gs.earthabides-第47章

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　　Em　was　saying　that　everyone　should　go　home　now；　and　e　back　later。　Ish　watched　Charlie；　and　saw　that　Ezra　was　still　watching　him　too。　Charlie's　eyes　looked　at　Em；　perhaps　a　moment　too　long。　His　glance　shifted　to　Evie's　blond　hair；　and　took　on；　it　might　have　been；　an　appraising　look。　Then　everyone　was　getting　up；　starting　to　go。　Dick　took　Charlie　off　to　dinner　at　Ezra's。　
　　After　dinner　had　been　got　on　the　table　and　they　were　seated；　there　were　a　great　many　questions　to　ask。　Ish　let　Em　do　most　of　the　talking　with　Bob。　She　had　all　the　mother's　worries　to　settle。　Had　they　been　sick？　Found　plenty　to　eat？　Slept　warm？　Discussion　of　the　trip　itself　was　being　reserved　until　the　others　returned　after　dinner；　and　Ish　felt　also　that　he　should　not　pump　Bob　about　Charlie。　Yet　he　could　not　resist　the　temptation　entirely；　and　Bob　showed　no　reticence。　
　　〃Oh；〃　he　said。　〃Charlie？　Sure；　we　just　picked　him　up　about　ten　days　ago；　down　near　Los　Angeles。　There　are　quite　a　few　people；　I　guess；　living　around　Los　Angeles。　There　are　some　all　together；　like　us；　and　a　few　just　scattered。　Charlie　was　by　himself。〃　
　　〃Did　you　ask　him　to　e　along；　or　did　he　just　e　with　you？〃　
　　Ish　watched；　carefully。　He　saw　that　Bob　was　surprised　by　the　question；　but　apparently　not　disturbed。　
　　〃Oh；　I　don't　just　remember。　I　don't　know　that　I　asked　him。　Maybe　Dick　did。〃　
　　Ish　dived　into　his　thoughts　again。　Perhaps　Charlie　had　reasons　for　wanting　to　get　from　Los　Angeles　to　some　other　place。　No；　that　was　merely　slandering　a　man　out　of　prejudice　without　trial；　and　then　he　heard　Bob　going　on。　
　　〃He　tells　lots　of　funny　stories；　Charlie　does。　He's　a　very　good　guy。〃　Funny　stories；　yes；　and　one　could　imagine　what　kind。　They　were　frank　enough　in　all　their　language；　these　days；　the　concept　of　obscenity；　you　might　say；　had　disappeared；　largely　because　there　was　only　one　word　for　things　in　their　vocabulary；　at　least　among　the　younger　ones。　Obscenity　seemed　to　have　died　a　natural　death；　possibly　as　a　counterpart　to　the　death　of　romantic　love。　But　Charlie…he　might　still　be　able　to　tell　a　dirty　story。　Although　Ish　had　never　been　a　prude　about　stories；　still　he　felt　his　original　resentment　shifting　to　a　kind　of　righteous　indignation；　in　spite　of　his　continually　telling　himself　that　he　really　knew　nothing　about　Charlie；　except　the　boys'　opinions　that　he　was　a　very　fine　person。　Ish　felt　himself　wishing　that　the　water　had　never　gone　off；　and　shocked　them　into　doing　something　about　the　future；　and　thus　bringing　an　outsider　in　among　them。　
　　After　dinner；　they　all　built　up　a　big　bonfire　on　the　hillside；　and　gathered　about　it。　There　was　much　singing　and　skylarking　of　the　youngsters。　It　was　a　time　of　celebration。　
　　There　was　much　excitement；　but　the　boys　gradually　got　their　story　told。。。。　They　had　encountered　only　a　few　minor　washouts　and　landslides　on　the　highway　to　Los　Angeles；　nothing　that　the　jeep　could　not　negotiate　in　four…wheel　drive。　The　group　of　religious　fanatics；　wearing　white　nightgowns　and　calling　themselves　the　People　of　God；　lived　in　Los　Angeles。　They　had　focused　upon　religion；　Ish　assumed；　under　the　influence　of　some　strong　leader　who　had　happened　to　survive；　just　as　in　The　Tribe　for　lack　of　such　a　leader；　they　had　developed　almost　no　interest　in　such　things。　
　　Out　of　Los　Angeles；　the　boys　had　taken　66　eastward；　just　as　Ish　remembered　so　vividly　he　had　done　in　the　days　following　the　Great　Disaster；　when　he　had　not　been　much　older　than　the　boys　were　now。　The　highway　across　the　desert　was　easy　and　open；　except　for　an　occasional　stretch　where　sand　had　blown　across。　They　had　gone　along　with　no　more　trouble　than　blowouts　here　and　there。　The　Colorado　River　bridge　they　had　found　shaky；　but　still　passable。　
