Chapter 8 Chapter 8 "Work or Leave"

The question of whether the fire should be kept burning in order to gather as many ranks as possible and expand the numbers was never put to a vote.The next morning, Rhodes wanted to raise this opinion, but Jimmy and Bob had already lit the fire again when they went down to get water, Rhodes put the matter aside, and the two girls started their own work. own business. The team does not yet have any formal charter, nor has a leader been elected.Rhodes continued to exercise the unified and coordinated mission, and Bob Baxter also accepted this arrangement.Rhodes didn't think about such a thing, he was too busy.As the number of people increased, he was so busy with food, safety, and protection issues that he had no time to think about other things.

The arrival of Bob and Carmen clears the inventory, and they must go hunting the next day.Bob expressed his willingness to go, but Rhodes decided to go with Jack as usual. "You rest today. Don't let Carmen's ankle be too heavy, and don't let Jimmy go down to fill the firewood alone. He always thinks he's healed, but he hasn't." "Got it," Bob said. Jacqueline and Rhodes went out, and they quickly hunted for food.But Rhodes didn't do it very thoroughly, and finally Jacqueline rushed up to complete the final blow.The injured prey kicked Jacqueline in the ribs, but she insisted she was not injured.The next morning, she felt soreness on one side of her body, and Bob said one of her ribs might be cracked.

That means two new mouths have been added and the injured list has grown to three.Later, their team added a bigger eater and grinning Caroline Mishieni, and Rhodes made her his hunting partner. Jack looked a little unhappy.He called Rhodes aside and muttered, "You can't treat me like this. I can go hunting. My body is fine, but a little stiff." "Yes, but you're not up to speed when I need you. I can't risk that, Jack." She squinted at Caroline, her lips pursed, looking aggrieved.Rhodes said sternly, "Jack, remember what I said about pretty girls causing jealousy? Help, I can only punish you if you cause trouble."

"You're not that old yet!" "I have to try to avoid it. Look, aren't we partners now?" "Fine! I like to think so." "You are one of them, unite." She shrugged. "Okay! I'll stay at home." "I also want you to do something extra, grab that strap and let Bob put your ribs in place." "No!" "Then ask Carmen to help you, they are good doctors." He suddenly said loudly, "Are you ready, Caroline?" "Standby!" Rhodes explained to Caroline how he and Jack hunted, and told Caroline what to do.They searched as they walked, trying to avoid the congregating animals.An adult bison is hard to kill, tastes bad, and its horns are even dangerous.When it was almost noon, they found a group of herbivores cruising upwind. The two of them separated and took hunting positions along the direction of the wind.Rhodes waited for Caroline to drive the prey to him.

He had been waiting, and when Caroline appeared he grew impatient.Caroline crawled silently, beckoning Rhodes to follow him.Rhodes did so, but could barely keep up with her, but she didn't make a sound.The moment she stopped suddenly, Rhodes caught up and saw that she had caught a prey.He looked at his prey, surprised. Caroline said, "I think this end is still tender. Is it to your liking, Rod?" Rhodes nodded: "Caroline, that's great, perfect hunting." "Ok?" "I think you're better at this than I am." "Oh, don't laugh at me, it's just luck." She grinned, a little embarrassed.

"I don't believe in luck. Next time you want to command a hunt, tell me. No matter what, you have to let me know!" Looking at Rhode's expressionless face, she said slowly, "Are you criticizing me?" "Not exactly, I'm just saying, if you want to direct the hunt, you tell me, don't pop in the middle, never, that's what I mean." "What's wrong with you, Rhodes? Did I catch the prey first and hurt your feelings? This is too ridiculous." Rhodes sighed. "Maybe! Maybe I don't like girls leaving me to hunt, but I'm sure of one thing. I don't like an unreliable hunting partner. Too many ideas can easily hurt, and I'd rather hunt alone."

"Maybe I like to hunt alone too, I don't need help." "I know you don't need it. Well, stop talking. Take this game back to camp." When dividing the prey, Caroline didn't say anything more.They processed the unwanted parts of their prey and prepared to take back as much as they could eat.Rhodes said: "You go ahead, and I will follow." "Rod..." "Ok?" "Sorry." "What? Oh, forget it!" "I won't do it again, you see, and I'll tell them when I get back that it was your kill." Rhodes stopped, and he put a hand on Caroline's arm. "Why are you talking about this? It doesn't matter how the two of us organize the hunt, as long as we bring the prey back!"

