gs.earthabides-第13节

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。　That　night　he　slept　again　in　a　bed；　helping　himself　to　a　place　in　the　best　tourist…court　in　Kingman。　
　　The　cattle；　the　horses；　the　asses…through　thousands　of　centuries　they　lived　their　own　lives；　and　went　their　own　ways　in　forest　and　steppe　and　desert。　Then　man　grew　strong；　and　for　a　while　he　used　the　cattle；　and　the　horses；　and　the　asses；　for　other　ends。　But　after　that　was　finished；　they　went　their　own　ways　again。　
　　Fastened　with　their　stanchions　in　the　long　barns；　the　dairy　cattle　bawled　thirstily　for　a　while　and　then　lay　still。　Penned　in　their　paddocks；　the　long…limbed　thoroughbreds　died　slowly。　
　　But　on　the　ranges；　the　white…faced　Herefords　looked　out　for　themselves；　and　even　on　the　farms；　the　cattle　broke　through　the　fences　and　wandered　fireely。　So　too；　on　the　ranges；　with　the　horses　and　the　asses。。。。　
　　The　asses　seek　the　desert；　as　in　the　ancient　days。　They　sniff　the　dry　east　wind；　and　gallop　on　the　dusty　lake　beds；　and　step　daintily　on　the　boulder…strewn　hills；　with　their　hard　mouths　they…　eat　the　thorny　bushes。　Their　panions　are　the　big…horn　sheep。　
　　The　horses　take　the　dry　open　plains。　They　eat　the　green　grass　of　spring；　and　the　grass…seed　of　summer；　and　the　dry　grass　of　autumn；　and　in　the　winter；　shaggy…coated；　they　paw　the　snow；　for　the　dry　grass　beneath　it。　With　them　the　herds　of　the　pronghorn　pasture。　
　　The　cattle　seek　the　greener　lands　and　the　forests。　In　the　copses　the　cows　hide　the　new…born　calves　until　they　canfollow　the　mothers。　The　bison　are　their　panions；　and　their　rivals。　The　great　bulls　battle　mightily；　and　in　the　end；　perhaps；　the　heavier　bulls　will　prevail；　and　the　bison　move　out　over　all　their　old　domain。　Then　the　cattle　may　be　pushed　deeper　intothe　woodland　and　there　find　their　haven。　
　　Electric　power　had　failed　at　Kingman；　but　the　water　was　still　running。　The　stove　in　the　kitchenette　at　the　tourist…court　was　supplied　from　a　tank　of　liquefied　gas；　and　the　pressure　was　at　normal。　Since　there　was　no　electric　refrigeration；　he　could　have　neither　eggs；　nor　butter；　nor　milk。　But　he　took　his　time；　and　after　a　raid　on　a　store　prepared　an　excellent　break…；　fast…canned　grapefruit；　canned　sausages；　flapjacks；　syrup。　He　made　a　large　pot　of　coffee；　and　had　it　with　sugar　and　canned　milk。　Princess　enjoyed　her　usual　can　of　horsemeat。　After　breakfast；　to　get　gasoline；　he　took　the　hammer　and　a　cold　chisel；　and　plugged　a　hole　in　the　tank　of　a　truck。　Setting　a　five…gallon　can　beneath　the　spurt　of　gasoline；　he　filled　it；　and　then　transferred　the　gasoline　to　his　own　tank。　
　　There　were　dead　bodies　in　the　town；　but　in　the　dry　Arizona　heat　they　had　mummified　instead　of　decaying；　and　though　they　were　not　pretty　to　look　at；　they　made　no　assault　upon　the　nostrils。　
