michael crichton.congo-第50部分

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　FOOD 。9213 。112
　EAT 。8844 。334
　WATER 。9978 。004
　DRINK 。7743 。334
　｛AFFIRMATION｝　YES 。6654 。441
　｛NEGATION｝　NO 。8883 。220
　E 。5459 。440
　GO 。5378 。404
　SOUND　PLEX：　？AWAY 。5444 。363
　SOUND　PLEX：　？HERE 。6344 。344
　SOUND　PLEX：　？ANGER
　 ？BAD 。4232 。477
　
　Ross　stepped　away　from　the　puter。　〃All　yours；〃　she　said　to　Elliot。
　
　Munro　paced　across　the　pound。　This　was　the　worst　time。　Everyone　waiting；　on　edge；　nerves　shot。　He　would　have　joked　with　Kahega　and　the　other　porters；　but　Ross　and
　…Elliot　needed　silence　for　their　work。　He　glanced　at　Kahega。　Kahega　pointed　to　the　sky　and　rubbed　his　fingers　together。　Munro　nodded。　
　He　had　felt　it　too；　the　heavy　dampness　in　the　air；　the　almost　palpable　feeling　of　electrical　charge。　Rain　was　ing。
　That　was　all　they　needed；　he　thought。　During　the　afternoon；　there　had　been　more　booming　and　distant　explosions；　which
　he　had　thought　were　far…off　lightning　storms。　But　the　sound　was　not　right；　these　were　sharp；　single　reports；　more　like　a　sonic　boom　than　anything　else。　Munro　had　heard　them　before；　and　he　had　an　idea　about　what　they　meant。
　He　glanced　up　at　the　dark　cone　of　Mukenko；　and　the　faint　glow　of　the　Devil's　Eye。　He　looked　at　the　crossed　green　laser　beams　overhead。　And　he　noticed　one　of　the　beams　was　moving　where　it　struck　foliage　in　the　trees　above。
　At　first　he　thought　it　was　an　illusion；　that　the　leaf　was　moving　and　not　the　beam。　But　after　a　moment　he　was　sure：　the　beam　itself　was　quivering；　shifting　up　and　down　in　the　night　air。
　Munro　knew　this　was　an　ominous　development；　but　it　would　have　to　wait　until　later；　at　the　moment；　there　were　more　pressing　concerns。　He　looked　across　the　pound　at　Elliot　and　Ross　bent　over　their　equipment；　talking　quietly　and　in　general　behaving　as　if　they　had　all　the　time　in　the　world。
　
　Elliot　actually　was　going　as　fast　as　he　could。　He　had　eleven　reliable　vocabulary　words　recorded　on　tape。　His　problem　now　was　to　pose　an　unequivocal　message。　This　was　not　as　easy　as　it　first　appeared。
　For　one　thing；　the　gorilla　language　was　not　a　pure　verbal　language。　The　gorillas　used　sign　and　sound　binations　to　convey　information。　This　raised　a　classic　problem　in　language　structure…how　was　the　information　actually　conveyed？　（L。　S。　Verinski　once　said　that　if　alien　visitors　watched　Italians　speaking　they　would　conclude　that　Italian　was　basically　a　gestural　sign　language；　with　sounds　added　for　emphasis　only。）　Elliot　needed　a　simple　message　that　did　not　depend　on　acpanying　hand　signs。
　But　he　had　no　idea　of　gorilla　syntax；　which　could　critically　alter　meaning　in　most　circumstances…the　difference　between　〃me　beat〃　and　〃beat　me。〃　And　even　a　short　message　could　be　ambiguous　in　another　language。　In　English；　〃Look　out！〃　generally　meant　the　opposite　of　its　literal　meaning。
　Faced　with　these　uncertainties；　Elliot　considered　broadcasting　a　single　word。　But　none　of　the　words　on　his　list　was　suitable。　His　second　choice　was　to　broadcast　several　short　messages；　in　case　one　was　inadvertently　ambiguous。　He　eventually　decided　on　three　messages；　GO　AWAY；　NO　E；　and　BAD　HERE；　two　of　these　binations　had　the　virtue　of　being　essentially　independent　of　word　order。
