gs.earthabides-第38部分

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　　Everybody　had　a　pleasant　sense　of　confidence　and　security　in　the　growth　of　the　munity；　or　of　The　Tribe；　as　they　now　said　more　often。　The　birth　of　each　baby　was　a　time　of　real　rejoicing；　as　the　shadows　seemed　to　draw　back　a　little　and　the　circle　of　light　to　enlarge。　
　　Soon　after　the　beginning　of　that　year；　a　decent…looking　oldish　man　came　up　to　George's　house　one　morning。　He　was　one　of　those　wanderers　who　still　occasionally；　though　less　and　less　often；　passed　through。　
　　They　received　him　hospitably；　but　like　the　others　he　showed　little　reaction　to　what　they　did　for　him。　He　stayed　only　over　one　night；　and　then　went　off　again；　without　even　saying　good…bye；　in　the　aimless　way　of　those　shocked　ones。　
　　He　had　scarcely　gone；　it　seemed；　before　people　began　feeling　irritable。　All　the　babies　started　crying。　Then　soon　there　were　sore　throats　and　running　noses　and　aching　heads　and　swollen　eyes；　and　The　Tribe　was　suddenly　in　all　the　throes　Of　an　epidemic。　
　　This　was　all　the　more　remarkable　because　throughout　the　preceding　years　the　general　health　had　been　so　unbelievably　good。　Ezra　and　some　of　the　others　had　suffered　with　bad　teeth；　George；　who　was　the　oldest；　had　plained　of　various　aching　joints　which　he　described　under　the　old…fashioned　term　〃rheumatism〃；　occasionally　a　scratch　became　infected。　But　even　the　mon　cold　seemed　to　have　vanished　entirely；　and　there　were　only　two　diseases　that　remained　active。　One　Of　these　struck　each　of　the　children　sooner　or　later；　it　was　a　great　deal　like　measles　in　its　symptoms；　and　doubtless　it　was　measles；　and　that　was　what　they　called　it；　lacking　any　doctor　to　make　them　sure。　The　other　began　with　a　violent　sore　throat；　but　yielded　so　quickly　to　sulfa　pills　that　no　one　really　knew　its　full　course。　As　long　as　there　were　sulfa　pills　in　any　drug　store　and　they　kept　potent　in　spite　of　age；　Ish　saw　no　need　to　find　out　experimentally　just　how　this　sore　throat　would　develop；　if　left　untreated。　
　　Why　so　few　diseases　remained…this　seemed　miraculous　to　people　like　George　and　Maurine；　and　they　were　inclined　to　be　superstitious　about　the　matter。　They　felt　that　God　in　some　great　anger　had　nearly　wiped　out　the　human　race　in　one　vast　plague；　and　thus　being　satisfied；　had　seen　fit　to　remove　the　minor　plagues　as　a　kind　of　pensation…just　as；　after　Noah's　flood；　he　had　set　the　rainbow　in　the　sky　as　a　sign　that　there　would　never　again　be　another　such　flood。　
　　To　Ish；　however；　the　explanation　was　plain。　Since　so　large　a　proportion　of　the　people　had　died；　the　chain　of　most　infections　had　been　broken；　and　many　individual　diseases　had；　you　might　say；　〃died〃　when　their　particular　kinds　of　bacteria　became　extinct。　Of　course　there　would　still　be　the　diseases　which　might　spring　from　the　mere　deterioration　of　the　human　body；　such　as　heart…failure　and　cancer；　and　George's　〃rheumatism；〃　and　there　might　also　be　animal…borne　infections；　like　tularemia　and　tick…fever。　Also　there　could　be；　here　and　there；　individual　survivors　who　carried　some　disease　in　chronic　form；　but　could　still　pass　it　on　to　others；　just　as　someone　of　themselves　had　probably　been　responsible　for　the　survival　of　〃measles。〃　
　　The　old　man；　everyone　remembered　too　late；　had　blown　his　nose　occasionally。　Doubtless　he　had　an　infected　sinus；　and　so　had　infected　them　all　with　what　used　to　be　called　〃die　mon　cold；〃　although　lately　it　had　been　so　unmon　as　to　seem　extinct。　
　　In　any　case　there　was　something　almost　ic　in　the　way　so　many　disgustingly　healthy　people　were　suddenly　transformed　into　sneezers　and　coughers　and　hawkers　and　noseblowers。　
　　Fortunately；　the　cold　ran　its　course　without　plications；　and　in　a　few　weeks　everyone　was　ivell　again。　Throughout　the　rest　of　that　year　Ish　lived　in　fear　of　another　outbreak。　There　was　a　good　chance；　he　knew；　that　the　infection　might　be　quiescent　in　one　of　them；　and　then　break　loose　again　when　die　short…time　immunity　of　the　others　had　worn　off。　But　the　long　dry　summer　（it　was　particularly　sunny　that　year）　doubtless　helped　everyone　to　throw。off　the　last　vestiges　of　the　infection。　That　was　great　luck！　Ish　had　been　highly　susceptible　in　the　Old　Times。　He　had　sometimes　said；　not　altogether　as　a　joke；　that　the　loss　of　the　mon　cold　pensated　for　the　acpanying　loss　of　civilization。　