"You're still mad at me." "I've never been angry." Rhodes lied, "I just don't want conflicts between each of us." "Rhode, I won't have any conflicts with you again, I swear." By the weekend, the girls stayed at home.The cave was comfortable enough for three, and not bad for six, but as the number of people increased every day, it became crowded.Rhodes decided to leave the cave for the girls, and moved the boys to an open space next to the passageway to the cave under the cliff.This site has little protection, and is easily infested by weather and wild animals, but it guards the only passage into the cave.The weather is not a problem. As for the beasts, you can arrange for a night watchman to watch over the fire between the cliff and the bank of the stream. Animals are afraid of fire.

Rhodes himself doesn't like such an arrangement, but at this time, this is the best choice.He sent Bob Baxter and Roy Killow downstream to search for new caves, and Caroline and Margery Chong upstream to do the same.The two boys returned empty-handed, and the two girls brought back another homeless man. A week after Jimmy's shirt banner was up, four more boys were brought in.Twenty-five people have gathered now, and the gender ratio has also reversed. There are more boys than girls. The four new boys are more like men. They are two or three years older than the average age of everyone. Three of them One of the students taking this wilderness survival test is about to graduate from high school, and the other is already a college student at Taylor University's College of Extraterrestrial Arts.

"Adult" is a term with a wide range of age groups.In some cultures, even people over the age of eleven are called adults, while in some places, adults cannot be called adults until they are thirty-five years old, and some people think that as long as the elders are still alive, they cannot be called adults.Rhodes thought that these newcomers were no stronger than himself. There were already a few people from Taylor University in this group, and Rhodes could only vaguely recognize them, and they got along very well with this group.Rhodes is too busy, with more and more people and more and more problems, he has no time to think about the background of these people on the distant earth.

Among the new four were York McGowan, a muscular fellow with thick arms and legs, and his brother Bruce, and the other two were Chad Ames and Dick Burke. .It was already late when they came, and Rhodes hadn't had time to get acquainted with them, and he didn't have time to spare the next morning, because suddenly four girls and five boys came.The management affairs have reached the point of exhaustion, the cave can no longer accommodate the four girls, and it is necessary to find or build more residences. Rhode walked up to the four men who were sitting around the barbecue fire, knelt down and asked, "Does any of you know how to build a house?" He questioned four of them, but the other three waited for York McGovern to answer. "Know it," said York. "I can build anything I want." "It doesn't have to be too difficult, as long as the stone wall is enough, have you ever done stone work?" "Of course, so what?" "Well, that's right, we've got to build some more shelter over there, too many people to live in now. We're going to build a wall across the clearing from the cliff to the river so we can build our huts , but first a fence must be erected to keep out the dangerous beasts." McGovern laughed and said, "Building the wall? Have you seen the jackals here? They are like slender jaguars, they can jump over your fence before you call 'Mom'." "I know these beasts, and I don't like them either." Rhodes showed the white scratches on his arms. "They can indeed go over the fence we built, so we have to do some protection." He picked up a branch and said while drawing on the ground, "Let's build the wall first...to fence this place, and then, in the Some sharpened wooden sticks were erected about six meters inside the wall, and anyone who jumped over the wall and fell on the wooden spikes would be stabbed to death." York McGovern looked at the diagram on the ground and said, "Fantasy." "Ridiculous!" echoed his