Chapter 20 Variations on a Theme XII The Story of the Adopted Daughter (continued)

Cypress was left far behind.The small caravan, which was heading up the Ramparts, consisted of two mule-drawn carts strung together one behind the other, drawn by twelve mules, and four unladen mules.It has been more than two weeks since they last saw the house.They are now on a plateau, and for the past few days, the Pass of Hopelessness has been in front of their eyes. In addition to the sixteen mules, the small team included a female German Shepherd, a smaller dog, two female cats, a tom, a lactating goat and her two kin. Kid, a ram, two roosters and six hens (all hardy breeds bred by Ms Okins), a newly pregnant sow, plus Dora and Woodrow Smith.

Smith checked the sow herself before New Pittsburgh paid for it, and she was pregnant—Mrs. Dee left the track.If Dora's test result is not pregnant, the spacecraft will wait for them to try again.If the test was still negative, he would change his plans and take her to Secundus, where he would find out why she wasn't pregnant.Treatment there, too, if possible (but Smith didn't tell his wife about his plans). In the view of professional pioneer Smith, it is not only pointless, but also tragic and stupid for a couple to try to pioneer in uninhabited areas if the wife is infertile.He corrected himself in his mind that both spouses may suffer from infertility.For more than forty years, his own fertility has not been tested.At the same time, he also found the records of Dora's parents in Dr. Clausmeyer's incomplete medical examination files, and found nothing that worried him.Before that, he was very worried because he couldn't even deal with simple problems like Rh-negative blood fusion because of the limited conditions.

Fortunately, after studying the small settlement and the only medical files on the spacecraft, he came to the conclusion that all the green lights were given.It seemed to him that Dora was pregnant about twenty minutes after their informal wedding on the back of a mule. A thought had crossed his mind that Dora's pregnancy might be earlier.But the idea only amused him, not bothered him at all.Smith is sure that over the years, other people's children must have appeared in his family more than once; he is especially careful with such children, and he wants to be an amiable father.He never said anything about it.His creed allowed women to lie when necessary, so he never accused them of it.But he believed that Dora didn't need to tell such a lie.If Dora had been pregnant and knew she was pregnant, she would probably have only asked to say goodbye to him in bed - only that, not a baby.

It doesn't matter - even if the cutie made a little mistake before and didn't know she was pregnant, then he's sure she's going to give birth to a super baby.It is obvious that she herself is better than ordinary people.He wished he had known the Brighton family before; they must be excellent.Helen said their daughter was "picky".Even for instant pleasure, Dora wouldn't sleep with a fool because she was too smart to be happy with a fool.Smith was sure that only rape would have allowed Dora to conceive an inferior baby—but the man who had raped him would have been alone for the rest of his life; her Uncle Gibby had taught her some nasty, nasty riot-control techniques.

That pregnant sow was Smith's "calendar."If the sows hadn't found a suitable place to live by the time the sows gave birth, they would return that day - no hesitation, no regrets.Since Dora was halfway through her pregnancy by then, they could go back to Sepresh and be with the others for the remaining half. The sow was in the second mule cart, and a harness was attached to her to keep her from falling out.The dogs sometimes ran ahead of the mule carts and sometimes around them, warning Ropp and other dangerous animals.Cats do what they like, and like all cats, they walk when they like and ride when they like.The ewes and rams always walked close to the wheel; the two lambs were old enough to run briskly most of the time.But they still enjoy the privilege of being in the car when they're tired—the mother goat bleats too loudly to remind Smith to get out of the car and give Dora her tired baby.The chickens grumbled in a double-decker coop next to the pigsty.A mule without a load also has a task, that is, to watch for Rope approaching, with the exception of Buck.At all times Buck was Grand Marshal of the squad, picking the marching pace, directing the other mules, and carrying out Smith's orders.The mules took turns pulling the cart; only Buck never had to carry a load.Betty and Beulah also put on harnesses, and they felt wronged.They were originally nobles with only mule saddles, and they knew it.But Buck reprimanded them severely, and bit and kicked them still more severely; they shut up and began to pull.

