bill_the_galactic_hero_v1.1-第31部分

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nly　son；　and　I　begged　him　to　go　over　the　hill　to　aid
me；　dying　as　I　was　of　cancer；　I　wanted　to　see　him　ne　last　time；　but　he　stayed　to　nurse　me　。　。　。〃　There　was　a　struggle　as　the　MPs　grabbed　the　man　and　found　he　was　chained　to　the　bench。　〃Yes　he　did；　cooked　porridge　for　me　and　made　me　eat；　and　he　did　so　well　that　bit　by　bit　I　rallied　until　you　see　me　today；　a　cured　man；　cured　by　porridge　from　his　son's　loyal　hands。　Now　my　boy　shall　die　because　he　saved　me；　but　it　shall　not　be。　Take　my　poor　old　worthless　life　instead　of　his　。　。　。　〃　An　atomic　wire　cutter　hummed；　and　the　old　man　was　thrown　out　the　back　door。
　　　〃That's　enough！　That's　too　much！〃　the　red…faced　president　of　the　court　shrieked；　and　pounded　so　hard　that　the　gavel　broke　and　he　hurled　the　pieces　across　the　room。　〃Clear　this　court　of　all　spectators　and　witnesses。　It　is　the　judgment　of　this　court　that　the　rest　of　this　trial　will　be　conducted　by　rules　of　precedence　without　witnesses　or　evidence　admitted。〃　He　flashed　a　quick　look　around　at　his　acplices；　who　all　nodded　solemn　agreement。　〃Therefore　the　defendant　is　found　guilty　and　will　be　shot　as　soon　as　he　can　be　dragged　to　the　shooting　gallery。〃
　　　The　officers　of　the　court　were　already　pushing　back　their　chairs　to　go　when　O'Brien's　slow　voice　stopped　them。　
　　〃It　is　of　course　within　the　jurisdiction　of　this　court　to　try　a　case　in　the　manner　so　prescribed；　but　it　is　also　necessary　to　quote　the　pertinent　article　of　precedent　before　judgment　is　passed。〃
　　The　president　sighed　and　sat　down　again。　〃I　wish　you　wouldn't　try　to　be　so　difficult；　Captain；　you　know　the　regulations　just　as　well　as　I　do。　But　if　you　insist。　Pablo；　read　it　to　them。〃
　　The　law　officer　flipped　through　a　thick　volume　on　his　desk；　found　his　place　with　his　finger；　then　read　aloud。
　　〃Articles　of　War；　Military　Regulations；　paragraph；　page；　etc。　etc。　。　。　。　yes；　here　it　is；　paragraph　298…B　。　。　。　‘If　any　enlisted　man　shall　absent　himself　from　his　post　of　duty　for　over　a　period　of　one　standard　year　he　is　to　be　judged　guilty　of　desertion　even　if　absent　in　person　from　the　trial　and　the　penalty　for　desertion　is　painful　death。〃
　　〃That　seems　clear　enough。　Any　more　questions？〃　the　president　asked。
　　　〃No　questions；　I　would　just　like　to　quote　a　precedent〃　O'Brien　had　placed　a　high　stack　of　thick　books　before　him　and　was　reading　from　the　topmost　one。　〃Here　it　is；　Buck　Private　Lovenvig　versus。　the　United　States　Army　Air　Corps；　Texas；　1944。　It　is　stated　here　that　Lovenvig　was　AWOL　for　a　period　of　fourteen　months；　then　was　dicovered　in　a　hiding　place　above　the　ceiling　of　the　mess　hall　from　whence　he　descended　only　in　the　small　hours　of　the　night　to　eat　and　to　drink　of　the　stores　therein　and　to　empty　his　potty。　Since　he　had　not　left　the　base　he　could　not　be　judged　AWOL　or　be　a　deserter　and　could　receive　only　pany　punishment　of　a　most　minor　kind。〃
　　　The　officers　of　the　court　had　seated　themselves　again　and　were　all　watching　the　law　officer；　who　was　flipping　quickly　through　his　own　books。　He　finally　emerged　with　a　smile　and　a　reference　of　his　own。
　　　〃All　of　that　is　correct；　Captain；　except　for　the　fact　that　the　accused　here　did　absent　himself　from　his　assigned　station；　the　Transit　Rankers'　Center；　and　was　at　large　upon　the　planet　Helior。〃
　　〃All　of　which　is　correct；　sir；〃　O'Brien　said；　whipping　out　yet　another　volume　and　waving　it　over　his　head。　‘But　in　Dragsted　versus　the　Imperial　Navy　Billeting　Corps；　Helior；　8832；　it　was　agreed　that　for　purposes　of　legal　definition　the
planet　Helior　was　to　be　defined　as　the　City　of　Helior；　and　the　City　of　Helior　was　to　be　defined　as　the　planet　Helior。〃
　　〃All　of　which　is　undoubtedly　true；〃　the　president　interrupted；　〃but　totally　beside　the　point。　They　have　no　bearing　upon　the　present　case　and　I'll　ask　you　to　snap　it　up；　Captain；　because　I　have　a　golf　appointment。〃
　　〃You　can　tee　off　in　ten　minutes；　sir；　if　you　allow　both　those　precedents　to　stand。　I　then　introduce　one　last　item；　a　document　drawn　up　by　Fleet　Admiral　Marmoset…〃
　　〃Why；　that's　me！〃　the　president　gasped。　　　〃…at　the　onset　of　hostilities　with　the　Chingers　when　the　City　of　Helior　was
declared　under　martial　law　and　considered　to　be　a　single　military　establishment。　I　therefore　submit　that　the　accused　is　innocent　of　the　charge　of　desertion　since　he　never　left　this　planet；　therefore　he　never　left　this　city；　therefore　he　never
left　his　post　of　duty。〃
　　　A　heavy　silence　fell　and　was　finally　broken　by　the　president's　worried　voice　as　he　turned　to　the　law　officer。　〃Is　what　this　bowb　says　true；　Pablo？　Can't　we　shoot　the　guy？〃
　　The　law　officer　was　sweating　as　he　searched　feverishly　through　his　law　books；　then　finally　pushed　them　from　him　and　answered　in　a　bitter　voice。　〃True　enough　and　no　way　out　of　it。　This　Arabic…Jewish…Irish　con　man　has　got　us　by　the　short
hair。　The　accused　is　innocent　of　the　charges。〃
　　　〃No　execution　。　。　。　？〃　one　of　the　court　officers　asked　in　a　high；　querulous　voice；　and　another；　older　one　dropped　his　head　onto　his　arms　and　began　to　sob。
　　〃Well　he's　not　getting　off　that　easily；〃　the　president　said；　scowling　at　Bill。　〃If　the　accused　was　on　this　post　for　the　last　year　then　he　should　have　been　on　duty。　And　during　that　year　he　must　have　slept。　Which　means　he　slept　on　duty。　Therefore　I　sentence　him　to　hard　labor　in　military　prison　for　one　year　and　one　day　and　order　that　he　be　reduced　in　rank　to　Fuse　Tender　Seventh　Class。　Tear　off　his　stripes　and　take　him　away；　I　have　to　get　to　the　golf　course。　

