the.lost.world-第51章

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der；　but　it　was　hard　to　discern　any　organization　in　the　pack。　The　raptors　were　all　snarling　and　licking　the　blood　off　their　snouts；　wiping　their　faces　with　their　clawed　forearms；　a　gesture　oddly　intelligent；　almost　human。　In　the　night…vision　glasses；　their　eyes　glowed　bright　green。
　　　　They　did　not　seem　to　have　noticed　the　high　hide。　They　never　looked　up　toward　it。　But　they　were　certainly　headed　in　that　direction。
　　　　Abruptly；　the　glasses　were　yanked　out　of　Arby's　hands。　〃Excuse　me；〃　Levine　said。　〃I　think　I'd　better　handle　this。〃
　　　　Arby　said；　〃You　wouldn't　even　know　about　it；　if　it　wasn't　for　me。〃
　　　　〃Be　quiet；〃　Levine　said。　He　brought　the　glasses　to　his　eyes；　focused　them；　and　sighed　at　what　he　saw。　Twelve　animals；　about　twenty　yards　away。
　　　　Eddie　said　quietly；　〃Do　they　see　us？〃
　　　　〃No。　And　we're　downwind　of　them；　so　they　won't　smell　us。　My　guess　is　they're　following　the　game　trail　that　runs　past　the　hide。　If　we're　quiet；　they'll　go　right　past　us。〃
　　　　Eddie's　radio　crackled。　He　hastily　reached　to　turn　it　down。
　　　　They　all　stared　out　at　the　plain。　The　night　was　now　calm　and　still。　The　rain　had　stopped；　and　the　moon　was　breaking　through　thinning　clouds。　Faintly；　they　saw　the　approaching　animals；　dark　against　the　silver　grass。
　　　　Eddie　whispered；　〃Can　they　get　up　here？〃
　　　　〃I　don't　see　how；〃　Levine　whispered。　〃We're　almost　twenty　feet　above　the　ground。　I　think　we'll　be　fine。〃
　　　　〃But　you　said　they　can　climb　trees。〃
　　　　〃Ssssh。　This　isn't　a　tree。　Now；　everybody　down；　and　quiet。〃

Malcolm　winced　in　pain　as　Thorne　stretched　him　out　on　a　table　in　the　second　trailer。　〃I　don't　seem　to　have　much　luck　on　these　expeditions；　do　I？〃
　　　　〃No；　you　don't；〃　Sarah　said。　〃Just　take　it　easy；　Ian。〃　Thorne　held　a　flashlight　while　she　cut　away　Malcolm's　trouser。　He　had　a　deep　gash　on　his　right　leg；　and　he　had　lost　a　lot　of　blood。　She　said；　〃We　have　a　medical　kit？〃
　　　　Thorne　said；　〃I　think　there's　one　outside；　where　we　store　the　bike。〃
　　　　〃Get　it。〃
　　　　Thorne　went　outside　to　get　it。　Malcolm　and　Harding　were　alone　in　the　trailer。　She　shone　the　light　into　the　wound；　peering　closely。　Malcolm　said；　〃How　bad　is　it？〃
　　　　〃It　could　be　worse；〃　she　said　lightly。　〃You'll　survive。〃　In　fact；　the　wound　cut　deep；　almost　to　the　bone。　Somehow　it　had　missed　the　artery；　that　was　lucky。　But　the　gash　was　filthy　…　she　saw　grease　and　bits　of　leaves　mashed　into　the　ragged　red　muscle。　She'd　have　to　clean　it　out；　but　she'd　wait　for　the　morphine　to　take　effect　first。
　　　　〃Sarah；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃I　owe　you　my　life。〃
　　　　〃Never　mind；　Ian。〃
　　　　〃No；　no；　I　do。〃
　　　　〃Ian；〃　she　said；　looking　at　him。　〃This　sincerity　is　not　like　you。〃
　　　　〃It'll　pass；〃　he　said；　and　smiled　a　little。　She　knew　he　must　be　in　pain。　Thorne　returned　with　the　medical　kit；　and　she　filled　the　syringe；　tapped　out　the　bubbles；　and　injected　it　into　Malcolm's　shoulder。
　　　　He　grunted。　〃Ow。　How　much　did　you　give　me？〃
　　　　〃A　lot。〃
　　　　〃Why？〃
　　　　〃Because　I　have　to　clean　the　wound　out；　Ian。　And　you're　not　going　to　like　it　when　I　do。〃
　　　　Malcolm　sighed。　He　turned　to　Thorne。　〃It's　always　something；　isn'　t　it？　Go　on；　Sarah；　do　your　damnedest。〃

