一无所有-第53部分
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our sister。 Fm glad she's sister to Bedap。 That she's sister to Sabul； even to Sabul！ I drink to this hope： that as long as she lives； Sadik will love her sisters and brothers as well； as joyfully； as I do now tonight。 And that the rain will fall 。。。〃
PDC； the principal users of radio； telephone； and mails； coordinated the means of longdistance munication； just as they did the means of longdistance travel and shipping。 There being no 〃business〃 on Anarres； in the sense of promoting； advertising； investing； speculating； and so forth； the mail consisted mostly of correspondence among industrial and professional syndicates； their directives and newsletters plus those of the PDC； and a small volume of personal letters。 Living in a society where anyone could move whenever and wherever he wanted； an Anarresti tended to look for his friends where he was； not where he had been。 Telephones were seldom used within a munity； munities weren't all that big。 Even Abbenay kept up the close regional pattern in its 〃blocks；〃 the semiautonomous neighborhoods in which you could get to anyone or anything you needed； on foot。 Telephone calls thus were mostly longdistance； and were handled by the PDC： personal calls had to be arranged beforehand by mail； or were not conversations but simply messages left at the PDC center。 Letters went unsealed； not by law； of course； but by convention。 Personal munication at long distance is costly in materials and labor； and since the private and the public economy was the same； there was considerable feeling against unnecessary writing or calling。 It was a trivial habit； it smacked of privatism； of egoizing。 This was probably why the letters went unsealed： you had no right to ask people to carry a message that they couldn't read。 A letter went on a PDC mail dirigible if you were lucky； and on a produce train if you weren't。 Eventually it got to the mail depot in the town addressed； and there it lay； there being no postmen； until somebody told the addressee that he had a letter and he came to get it。
The individual； however； decided what was and what was not necessary。 Shevek and Takver wrote each other regularly； about once a decad。 He wrote：
The trip was not bad； three days； a passenger track truck clear through。 This is a big levy — three thousand people； they say。 The effects of the drought are muck worse here。 Not the shortages。 The food in mons is the same ration as in Abbenay； only here you get boiled garagreens at both meals every day because they have a local surplus。 We too begin to feel we have had a surplus。 But it is the climate here that makes misery。 This is the Dust。 The air is dry and the wind always blowing。 There are brief rains； but within an hour after rain the ground loosens and the dusts begins to rise。 It has rained less than half the annual average this season here。 Everyone on the Project gets cracked lips； nosebleed； eye irritations； and coughs。 Among the people who live in Red Springs there is a lot of the dust cough。 Babies have a specially hard time； you see many with skin and eyes inflamed。 I wonder if I would have noticed that half a year ago。 One bees keener with parenthood。 The work is just work and everyone is radely； but the dry wind wears。 Last night I thought of the Ne Theras and in the night the sound of the wind was like the sound of the stream。 I will not regret this separation。 It has allowed me to see that I had begun to give less； as if I possessed you and you me and there was nothing more to be done。 The real fact has nothing to do with ownership。 What we do is assert the wholeness of Time。 Tell me what Sadik does。 I am teaching a class on the free days to some people who asked for it； one giri is a natural mathematician whom I shall remend to the Institute。 Your brother。
Takver wrote to him：
I am worried by a rather queer thing。 The lectures for 3d Quarter were posted three days ago and I went to find out what schedule you would have at the Inst。 but no class or room was listed for you。 I thought they had left you off by mistake so went to the Members Synd。 and they said yes they wanted you to give the Geom。 class。 So I went to the Inst Coord。 office that old woman with the nose and she knew nothing； no no I don't know anything； go to Central Posting！ That is nonsense I said and went to Sabul。 But he was not in the Phys。 offices and I have not seen him yet though I have been back twice。 With Sadik who wears a wonderful white hat Terrus knitted her out of unraveled yam and looks tremendously fetching。 I refuse to go hunt out Sabul in the room or wormtunnel or wherever he lives。 Maybe he is off doing volunteer work ha！ ha！ Perhaps you should telephone the Institute and find out what sort of mistake they have made？ In fact I did go down and check at Divlab Central Posting but there wasn't any new listing for you。 People there were all right but that old woman with the nose is inefficient and not helpful； and nobody takes an interest。 Bedap is right we have let bureaucracy creep up on us。 Please e back （with mathematical genius girl if necessary）； separation is educational all right but your presence is the education I want I am getting a half liter fruit Juice plus calcium allotment a day because my milk was running short and S。 yelled a lot。 Good old doctors！！ All。 always； T。
Shevek never got this letter。 He had left Southrising before it got to the mail depot in Red Springs。
It was about twentyfive hundred miles from Red Springs to Abbenay。 An individual on the move would have simply hitchhiked； all transport vehicles being available as passenger vehicles for as many people as they would hold； but since four hundred and fifty people were being re distributed to their regular postings in Northwest； a train was provided for them。 It was made up of passenger cars； or at least of cars being used at the moment for passengers。 The least popular was the boxcar that had recently carried a shipment of smoked fish。
After a year of the drought the normal transport ones were insufficient； despite the fierce efforts of the transport workers to meet demands。 They were the largest federative in the Odonian sodety： selfanized； of course； in regional syndicates coordinated by representatives who met and worked with the local and central PDC。 The work maintained by the transport federative was effective in normal times and in limited emergencies； it was flexible； adaptable to circumstance； and the Syndics of Transport had great team and professional pride。 They called their engines and dirigibles names like Indomitable； Endurance； EattheWind： they had mottoes — We Always Get There — Nothing Is Too Much！ — But now； when whole regions of the pla were threatened with immediate famine if food was not brought in from other regions； and when large emergency drafts of workers must be shifted； the demands laid on transport were too much。 There were not enough vehicles； there were not enough people to run them。 Everything the federative had on wings or wheels was pressed into service； and apprentices； retired workers； volunteers； and emergency draftees were helping man the trucks； the trains； the ships； the ports； the yards。
The train Shevek was on went along in short rushes and long waits； since all provision trains took precedence over it。 Then it stopped altogether for twenty hours。 An overworked or underschooled dispatcher had made an error； and there had been a wreck up the line。
The little town where the train stopped had no extra food in its mons or warehouses。 It was not a farm munity； but a mill town； manufacturing concrete and foamstone； built on the fortunate congruence of lime deposits and a navigable river。 There were truck gardens； but it was a town dependent upon transport for food。 If the four hundred and fifty people on the train ate； the one hundred and sixty local people would not。 Ideally； they would all share； all halfeat or halfstarve together。 If there had been fifty； or even a hundred； people on the train； the munity probably would have spared them at least a baking of bread。 But four hundred and fifty？ If they gave that many anything； they would be wiped out for days。 And would the next provisions train e； after those days？ And how much grain w