younger brother. "Okay!" Rhodes whispered: "Unless someone comes up with a better plan, or we can find a better real cave, our best choice can only be 'whimsical' here...so we Get ready to do it! I'll send some girls to chop sticks and splinters, and the rest will build walls. There's a lot to do before dark. Will you four work together? There will be a One group collects stones, another group digs clay, makes clay bricks, it's your choice." The three of them waited for York again. York McGovern lay back and put his arms on his head, "I'm sorry, I'm planning to hunt today." Rhodes felt a little blood rushing up, and he said word by word: "We don't need to hunt today." "Nobody asked you, young man." Rhodes felt a burst of tension, which he only felt when he was hunting. He was very uncomfortable and realized that there was a small group of opposition.He tried his best to restrain his emotions, and said calmly: "Maybe I was wrong, I..." "You were wrong!" "I thought the four of you were already one with us, isn't that good?" "Maybe, maybe not." "You either work or leave. If you join us, you will have to work like everyone else. If you don't want to - of course, I'm happy to provide you with a breakfast, but just this once, and then you are on your way Come on! I don't want to see you hanging around while everyone else is working." York McGovern clicked his tongue and whistled, his hands still behind his head. "Don't you understand, boy? No one can give orders to me, the McGovern, no one, do you, Bruce?" "Yes, York." "Chad? Dick?" The other two answered "yes" repeatedly.McGovern kept his eyes on the sky. "So," he said softly, "I can go where I want, and stay as long as I want, and the question is not whether we want to join you, but whether we want you to join us, but not you, You little brat, you're still a sucker." "Get up, get out of here!" Rhodes stood up suddenly.He had the dagger pinned to his body, and he had it with him all the time, but he didn't reach out to pull it out.He was squatting just now, but now he has stood up straight. York McGovern glanced at his brother.Rhodes was knocked down to the ground suddenly...his face was hit, and his breathing became short of breath.A dagger hit Rhode's rib, and he couldn't move.Bruce called, "How about that, York?" This posture prevented Rhodes from seeing York McGovern, but he heard his voice: "Just look at him like this." "Yes! York." York McGowan carried a gun and a dagger.Rhodes heard him say at this moment: "Who else wants to try? Does anyone else want to cause trouble?" Rhodes still couldn't see York, but he guessed the terrified expressions on the faces of the others.McGovern must have been on his feet, gun still pointed at them all.Everyone in the camp had a dagger, and most carried guns, too, although most of them were kept in caves by Carmen when they weren't in use, but Rhodes had seen Roy Killow carry a gun with him. With a gun. However, there was no need for any guns and daggers at this time, and it all happened too quickly.From verbal confrontations to sudden acts of physical violence, without warning.In this position, Rhodes couldn't see any close friends, and those people he saw didn't seem to risk their lives to save him. York McGowan said fiercely, "Chad—Dick—watch 'em." "Yes! Boss." "Look at them, I'll take care of this little brother." His hairy legs appeared in front of Rhodes. "Did he unarm, Bruce?" "not yet." "Then I'll do it. Turn over, little boy, and let me see your knife. Turn him over, Bruce." Bruce McGovern pressed Rhodes from behind, and York bent over.Just as York reached out to touch Rhodes' dagger, a flash of light flashed, and a small metal flower pierced his waist.Rhodes didn't hear anything, not even the beep that would inevitably come when the attack started.York suddenly trembled and stood up straight, reached out and touched his waist. Bruce called, "York, what's the matter?" "They shot me." He suddenly fell to the ground, as if suddenly lost his soul.Rhodes was still holding the dagger behind his back, but Bruce's distraction was enough, he suddenly rolled to one side, turned around, and the situation was reversed in a blink of an eye.Bruce's right wrist was grabbed