It wasn't really pulling a cart; they used only two bridles, one on each of the leading mules, and each rein was attached to the first mule cart through a ring on the collar of the mule behind.The reins are just there to pull loosely, not tightly.All male mules are stud mules, but these mules are at Buck's command.While at Sepresh, Smith spent almost a day exchanging a strong, strong-shouldered mule for a younger, lighter mule because the larger mule would not accept Buck leadership position.Buck was ready to use force to solve the problem, but Smith was not willing to risk the old mule; he needed Buck's brains and judgment, and he didn't want Buck's spirit to be defeated by a young and strong mule-- Nor did he want Buck to risk injury.

If there is real danger, no amount of reins will help.When a mule is startled, it runs like crazy.This scenario is unlikely, but not impossible.At this time, even if the number of reins is doubled, only two people can't hold them.Smith was ready to kill the two leading mules at any moment.He hoped that too many mules would not step on the corpses of the two mules in front and break their legs, and he also prayed that the mule cart would not overturn under such circumstances. While Smith wants to take all the livestock to his destination, he only expects 80 percent of them to arrive alive, with each breed including a breeding pair.Still, even if only enough cart mules survived when they arrived (including at least one breeding pair), plus a pair of goats, he would consider it a sort of victory, giving them a The cost of survival.

How many mules is "enough"?This is not quantitative.At the end of the trip there may be only four left - you can pull one mule cart first, and then go back to pull the second.But if the number of mules fell below a dozen before the Pass of Hopelessness was conquered, they would have to turn back. Turn back immediately.Throw away a mule cart or two, throw away everything you can't take with you, kill any livestock that can't help, and travel light.Extra mules will follow, unwitting pantry walkers. Woodrow Smith Wilson would be limping back to Sepresh with his wife on a mule—miscarried, but still alive.Even so, it wasn't a fiasco.He had hands, a brain, and the strongest drive a man could ever feel: a wife to care for, to cherish.Years from now, they could try again to conquer the Pass of No Hope—he wouldn't make the same mistake he made the first time.

But at this moment, he is very happy and has all the wealth that a man can dream of. Smith leaned out from the seat of the mule cart. "Hi, Buck! It's supper time." "Late (meal) time," repeated Buck, and then shouted, "late (meal) time! Make a box (circle)! Make a box (circle)!" The two leading mules turned to the left. , so that the entire convoy forms a circle. "The sun is still high," said Dora. "Yes," agreed his husband, "that's why I made them stop. It was hot in the sun, and the snails were tired and sweated a lot, hot and thirsty. I wanted them to eat some grass. We Get up before dawn, start at first light, get as much miles as you can before it gets too hot. Then get some rest."

"I'm not questioning your decision, dear; just wondering why. I've found that being a teacher hasn't taught me everything a pioneer's wife needs to know." "I understand; that's why I explained it to you. Dora, if I do anything you don't understand, you must ask me; you need to know . . . because if anything happens to me, you must not Not on your own. But if I look busy, you wait and ask." "I'll do it, Woodrow--I'm doing it. I'm hot and thirsty myself; and the poor animals must be suffering too. When you unshackle them, if you'll let me, I'll You can give them water."

