　clicked　off　the　guns。　He　prepared　to　fire　into　the　group　when　Amy　tugged　at　his　trouser　leg。　He　looked　off　and　〃had　the　shock　of　my　bloody　life。　Up　the　slope　was　another　group；　perhaps　ten　or　twelve　animals…and　then　I　saw　another　group…and　another…and　another　still。　There　must　have　been　three　hundred　or　more。　The　hillside　was　crawling　with　gray　gorillas。〃
　
　The　largest　gorilla　group　ever　sighted　in　the　wild　had　been　thirty…one　individuals；　in　Kabara　in　1971；　and　even　that　sighting　was　disputed。　Most　researchers　thought　it　was　actually　two　groups　seen　briefly　together；　since　the　usual　group　size　was　ten　to　fifteen　individuals。　Elliot　found　three　hundred　animals　〃an　awesome　sight。〃　But　he　was　even　more　impressed　by　the　behavior　of　the　animals。　As　they　browsed　and　fed　in　the　sunlight；　they　behaved　very　much　like　ordinary　gorillas　in　the　wild；　but　there　were　important　differences。
　〃From　the　first　sighting；　I　never　had　any　doubt　that　they　had　language。　Their　wheezing　vocalizations　were　striking　and　clearly　constituted　a　form　of　language。　In　addition　they　used　sign　language；　although　nothing　like　what　we　knew。　Their　hand　gestures　were　delivered　with　outstretched　arms　in　a　graceful　way；　rather　like　Thai　dancers。　These　hand　movements　seemed　to　plement　or　add　to　the　sighing　vocalizations。　Obviously　the　gorillas　had　been　taught；　or　had　elaborated　on　their　own；　a　language　system　far　more　sophisticated　than　the　pure　sign　language　of　laboratory　apes　in　the　twentieth　century。〃
　Some　abstract　corner　of　Elliot's　mind　considered　this　discovery　tremendously　exciting；　while　at　the　same　time　he　shared　the　fear　of　the　others　around　him。　Crouched　behind　the　dense　foliage　they　held　their　breath　and　watched　the　gorillas　feed　on　the　opposite　hillside。　Although　the　gorillas　seemed　peaceful；　the　humans　watching　them　felt　a　tension　approaching　panic　at　being　so　close　to　such　great　numbers　of　them。　Finally；　at　Munro's　signal；　they　slipped　back　down　the　trail；　and　returned　to　the　camp。
　The　porters　were　digging　graves　for　Akari　and　Mulewe　in　camp。　It　was　a　grim　reminder　of　their　jeopardy　as　they　discussed　their　alternatives。　Munro　said　to　Elliot；　〃They　don't　seem　to　be　aggressive　during　the　day。〃
　〃No；〃　Elliot　said。　〃Their　behavior　looks　quite　typical…　if　anyt