　　Beyond　Kingman　he　soon　came　to　where　the　pact　little　pifion　pines　stood　evenly　spaced　across　dry　rolling　country。　Except　for　the　highway；　man　had　left　little　mark　anywhere。　No　telephone　line　followed　the　road；　and　often　there　were　no　fences…just　the　rangeland　stretching　off　on　both　sides；　green　because　of　the　summer　rains；　dotted　with　the　little　trees。　Actually；　he　knew　that　overgrazing　had　changed　the　grass　and　shrubs　over　all　this　country；　and　that　with　man　gone　there　would　now　be　more　changes。　Perhaps；　with　the　slaughter…houses　no　longer　at　work；　the　cattle　would　bee　more　numerous　than　ever；　before　their　predators　could　increase　sufficiently　to　control　their　numbers；　they　might　eat　the　grass　to　the　roots　and　start　gullies　and　change　the　whole　face　of　the　country。　No；　just　as　likely；　he　reconsidered；　hoof…and…mouth　disease　would　work　in　across　the　now　open　Mexican　border；　and　cattle　might　almost　disappear。　Or　perhaps　he　underestimated　the　rapidity　at　which　wolves　and　mountain…lions　would　multiply。　All　he　held　fairly　certain　was　that　in　twenty…five　or　fifty　years　some　kind　of　moderately　stable　situation　would　result　and　that　the　land　then　would　steadily　get　to　look　more　and　more　like　what　it　had　been　before　the　white　men　came。　
　　On　the　first　two　days；　he　had　felt　the　fear；　on　the　third；　he　had　speeded　wildly　in　reaction。　But　today；　again　in　reaction；　he　felt　a　great　calm　and　restfulness。　The　quiet　of　everything　impressed　him。　In　spite　of　having　spent　so　much　time　in　the　mountains；　he　had　just　taken　it　for　granted　that　mountains　were　quiet；　and　had　not　realized　how　much　of　the　noise　in　the　world　was　man…caused。　There　had　been　many　definitions　of　Man；　he　would　make　another：　〃The　noise…producing　animal。〃　Now　there　was　only　the　nearly　imperceptible　murmur　of　his　own　engine。　He　had　no　need　to　blow　the　horn。　There　were　no　back…firing　trucks；　no　snorting　trains；　no　pounding　planes　overhead。　In　the　little　town　no　whistles　blew　or　bells　rang　or　radios　blared　or　people　talked。　Even　if　it　was　the　peace　of　death；　still　that　was　a　kind　of　peace。　
　　He　drove　slowly；　though　not　from　fear。　When　he　wished；　he　stopped　to　look　at　something。　At　every　halt　he　made　it　a　game　to　discover　what　he　could　hear。　Often；　after　he　had　turned　off　the　engine；　he　heard　nothing　at　all；　even　in　a　town。　Sometimes　there　was　the　chirp　of　a　bird　or　the　faint　humming　of　an　insect；　sometimes　the　wind　made　a　little　rustling。　Once　he　heard　with　a　sense　of　relief　the　muffled　pounding　of　a　far…off　thunderstorm。　
　　By　that　time　it　was　afternoon；　and　he　had　e　into　a　higher　country　of　tall　pines　with　a　snow…capped　peak　looming　up　to　the　north。　At　Williams　a　shiny　strean…dined　train　stood　in　the　stationyard；　just　as　the　engineer　had　left　it；　he　saw　no　one。　At　Flagstaff；　much　of　the　town　had　been　burned；　he　saw　no　one。　
　　Just　beyond　Flagstaff　he　came　around　a　bend　of　the　road　and　some　distance　ahead　saw　two　crows　leave　something　in　the　road　and　flap　heavily　away。　He　feared　a　little　to　e　up　and　see　what　they　had　been　eating；　but　it　was　only　a　sheep。　The　body　lay　fight　upon　the　concrete　of　the　highway；　a　red　smear　of　blood　showing　from　the　torn　throat。　When　he　looked　around；　he　saw　that　there　were　other　bodies　of　sheep　lying　close　to　the　road；　and　on　both　sides　he　could　see　still　more。　He　walked　a　little　way　off　the　road；　and　counted　twenty…six。　