"No, Dora." "But—sorry." "Damn it, didn't I say you must ask why? I'll explain it to you anyway. First, we let them eat grass for an hour. That way they'll be cooler even in the sun. They're thirsty, will seek out the short green grass hidden under the dry old grass. they will get some water out of it. meanwhile i will measure the remaining water in the bucket... we Should have started using the dehydration ration. Should have started yesterday. Cutie, do you see that dark green spot under the pass? I think there should be water there, or maybe it's dried out.. Religiously Pray there is water there, I don't think there will be any water between here and there. We may not have a drop of water in the last day or two. A mule can't live long without water, and neither can people .” "Woodrow... is it really that bad?" "Yes, dear. That's why I'm working on a photographic map. It's the clearest picture Andy and I have taken when we surveyed the planet a long time ago. The problem is that this hemisphere was taken in early spring. Zha Coe didn't take many pictures of me; Andy wasn't a survey ship. I took this route because it seemed faster. But every depression we've passed in the past ten days has been dry and cracked. It was my mistake and it might be my last mistake." "Woodrow! Don't talk like that." sorry dear.But one last mistake always comes.I will do my best not to let this be my last mistake - such a disaster cannot happen to you.I just want you to understand how careful we must be with water conservation.To impress you. " "I've been impressed by you. I save water for washing and other things." "I may not have made things clear. There will be no washing water at all - no face, not even hand washing. Dishes and such utensils are scrubbed with sand and grass, and then put them in the sun, so that it can be more or less wiped out. Disinfection. Ice is only for drinking. The water that the mules drink should be reduced to half of the original ration immediately. The amount of drinking water per person should be about one and a half liters per day, but from now on, you and I only have half a liter of water per day .Well, Ms. Wiscoll will get the full water ration; she needs to nurse her baby. If it gets worse, we kill the two little ones and let her milk dry." "Oh dear!" "We probably don't have to. But even then, Dora, we're not at the worst. If it does get worse, we'll drop the mule and drink its blood." "What! Why, they are our friends!" "Dora, you'll listen to me, old man. I promise you we're not going to kill Buck, or Beulah, or Betty. If I had to kill a mule, I'd choose the mule I bought in New Pittsburgh. But If any of our three old friends dies—we'll eat him, or her." "I don't think I can eat it." "When you are very hungry, you will eat it. If you think about the baby in your stomach, you will eat it without hesitation, and then thank your dead friend for helping... Keep your baby alive. The game begins Then, don't say you can't do it, my dear—because you can. Did Helen tell you anything about our first winter here?" "No. She said I didn't need to know." "Maybe she's thinking wrong. Let me tell you a less horrific story. We put—I put—a full-time sentry to guard the seed bank, and he's authorized to shoot anyone who steals food. The Sentinel did. He was acquitted by a court martial; the man he killed was apparently stealing the seeds to eat. Examining the man's body, it was found 'he had half chewed seeds in his mouth. BTW, That man wasn't Helen's husband; her husband died like a gentleman—of malnutrition, and some kind of fever that I never managed to diagnose." Smith said, "Buck's got the convoy in a circle. Let's get started." He jumped down and reached for her, "Smile, baby, smile again!