by Rhodes, and the dagger was pressed against his face. A voice called: "Stay there, you are surrounded." Rhodes looked up.Caroline stood above the cliff leading to the cave, holding a rifle.Jacqueline was crouching on the cliff face downstream, holding her air rifle.She quickly refilled the air gun, stood up, and aimed the gun at the other person. "Don't shoot!" Rhodes shouted, he looked around, and shouted to these provocative people: "Throw away the gun, you two." Chad Armes and Dick Burke dropped their guns. "Roy! Grant Cobbel! Confiscate their toys, and their daggers." He turned to Bruce McGowan, holding the dagger to his chin, "And your dagger." Bruce put the dagger Throwing it to the ground, Rhodes stepped on it under his feet. The people who were still in the cave just now also came down, and Caroline walked in front.York McGovern was still curled up on the ground, his face turning blue, as if the poison on the air rifle rounds had begun to take effect.Bob Baxter quickly ran over to take a look at him, and then said to Rhodes, "I'll look at your waist injury later." After speaking, he bent over to check York McGovern. Caroline said dissatisfiedly, "You still want to save him, don't you?" "Of course we must." "Why? He should be thrown into the river." Baxter looked at Rhodes.Rod wanted very much to do what Caroline said, but he said, "Bob, do what you can to save him! Where's Jack? Jack—you got poison on your bullets, didn't you? Answer me." Jacqueline looked at the guy lying on the ground with disdain. "What! He's not hurt." "Ok?" "It's just a nail flower. The bullets for practice - I always carry them with me. The bullets for hunting are afraid that I may accidentally injure myself, so I didn't carry them with me. I didn't have time to get them just now." She kicked with her toes Take a look at York. "He wasn't poisoned at all, he just freaked out." Caroline also shook the rifle in her hand and said, "This one is also empty. There is no bullet at all." Baxter said to Jack: "Are you sure? The symptoms of poisoning seem obvious?" "Sure, of course I'm sure. You'll know by looking at the needle. It's just practice." Baxter leaned over and patted York's face with his hand. "Wake up, Megwynn, stand up. I'm going to take the bullets out of you." McGovern groaned and tried to stand up.Baxter held the bullet between his thumb and forefinger, shook it, and York howled.Baxter slapped him again. "Stop pretending!" he roared, "You're lucky enough to pull it out and you'll be fine soon." He turned to Rhodes. "It's your turn next." "Huh? I'm fine." "The clothes around your waist are dyed red, look!" He looked around. "Carmen, get my first aid kit down." "I've already brought it down." "Okay, Rhodes, sit down and lean forward, it will hurt a little." It was very painful, Rhodes tried his best to talk to others, so as not to seem too concerned about the pain. "Caroline," he asked, "I don't see how you and Jack planned to move quickly, all very quietly?" "Huh? We didn't have any plans, we just did what we could, just as quickly as possible." She turned to Jacqueline and tapped her on the shoulder, nearly knocking Jacqueline over. "This kid is very good, Rhodes, very good." Jacqueline came back to her senses and looked happy, but tried not to show herself as much as possible. "Oh, Caroline!" "Anyway, I want to thank you both." "It's an honor. I wish my guys were loaded, Rod, what do you want to do with them?" "Uh... oh!" "Shh!" Baxter said behind him, "I said it's going to hurt a little, I'd better get another splint on, and I'd like a bandage to hold it in place, but we don't have one right now, and you're gonna be out for a while." You have to work hard, bear with it, and sleep on your stomach when you sleep!" "Yeah!" Rhodes responded. "Okay, you can stand up now. Don't worry, the scar will be there soon." "I still think we should throw them into the valley to swim, and we can bet to see if they can swim through." Caroline said stubbornly. "Caroline, aren't you savage?" "When did I say I was civilized? But I know they deserve it!" Rhodes ignored her, and he walked to the prisoner.Roy Kilo let these four people lie on top of each other, and these four people