uplift4.brightnessreef-第94部分

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　　or　master　the　art　of　fire？
　　Royal　qheuen；　will　you　farm　the
　　forest　heights？　Can　you　heal　with　your
　　touch？
　　Hoonish　sailor；　will　you　endure　the　plains；
　　or　spin　along　a　cable；　stretched　up　high？
　　Urrish　plainsman；　would　you　sail　to　sea；
　　or　sift　fine　pages　out　of　slurried　cloth？
　　Human　newer；　do　you　know　this　world？
　　Can　you　weave；　or　spin；　or　track　Jijo's　song？
　　Will　all　or　any　of　you　follow
　　in　the　trail　blazed　by　glavers？
　　The　Trail　of　Forgiveness
　　through　oblivion？
　　If　you　do；　save　room　to　remember
　　this　one　thing…
　　You　were　one　part　of　a　union
　　greater　than　its　parts。
　　…The　Scroll　of　the　Egg　（unofficial）
　　　
　　Alvin's　Tale
　　I　DIDN'T　BEGRUDGE　MY　POSITION　CRAMMED　WAY　back；　far　from　the　window。　At　least　not　during　the　long　descent　down　the　cliff　face　with　the　sea　looming　ever　closer；　closer。　After　all；　I'd　seen　this　part　before　and　the　others　hadn't。　But　once　we　hit　water；　and　my　friends　started　cooing　and　oohing　over　what　they　saw　through　the　bubble　up　front；　I　started　getting　a　little　resentful。　It　also　put　me　in　a　bind　as　a　writer；　faced　with　having　to　describe　the　descent　later；　to　my　readers。　At　best　I　could　see　a　bare　patch　of　blue　over　the　backs　of　my　peers。　Looking　back　on　it；　I　suppose　I　could　solve　the　problem；　in　several　ways。
　　First；　I　could　He。　I　mean；　I　haven't　decided　whether　to　turn　this　story　into　a　novel；　and　according　to　Mister　Heinz；　fiction　is　a　kind　of　lying。　In　a　later　draft　I　might　just　write　in　a　window　aft。　That　way　my　character　could　describe　all　sorts　of　things　I　only　heard　about　from　the　others。　Or　else　I　could　pretend　I　was　up　front　all　along。　In　fiction；　you　can　be　captain　if　you　want　to　be。
　　Or　maybe　I　should　rewrite　it　from　Pincer's　point　of　view。　After　all；　it　was　his　boat；　more　than　any　of　ours。　And　he　had　the　best　view　of　what　happened　next。　That　would　mean　having　to　write　believably　from　a　qheuen's　perspective。　Not　as　alien　as　a　traeki's；　I　suppose。　Still；　maybe　I'm　not　ready　to　take　on　that　kind　of　a　challenge；　just　yet。
　　All　of　this　assumes　I　live　to　do　a　rewrite；　or　that　anyone　else　survives　who　I'd　care　to　have　read　my　tale。　Anyway；　for　now；　this　semitruthful　journal　style　will　have　to　do；　and　that　means　telling　what　I　really　saw；　felt；　and　heard。
　　The　deploying　drums　transmitted　a　steady　vibration　down　the　hawser。　The　fresh　air　inlet　hissed　and　gurgled　by　my　left　ear；　so　it　was　hardly　what　I　had　pictured　as　a　serene　descent　into　the　silent　deep。　Now　and　then；　Ur…ronn　would　gasp…〃What　was　that？〃…and　Pincer　identified　some　fish；　piscoid；　or　skimmer…creatures　a　hoon　usually　saw　dead　in　a　net…catch；　and　an　urs　likely　never　glimpsed　at　all。　Still；　there　were　no　monsters　of　fantasy。　No　faery　minarets　of　undersea　cities；　either。　Not　so　far。
　　It　got　dark　pretty　fast　as　we　dropped。　Soon　all　I　made　out　were　little　streaks　of　phosphor　that　Tyug　had　smeared　in　vital　spots　around　the　cabin；　such　as　the　tips　of　my　motor　cranks；　the　depth　gauge；　and　the　ballast　release　levers。　With　nothing　to　do；　I　catalogued　the　odors　assailing　me　from　my　friends。　Familiar　aromas；　but　never　quite　so　pungent　as　now。　And　this　was　just　the　beginning。
　　A　reason　to　be　glad　no　human　came　along；　I　thought。　One　of　many　problems　contributing　to　friction　between　urs　and　Earthlings　had　been　how　each　race　smelled　to　the　other。　Even　today；　and　despite　the　Great　Peace；　I　don't　figure　either　sept　would　much　enjoy　being　cooped　up　in　an　oversized　coffin　with　the　other　for　very　long。
　　Ur…ronn　started　calling　out　depths　from　the　pressure…bladder　gauge。　At　seven　cables　she　turned　a　switch；　and　the　eik　light　came　on；　casting　twin　beams　into　cool；　dark　waters。　I　expected　those　in　front　to　resume　their　excited　exclamations；　but　apparently　there　was　less　to　see　at　this　depth。　Pincer　identified　something　only　every　few　duras；　in　a　voice　that　seemed　disappointed。
　　We　all　tensed　at　nine　cables；　since　trouble　had　struck　there　the　first　time。　But　the　milestone　passed　uneventfully。　It　should；　since　Uriel　had　inspected　every　hoof　of　the　hawser　personally。
