time enough for love-时间足够你爱(英文版)-第99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！


　　
　　〃Falling　steadily。　If　you　own　participations　on　Secundus；　you　had　better　have　me　carry　back　instructions　to　your　broker。　Lazarus；　I　noticed　that　you　classed　'man'　as　a　wild　animal…〃
　　
　　〃He　is。　You　can　kill　him；　but　you　can't　tame　him。　The　worst　bloodbaths　in　history　derive　from　attempting　to　tame　him。〃
　　
　　〃I　wasn't　arguing　it；　Ancestor。　I'm　a　mathematic~　historiographer；　my　nose　is　rubbed　in　that　fact。　But　has　news　reached　here　of　the　flight　of　the　'Vanguard'？　The　original　'Vanguard；'　I　mean…pre…Diaspora。〃
　　
　　Lazarus　sat　up　so　suddenly　that　he　almost　spilled　Ishtar　off　his　couch。　He　caught　her。　〃Sorry；　honey。　Justin…keep　talk
　　
　　ing。〃…
　　
　　〃I　didn't　intend　to　talk　about　the　'Vanguard'　herself…〃
　　
　　〃I　want　to　hear　about　her。　I　hear　no　objection；　it　is　so　ruled。　Talk；　Son！〃
　　
　　The　protocol　of　a　salon　feast　having　gone　to　pieces；　I　talked；　first　reviewing　some　ancient　history。　Although　it　has　almost　been　forgotten；　the　New　Frontiers　was　not　the　first　starship。　She　had　an　older　sister；　the　Vanguard；　that　left　the　Solar　System　a　few　years　earlier　than　the　momentous　date　on　which　Lazarus　Long　mandeered　the　New　Frontiers；　She　was　headed　for　Alpha　Centauri　but　never　reached　there…no　signs　of　visitation　were　ever　found　on　the　one　possible　pla；　a　Terran　type　around　Alpha　Centauri　A；　the　only　G…type　star　in　that　volume。
　　
　　But　the　ship　herself　was　found　by　accident；　in　open　orbit　a　long　way　from　where　she　should　have　been　by　any　rational　assumption　based　on　her　mission…discovered　nearly　a　century　ago　and　this　tells　the　difficulties　of　historiography　when　ships　are　the　fastest　means　of　munication；　this　story　echoed　back　to　Secundus　via　five　colonial　plas　before　it　reached　Archives…a　few　years　after　Lazarus　left　New　Rome；　a　few
　　
　　years　before　I　went　to　Boondock　as　（nominal）　courier　for　the　Chairwoman　Pro　Tern。　Not　that　a　century's　delay　matters；　as　the　news　interested　only　fusty　specialists。　To　most　people　it　was　an　uninteresting　confirmation　of　an'　inconsequential　bit　of　ancient　history。
　　
　　Everything　in　the　Vanguard　was　dead　while　the　ship　herself　was　sleeping；　her　converter　automatically　shut　down；　her　atmosphere　almost　leaked　away；　her　records　so　destroyed；　illegible；　inplete；　or　desiccated　as　to　distress　one。　The　Vanguard　matters　only　to　antiquarians　and　such…although　she　will　remain　an　endless　trove　to　deviants　such　as　me…if　we　don't　lose　her　again。　Space　is　deep。
　　
　　But　the　interesting　thing　about　the　find　is　that　when　the　Vanguard　was　backtracked　ballistically　by　puter；　it　showed　that　she　had　passed　close　to　a　Sol…type　star　seven　centuries　earlier。　A　check　of　that　system　turned　up　one　pla　Terran　in　type；　it　was　found　to　be　inhabited　by　H。　sapiens。　Butnot　from　the　Diaspora。　From　the　Vanguard。
　　