Levine　watched　the　approaching　raptors　through　the　night　glasses。　They　moved　in　a　loose　group；　with　their　characteristic　hopping　gait。　He　watched；　hoping　to　see　some　　organization　in　the　pack；　some　structure；　some　sign　of　a　dominance　hierarchy。　Velociraptors　were　intelligent　and　it　made　sense　that　they　would　organize　themselves　hierarchically；　and　that　this　would　appear　in　their　spatial　configuration。　But　he　could　see　nothing。　They　were　like　a　band　of　marauders；　shapeless；　hissing　and　snapping　at　one　another。
　　　　Near　Levine　in　the　high　hide；　Eddie　and　the　kids　were　crouched　down。　Eddie　had　his　arms　around　the　kids；　forting　them。　The　boy　especially　was　panicky。　The　girl　seemed　to　be　okay。　She　was　calmer。
　　　　Levine　didn't　understand　why　anyone　was　afraid。　They　were　perfectly　secure；　high　up　here。　He　watched　the　approaching　pack　with　academic　detachment；　trying　to　discern　a　pattern　in　their　rapid　movements。
　　　　There　was　no　doubt　they　were　following　the　game　trail。　Their　path　exactly　matched　the　paras　earlier　in　the　day：　up　from　the　river；　then　over　the　slight　rise；　and　along　the　back　of　the　high　hide。　The　raptors　paid　no　attention　to　the　hide　itself。　They　seemed　mostly　to　interact　with　each　other。
　　　　The　animals　came　around　the　side　of　the　structure；　and　were　about　to　continue　on；　when　the　nearest　animal　paused。　It　fell　behind　the　rest　of　the　pack；　sniffing　the　air。　Then　it　bent　over；　and　began　to　poke　its　snout　through　the　grass　around　the　bottom　of　the　hide。
　　　　What　was　it　doing？　Levine　wondered。
　　　　The　solitary　raptor　growled。　It　continued　to　root　in　the　grass。　And　then　it　came　up　with　something　in　its　hand；　something　it　held　in　its　clawed　fingers。　Levine　squinted；　trying　to　see　it。
　　　　It　was　a　piece　of　wrapping　paper　from　a　candy　bar。
　　　　The　raptor　looked　up　at　the　high　hide；　its　eyes　glowing。　It　stared　right　at　Levine。　And　it　snarled。

