gs.earthabides-第25部分

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t　they　were　so　few　that　he　could　have　counted　them　individually。　He　hunted　still　further。　He　could　find　no　dead　bodies　of　ants。　They　had　simply　vanished。　Perhaps；　if　he　had　had　the　skill　in　their　ways　to　dig　down　and　find　their　nests；　he　would　have　discovered　that　they　were　lying　dead　in　their　billions。　But　again　he　could　only　wish　that　he　knew　more　of　their　manner　of　life　and　could　carry　on　an　investigation。　
　　He　never　solved　the　mystery；　but　he　had　little　doubt　as　to　what　had　happened。　When　any　creature　reached　such　climactic　numbers　and　attained　such　high　concentration；　a　nemesis　was　likely　to　fall　upon　it。　Possibly　the　ants　had　exhausted　the　supplies　of　food　which　had　led　to　this　tremendous　increase　of　numbers。　More　likely；　some　disease　had　fallen　upon　them；　and　wiped　them　out。　In　the　next　few　days　he　smelled；　or　thought　he　smelled；　a　faint　all…pervading　putrescence；　as　if　from　the　decaying　bodies　of　billions　of　ants。。。。　
　　One　evening　shortly　afterward；　he　sat　reading；　and　after　a　while　began　to　feel　hungry。　He　went　to　the　kitchen；　and　rummaged　in　the　refrigerator　for　some　cheese。　Happening　to　glance　at　the　electric　clock；　he　was　surprised　to　see　that　the　time　was　only　nine…thirty…seven。　He　had　thought　it　was　later。　On　his　way　back　to　the　living…room　he　took　a　bite　of　the　cheese；　and　glanced　at　his　wrist…watch。　The　watch…hands　stood　at　ten…nine；　and　he　knew　that　he　had　set　the　watch　by　the　clock　within　twenty…fopr　hours。　
　　〃The　old　clock's　going　to　pieces　at　last；〃　he　thought。　〃Not　surprising！〃　He　remembered　how　the　motion　of　its　hands　had　startled　him　when　he　had　first　returned　to　the　house。　
　　He　sat　down　to　read　again。　A　high　wind　from　the　north　with　the　heavy　smell　of　smoke　in　it　blew　so　hard　that　it　rattled　the　windows　occasionally。　By　now　he　was　used　to　the　smell　of　smoke；　and　did　not　think　about　it。　At　many　times　he　could　not　even　get　a　good　view　because　of　the　smoke　of　the　burning　…forests。　After　a　while　he　blinked　his　eyes　a　little；　and　stared　more　intently　at　the　page　where　the　letters　seemed　to　have　grown　strangely　indistinct。　〃This　smoke　must　be　making　my　eyes　water；〃　he　thought。　I　don't　seem　to　see　so　well。〃　But　as　he　looked　closer；　it　seemed　that　not　only　the　page　before　him　but　the　whole　room　had　grown　dimmer。　With　a　sudden　start　he　looked　at　the　electric…light　bulb　in　the　bridge　lamp　beside　him。　
　　Then　quickly；　with　a　jumping　heart；　he　was　out　of　his　chair　and　standing　on　the　front　porch　looking　out　over　the　broad　stretches　of　the　city　below　him。　The　lights　were　still　burning　along　the　streets。　The　chains　of　yellow　beads　still　showed　on　the　great　bridge；　and　at　the　tops　of　the　towers　the　red　lights　were　flashing。　He　looked　more　carefully。　The　lights　seemed　a　little　dimmer　than　they　should　be；　but　he　could　be　imagining　that；　or　they　might　be　obscured　by　all　the　drifting　smoke。　He　went　back　and　sat　in　his　chair　again　and　tried　to　read；　forgetting　about　it…forgetting　what　he　feared。　
　　But　he　blinked…and　again！　Looking　at　the　light　beside　him；…　he　was　puzzled。　Then　suddenly　he　remembered　the　clock！　〃Well；〃　he　thought；　〃it　had　to　e！〃　
　　His　watch　now　showed　ten…fifty…two。　He　went　out　to　the　kitchen；　and　saw　that　the　clock　was　at　ten…fourteen。　He　calculated　apprehensively。　The　result　was　bad。　As　closely　as　he　could　remember；　the　clock　had　lost　six　minutes　in　about　threequarters　of　an　hour。　
　　The　clock　was　run；　he　knew；　by　electrical　impulses　which　were　ordinarily　timed　at　sixty　to　the　minute。　Now　they　must　be　ing　less　often。　An　electrical　engineer　would　doubtless　have　found　it　an　elementary　matter　to　calculate　just　how　much　less　often。　Ish　could　even　have　made　an　attempt　at　the　calculation　himself；　but　he　saw　no　use　in　it；　and　he　felt　suddenly　downcast。　In　any　case；　once　the　Power…and…Light　system　had　started　to　go　to　pieces；　the　rate　of　decline　would　undoubtedly　be　progressively　faster。　
　　Back　in　the　living…room；　he　could　scarcely　doubt　now　that　the　light　had　faded　still　more。　Deep　shadows　seemed　to　have　moved　out　from　behind　the　chairs　in　the　ers　of　the　room。　