　　〃Lazarus；　there　is　no　possible　doubt。　Those　few　thousand　savages　on　that　pla…designated　'Pitcairn　Island；'　the　catalog　number　escapes　me…are　descended　from　some　who　reached　there；　presumably　by　ship's　boat；　seven　centuries　before　they　were　found。　They　had　reverted　to　precivilization　food…gathering　stage；　and　had　the　pla　ratber　than　the　ship　been　found　first；　it　might　have　started　another　of　those　stories　about　…a　b？eed　of　humans　not　derived　from　old　Terra。
　　
　　〃But　their　argot；　fed　into　a　linguistic　analyzer…synthesizer；　played　back　as　that　version　of　English　which　was　the　'Vanguard's'　working　language。　Reduced　vocabulary；　new　words；　degenerate　syntax…but　the　same　；language。〃
　　
　　〃Their　myths；　Justin；　their　myths！〃　Galahad…Obadiah　demanded。
　　
　　I　was　forced　to　admit　that　I　did　not　have　it　all　on　tap　but　promised　to　make　a　ful'　copy　for　him　and　send　it　via　the　first　ship。　〃But；　Senior；　the　interesting　thing　is　that　these　savages；　so　wild　and　fierce　that　in　dealing　with　them　more　scientists　were　killed　than　savages…〃　…
　　
　　〃Hooray　for　them。　Son；　those　savages　were　minding　their　own　business　on　their　own　pla。　An　intruder　can　expect　whatever　he　gets。　Up　to　him　to　keep　his　guard　up。〃
　　
　　〃I　suppose　so。　Three　scientists　were　eaten　before　they　figured　out　how　to　deal　with　these　pseudo…aborigines。　By　remotely　controlled　humanoid　robots；　that　is。　But　the　point　I　wanted　to　make　was　not　their　fierceness　but　their　intelligence。　Believe　me　or　not；　by　every　test　that　could　be　used；　these　wild
　　
　　men；　these　savages；　checked　superior　to　norm。　Much　superior。　By　the　bell　curve…they　land　in　the　range　of　'exceptionally　gifted'　to　'genius…plus。'〃
　　
　　〃You　expect　me　to　be　surprised？　Why？〃
　　
　　〃Well…　Savages。　And　probably　closely　inbred。〃
　　
　　〃You're　baiting　me；　Justin；　you　know　better…although　possibly　Ira　signed　you　to　be　Stimulator。　All　right；　I'll　take　the　bait。　'Savage'　describes　a　cultural　condition；　not　a　degree　of　intelligence。　Nor　does　inbreeding　damage　a　gene　pool　if　conditions　for　survival　are　extreme；　since　you　describe　them　as　cannibals；　they　probably　ate　their　culls。　From　the　shape　the　ship　was　in；　it　is　fair　to　assume　that　their　ancestors　landed　with　little　or　nothing…possibly　bare　hands　and　a　hatful　of　ignorance　。　。　in　which　case　only　the　most　able；　the　smartest；　could　survive。　Justin；　the　crew　of　that　first　ship　averaged　far　more　intelligent　than　the　Howards　who　escaped　in　the　'New　Frontiers'；　they　were　picked　for　intelligence…whereas　the　original　Howard　selectees　were　picked　only　for　longevity；　not　for　brainpower。　Your　savages　were　descended　solely　from　geniuses　。　。　then　passed　through　Allah　alone　knows　how　many　ordeals　that　kill　off　the　stupid　and　leave　only　the；；；　smartest　to　breed。　What　does　that　leave？〃　…
　　
　　I　admitted　that　I　had　tossed　him　a　baiting　question　to　see　how　he　would　answer。　The　Senior　nodded。　〃I　know　you're　not　stupid；　Son；　I　had　4thene　give'　me　a　runback　on　your　ancestry。　But　I　have　often　been　amazed　at　how　the　moderately　bright　and　moderately　well…informed…which　describes　no　one　in　this　happiness　circle；　so　no　one　need　pretend　to　modesty…~……how　often　such　somewhat　superior　people　have　trouble　ing　to　grips　with　the　ancient　silk…purse…and…sow's…ear　problem。　If　heredity　were　not　overwhelmingly　more　important　than　environment；　you　could　teach　calculus　to　a　horse。