looked completely helpless. "Let them sit up!" Killow and Grant Cobell had been watching them, and Cobell said, "Didn't you hear the boss? Sit up." They sat up one by one, looking very sad. Rhodes looked at York McGovern: "What do you think we should do with you?" McGovern said nothing.His face was pale, and the wound on his waist was still bleeding.Rhodes whispered: "Some people think that you should be thrown into the river, which is tantamount to a death sentence for you, but if you do this, you should be shot or hanged first. I don't like letting others die while they are alive." If you are eaten, should you be hanged?" Bruce McGovern cried out, "We didn't do anything!" "No, you did. You are a threat to the safety of everyone else here." Someone shouted: "Oh, let's just shoot them and let this end!" Rhodes ignored him, and Grant Cooper approached Rhodes and said, "We should vote and they should be judged." Rhodes shook his head. "No!" Then he said to the prisoners, "I don't want to punish you—it's my style, but we can't make you feel dangerous around here." He turned to Cowbell and said, "Give back the daggers." give them." "Rod? You don't want to fight them again, do you?" "Of course not." He turned around again. "You can pick up your knives, but your guns are confiscated. After we let you go, you can only walk down the river for at least a week. If we see your faces again, will you There will be a chance to explain, do you understand my words?" York McGovern nodded.Dick Burke complained: "But just give us back the dagger or kill us?" "Shut up! We won't let you get guns again, and you have to remember that if you dare to come back, even if it's hunting, even just once, the sight in the scope will be aimed at your head." "It's with a bullet this time!" Caroline added: "Hey, Rhodes, leave this to me, okay? Please!" "Shut up, Caroline. Roy, you and Grant give 'em a ride." Just when the exile and escort were about to begin, he met Jimmy Soxton who had returned from outside.He stopped, his eyes widening. "What team is this? Rhodes... what's wrong with your ribs? Have you been scratched again?" Everyone told him what happened.He probably knew what was going on, and kept shaking his head. "I'm still here! I'm fine! I'm just out looking for lovely stones for our beautiful garden. Every time there's an event, you never forget to ask for my opinion. It's a sin!" "Enough, Jimmy, this isn't funny." "That's what I said! Guilty!" After wasting more than an hour, Rhodes asked everyone to hurry up and start building the wall.Despite Bob Baxter's suggestion, Rhodes still wanted to participate in the work of building the wall, but he found that he was a little incompetent, not all because of the pain in the wound, he also felt a little dizzy and couldn't stand stably . Grant Corbell found him during the lunch break. "Boss, can I talk to you? Individually." Rhodes stepped aside with him. "Do you have any idea?" "Well... Rhodes, you were very lucky this morning, you know that, don't you? This is not a long-planned resistance." "Of course, I know. What's the matter?" "Well, do you know why you're in trouble then?" "Why? Of course, now that I know, I believe the wrong person." Cowbell shook his head. "No, Rhodes, do you know the theory about government?" Rhodes looked surprised. "I took some general civil administration courses. What's up?" "I don't know if I said that but I majored in colonial administration at Taylors and one of the main things we learned was how to establish authority with people and how to maintain authority. I'm not criticizing...just suggesting, you didn't Having learned such knowledge, I almost lost my life." Rhodes felt a little unhappy, "What do you want to say?" "Relax, the problem is that you haven't established real authority yet. McGovern knows this, so he disobeys orders. Others actually know this, so when things happen, no one knows It's not for supporting you because you haven't gained real authority yet." "Wait, are you saying I'm not the leader of this team?" "You're the de facto leader, there's no question about that, but you haven't been elected, that's your weakness." Rhodes thought about it, and then he said unhurriedly: "I