Malcolm

〃You　feel　okay？〃　Thorne　said。
　　　　〃Better　all　the　time；〃　Malcolm　said。　He　sighed。　His　body　relaxed。　〃You　know；　there's　a　reason　why　people　like　morphine；〃　he　said。
　　　　Sarah　Harding　adjusted　the　inflatable　plastic　splint　around　Malcolm's　leg。　She　said　to　Thorne；　〃How　long　until　the　helicopter　es？〃
　　　　Thorne　glanced　at　his　watch。　〃Less　than　five　hours。　Dawn　tomorrow。〃
　　　　〃For　sure？〃
　　　　〃Yes；　absolutely。〃
　　　　Harding　nodded。　〃Okay。　He'll　be　okay。〃
　　　　〃I'm　fine；〃　Malcolm　said；　in　a　dreamy　voice。　〃I'm　just　sad　that　the　experiment　is　over。　And　'it　was　such　a　good　experiment；　too。　So　elegant。　So　unique。　Darwin　never　knew。〃
　　　　Harding　said　to　Thorne；　〃I'm　going　to　clean　this　out　now。　Hold　his　leg　for　me。〃　More　loudly；　she　said；　〃What　didn't　Darwin　know；　Ian？〃
　　　　〃That　life　is　a　plex　system；〃　he　said；　〃and　everything　that　goes　along　with　that。　Fitness　landscapes。　Adaptive　walks。　Boolean　nets。　Self…organizing　behavior。　Poor　man。　Ouch！　What　are　you　doing　there？〃
　　　　〃Just　tell　us；〃　Harding　said；　bent　over　the　wound。　〃Darwin　had　no　idea。。。〃
　　　　〃That　life　is　so　unbelievably　plex；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃Nobody　realizes　it。　I　mean；　a　single　fertilized　egg　has　a　hundred　thousand　genes；　which　act　in　a　coordinated　way；　switching　on　and　off　at　specific　times；　to　transform　that　single　cell　into　a　plete　living　creature。　That　one　cell　starts　to　divide；　but　the　subsequent　cells　are　different。　They　specialize。　Some　are　nerve。　Some　are　gut。　Some　are　limb。　Each　set　of　cells　begins　to　follow　its　own　program；　developing；　interacting。　Eventually　there　are　two　hundred　and　fifty　different　kinds　of　cells；　all　developing　together；　at　exactly　the　right　time。　Just　when　the　organism　needs　a　circulatory　system；　the　heart　starts　pumping。　Just　when　hormones　are　needed；　the　adrenals　start　to　make　them。　Week　after　week；　this　unimaginably　plex　development　proceeds　perfectly　…　perfectly。　It's　incredible。　No　human　activity　es　close。
　　　　〃I　mean；　you　ever　build　a　house？　A　house　is　simple　in　parison。　But　even　so；　workmen　build　the　stairs　wrong；　they　put　the　sink　in　backward；　the　tile　man　doesn't　show　up　when　he's　supposed　to。　All　kinds　of　things　go　wrong。　And　yet　the　fly　that　lands　on　the　workman's　lunch　is　perfect。　Ow！　Take　it　easy。〃
　　　　〃Sorry；〃　she　said；　continuing　to　clean　his　wound。
　　　　〃But　the　point；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃is　that　this　intricate　developmental　process　in　the　cell　is　something　we　can　barely　describe；　let　alone　understand。　Do　you　realize　the　limits　of　our　understanding？　Mathematically；　we　can　describe　two　things　interacting；　like　two　planets　in　space。　Three　things　interacting　…　three　planets　in　space　…　well；　that　bees　a　problem。　Four　or　five　things　interacting；　we　can't　really　do　it。　And　inside　the　cell；　there's　one　hundred　thousand　things　interacting。　You　have　to　throw　up　your　hands。　It's　so　plex　…　how　is　it　even　possible　that　life　ever　happens　at　all？　Some　people　think　the　answer　is　that　living　forms　organize　themselves。　Life　creates　its　own　order；　the　way　crystallization　creates　order。　Some　people　think　life　crystallizes　into　being；　and　that's　how　the　plexity　is　managed。
　　　　〃Because；　if　you　didn't　know　any　physical　chemistry；　you　could　look　at　a　crystal　and　ask　all　the　same　questions。　You'd　see　those　beautiful　spars；　those　perfect　geometric　facets；　and　you　could　ask；　What's　controlling　this　process？　How　does　the　crystal　end　up　so　perfectly　formed　…　and　looking　so　much　like　other　crystals？　But　it　turns　out　a　crystal　is　just　the　way　molecular　forces　arrange　themselves　in　solid　form。　No　one　controls　it。　It　happens　on　its　own。　To　ask　a　lot　of　questions　about　a　crystal　means　you　don't　understand　the　fundamental　nature　of　the　processes　that　led　to　its　creation。
　　　　〃So　maybe　living　forms　are　a　kind　of　crystallization。　Maybe　life　just　happens。　And　maybe；　like　crystals；　there's　a　characteristic　order　to　living　things　that　is　generated　by　their　interacting　elements。　Okay。　Well；　one　of　the　things　that　crystals　teach　us　is　that　order　can　arise　very　fast。　One　minute　you　have　a　liquid；　with　all　the　molecules　moving　randomly。　The　next　minute；　a　crystal　forms；　and　all　the　molecules　are　locked　in　order。　Right？〃
　　　　〃Right。。。〃
　　　　〃Okay。　Now。　Think　of　the　interaction　of　life　forms　on　the　planet　to　make　an　ecosystem。　That's　even　more　plex　than　a　single　animal。　All　the　arrangements　are　very　plicated。　Like　the　yucca　plant。　You　know　about　that？〃
　　　　〃Tell　me。〃
　　　　〃The　yucca　plant　depends　on　a　particular　moth　which　gathers　pollen　into　a　ball；　and　carries　the　ball　to　a　different　plant　…　not　a　different　flower　on　the　same　plant　…　where　it　rubs　the　ball　on　the　plant；　fertilizing　it。　Only　then　does　the　moth　lay　its　eggs。　The　yucca　plant　can't　survive　without　the　moth。　The　moth　can't　survive　without　the　plant。　plex　interactions　like　that　make　you　think　maybe　behavior　is　a　kind　of　crystallization；　too。〃
　　　　〃You're　speaking　metaphorically？〃　Harding　said。
　　　　〃I'm　talking　about　all　the　order　in　the　natural　world；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃And　how　perhaps　it　can　emerge　fast；　through　crystallization。　Because　plex　animals　can　evolve　their　behavior　rapidly。　Changes　can　occur　very　quickly。　Human　beings　are　transforming　the　planet；　and　nobody　knows　whether　it's　a　dangerous　development　or　not。　So　these　behavioral　processes　can　happen　faster　than　we　usually　think　evolution　occurs。　In　ten　thousand　years　human　beings　have　gone　from　hunting　to　farming　to　cities　to　cyberspace。　Behavior　is　screaming　forward；　and　it　might　be　nonadaptive。　Nobody　knows。　Although　personally；　I　think　cyberspace　means　the　end　of　our　species。〃
　　　　〃Yes？　Why　is　that？〃
　　　　〃Because　it　means　the　end　of　innovation；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃This　idea　that　the　whole　world　is　wired　together　is　mass　death。　Every　biologist　knows　that　small　groups　in　isolation　evolve　fastest。　You　put　a　thousand　birds　on　an　ocean　island　and　they'll　evolve　very　fast。　You　put　ten　thousand　on　a　big　continent；　and　their　evolution　slows　down。　Now；　for　our　own　species；　evolution　occurs　mostly　through　our　behavior。　We　innovavate　new　behavior　to　adapt。　And　everybody　on　earth　knows　that　innovation　only　occurs　in　small　groups。　Put　three　people　on　a　mittee　and　they　may　get　something　done。　Ten　people；　and　it　gets　harder。　Thirty　people；　and　nothing　happens。　Thirty　million；　it　bees　impossible。　That's　the　effect　of　mass