　　
　　〃In　my　early　days　it　was　an　article　of　faith　among　a　selfstyled　'intellectual　elite'　that　they　could　teach　calculus　to　a　horse　。　。　if　they　started　early　enough；　spent　enough　money；　supplied'　special　tutoring；　and　were　endlessly　patient　and　always　careful　not　to　bruise　his　equine　ego。　They　were　so　sincere　that　it　seems　downright　ungrateful　that　the　horse　always　persisted　in　being　a　horse。　Especially　as　they　were　right　。
　　
　　if　'starting　early　enough'　is　defined　as　a　million　years　or　more。
　　
　　〃But　those　savages　will　make　it；　they　can't　avoid　winning。　The　problem　in　reverse　is　more　horridly　interesting。　Justin~　do　you　realize　that　we　Howards　killed　off　Old　Terra？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。〃
　　
　　〃Now；　now；　Son；　you're　not　supposed　to　answer　in　such　a　way　as　to　chop　off　conversation　。　。　thereby　leaving　us　with　nothing　tp　do　but　get　drunk　and　cuddle　the　girls。〃
　　
　　〃Swell！〃　Obadiah…Galahad　shouted。　〃Let's！〃　He　had　Mmerva　with　him　at　that　moment；　he　grabbed　her　and　flipped　her　over　facing　him。　〃Little　whatever…your…name…is；　do　you　have　any　last　words？〃
　　
　　〃Yes。〃
　　
　　〃'Yes'　what？〃
　　
　　〃Just　'Yes。'　That's　my　last　word。〃
　　
　　〃Galahad；〃　said　Ishtar；　〃if　you're　going　to　rape　Mine'rva；　drag　her　back　of　the　fountain。？I　want　to　hear　'what　Justin　means　by　that。〃
　　
　　〃How　can　I　rape　her　when　she　won't　fight？〃　he　plained。
　　
　　〃You've　always　been　able　to　solve　that　problem。　But　do　it　quietly。　Justin；　I　find　myself　shocked。　It　seems　to　me　that　we've　been　quite　generous　in　supplying　Old　Home　Terra　with　new　technologies…and　there's　not　much　else　we　can　give　them。　Didn't　the　last　migrant　transport　e　back　only　half　loaded？〃
　　
　　〃I'll　answer　it；〃　Lazarus　growled。　〃Justin　might　pretty　it　up。　Not　all　the　Howards。　Two。　Andy　Libby　provided　the　weapon；　I　delivered　the　coup　de　grace。　Space　travel　killed　Earth。〃
　　
　　Ishtar　looked　troubled。　〃Grandfather；　I　don't　understand。〃
　　
　　〃She　calls　me　that　when　I've　been　naughty；〃　the　Senior　confided　to　me。　〃It's　her　way　of　spanking　me。　Ish　darling；　you'　are　young　and　sweet　and　have　spent　your　life　studying　biology；　not　history。　Earth　was　doomed　in　any　case；　space　travel　just　hurried　it　along。　By　2012　it　wasn't　fit　to　live　on…so　I　spent　the　next　century　elsewhere；　although　the　other　real　'estate　in　the　Solar　System　is　far　from　attractive。　Missed　seeing　Europe　destroyed；　missed　a　nasty　dictatorship　in　my　home　country。　Came　back　when　things　appeared　to　be　tolerable；　found　that　they　weren't…and　that's　when　the　Howards　had　to　'run　for　it。
　　
　　〃But　space　travel　can't　ease　the　pressure　on　a　pla　grown　too　鑢owded；　not　even　with　today's　ships　and　probably　not　with　any　future　ships…because　stupid　people　won't　leave　the　slopes　of　their　home　volcano…even　when　it　starts　to　smoke　and　rumble。　What　space　travel　does　do　is　drain　off　the　best　brains：
　　
　　those　smart　enough　to　see　a　catastrophe　before　it　happens　and　with　the　guts　to　pay　the　price…。abandon　home；　wealth；　friends；　relatives；　everything…and　go。　That