—our performance is being sent back to Earth, Show the poor huddles how easy it is to colonize a new planet - this is a special showing of Du Barry Fragrant Deodorant, and I need a lot of deodorant." She smiled. "I stink worse than you, my dear." "That's much better, my dear; we'll make it. It's hard at the beginning. Oh, and one more thing! No fires when you're cooking." "'Can't give birth to—' Yes, sir." "No fire until we leave this parched land. Do not light a fire for any reason, not even if you drop your ruby ​​and can't find it." "'Rubies—'Woodrow, the rubies you gave me are fine. But I wish I could trade them for a pail of water now." "No, you won't, dear. A few rubies are nothing, they don't weigh much anyway, and I've brought as much water as the mule can pull. I'm glad Zacco brought these rubies so I can send you Gifts. Brides are to be cherished. Let's tend these weary mules." After they unsaddled the mule, Dora considered what food she could get her husband to eat without the fire, while Smith busied himself building the fence.They needed to build some fencing, and two mule wagons could not form a fence sufficient for defense; they turned the second mule wagon around its front axle at the fullest angle, and fenced off the remaining gap, with the middle It's a campground.The fence was made of sharpened stakes a full two meters long, tied together with so-called rope bought in New Pittsburgh.The two sides of the fence are tied to the mule cart, and the bottom end is firmly erected on the ground along the hypotenuse of the right triangle, forming a high and powerful defensive wall. , it can't stop the attack of earth dragons, but this is not an area where earth dragons often appear.Ropp would not like such a fence. Smith doesn't like it either, but he uses local materials from Xinqidian, and a man with strong hands-on ability can repair it by himself. .When Smith was buying equipment in New Pittsburgh, he couldn't afford these two strong mule wagons with boat-shaped cars, so he had to supply some of the metal parts needed by the seller for the other two mule wagons. money.These metal products were brought by Andy J who flew several light years.New Pittsburgh is indeed much "newer" than Pittsburgh; despite the iron ore and coal mines, the metallurgical industry there is in its infancy. Chickens, pigs, goats, and even people are delicacies to Wild Rope, but fortunately the pair of goats and lamb will make warning calls in the pen, plus two alert dogs, sixteen scattered With the mules grazing here and there, Smith felt fairly safe at night.True, a rop might eat a mule, but it's much more likely that the mule will kill the rop, especially if other mules come to help.The mules don't run away from Rope; they attack.Someday, Smith imagined, mules would kill more Ropp than people, making Ropp as rare as the mountain lions he had seen as a child. The lop that was trampled to death by a mule can easily be turned into sliced ​​lop meat, stewed lop meat, jerky lop meat, dog food and cat food, and the sow will love their offal.That way you don't have to kill the mule.Smith isn't interested in rop food in any form, finding rop meat too strong - but it's better than nothing, and it saves them from consuming as much of their own food.Dora didn't have the same aversion to rop meat as her husband did; she was born here and ate rop meat from time to time as a child.For her, this is nothing more than ordinary food. One of Ropp's natural prey was a herbivore, and Smith hoped he'd find time to bring one back.The animal had six legs like Rope, but was otherwise more like a misshapen Okapi deer, except that the meat was much more tender.Known as "prairie goats," they're not actually sheep.But the new starting point has not carried out systematic work on the taxonomy of animal and plant populations; there is no time for such extravagant academic activities.A week earlier, Smith had shot a prairie goat from the seat of a mule cart (now, tender, delicious, bittersweet prairie goat meat was just a memory).He didn't think it was worth spending a day hunting until they conquered Pass of No Hope, but he still hoped to get another chance at a prairie goat. Maybe it's now—"Fritz! Ms. McBeth! Come here!" The dogs trotted up to stand by. , With another kick, he jumped onto the top of the first mule cart, took another step forward, and then bent down on it.There they have a division of labor, with one dog on the left and one