　　Dogs　or　coyotes？　He　could　not　tell；　but　he　could　easily　reconstruct　the　scene…the　harried　sheep　driven　across　the　meadow；　those　on　the　outside　pulled　down　or　separated　from　those　who　clung　closely　toward　the　center　of　the　flock。　
　　Soon　afterwards；　out　of　whim；　he　turned　in　at　the　little　Toad　which　led　toward　Walnut　Canyon　National　Monument。　He　came　to　the　neatly　built　Superintendent's　house　which　looked　down　into　the　deep　canyon　with　its　ruined　houses　of　the　Cliff　Dwellers。　There　was　an　hour's　daylight　left；　and　he　found　a　grim　amusement　in　walking　around　the　narrow　path；　looking　at　what　was　left　of　those　houses　of　that　old　people。　He　came　back；　and　slept　the　night　in　the　house　at　the　lip　of　the　canyon。　Already　there　had　been　a　summer　thunderstorm；　and　a　little　water　had　run　under　the　door。　Since　no　one　had　cleaned　it　up；　it　had　lain　in　a　pool　there　and　damaged　the　floor。　Other　rains　would　e；　year　by　year；　their　effect　would　increase　until　after　a　while　the　neat　house　at　the　lip　of　the　canyon　would　fall　into　ruins；　and　be　not　much　different　from　those　old　houses　sheltering　along　the　cliffs。　Here　the　ruin　of　one　civilization　would　pile　up　on　the　ruin　of　another。　
　　For　a　while　the　flocks；　too；　will　remain。　Even　though　the　killers　kill　merely　in　the　rage　of　the　blood…lust；　nevertheless　millions　of　sheep　are　not　to　be　wiped　out　in　a　day；　or　in　a　month；　and　thousands　of　new…born　lambs　will　be　dropped。　What　are　fifty　or　one　hundred　slain　out　of　millions？　Yet　not　without　reason；　as　symbol　of　a　perishing　people；　men　have　said　〃sheep　without　a　shepherd。〃　In　the　end　they　will　vanish。。。。　
　　They　wander　helplessly　in　the　blizzards　of　the　winter；　and　in　the　summer　they　stray　far　from　water　and　are　too　stupid　to　find　their　way　back；　they　are　caught　in　the　springfloods；　and　the　bodies　wash　down　by　the　hundreds；　they　stampede　stupidly　over　cliffs；　and　lie　in　corrupting　masses　in　the　depths　of　the　ravines；　and　always　there　are　more　of　the　killers…the　dogs　run　wild；　the　wolves　and　coyotes；　the　mountain…lions；　the　bears。　After　a　while；　the　great　flocks　are　broken　into　a　few　frightened　scurrying　fragments；　in　the　end；　there　will　be　no　more　sheep。　
　　Thousands　of　years　ago　they　accepted　the　protection　of　the　shepherd　and　lost　their　agility　and　sense　of　independence。　Now；　when　the　shepherd　has　gone；　they　too　must　go。　
　　On　the　next　day　he　was　crossing　the　wide　high　plains　of　the　continental　divide。　This　was　rich　sheep　country；　and　again　he　saw　more　bodies　where　coyotes　had　harried　the　flocks。　Once；　on　a　far…off　hillside；　he　saw　what　seemed　to　be　scattered　sheep　running　wildly；　but　he　could　not　be　sure。　
　　Again；　however；　he　saw　an　even　stranger　sight；　in　the　rich　meadow　along　a　stream；　he　saw　a　flock　of　sheep　grazing　peacefully。　He　looked　around；　half　expecting　to　see　the　wagon　and　the　sheepherder　himself…；　but　instead；　he　saw　only　two　dogs。　The　shepherd　was　gone；　but　by　long　habit　the　dogs　were　continuing　their　task；　keeping　the　sheep　together；　maintaining　them　in　the　good　pasture　along　the　water　of　the　stream；　doubtless　fighting　off　the　marauders　that　came　sniffing　in　the　night。　He　stopped　the　car　and　watched；　keeping　Princess　bes