　By　nine　o'clock；　they　had　already　isolated　the　specific　sound　ponents。　But　they　still　had　a　plicated　task　ahead。　What　Elliot　needed　was　a　loop；　repeating　the　sounds　over　and　over。　The　closest　they　would　e　was　the　VCR；　which　rewound　automatically　to　play　its　message　again。　He　could　hold　the　six　sounds　in　the　256K　memory　and　play　them　out；　but　the　timing　was　critical。　For　the　next　hour；　they　frantically　worked　at　the　keyboard；　trying　to　bring　the　word　binations　close　enough　together　to　sound…to　their　ears…　correct。
　By　then　it　was　after　ten。
　Munro　came　over　with　his　laser　gun。　〃You　think　all　this
　will　work？〃
　Elliot　shook　his　head。　〃There's　no　way　to　know。〃　A　dozen　objections　had　e　to　mind。　They　had　recorded　a　female　voice；　but　would　the　gorillas　respond　to　a　female？　Would　they　accept　voice　sounds　without　acpanying　hand　signals？　Would　the　message　be　clear？　Would　the　spacing　of　the　sounds　be　acceptable？　Would　the　gorillas　pay　attention　at　all？
　There　was　no　way　to　know。　They　would　simply　have　to　try。　Equally　uncertain　was　the　problem　of　broadcasting。　Ross　had　made　a　speaker；　removing　the　tiny　speaker　from　the　pocket　tape　recorder　and　gluing　it　to　an　umbrella　on　a　collapsible　tripod。　This　makeshift　speaker　produced　surprisingly　loud　volume；　but　reproduction　was　muffled　and　unconvincing。　
　Shortly　afterward；　they　heard　the　first　sighing　sounds。
　
　Munro　swung　the　laser　gun　through　the　darkness；　the　red　activation　light　glowing　on　the　electronic　pod　at　the　end　of　the　barrel。　Through　his　night　goggles　he　surveyed　the　foliage。
　Once　again；　the　sighing　came　from　all　directions；　and　although　he　heard　the　jungle　foliage　shifting；　he　saw　no　movement　close　to　the　camp。　The　monkeys　overhead　were　silent。　There　was　only　the　soft；　ominous　sighing。　Listening　now；　Munro　was　convinced　that　the　sounds　represented　a　language　of　some　form；　and…　A　single　gorilla　appeared　and　Kahega　fired；　his　laser　beam
　streaking　arrow…straight　through　the　night。　The　RFSD　chattered　and　the　foliage　snapped　with　bullets。　The　gorilla　ducked　silently　back　into　a　stand　of　dense　ferns。
　Munro　and　the　others　quickly　took　positions　along　the　perimeter；　crouching　tensely；　the　infrared　night　lights　casting　their　shadows　on　the　mesh　fence　and　the　jungle　beyond。
　The　sighing　continued　for　several　minutes　longer；　and　then　slowly　faded　away；　until　all　was　silent　again。
　〃What　was　that　about？〃　Ross　said。
　Munro　frowned。　〃They're　waiting。〃
　〃For　what？〃
　Munro　shook　his　head。　He　circled　the　pound；　looking　at　the　oilier　guards；　trying　to　work　it　out。　Many　times　he　had　anticipated　the　behavior　of　animals…a　wounded　leopard　in　the　bush；　a　cornered　buffalo…but　this　was　different。　He　was　forced　to　admit　he　didn't　know　what　to　expect。　Had　the　single　gorilla　been　a　scout　to　look　at　their　defenses？　Or　had　an　attack　actually　begun；　only　for　some　reason　to　be　halted？　Was　it　a　maneuver　designed　to　fray　nerves？　Munro　had　watched　parties　of　hunting　chimpanzees　make　brief　threatening　forays　toward　baboons；　to　raise　the　anxiety　level　of　the　entire　troop　before　the　actual　assault；　isolating　some　young　animal　for　killing。