II

　　The　transit　stockade　was　a　makeshift　budding　of　plastic　sheets　bolted　to　bent　aluminum　frames　and　was　in　the　center　of　a　large　quadrangle。　MPs　with　bayoneted　atomrifles　marched　around　the　perimeter　of　the　six　electrified　barbed…wire
fences。　The　multiple　gates　were　opened　by　remote　control；　and　Bill　was　dragged　through　them　by　the　handcuff　robot　that　had　brought　him　here。　This　debased　machine　was　a　squat　and　heavy　cube　as　high　as　his　knee　that　ran　on　clanking
treads　and　from　the　top　of　which　projected　a　steel　bar　with　heavy　handcuffs　fastened　to　the　end。　Bill　was　on　the　end　of　the　handcuffs。　Escape　was　impossible；　because　if　any　attempt　was　made　to　force　the　cuffs　the　robot　sadistically　exploded　a　peewee　atom　bomb　it　had　in　its　guts　and　blew　up　itself　and　the　escaping　prisoner；　as　well　as　anyone　else　in　the　vicinity。　Once　inside　the　pound　the　robot　stopped　and　did　not　protest　when　the　guard　sergeant　unlocked　the　cuffs。　As　soon　as　its　prisoner　was　freed　the　machine　rolled　into　its　kennel　and　vanished。
　　〃All　right；　wise　guy；　you're　in　any　charge　now；　and　dat　means　trouble　for　you；　〃　the　sergeant　snapped　at　Bill。　He　had　a　shaven　head；　a　wide　and　scar…covered　jaw；　small；　closeset　eyes　in　which　there　flickered　the　guttering　candle　of　stupidity。
　　　Bill　narrowed　his　own　eyes　to　slits　and　slowly　raised　his　good　left　right　arm；　flexing　the　biceps。　Tembo's　muscle　swelled　and　split　the　thin　prison　fatigue　jacket　with　a　harsh；　ripping　sound　Then　Bill　pointed　to　the　ribbon　of　the　Purple　Dart　which　he　had　pinned　to　his　chest。
　　〃Do　you　know　how　I　got　that？〃　he　asked　in　a　grim　and　toneless　voice。　〃I　got　that　by　killing　thirteen　Chingers　singlehanded　in　a　pillbox　I　had　been　sent　into。　I　got　into　this　stockade　here　because　after　killing　the　Chingers　I　came
back　and　killed　the　sergeant　who　sent　me　in　there。　Now…what　did　you　say　about　trouble；　Sergeant？〃
　　〃You　don't　give　me　no　trouble　I　don't　give　you　no　trouble；〃　the　guard　sergeant　squeaked　as　he　skittered　away。　〃You're　in　cell　13；　in　there；　right　upstairs　。　。　。　〃　He　stopped　suddenly　and　began　to　chew　all　the　fingernails　on　one　hand　at　the
same　time；　with　a　nibbling…crunching　sound。　Bill　gave　him　a　long　glower　for　good　measure；　then　turned　and　went　slowly　into　the　building。
　　　The　door　to　number　13　stood　open；　and　Bill　looked　in　at　the　narrow　cell　dimly　lit　by　the　light　that　filtered　through　the　translucent　plastic　walls。　The　double…decker　bunk　took　up　almost　all　of　the　space；　leaving　only　a　narrow　passage　at　one　side。　Two　sagging　shelves　were　bolted　to　the　far　wall　and；　along　with　the　stenciled　message　BE　CLEAN　NOT　OBSCENEDIRTY　TALK　HELPS　THE　ENEMY！；　made　up　the　plete　furnishings。　A　small　man　with　a　pointed　face　and　beady　eyes　lay　on　the　bottom　bunk　looking　intently　at　Bill。　Bill　looked　right　back　and　frowned