　　At　eleven　and　a　half　cables；　a　sudden　chill　swept　the　cabin；　causing　fog　briefly　to　form。　Every　hard　surface　abruptly　went　damp　and　Huck　cranked　up　the　dehumidifier。　I　reached　out　to　touch　the　garuwood　hull；　which　seemed　markedly　cooler。　Wuphon's　Dream　turned　and　tilted　slightly；　facing　a　new　tug；　no　longer　the　same　languid　downward　drift。　From　soundings；　we　had　known　to　expect　a　transition　to　a　deep　frigid　current。　Still；　it　was　unnerving。
　　〃Adjusting　ballast　for　trim；〃　Huck　announced。　Closest　to　dead　center；　she　used　Uriel's　clever　pumps　to　shift　water　among　three　tanks　till　the　spirit　levels　showed　an　even　keel。　That　would　be　vital　on　reaching　bottom；　lest　we　topple　over　at　the　very　moment　of　making　history。
　　I　thought　about　what　we　were　doing。　In　Galactic　terms；　it　was　consummately　primitive；　of　course。　Earth　history　makes　for　much　more　flattering　parisons…which　may　be　one　reason　we　four　find　it　so　attractive。　For　instance；　when　Jules　Verne　was　writing　Twenty　Thousand　Leagues　Under　the　Sea；　no　human　had　ever　gone　as　far　down　into　the　oceans　of　Terra　as　we　were　heading　today。　We　savages　of　Jijo。
　　Huck　shouted…〃Look！　Is　that　something　down　below？〃
　　Those　eyes　of　hers。　Even　peering　past　Pincer　and　Ur…ronn；　she　had　glimpsed　bottom　first。　Ur…ronn　turned　the　eik　beams　and　soon　the　three　of　them　were　back　at　it　again；　driving　me　crazy　with　oohs；　ahs；　and　k…k…k…k　wonderment　clicks。　In　frustration　I　turned　the　crank；　making　the　rear　wheels　thrash　till　they　yelled　at　me　to　quit；　and　agreed　to　describe　what　they　saw。
　　〃There's　a　wavy　kind　of　plant；〃　Pincer　said；　his　voice　no　longer　stuttering。　〃And　another　kind　that's　all　thin　and　skinny。　Don't　know　how　they　live；　with　no　light　getting　down　here。　There's　lots　of　that　kind；　sort　of　waving　about。　And　there　are　snaky　trails　in　the　mud；　and　some　kind　of　weird　fishes　dodging　in　and　out　of　the　skinny　plants。。。。〃
　　After　a　bit　more　of　that；　I　would've　gladly　gone　back　to　wonderment　clicks。　But　I　kept　quiet。
　　〃。。。　And　there　are　some　kurtle　crabs…bright　red　and　bigger　than　any　I　ever　seen　before！　And　what's　that；　Ur…ronn；　a　mudworm？　You　think　so？　What　a　mud…worm！。。。　Hey；　what's　that　thing？　Is　that　a　dro…〃
　　Ur…ronn　interrupted；　〃Half　a　cavle　to　bottom。　Signaling　the　surface　crew　to　slow　descent。〃
　　Sharp　electric　sparks　broke　the　cabin's　darkness　as　she　touched　a　contact　key；　sending　coded　impulses　from　our　battery　up　an　insulated　strand；　woven　through　the　hawser。　It　took　a　few　duras　for　the　rumbling　grumble　of　the　deploying　drums　to　change　pitch　as　the　brakes　dug　in。　Wuphon's　Dream　jerked；　giving　us　all　a　start。　Huphu's　claws　raked　my　shoulder。
　　The　descent　slowed。　It　was　specially　agonizing　for　me；　not　knowing　how　much　farther　bottom　lay；　when　we'd　make　contact；　or　with　how　much　force。　Naturally；　nobody　was　confiding　in　good　old　Alvin！
　　〃Hey；　fellas；〃　Pincer　resumed；　〃I　think　I　just　saw…〃
　　〃Adjusting　trim！〃　Huck　announced；　peering　with　one　eye　at　each　of　the　spirit　levels。
　　〃Refocusing　the　lights；〃　Ur…ronn　added。　〃Ziz　shows　one　yellow　tentacle　to　starvoard。　Current　flowing　that　direction；　five　knots。〃
　　Pincer　murmured…〃Fellas？　I　thought　I　just　saw。。。　oh；　never　mind。　Bottom　appears　to　slope　left；　maybe　twenty　degrees。〃
　　〃Turning　forward　wheels　to　pensate；〃　Huck　responded。　〃Alvin；　we　may　want　a　slow　rearward　crank　on　the　driver　wheels。〃
　　That　jerked　me　out　of　any　resentful　mood。　〃Aye…aye；〃　I　said；　turning　the　zigzag　bar　in　front　of　me；　causing　the　rear　set　of　wheels　to　rotate。　At　least　I　hoped　they　were　responding。　We　wouldn't　know　for　sure　till　we　hit　the　ground。
　　〃Here　it　es；〃　Huck　announced。　And　then；　apparently　recollecting　her　missed　estimates　during　the　trial　run；　she　added…〃This　time　for　sure。　Brace　yourselves！〃
　　When　I　write　about　all　this　someday　from　these　notes；　perhaps　I'll　describe　sudden　billows　of　mud　as　we　plowed　into　the　ocean　floor；　gouging　a　long　furrow；　sending　vegetation　tumbling　and　blind　subsea　creatures　fleeing　in　panic。　Maybe　I'll　throw　in　fierce　saltwater　spray　from　a　blown　seal　or　two；　tightened　frantically　by　the　heroic　crew；　in　the　nick　of　time。