　　The　next　munity　was　apparently　at　one　of　the　old　Indian　pueblos　near　Albuquerque。　From　what　he　could　make　out　from　the　boys'　description；　Ish　concluded　that　most　of　the　few　dozen　people　at　this　little　munity　were　not　very　dark　in　plexion；　but　that　the　dominant　spirit　must　be　Indian；　because　their　pattern　of　life　was　based　on　growing　　and　beans　as　the　Pueblo　Indians　had　done　for　many　hundreds　of　years。　Only　some　of　the　older　people　talked　English。　This　munity　also　had　drawn　inward　upon　itself；　and　looked　with　suspicion　upon　the　strangers。　The　people　there　had　horses。　They　did　not　drive　automobiles；　and　they　rarely　went　into　any　town。　
　　From　there；　the　boys　had　swung　north　to　Denver；　and　then　out　eastward　across　the　plains。　
　　〃We　followed　a　road；〃　said　Bob。　〃It's　like　66；　only　just　part　of　it。〃　He　paused；　hesitant。　Ish　thought　for　a　minute；　and　then　realized　that　the　boy　was　trying　to　describe　Highway　6。　Some　of　the　markers　would　still　be　standing　along　it；　and　Bob　had　sensed　that　they　were　the　same　shape　as　the　numerals　on　66；　although　there　was　only　one　of　them。　Ish　was　embarrassed　that　his　own　son　was　not　sure　of　the　numerals。　
　　Highway　6　had　led　them　on　through　the　er　of　Colorado；　and　across　the　plains　of　Nebraska。　
　　〃Lots　of　cattle　everywhere！〃　Here　Dick　was　taking　up　the　story。　〃Cattle　everywhere；　you　always　see　cattle。〃　
　　〃Did　you　ever　see　the　big　brown　ones　with　humps　on　their　shoulders？〃　asked　Ish。　
　　〃Yes；　once　we　saw　a　few　of　them；〃　said　Dick。　
　　〃How　about　the　grass？　Does　any　of　it　grow　straight　and　stiff　looking；　with　a　head　on　the　end；　and　little　grains　forming。　When　you　went　through　they　should　have　been　still　soft　and　milky；　perhaps。　When　you　came　back；　you　might　have　seen　it　somewhere　standing　all　golden。　with　the　grain　hard。　We　called　it'wheat。'〃　
　　〃No。　We　saw　nothing　like　that。〃　
　　〃And　how　about　？　You　know　what　that　is。　They　were　growing　it　there　by　the　Rio　Grande。〃　
　　〃No；　there　is　no　corn　growing　wild　anywhere。〃　
　　Onward　still　they　had　gone；　finding　the　roads　now　blocked　more　often；　since　they　had　e　to　the　wetter　country　with　ranker　and　faster　growth　and　heavier　rains；　bined　with　hard　frosts　in　winter。　The　highways　were　splitting　up　into　great　chunks　and　blocks　as　the　frost　worked　under　them；　wherever　the　surface　was　cracked；　grass　and　weeds；　and　even　bushes　and　young　trees　were　springing　up　to　block　the　way。　Yet　they　had　crossed　what　was　once　Iowa。　
　　〃We　came　to　the　big　river；〃　said　Bob。　〃it　is　the　biggest　of　all；　but　the　bridge　was　good。〃　
　　They　had　e　to　Chicago；　but　it　was　a　mere　desert　of　empty　streets。　It　would　be　an　inhospitable　place；　thought　Ish；　when　the　winter　winds　swept　in　from　Lake　Michigan。　He　was　not　surprised　that　people；　with　the　whole　continent　to　choose　from；　had　drifted　away　from　the　once　great　city　by　the　lake；　leaving　it　ghost…like　behind。　
　　Leaving　Chicago；　the　boys　had　lost　themselves　in　the　maze　of　roads　in　the　outskirts；　and　had　ended　up　（the　day　was　cloudy；　and　they　lost　direction）　by　going　south　instead　of　east。　
　　〃After　that；〃　said　Bob；　〃we　got　one　of　these　things　out　of　a　store。　It　points　direction…〃　And　he　looked　at　Ish　for　the　word。　
　　〃Yes；　a　pass；〃　said　Ish。　
　　〃We　hadn't　needed　one　before；　but　now　we　used　it　and　got　going　east　again；　until　we　came　to　the　river　we　couldn't　cross。〃　
　　Ish　figured　out　quickly　that　it　might　have　been　the　Wabash。　Floods　of　twenty…two　years；　or…more　likely…just　one　great　flood；　had　swept　away　the　bridges。　After　exploring　southward　and　finding　no　passage；　the　boys　had　had　to　go　northward　to　Highway　6　again；　which　more　or　less　followed　a　height　of　land。　