know, but now we are facing too many problems." "Of course, I know that I will probably be the last to criticize you, but a leader should be elected." Rhodes sighed. "I'd like to have an election too, but then I think it's more urgent to fix the wall. Okay! Let's get everyone together." "Oh, and you don't have to do it now." "Why not? Obviously the sooner the better." "Tonight, we have to suspend work after dark, and it will be too late for another election at that time." "okay." When everyone stopped working for dinner, Rhodes announced that a group would be formed and a meeting would be held.No one seemed surprised, although he hadn't told anyone about it before.He was a little unhappy, but he told himself that there was no secret in it.Grant was under no obligation to keep everyone quiet at this point.Rhodes arranged for guards and fire watchers, and then returned to the crowd sitting around the campfire, he said loudly: "Quiet, everyone! Let's get started. If the guards can't hear you, tell us loudly. ’ He paused. "We're going to have an election and it's been pointed out that I'm not the elected captain of our survival team and I'm sorry if everyone thinks that's the case. I've done my best and now you can elect a captain , so, any nominations?" Jimmy Soxton yelled: "I nominate Rod Volker." Caroline's voice also answered: "I seconded! Well, the nomination is over." Rhode said unhappily: "Caroline, your behavior is not in line with the rules!" "why?" Before Rhodes could answer, Roy Killow grabbed the conversation and said loudly, "Rhod, can I ask a question? A basic question." Rhodes turned around and saw Roy sitting next to Grant Corbell. "Of course, tell me!" "A matter of order. We should first elect an interim chair." Rhodes thought for a while, "I think you are right. Jimmy, your nomination is invalid, now nominate the interim chairman in order." "Nominate Rod Volker as Interim Chairman." "Oh! Shut up, Jimmy, I don't want to be interim chairman." Roy Kilo was picked.He took a signal gavel and announced: "The Chairman declares that Brother Cowbell will read the object and purpose of this meeting." Jimmy Soxton yelled, "What speech do we need? Just Rod and go to bed. I'm tired and I have two hours of night watch." "Order, please. The General Assembly has nominated Grant Corbell to speak." Cowbell stood up.The firelight illuminated his handsome face and slightly curly short beard.Rhodes touched his chin, wishing he could look like Cowbell.The young man was dressed only in shorts and soft-soled jungle shoes, but he kept his demeanor poised and dignified, like a distinctive speaker, even in the presence of some great personage. "Friends, brothers and sisters, we are gathered here tonight not just to elect the captain of a survival team, but to build a new nation." He paused to gather his thoughts. "You know where we're at - we desperately want to be rescued, no one is more desperate than me, and I would even say, I think we're going to be rescued ... eventually, but we don't have access, we don't have information Rational analysis, we don't know when we will be rescued." "Maybe it's tomorrow...but maybe our descendants a thousand years from now will be rescued." He finally said very calmly: "However, when the main body of our great ethnic group is re-established with us, that is, the small group here tonight Whether they see a civilized society or a savage world where the light of reason is fading, languageless and artless depends on our efforts. Maybe there will be no survivors among us, Nothing will remain but bones!" "Not mine!" cried Caroline.Kyrlo glared at her and shouted, "Order! Pay attention to order!" "Not yours, Caroline," Cowbell replied gravely, "nor mine, nor any of us. For tonight we will be strategizing to survive forever in our new territory. We have Our tools are limited, and we have to do everything again, but our knowledge is rich, and we have mastered the basic knowledge system of human beings. We must protect it well...we can definitely do it!" Just when Cowbell paused, Caroline murmured, "That's a good speech, isn't it? Maybe I'll marry him." "What is the most important knowledge we humans have? What knowledge is the basis of all