　Then　he　heard　the　rumble　of　thunder。　Kahega　pointed　to　the　sky；　shaking　his　head。　That　was　their　answer。
　〃Damn；〃　Munro　said。
　At　10：30　a　torrential　tropical　rain　poured　down　on　them。　Their　fragile　speaker　was　immediately　soaked　and　drooping。
　The　rain　shorted　the　electrical　cables　and　the　perimeter　fence　went　dead。　The　night　lights　flickered；　and　two　bulbs　exploded。　The　ground　turned　to　mud；　visibility　was　reduced　to　five　yards。　And　worst　of　all；　the　rain　splattering　the　foliage　was　so　noisy　they　had　to　shout　to　each　other。　The　tapes　were　unfinished；　the　loudspeaker　probably　would　not　work；　and　certainly　would　not　carry　over　the　rain。　The　rain　would　interfere　with　the　lasers　and　prevent　the　dispersal　of　tear　gas。　Faces　in　camp　were　grim。
　Five　minutes　later；　the　gorillas　attacked。
　
　The　rain　masked　their　approach；　they　seemed　to　burst　out　of　nowhere；　striking　the　fence　from　three　directions　simultaneously。　From　that　first　moment；　Elliot　realized　the　attack　would　be　unlike　the　others。　The　gorillas　had　learned　from　the　earlier　assaults；　and　now　were　intent　on　finishing　the　job。
　Primate　attack　animals；　trained　for　cunning　and　viciousness：　even　though　that　was　Elliot's　own　assessment；　he　was　astonished　to　see　the　proof　in　front　of　him。　The　gorillas　charged　in　waves；　like　disciplined　shock　troops。　Yet　he　found　it　more　horrifying　than　an　attack　by　human　troops。　lb　them　we　are　just　animals；　he　thought。　An　alien　species；　for　which　they　have　no　feeling。　We　are　just　pests　to　be　eliminated。
　These　gorillas　did　not　care　why　human　beings　were　there；　or　what　reasons　had　brought　them　to　the　Congo。　They　were　not　killing　for　food；　or　defense；　or　protection　of　their　young。
　They　were　killing　because　they　were　trained　to　kill。
　The　attack　proceeded　with　stunning　swiftness。　Within　seconds；　the　gorillas　had　breached　the　perimeter　and　trampled　the　mesh　fence　into　the　mud。　Unchecked；　they　rushed　into　the　pound；　grunting　and　roaring。　The　driving　rain　matted　their　hair；　giving　them　a　sleek；　menacing　appearance　in　the　red　night　lights。　Elliot　saw　ten　or　fifteen　animals　inside　the　pound；　trampling　the　tents　and　attacking　the　people。　Azizi　was　killed　immediately；　his　skull　crushed　between　paddles。
　Munro；　Kahega；　and　Ross　all　fired　laser　bursts；　but　in　the　confusion　and　poor　visibility　their　effectiveness　was　limited。　The　laser　beams　fragmented　in　the　slashing　rain；　the　tracer　bullets　hissed　and　sputtered。　One　of　the　RFSDs　went　haywire；　the　barrel　swinging　in　wide　arcs；　bullets　spitting　out　in　all　directions；　while　everyone　dived　into　the　mud。　Several　gorillas　were　killed　by　the　RFSD　bursts；　clutching　their　chests　in　a　bizarre　mimicry　of　human　death。
　Elliot　turned　back　to　the　recording　equipment　and　Amy　flung　herself　on　him；　panicked；　grunting　in　fear。　He　pushed　her　away　and　switched　on　the　tape　replay。
　By　now　the　gorillas　had　overwhelmed　everyone　in　the　camp。　Munro　lay　on　his　back；　a　gorilla　on　top　o