　　The　progress　eastward　had　bee　more　and　more　laborious。　Floods；　windstorms；　and　frost　had　transformed　the　once　open　and　smooth　highways　into　rough　lines　of　concrete　chunks　strewn　with　gravel　from　washouts；　overgrown　with　vegetation；　and　crisscrossed　with　fallen　tree…trunks。　Sometimes　the　jeep　could　push　through　the　bushes　or　detour　the　tree…trunks。　But　often　the　boys　had　had　to　make　a　passageway　with　ax　or　shovel；　and　the　constant　work　wore　them　down。　Also　the　loneliness　began　to　oppress　them。　
　　〃There　was　a　cold　day　with　a　north　wind；〃　Dick　confessed；　〃and　we　were　afraid。　We　remembered　what　you　used　to　tell　us　about　snow；　and　we　thought　we　might　never　get　home。〃　
　　Somewhere；　probably　near　Toledo；　they　had　turned　back。　At　turning　back；　a　kind　of　panic　came　upon　them。　At　the　same　time　heavy　rains　began　to　fall；　and　the　roads　were　often　flooded。　They　had　the　fear　that　some　of　the　bridges　over　the　larger　rivers　might　be　carried　away；　leaving　them　cut　off　from　their　own　people。　They　had　not　tried　to　go　south；　as　Ish　had　wished；　but　had　back…tracked　along　their　own　trail；　gradually　being　reassured　by　their　ability　to　get　back　to　places　that　they　had　seen　already。　On　their　return　home；　therefore；　they　had　learned　little　that　they　had　not　learned　on　the　way　east。　
　　Ish　did　not　blame　them　at　all。　In　fact；　he　thought　that　they　had　acted　with　great　determination　and　intelligence。　He　blamed　himself；　if　anyone…for　sending　the　boys　toward　Chicago　and　New　York；　the　great　cities　of　the　Old　Times。　He　might　have　done　better　to　have　chosen　some　southern　route　toward　Houston　and　New　Orleans；　instead　of　a　route　into　the　inhospitable　country　of　northern　winters。　And　yet；　east　of　Houston　at　least；　floods　would　have　been　more　severe　and　growth　of　vegetation　much　more　rapid　than　farther　north。　Because　of　the　climate；　Arkansas　and　Louisiana　would　have　reverted　to　impassable　wilderness　much　sooner　than　Iowa　and　Illinois。　
　　The　children　were　dancing　and　shouting　around　the　bonfire。　Was　there　a　kind　of　wild　primitiveness　in　the　scene；　or　was　that　merely　his　imagining？　Perhaps　any　children　would　have　done　the　same。　Evie；　who　of　course　was　mentally　a　child；　was　dancing　with　them。　Her　blond　hair　streamed　spectacularly　behind　her。　
　　Ish　sat；　looking　on；　and　thinking。　Well；　the　chief　result　of　the　expedition　was　not　the　discovery　that　the　country　was　returning　to　the　wilderness。　Anybody　would　have　known　that！　The　important　thing　was　the　making　of　contact　with　two　other　munities。　That　is；　if　you　could　call　it　contact；　when　the　other　munities　were　fighting　off　all　advances　from　strangers。　Was　that　from　mere　blind　prejudice；　or　was　it　from　some　deep　instinct　of　self…preservation？　
　　Yet；　at　least；　to　know　that　there　were　people　in　Los　Angeles　and　near　Albuquerque…growing　munities…took　away　a　little　of　that　basic　feeling　of　loneliness。　
　　Two　little　groups　of　people；　discovered　on　a　single　trip；　going　and　ing　by　the　same　road！　At　that　rate；　there　should　be　several　dozen　in　the　area　of　the　whole　United　States。　He　remembered　the　Negroes　whom　he　had　seen　in　Arkansas；　long　ago。　In　that　rich　country　of　easy　winters；　there　was　no　reason　in　the　world　why　those　three　should　not　have　survived　and　bee　a　nucleus　to　which　others；　either　black　or　white；　could　attach　themselves。　Yet　that　munity　in　its　ways　of　life　and　thought　would　be　vastly　different　from　the　one　in　New　Mexico　and　from　either　of　the　two　in　California。　This　divergence　opened　vast　questions　for　the　distant　future。　
　　But　this　was　no　time　to　be　carrying　philosophical　speculation　far　into　the　future。　The　dancing　and　shouting　of　the　children　around　the　fire　had　bee　even　more　bacchanalian。　In　the　excitement　the　older　boys；　even　some　of　the　married　ones；　were　joining　the　revel。　They　were　playing　crack…the…whip；　an　the　more　exciting　because　the　one　who　was　thrown　off　the　end　of　the　whip　had　to　dodge　the　fire。　Suddenly　Ish　felt　h