knowledge? What must we protect at all times?" He did not immediately answer the question he raised. Someone replied, "It's fire!" Cowbell shook his head. "Word!" "Mathematical system." "Atomic knowledge." "Of course it's the wheels." "No, not at all. These are important, but not the most important. The greatest invention of mankind is government, and it is also the most difficult invention. There are millions of individuals, and our cooperation can be compared with ants or ants. Bees are more efficient. Humans are as brutal and bloodthirsty as sharks but have learned to live together as sheep. None of this is easy. That's why we're meeting tonight to decide our future… ...perhaps the future of our children, our children's children, or even distant future generations. We are not going to elect a makeshift survival team to lead, we are going to form a government. We have to be serious. We are going to fight for our new country Choosing the head is also the leadership of our group, but we must first have a constitution, we must sign some consensus charters based on the will of the whole. We must be organized and planned." "Yeah!" "Okay!" "We must formulate laws, appoint judges, and arrange an orderly administrative system. For example, this morning..." Cowbell turned to Rhodes and gave him a friendly smile. "Not a personal opinion, Rhodes, you know that. I think you handled it very sensibly, and I'm glad your ruling was very merciful, but if you killed four of them on impulse-well...' Antisocial People', and no one will criticize you, but justice should not be judged only by the preferences of administrators, we cannot hang our lives on your personality...whether that is good or bad. You understand this ,yes?" Rhodes didn't answer.He felt as if he had been accused of being too bad-tempered, of being a tyrant or dictator, or even a threat to the group.But he didn't make it clear.Grant Cowbell's words were friendly...but it felt like it was still personal and critical. Cowbell seemed obliged to let him answer. "You understand this, Rod, do you? You don't want to continue this absolute power over all of our individuality and life, do you? You don't, do you?" He waited for an answer. "Huh? Oh, of course, yes! I mean, I agree with you." "Very good! I'm sure you understand. I must say that you have done a very important job in bringing us all together. I do not agree with any criticism of you. You did your best, Let's let the past pass!" Cobell still had a friendly smile, but Rhodes felt as if he was choking and couldn't breathe, and he was in a panic. Cowbell turned to Killow, "I've finished speaking, Mr. Chairman." He continued to smile on his face, and added as he sat down: "I'm sorry, I have spoken too long, but this is all from my heart .” Kylo slapped himself again. "The convention is honored to nominate... Hey Grant, if we're not 'Captain,' what should we be?" "Hmm..." Cooper thought and said, "'President' seems too big. I think it's more appropriate to call him 'Mayor'. This is our city-state, the 'Mayor' of our citizens." "Assembly announces nomination for mayor." "Hi!" Jimmy Soxton asked again: "Is everyone else going to fire a gun for the mayor?" "Please pay attention to order!" "No!" Cowbell stopped Roy. "I don't think Jimmy should always be limited, Roy. Anyone who has an opinion should be able to be heard. We can't be arbitrary." "Well, Soxton, go ahead!" "Oh, I just don't want to be too quiet, I don't like quiet games very much." "Okay, Assembly adopted. Anyone else? If not, we'll proceed to—" "Wait, Mr. Chairman." Rhode saw that the speaker was Arthur Nelson, who was also from Taylor University.He has always kept himself clean, even in the present environment.He came to camp without any equipment, not even a dagger.He was hungry and thirsty. Kylo glanced at him, "You have something to say, young man?" "My name is Nelson, you can call me Arthur, you know. Yes, I have something to say." "Okay! Keep it short." "As long as the situation allows, I will be as brief as possible. Guys, we now have a golden opportunity that has never existed before in history. As Cowbell pointed out, we have to take it seriously, however, we seem to be going错了一步，我们的目标应该是首先建立一个真正的科学的社会。