on the right.They will stay there until they are told to come down.The dogs were expensive, but Smith knew they were good dogs; he had picked their ancestors from the Earth and brought them here with the first settlers.Smith isn't some trendy "dog lover" man who takes pleasure in keeping dogs; he just believes that on Earth, dogs have been humans' companions for so long, and that on a strange planet, dogs can give humans the same. s help. After hearing her husband's words, Dora was a little sad, but when she was busy with work, she was happy again.She was thinking about how to arrange dinner with few options and no fire.Soon, she remembered another troublesome thing.That's good for her, because worrying takes the place of worry.After all, though, she didn't believe her husband would fail in anything he did. She rounded the back of the second mule cart and walked across the small camp to her husband.He was there checking that the fence was secure. "Oh, that nasty little cock!" Woodrow looked at her. "Honey, you look so cute in your sun hat and all naked." "Not just a sun hat, I'm wearing shoes. Don't you want to hear what that nasty little cock did?" "I'd rather discuss your clothes with you. That's what I think, cutie. I'm not happy with you dressed like this, though." "What? But it's so hot now, dear. I can't wash. I think an air bath will make me smell better." "I think you smell nice. An air bath is a good idea; I'm going to get undressed too. But, honey, where's your gun—where's your belt with your knife and gun?" He began to strip off his overalls pants. "Do you want me to wear a gun belt now? Inside the fence? And you're here to protect me?" "Honey, this is a self-discipline law and a standard protective measure." After taking off his overalls, he put back his belt for knives and guns, and then took off his shoes and shirt.In this way, he has nothing on him except the belt and the other three weapons that were originally hidden under his clothes. I have always carried a weapon, somewhere. I hope you will get into the habit too. Not just sometimes. Always." "All right. I've got my belt on the mule-seat; I'll fetch it and put it on. But, Woodrow, I'm not a fighter by any means." "Your marksmanship with that needle gun is still very accurate within fifty meters. The longer you are with me, the better you will become. Not just with a gun, it is possible from bare-handed to holding a blasting barrel , you'll use everything at your disposal to shoot, chop, burn, and even stab your opponent. Look there, cutie." He pointed to a raised flat in the distance, where there was nothing, "in a short Within seven seconds, a horde of furry savages would be out there, flooding us and attacking us. A spear penetrated my thigh and I fell... and then, to protect us both Man, you need to fight them. What can you do, poor little girl, with your gun still on the mule seat over there?" "Well," she spread her legs, put her hands behind her head, and twisted her body. This is a weapon that already existed in the Garden of Eden, "I'm going to deal with them like this!" "You could," echoed Lazarus thoughtfully, "should work—if they were human. But they're not. Their only interest in tall, beautiful girls with brown eyes is Eat them, bones and everything. It's stupid to do that, but that's how they are." "Well, honey," she said resignedly, "I'll go put on the gun belt. I'll kill the man who stabbed you, and kill as many as I can before they eat me." "That's right, so you can live long. Always bring your bodyguard. If you must fight, do so. The size of your bodyguard determines your place in hell." "Yes, dear. I'm sure, if you're in hell, I'll enjoy life there." She turned to get her weapon. "Oh, I'll be there! They won't take me anywhere else. Dora! After you put on the gun sash, take off your sun hat and boots—and your ruby ​​jewelry, all of them .” She stopped, one foot still on the mule step. "Ruby jewellery, dear? Are you wearing it