　　〃The　lights　are　going　out。　The　lights　of　the　world！〃　he　thought；　and　he　felt　like　a　child　going　alone　into　the　dark。　Princess　lay　dozing　on　the　floor。　The　fading　of　the　lights　could　mean　nothing　to　her；　but　she　sensed　his　nervousness　and　came　up　restlessly　sniffing；　whining　a　little。　
　　He　stood　on　the　porch　again。　Minute　by　minute　the　long　ch　i　of　street…lights　grew　less　and　less　luminous；　more　and　more　yellow。　The　high　wind；　he　thought；　must　be　helping；　blowing　down　a　power…line　here；　weakening　a　switch　connection　there。　The　fire　too　was　sweeping　across　the　forested　ridges　unchecked　by　men；　burning　power…lines；　perhaps；　even　power…houses。　
　　After　a　while　the　lights　seemed　to　fade　no　further；　but　to　remain　at　a　constant　dimness。　He　went　in　again；　and　pulling　another　bridge…lamp　to　the　side　of　his　chair；　he　was　able　to　read　fortably　with　two　lights　instead　of　one。　Princess　lay　down　again　to　doze。　By　now　it　was　late；　but　he　did　not　want　to　go　to　sleep。　He　felt　as　if　he　were　sitting　up　by　the　deathbed　of　his　most　treasured　and　oldest　friend。　He　remembered　those　great　words　〃Let　there　be　light；　and　there　was　light！〃　This　seemed　the　other　end　of　that　story。　
　　After　a　while　he　went　to　look　at　the　clock　again；　and　saw　that　it　had　stopped　with　the　hands　symmetrically　upward…at　eleven…five。　
　　His　watch　showed　him　that　by　now　it　was　well　after　mid7　night。　The　lights　might　still　continue　many　hours；　or　even　might　burn　dimly　for　days。　Yet　he　did　not　want　to　go　to　bed。　
　　He　tried　to　read　again；　but　finally　slipped　off　to　sleep　in　the　easy…chair　where　he　was　sitting。　
　　With　Power…and…Light　it　was　all　so　carefully　contrived　that　even　in　the　disaster　there　was　no　need　for　adjustment。　The　men　fell　sick；　but　the　generators　still　sent　out　along　the　wires　their　finely　timed　pulsations。　So；　when　the　brief　agony　of　mankind　was　ended；　the　lights　still　burned。　
　　So　it　continued　through　the　weeks。　If　a　wire　broke　and　cut　out　a　whole　town　from　the　flow　of　power；　the　system　adjusted　before　that　wire　had　had　time　to　fall　to　the　ground。　If　a　power…house　failed；　just　as　quickly　the　other　power…houses　in　the　system　stretching　across　hundreds　of　miles　took　up　the　stack；　and　sent　out　more　power　to　fulfill　the　need。　
　　Yet　in　any　system；　as　in　a　chain　or　a　road；　there　is　always　a　weakest　link。　（That　is　the　fatal　flaw　of　all　systems。）　The　water　would　continue　to　flow；　the　great　generators　could　spin　upon　their　oil…bathed　bearings　for　years。　But　the　flaw　lay　in　the　governors　which　controlled　the　generators。　No　one　had　ever　bothered　to　make　them　wholly　automatic。　Once　every　ten　days　they　were　inspected　for　oil；　once　a　month；　perhaps；　there　was　need　to　add　oil　to　them。　After　two　months　without　care　the　oil　supplies　grew　low；　and　one　by　one；　as　the　weeks　passed；　the　governors　began　to　go　out　of　action。　When　one　failed；　automatically　the　great　water…nozzle　changed　angle　and　the　water　flowed　through　without　touching　the　wheel。　Then　the　generator　ceased　revolving；　and　sent　out　no　more　power。　As　generator　after　generator　was　thus　cut　out　of　the　system；　the　strain　upon　the　few　remaining　ones　became　greater　and　greater　and　the　decline　of　the　system　became　cumulative。　
　　When　he　awoke；　he　noticed　that　the　lights　had　faded　still　more。　The　filaments　in　the　electric　lamps　were　only　an　orange…red　now。　He　could　look　at　them　without　hurting　his　eyes。　Now；　although　he　had　not　turned　off　any　of　the　lamps；　the　room　was　in　half…darkness。　
　　〃The　lights　are　going　out！　The　lights　are　going　out！〃　How　often；　in　how　many　centuries　had　those　words　been　saidsometimes　in　matter…offact　tones；　sometimes　in　panic…now　literally；　now　as　symbol？　How　much　light　had　meant　in　all　the；　story　of　Man！　Light　of　the　world！　Light　of　life！　Light　of　knowledge！　
　　A　deep　shiver　shook　him；　but　he　stilled　his　panic。　After　all；　he　thought；　the　great　system　of　Power…and…Light　had　held　up　for　an　amazingly　long　time；　all　its　automatic　processes　functioning　though　the　men　were　gone。　He　thought　clear　back　to　that　first　day　when　he　had　e　down　out　of　the　mountains　not　yet　even　knowing　what　had　happened。　Then　he　had　passed　the　power…house；　and　felt　the　reassurance　that　everyth