time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第76部分
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a； as some？of my wives have grown tired of me fairly quickly。 I had arranged with Zack Briggs； at the same time I had arranged with John Magee to act as factor for Zack… arranged with Zack to ask John what had happened to 〃Bill Smith〃 and the little schoolmarm？ It was possible that I would need a ride off…pla someday。
；But why didn't I have Zack put us down on the spot on the map I had picked as being our likely place of settlement？… with everything we would need to start farming and thereby avoid a long； dangerous trek。 Not risk death by thirst； or by lopers； or the treacheries of mountains； or whatever。
Minerva； this was a long time …ago and I can explain only in terms of technology available there and then。 The Andy I。 could not land； she received her overhauls in orbit around Secundus or some other advanced pla。 Her cargo boat could land on any big fiat field but required a minimum of a radar…corner reflector to home on； then had to …have many metric tons of water to lift off again。 The captain's gig was the only… boat in the 'Andy J。 capable of landing anywhere a skilled pilot could put her down； then lift off without help。 But her cargo capacity was about two postage stamps…whereas I needed mules and plows and a load of other things。
Besides； I needed to learn how to get out of those mountains by going into them。 I could not take Dora into there without being reasonably sure that I could fetch her out
again。 Not fair！ It's no sin not to be pioneer…mother material
…but it is tra~ie for both husband and wife to find it out too late。
So we did not do it the hard way； we did it the only way for that time and place。 But I have never put the effort into a mass calculation for a spaceship at liftoff that I put into deciding what to take； what to do without； for that trek。 First； the basic parameter： how many wagons in the train？ I wanted three wagons so badly' I could taste it。 A third wagon would mean luxuries for Dora； more tools for me； more books and such for both of us； and （best！） a precut one…room house to get my pregnant bride out of the weather almost instantly at the other end。
But three wagons meant eighteen mules hauling； plus spare mules…add six by rule…of…thumb…which meant half again as much time spent harnessing and unharnessing； waterin the animals； taking care of them otherwise。 Add enoug wagons and mules and at some point your day's march is zero； one man can't handle the work。 Worse； there would be places in the mountains where I would have to unshackle the wagons； move them one at 'a time to a more open place…go back for each wagon left behind； bring it up…a process that would take twice as long for a' three…wagon train as for a two…wagon one； and would happen oftener； even much oftener； with three wagons than with two。 At that rate we might have three babies born en route instead of getting there before our first one was born。
I was saved from such folly by the fact only two trekking wagons were available in New Pittsburgh。 I think I would have resisted temptation anyhow…but I had with me in the light wagon we drove from Top Dollar the hardware for three； then I spent that extra hardware on other things； bartering it through the wainwright。 I could not wait while he built a third wagon； both the season of the year and…the season of Dora's womb gave me deadlines I had to meet。
There is much to be ……said for just one any centuries and on… several plas 'for one family in overland migration…if they travel in a party。 I've led such marches。
But one wagon by itself… One accident can be disaster。 Two wagons offer more than twice as much to work With at the other end； plus life insurance on the' march。 You can lose one wagon； regroup； and keep going。
So I planned for two wagons； Minerva； even though I had
Zack debit me with three sets of 'Stoga hardware； then did not sell that third set until the last minute。
Here's how you load a wagon train 'for survival：
First； list everything that you expect to need and everything that you would like to take：
Wag？ns； spare wheels； spare axles
Mules； harness； spare hardware and harness leather； saddles
Water
Food
Clothing
Blankets
Weapons； ammunition； repair kit
Medicines； drugs； surgical instruments； bandages
Books
Plows
Harrow
Field rake
Shovels； hand rakes； hoes； seeders； three… five… & seventine forks
Harvester
Blacksmith's tools
Carpentry tools
Iron cookstove
Water closet； self…flushing type
Oil lamps …
Windmill & pump
Sawmill run by windpower
Leatherworking & harness…repair tools
Bed； table； chairs； dishes； pots； pans； eating & cooking gear
Binoculars； microscope； water…testing kit ； … Grindstone
Wheelbarrow…
Churn
…Buckets； sieves； assorted small hardware
Milch cow & bull … '
Chickens
Salt for stock & for people … …
Packaged yeast； yeast starter
Seed grain； several sorts
Grinder for whole…grain flour； meat grinder
Don't stop there； think big。 Never mind the fact that you've already overloaded a much longer wagon train。 Search your
imagination； check the manifests of the Andy I。； search the ship itself； look over the stock in Rick's General Store； talk with John Magee and look over his house and farm and outbuildings…if you forget it now； it's impossible to go back for it。
Musical instruments； writing materials； diaries； calendars
Baby clothes； layettes
Spinning wheel； loom； sewing materials…sheep！
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Tannin & leather…curing materials and tools
Clocks； watches …
Root ；vegetables； rooted fruit…tree seedlings； other seed
Etc。 etc。 etc。
Now start trimming…start swapping…start figuring weights。
Cut out the bull； the cow； the sheep； substitute goats with hair long enough to be worth cutting。 Hey； you missed shears！
The blacksmith's shop stays but gets trimmed down to an anvil and minimum tools…a bellows you must make。 In general anything of wood is scratched； but a small supply of wrought…iron stock； heavy as it is； must be hauled； you'll be making things you didn't know you could。 …
The harvester bees a scythe with handle and cradle； three spare blades； the field rake is scratched。 …
The windmill stays； and so does the sawmill （surprise！）… but only as minimum hardware； you won't tackle either one
soon。…
Books… Which of those books can you live without； Dora？
Halve the amount of clothing； double up on shoes and add more boots and don't forget children's shoes。 Yes； I know how to make moccasins； mukiuks； and such； add waxed thread。 Yes； we do have to have block…and…tackle and the best glass…and…plastic lines we can buy； or we won't get through the pass。 Money is nothing； weight and cubage are all that count…our total wealth is what mules can take through that notch。
Minerva； it was lucky for me； lucky for Dora； that I was on my sixth pioneering venture and that I had planned how to load spaceships many years before I ever loaded a covered wagon…for the principles are the same； spaceships are the covered wagons of the Galaxy。 Get it down to the weight the mules can haul； then chop off 10 percent no matter how it
hurts； a broken axle…when you can't replace it…might as well be a broken neck。
Then add more water to bring it up to 95 percent； the load of water drops off every day。
Knitting needles！ Can Dora knit？ If not； …teach her。 I've spent many a lonely hour in space knitting sweaters and socks。 Yarn？ It will be a … long time before Dora can tease goat shearings into good yarn…and she can knit for the baby while we travel； keep her happy。 Yarn doesn't weigh much。 Wooden needles can be made； even curved metal needles can be shaped from… scraps。 But pick up both sorts fxorn Rick's Store。 …
Oh； my God； I almost missed taking an ax！…
Ax heads and one handle； brush hook； pick…mattock…Minerva； I added and trimmed and discarded； and weighed every item at New Pittsburgh…and we weren't three kilometers out of there headed for Separation 'before I knew I had us overloaded。 That night we stopped at a； homesteader's cabin； and I traded a new thirty…kilo anvil for his fifteen…kilo one； traded even； with the pound of flesh nearest my heart tossed in for good measure。 I swapped other heavy items that we would miss later for a smoked ham and a side of bacon and more corn for the mules…the last being emergency rations。
We lightened the …loads ；again at Separation； and I took another water barrel in trade and ifiled it because I 'now had room for another and knew that too heavy a load of water was self…correcting。
I think that extra barrel saved our lives。
The patch of green that Lazarus…Woodrow had pointed