here?" "Rangie Lear, I bought these ruby ​​jewels for you to wear and for me to admire you in them." She broke into a smile, and her usually serious expression became lively.She jumped into the car and disappeared.Quickly reappearing with a gun belt and ruby ​​jewellery, she can tell she's taken a moment to brush her long, shiny chestnut hair.She hadn't showered in over two weeks, but it couldn't be seen, nor did it detract from her stunning, youthful beauty.She stopped on the steps and smiled at him. "Wait a minute!" said he. "You are so beautiful! Dora, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen since I was born." She smiled at him again. "My husband, I don't believe what you say, but I hope you can say it again in the future." "Ma'am, I'm not going to lie. I'm just saying it because it's true. What happened to that cock you were trying to say?" "Oh! That freaking rooster! I said he broke the eggs on purpose! I caught him this time. I saw him scratching the eggs. Two freshly laid eggs were pecked apart!" "It's the king's prerogative, my dear. He's afraid a rooster will hatch out of those two eggs. "I'd wring its neck off! If we had a fire, I'd do it right away. Honey, I was trying to figure out what we could eat cold if we didn't open a new package. Then it occurred to me, put the salty cracker Breaking it into a raw egg would be a meal. There were only three eggs today, and it broke two of the hen's eggs. I put enough grass in both coops; the other There isn't even a crack in the egg in the cage. It's damned. Why are we taking two roosters, Woodrow?" "Same reason I bring two throwing knives. Sweetheart, we'll have our first brood when we get there, and when the chicks get big enough that I'm sure we'll have extra roosters, we'll Its meat will be used to make dumplings. This was not possible before.” "But we can't let it spoil the eggs any more. Only cheese and crusty bread for supper--unless you'll let me open some new packets." "Don't worry. Frieze and Ms. Mac are trying to find prey. I hope it's a prairie goat. If not, it's Rope." "But I can't cook meat. You said no fire. You said so." "Eat it raw, dear. Thinly cut the loin of the prairie goat on a hard biscuit. It's beef tartare from the start. It's good, almost as good as a girl." He tapped his tongue He licked his lips. "Well...if you can eat it, so can I. But, Woodrow, half the time I don't know if you're kidding or serious." "I never joke about women and food, sweetie; these are solemn topics." He looked her up and down again. A bracelet on your ankle?" "Because you gave me three bracelets, sir. And three rings and three pendants. You told me to wear them all." "That's what I said. Where did it come from?" "Hey! That's not a ruby; that's me!" "Looks like a ruby. Here's another one, also like a ruby." "Oops! Maybe I'd better get the ruby ​​off first? That way I don't lose it. Or should we water the mule first?" "You mean before we eat each other?" "Um... yes, I think I mean that." "You're not being straightforward now, little Dora. Tell Uncle Gibby what you want?" "I'm not 'little Dora' anymore. I'm Ranji Lear, the sexiest girl south of Sepresh--you said so yourself. I'm the mistress of Lazarus Long, who was in Hypersexuals on all planets, stronger than six men put together - damn you know what I want, if you pinch my nipples again I'm ready to put you down, welcome Your challenge. But I think we should water the mules first." Minerva, it's really nice to have Dora around, always.It's not because she's pretty... she's not that pretty by the usual standards either.But to me, she is absolutely beautiful.Nor is it because of her enthusiastically shared interest in "sex" - although her libido is certainly strong, she is always ready to have sex, and it is instant.Her sex skills are also superb and getting better and better.Sex takes practice, like figure skating, tightrope walking, or diving; it's not something you can do on instinct alone.Oh, two animals