然而我看到了什么呢？你们正在按人头选择执政，领导者不应该是按人口的多少选择的，他们应该是按照科学创造力的标准选择。一旦选出来后，这些领导者就应该具有充分的科学自由，他就要按照自然的法则领导群体。他不应该拘束于人为的等级、阶层、宪法和法律系统。我们这里有足够多的健康的女性，我们可以科学地孕育更新的种群，一个超级族群，这个族群——如果我可以这么说，那么……” 一团泥巴打在了尼尔森的胸前，他突然停了下来。“谁，是谁干的？”他愤怒地说：“就是这些人……” “秩序，注意秩序！”基尔洛喊道：“不许扔泥巴，否则我将安排法警维持秩序。讲完了吗，尼尔森先生？” “我才刚刚开始。” “等一下！”考贝尔插话了。“主席先生已经说了，秩序。亚瑟有权说完他的话，不过我认为他不应该在这里说，我想我们将会组成一个宪法委员会，他应该把自己的意见提交给宪法委员会。如果我们同意他的意见，我们就可以采纳了。” “你说得对，格兰特。坐下，亚瑟。” “嗯？我反对。” 罗伊紧接着说：“本次大会宣布这次不讨论此议题，发言者所作发言不提交讨论。支持大会意见，让尼尔森先生闭嘴的请说'同意'。” 一大群人嚷了起来：“同意，同意，坐下，亚瑟。” 基尔洛环视了一圈。“还有人发言吗？” "Have." “我看不见，是谁？” “比尔·肯尼迪，彭斯·德·里昂学院的。我不同意尼尔森的观点，但有一点例外，我们似乎做错了什么事。当然，我们需要一个队长，但是，不应该是那种告诉我们如何去吃饭的人。我们不应该考虑其他的事，我们应该多想想怎样才能回去。我不想要什么科学的社会，我只想洗个热水澡，吃点可口的饭菜。” 人群里有一些零星的掌声。主席说：“我也想洗个热水澡……我也想吃些可口的饭菜，但是，比尔，你怎么才能获得这些呢？” “嗯？我们应该设计一个方案，建造一扇时空门，每个人都来参加工作。” 人群突然安静下来，接着有人小声嘀咕： “疯了！根本就没有铀。” “我们可以去找铀。” “哪里有工具呢？连螺丝刀都没有。” “我们现在是在哪里呢？” “这完全是……” “安静！”基尔洛大声说道：“比尔，你知道怎么建时空门吗？” "have no idea." “我想没有人知道。” “你这是战败者的态度。显然你们这些泰勒大学的人中已经有人学过这样的课程了。你们应该汇到一起，把你们学的东西都拿出来，领导我们一起工作。当然，也许时间会久一点，但这才是我们应该做的事。” 考贝尔开口了：“等一下，罗伊。比尔，我不反对你说的话，每一种意见都值得研究，我们一定会成立一个计划委员会，但是或许我们最好先选出一位市长或是队长，无论怎么叫吧！然后我们就可以细致地讨论，深入地研究你的方案。我想这是一个非常聪明也是值得长时间讨论的意见，你看呢？” “噢，当然，格兰特。那么继续选举吧！最后一句，我可不想愚蠢地培养什么超人。” “主席！我反对。” “闭嘴，亚瑟。你是想好市长提名了吗？如果没有反对意见，大会辩论到此结束，下一步，提名开始。” “我提名格兰特·考贝尔。” “我附议。” "I also agree." “我跟着。” “有没有异议，有没有，有吗？” 吉米·索克斯顿的声音叫了出来：“我提名罗德·沃尔克。” 鲍勃·巴克斯特站了起来：“主席先生。” “安静，各位。巴克斯特先生请讲。” “我也提名罗德·沃尔克。” “好的，有两位被提名了，格兰特·考贝尔和罗德·沃尔克，还有其他人吗？” 一阵短暂的寂静后，罗德说话了。“等一下，罗伊。”他觉得自己的声音有点抖，于是他深吸了两口气。“我不想接受提名，我身上的伤还很痛，我想休息，谢谢你，鲍勃，吉米，谢谢。” “还有提名吗？” “等一下，罗伊……有一个个人权利问题。”格兰特·考贝尔站起身来，“罗德，我知道你的感受，没有人愿意为公众的事去自寻烦恼——除非是不得不做的职业。但是如果你退出的话，我也将行使同样的权利，我也想像你那样摆脱一切烦恼。” “等一等，格兰特，你……” “你先听我说，我想我们俩都不应该退出，我们应该接受赋予我们的所有职责，就像无论该谁值夜，他都应该执行任务一样，不过我认为我们应该有更多的提名。”他四下看了一圈。“到今天早上，我们的女生已经和男生一样多了……但是现在的两个提名却都是男性，这不对，嗯，主席先生，我提名卡罗琳·米什耶尼。” “啊？嗨，格兰特，你不是开玩笑吧。我看上去像是一位女市长吗？像吗？我仍然提名罗德。” “那是你的权利，卡罗琳。不过你应该站到大家的前面来，就像罗德和我一样。” “不会有人投我的票。” “这你就错了，我就会投你的票，不过我们现在还应该需要更多的候选人。” “会议现在有三位被提名了。”基尔洛宣布：“还有吗？如果没有，我宣布——” “主席先生！” “嗯？噢，尼尔森先生，你想提名什么人吗？” "yes." "Who?" "I." “你想提名你自己？” “是的，不可以吗？我要建立严格的科学的政府，请在座具有理性头脑的人投我的票吧！” 基尔洛似乎很纳闷。“我不知道这是不是正确的议会程序，恐怕我不得不……” “没关系，没关系！”卡罗琳叫道：“我提名他，不过我还是要投罗德的票。”她又补充了后半句话。 基尔洛叹了口气。“好吧！四位候选人，我想我们只能举手表决了，我们没有投票的工具。” 鲍勃·巴克斯特又站了起来。“反对，主席先生，我提议匿名投票，我们可以用其他的东西来替代。” 终于找到了替代物，小石子用来代表赞同罗德的票，树枝代表考贝尔，树叶代表卡罗琳，吉米做的一个陶罐的试验品被当作了投票箱。“那尼尔森怎么办？”基尔洛问道。 吉米大声说：“嗯，也许这个可以，我用同样方法还做了一个陶罐，不过有个大口子。我把它砸碎，这些碎片代表尼尔森。” “主席先生，我讨厌这个，这是讽刺……” “行了，亚瑟，碎陶片代表你，小石头代表沃尔克，树枝代表格兰特，树叶代表卡罗琳。准备投票吧，伙计们。一个一个来，把票放到投票箱里。肖迪，你和玛格丽唱票。” 唱票人庄严地靠着火光点起票来。罗德五票，尼尔森一票，卡罗琳零票，考贝尔二十二票。罗德和考贝尔握了握手，退到了黑暗处，没人能看清他的表情。卡罗琳看着投票结果说：“嗨！格兰特，你不是要投我的票吗？怎么了？你是不是投给自己了？啊？怎么能这样？” 罗德没说什么，他投给了考贝尔，很显然新市长没有投以同样的回报——他知道自己的五个朋友是谁。asshole!他已经事先看到结果了，该死的，为什么格兰特不让自己退出呢？ 格兰特没有理会卡罗琳的抱怨。他立即占据了大会主席的位置。“谢谢，感谢大家。我知道你们想睡觉了，所以我最后占用今晚一点点时间任命一些委员会成员……” 罗德没有立即睡觉。他对自己说，输掉选举没什么不光彩的——他的爸爸这次不是也失掉了公司董事会的位置吗？他又对自己说，管理这群大猩猩一样的家伙足以让一个正常人疯掉的，正好他可以不再烦心了——他从来就没有想要过这样的工作！可是不管怎样，他的心里还是有一点失落，有一种深深的挫折感。 似乎罗德已经迷迷糊糊地睡着了……他的父亲看着他说：“你知道，我们都为你自豪，儿子，还有，如果你能看见未来……”这时有人在摇他的胳膊。 他被弄醒了，警惕性使他一下就拔出了匕首。 “把你的牙签拿开！”吉米小声说：“趁它还没伤着谁，我说是，别伤着我。” "What's up?" “我起来了，是我值夜。你也要来，因为我们要举行一个影子内阁会议。” "Ok?" “别说话，跟我来。安静，人家都在睡觉。” 影子内阁原来就是吉米、卡罗琳、杰奎琳、鲍勃·巴克斯特，还有卡门·加西亚。他们围着火堆紧紧地坐了一圈，离正在睡觉的那些人比较远。罗德看了一圈他的这些朋友：“你们这是在干什么？” “是这样。”吉米严肃地说：“你是我们的队长，那个选举在我们眼中看来和玩纸牌没什么两样。” “是的，那些发言真可笑！”卡罗琳跟着说。 “嗯？每个人都发言了！也都投了票。” “是的。”巴克斯特说：“是……也不是。” “没什么不对的，我并没有意见。” “但是我没想到你落选，罗德。不管怎么说……嗯，我不知道你以前看过多少政治选举，罗德，我自己没看过多少，除了教会中的那些，但是我们教会从来不这样做，我们只是等着神的安排。现在，虽然一切已经发生，但那只是铁轨中的一小节。如果是在早上进行，你完全可以全胜的，但是到了晚上却失去了支持。” “问题是……”吉米插话说：“我们不支持你还能支持谁呢？” “我们能做什么呢？” “我们能做什么？我们不需要再呆在这里了，我们仍然还是我们自己的群体。我们可以离开，去找另外一个地方……也许还能找到另外一个更大的山洞。” “是的，先生！”卡罗琳表示同意：“今晚就走。” 罗德考虑了一下，这个主意很有诱惑力，他们不需要其他人……像尼尔森，还有考贝尔那样的家伙。他的朋友还是忠于他的，他转向了杰奎琳，“你怎么想，杰克？” “我们是搭档，罗德。永远是！” “鲍勃，你也想这么做吗？你和卡门？” "Yes, but..." "But what?" “罗德，我们一贯支持你。虽然这个选举也还不错，但是在我们非常需要的时候，是你接纳了我们，让我们加入队伍，我们是永远不会忘记的。还有，我认为你的做法比考贝尔更像是一个队长，但是有一件事。” "you say." “如果你决定我们离开，能不能推迟一天，这样我和卡门都会万分感激的。” “为什么？”卡罗琳问：“现在就是很好的时机。” “是这样——他们已经将此作为了一个正式领地、一个有市长的村落。大家知道，一个按规矩选举出来的市长是可以主持婚礼的。” “哦！”卡罗琳惊叹道：“原谅我的大嘴巴。” “这样卡门和我就可以有一个合乎宗教规定的结合——这在我们的教堂并不复杂，但是如今，只有在我们获救时，我们才能那样做。如果我们的做法合乎规矩，也合法，那我们的家人也会喜欢的。你明白了吗？” 罗德点了点头，“我明白。” “但是如果你说今晚离开……” “我没有说。”罗德突然一下回答说：“我们就呆在这里，让你们俩正当地结合，然后……” “然后我们装满行囊再走！”卡罗琳插话说。 “然后我们再看看，考贝尔也许会是一位不错的市长。我们不能因为输了选举就离开。”他看了一圈大家的表情，“不过……不过我还是要谢谢大家。我……” He couldn't go on.卡门走过来很快地亲了他一下，“晚安，罗德，谢谢你。”