　　That　autumn；　however；　the　good　luck　ran　out。　No　one　ever　knew　exactly　what　happened；　but　three　of　the　children　fell　ill　with　violent　diarrhoea；　and　died。　Most　likely　they　had　been　wandering　about　at　play　in　one　of　the　near…by　uninhabited　houses；　and　had　found　some　poison…ant…poison；　perhaps。　Tasting　it　curiously　they　had　found　it　sweet；　and　shared　it。　Even　when　dead；　civilization　seemed　to　lay　traps。　
　　One　of　the　children　had　been　Ish's　own　son。　He　had　always　worried；　not　about　himself；　but　about　Em；　in　such　a　case。　Yet；　though　she　moumed　for　the　child；　he　saw　that　he　had　underestimated　her　strength。　Her　hold　on　life　was　so　strong　that；　paradoxically；　she　could　accept　death　also　as　a　part　of　life。　Both　Molly　and　Jean；　the　other　bereaved　mothers；　grieved　hysterically；　and　were　much　more　stricken。　
　　That　year　two　children　were　born；　but　nevertheless　the　total　number　of　The　Tribe　for　the　first　time　was　smaller　at　the　end　than　at　the　beginning　of　a　year。　They　called　it　the　Year　of　the　Deaths。　
　　The　Year　10　had　no　remarkable　events；　and　no　one　was　convinced　as　to　what　it　should　be　called。　But　when　they　sat　on　the　flat　rock　and　Ish　poised　his　hammer　and　began　to　cut　with　the　chisel；　for　the　first　time　some　of　the　children　spoke　up；　and　they　said　it　should　be　called　the　Year　of　the　Fishing。　This　was　because　during　this　year　they　had　discovered　that　the　Bay　was　swarming　with　beautiful　striped　bass；　and　they　had　had　a　great　deal　of　fun　going　fishing　and　catching　them。　Besides　supplying　a　very　fine　variety　to　the　diet；　the　fishing　had　also　been　a　real　source　of　amusement　to　everybody。　But　in　general；　Ish　was　surprised　how　little　actual　necessity　they　had　to　seek　amusement。　In　the　kind　of　life　that　they　lived　there　always　seemed　to　bea　good　deal　to　do　just　to　get　food　and　to　support　oneself　in　fort　and　there　was　in　it　a　great　deal　of　satisfaction　which　did　not　call　for　anything　as　definite　as　amusement。　
　　In　the　Year　11；　Molly　and　Jean　bore　children；　but　Molly's　died　at　birth。　This　was　a　great　disappointment；　because　it　was　the　first　one　that　they　had　lost　at　childbirth；　and　in　the　course　of　the　years　the　women　had　bee　very　skillful　at　helping　one　another。　They　thought　that　perhaps　this　death　was　caused　from　Molly's　being　old　now。　
　　When　it　came　to　naming　the　year；　however；　there　was　a　dispute　between　old　and　young。　The　older　ones　thought　it　should　be　called　the　Year　when　Princess　Died。。。。　She　had　been　ailing；　an　old　dog；　for　some　time。　No　one　knew　just　how　ancient　she　was；　because　she　might　have　been　anywhere　from　one　year　to　three　or　four　when　she　first　picked　up　Ish。　She　had　remained　the　same…always　the　princess；　expecting　the　best　of　treatment；　always　unreliable；　always　ready　to　disappear　on　the　trail　of　an　imaginary　rabbit　just　when　you　wanted　her。　But　for　all　you　might　say　against　her；　she　had　shown　a　very　real　character；　and　the　older　people　could　remember　the　time　when　she　seemed　very　important　along　San　Lupo　Drive；　almost　another　person。　
　　By　now　there　were　dozens　of　dogs　around。　Nearly　all　of　them　must　be　children　or　grandchildren　or　great…grandchildren　of　Princess；　who　on　various　occasions　had　disappeared　for　a　day　or　two　and　apparently　met　an　old　friend　among　the　wild　dogs　or　picked　up　a　new　one。　As　the　result　of　a　lot　of　inbreeding　and　out…breeding　and　cross…breeding；　these　present　dogs　were　very　little　like　beagles；　but　varied　tremendously　in　size　and　color　and　temperament。　
　　But　to　the　children　Princess　had　been　an　old　and　not　very　interesting　dog　of　uncertain　temper。　They　said　that　this　should　be　the　Year　of　the　Wood…Carving；　and　after　a　momentary　hesitation　Ish　supported　them；　even　though　Princess　had　meant　more　to　him　than　to　anyone　else。　She　had　taken　him　out　of　himself　in　those　first　bad　days　and　let　him　free　himself　of　fear；　and　her　wild　barking　dash　had　taken　him　into　the　house　where　he　found　Em；　when　otherwise　he　might　have　hesitated　and　driven　on。　But　also；　he　thought；　Princess　was　over　and　do