copulate instinctively, but it takes intelligence, patience and willingness to turn copulation into a noble art.Dora is very good at this, and her skills are getting better and better.Always eager to learn, she has no quirks or silly prejudices, just patience and a willingness to practice the skills she learns or is taught to her.She infused sex with spiritual power, turning a sweaty sport into a human sacrament. But, Minerva, love that lasts when it's not making love—that's love. Dora is a good companion at any time.The worse the situation gets, the better she is as a companion.Oh, and she's bothered about the eggs being broken because it's her responsibility to take care of the chickens.Instead of nagging me to do something about the cock, she figured out a way herself and did it.She drove all the hens to the other rooster, and bound the foot of the rooster that broke the egg, and separated it from the others with a partition.After that rooster was put in confinement, we lost no more eggs. However, a truly difficult life awaits us.She wasn't annoyed at all when she went through those things, and she never held her own when I didn't have time to explain what I was doing.Many of our hardships, Minerva, are slow torments, and some are sudden dangers.In the face of the former, she always showed endless patience; in the latter case, she always remained calm and offered help within her capacity.Dear' you are very knowledgeable but you're a city girl and have been on a highly developed planet; perhaps I'd better explain. Perhaps you've been asking the question: "Is such a migration necessary?" - and if so, why is it so arduous? There is a need for this.I did something a Howard should never do, married a short-lived man, and I had three choices: Take her to live with the Howards.Dora turned this down...even if she had made that choice, I would have talked her out of it.A short-lived man living alone in a society of long-lived men must be depressed and suicidal; I first saw this in my friend Slayton Ford.I've seen many similar things since then.I don't want this to happen to Dora.Whether she lives ten years or a thousand years, I hope she can live happily. We could have stayed in Topdora, or near one of the few settlements on that planet—it was all the same.I'm pretty much on the verge of doing this, and just a little "Bill Smith" trick can make this option viable -- for a while. But only for a short period of time.The Howards at New Beginnings—the McGee family and three others, as I recall—decided to remain anonymous and, in Howard parlance, to attend a “masquerade.”With a little trickery, they could get away with it and never get caught.Grandma McGee would "die" and then reappear as "Deborah Simpson" at another Howard's house.The more people there are on the planet, the easier it is to do this concealment, especially after the arrival of the fourth wave of immigrants.This group of immigrants had all entered cryogenic sleep on the spaceship, so they were not familiar with each other. But "Bill Smith" married a short-lived man.If I live near those populated areas, I have to be... very careful.I’m going to dye my body hair all the time—not just my hair, but my entire body, so that there are no accidents that give away my identity.I also have to be careful to synchronize my aging rate with my wife's.To make matters worse, I also had to avoid people who knew "Ernest Gibson," which meant to avoid most of the Topdoras.I didn't have the opportunity to have plastic surgery, or anything like that, and some people might see my body shape, hear my voice, and start guessing.In the past, whenever I changed my name and identity, I would always change places at the same time, and that was the only way to be safe.Even plastic surgery doesn't pretend for long that my recovery is strong.One time I shortened my nose (and optionally my neck); ten years later it was still the same, big and ugly. It's not that I'm worried about people finding out I'm a Howard, it's just that if I'm going to live the life of a masquerade, the more carefully I use these disguises to hide my identity, the more it will hurt Dora, because I and her Not the same - not like her in the saddest way, husbands and wives don't have the same time beat. It seems to me, Minerva, that the only way to bring happiness to my lovely new wife is to keep her from both kinds, the long-lived and the short-lived.In this way, I don't need to pretend, we can ignore the gap between the two sides, forget about it, and live happily together.所以我决定带她到一个没有人烟的地方，在我们结婚当天还没回到城里之前我就这样决定了。 对这个难题来说，这大概是最好的解决方案，而且它的过程不像跳伞一样不可逆。如果她感到太孤独了，如果她开始憎恶看到我丑陋的脸，我可以再把她带回原来的地方。她还很年轻，可以找到另一个丈夫。我心里是这样想的，密涅娃，因为我的一些妻子很快就会对我产生厌倦。 但我为什么没让扎科把我们运到我在地图上选定的潜在居住地呢？——同时运来我们拓荒所需要的各种东西，避免一次危险的长途跋涉。我们不会面临缺水而死的危险，不会受到罗普的威胁，或者冒在深山里迷路的风险，等等。 密涅娃，这是很久以前发生的事了，我只能用那个地方、那个时期所具备的技术条件来解释。安迪没有办法着陆；连她的大修都是在绕着塞昆德斯或其他发达行星的轨道上进行的。她的货舱可以在任何又大又平的场地着陆，但地面至少需要一个雷达角反射器来引导她着陆，而且她需要消耗很多吨水才能再次起飞。安迪·J上唯一一个能在任何地方着陆、而且起飞时不需要其他帮助的部分是船长乘坐的飞行舱，前提是有技术高超的驾驶员。但这个飞行舱的载重量只够搭载两张邮票，而我却需要骡子、犁和一大堆其他东西。 另外，我也需要通过走进大山来学习如何走出大山。在我没有把握能把多拉带出那里之前，我不能把她带到那里去。这样不公平！当不了拓荒先驱并不是过错，但如果丈夫和妻子对问题的严重性发现得太晚，那就是灾难了。 所以不是我们选择了艰苦的方式；这是根据当时当地的条件所能采取的唯一方式。我花了很大功夫，考虑这次行程应该带什么、如果不带的话应该怎么办。计划飞船起飞时应该带什么东西也从来没有这样费心过。首先，最基本的参数是：车队里应该有几辆骡车？我是多么想带上三辆骡车啊。第三辆骡车可以为多拉带一些奢侈用品，为我多带些工具，为我们两个多带些书一类的物品，而且（这样最好！）能为我那怀孕的新娘准备一个单间，让她躲避当.地那种立刻会由一个极端变化到另一个极端的恶劣天气。 但是，三辆骡车意味着需要十八头骡子来拉，再加上备用的骡子了——根据经验应该是六头，这也意味着要多花一半的时间来给骡子上鞍具、卸鞍具，给它们喂水，以及其他需要照料它们的事。增加更多的骡车和骡子，一旦到了某个程度，会使你一天的行程变为零——个男人没有办法完成这么多工作。更糟糕的是，在深山里的某些地方，我可能不得不把骡车分开，每次只能把一辆骡车拉到一个比较开阔的地带，然后再回到原地，把另一辆骡车拉过来。如果有三辆骡车，这个过程耗费的时间是两辆骡车的两倍。与两辆骡车的车队相比，三辆骡车的车队会更经常地遇到必须拆开的情况。以这样的速度前进，我们可能在路上就生下了三个孩子，而不是在生下第一个孩子之前到达目的地。 我没有做这种蠢事，还因为在新匹兹堡只有两辆可以用于长途运输的骡车。当然，我认为自己其实也能抵挡住诱惑。我们从托普多拉用轻型骡车运来的五金器具足够三辆骡车用的，我用那一套多余的五金器具在骡车制造厂那里换了一些其他装备。我没办法再等他们做第三辆骡车了；季节和多拉的肚子都为我定下了必须抵达目的地的时间。 只有一辆骡车的话，你需要什么装备？这方面别人已经说得够多的了。一个家庭在穿越大陆的迁徙过程中所需要的标准配备，已经经过几个世纪、并在几个行星上得到了检验——前提是他们必须与其他家庭结伴而行。我领导过这样的长途迁徙。 但是如果只有一辆骡车——任何一个意外事件就意味着灾难的降临。 两辆骡车提供的帮助是一辆的两倍还要多，还能增加迁徙过程中的保险系数。你可以失去一辆骡车，然后重新安排运载的东西，继续前进。 所以我计划了两辆，密涅娃，尽管我让扎科借给我了三套五金器具，而且到最后一刻才把第三套卖掉。 为了生存，车队必须装载的物品——下面就是清单： 首先，列出你认为必需的、以及你想带上的所有物品： 骡车、备用轮、备用轴 骡子、骡具、备用五金器具和骡具用的皮革、鞍子水 food 衣物 blanket 武器、弹药、维修工具 药品、麻醉药、外科手术用具、绷带 Book 犁 rake 平整土地用的犁耙 铲子，手耙，销头，播种机，三齿、五齿和七齿叉 收割机 铁匠工具 木匠工具 炼铁炉 马桶，可以自己冲水的那种油灯 风车和泵风动锯木机 制作皮革制品的器具和修理骡具的工具床、桌子、椅子、盘子、罐子、平底锅、餐具和烹饪用具 望远镜、显微镜、测试水质的工具 旋转石磨 独轮手推车 揽拌机 桶、筛子、各种小器具 公牛和产乳的奶牛 chicken 为牲畜和人准备的盐 包装好的酵母，酵母粉 几种谷物种子 磨全麦粉的机器，搅肉机 别局限于这些；再想想其他的。不要在意你列出的东西即使是一列更长的车队也装不下。再一次充分发挥你的想象力，检査一下安迪上的物品清单和飞船本身，看看里克百货店里还有什么东西，和约翰·麦吉谈谈，看看他的房子、农场和房子外面的小屋。如果你现在忘了什么，以后再也没有机会回来取了。 乐器、写字用的文具、日记本、日历 小孩的衣服、新生儿用品 纺线轮、织布机、缝纫用品——绵羊！ 丹宁酸、皮革加工原料和工具 钟、手表 根菜、带根的果树苗，其他种子 etc…… 现在开始缩减——开始更换成其他东西——开始计算重量。 去掉公牛、母牛和绵羊吧；换上毛足够长.、也可以剪的山羊。嘿，你忘了剪刀！ 留下铁匠用具，但要减少几样，只带铁砧和必备的工具——必须带一个风箱。一般情况下，木制品都要去掉，但少量的熟铁制品尽管很沉，也是一定要带的；你会需要造一些你想不到自己能造的东西。 收割机换成长柄的、带支架的大镰刀，带上三个备用刀片；去掉平整土地用的犁耙。 风车留下，锯木机也留下（想不到吧？）——但都只带必要的零部件；你不会很快用到这两样东西。 书——多拉，这些书里有哪些是不必要的？ 把衣服的数量减少一半，把鞋和靴子的数量增加一倍，别忘了小孩鞋。是的，我知道怎样做鹿皮鞋、长统靴等；加上蜡线。是的，我们必须带上滑轮和能买到的最好的绳子，否则我们没法穿过无望关。钱没什么用；重量和体积才是最重要的——我们所有的财富就是骡子能够拉着穿过那个峡谷的物品。 密涅娃，我很幸运，多拉也很幸运，因为这已经是我第六次准备拓荒冒险行动了。还有，在我给一辆有篷骡车搭配货物以前，我多次计划过如何给飞船装货。原则是一样的；星际飞船就是银河系里的大篷车。把重量减少到骡子可以拉的程度，然后无论如何，还要再把重量减少百分之十；想想如果车轴折断了，而你却没办法给它换一个新轴——你还不如干脆折断你自己的脖子呢。 然后再加上更多的水，让重量升到百分之九十五；装载的水量每天都会减少的。 毛衣针！多拉会织毛衣吗？如果不会的话，要教她学。在太空中，我用织毛衣和袜子打发了很多孤独的时光。纺线？在多拉能把剪下来的羊毛纺成线之前，我们要度过很长时间——旅行的时候，她可以为小宝宝织衣服；这能让她快乐。纺线机不是很重。木制毛衣针可以自己做；甚至弯曲的金属针也可以用废料做出来。但还是从里克百货店里把这两种针都买上吧。 哦，天呐，我差点儿忘了带斧头！ 斧头加一个手柄，灌丛镰刀，钢镐。密涅娃，我在新匹兹堡补充了一些东西，又减少了一些，然后计算了每样东西的重量一可当我们离开那里，向塞普瑞什方向走了还没到三公里，我就发现我们过载了。那天晚上我们在一个农场小屋前停了下来，我用一个新的三十公斤重的铁砧换了一个十五公斤重的铁砧，一个换一个，我简直像被威尼斯商人在胸口割了一磅肉。我还用其他一些暂时用不着的重家伙换了一块熏火腿、一片熏肉和骡子吃的谷物——紧急情况下，谷物也可以当口粮。 到了塞普瑞什，我又减少了骡车的载重，还换了一个水桶，把它装满了水。那时我又腾出了一些地方，再说我知道装上过多的水也没什么，反正它会被消耗掉的。 我想，正是多装的那一桶水救了我们的命。 到达拉撒路·伍德罗指出的那片靠近无望关峡谷的暗绿色地方所用的时间比他希望的要长得多。最后一天，他们挣扎着朝那个方向行进。前一天拂晓以后，伍德罗和骡子就没有再喝过一滴水。史密斯觉得头重脚轻；骡子的状况几乎没法干活，只能拖着沉重的脚步，低着头慢慢地走着。 丈夫不喝水以后，多拉也想停止饮水。他对她说：“你听我说，你这个愚蠢的小女人，你怀孕了。明白我的话吗？我是不是要好好教训你一顿才能说服你？我们给骡子喂水的时候我留了四升水；你看到了。” “我不需要四升水，伍德罗。” “闭嘴。那是为你、喂奶的山羊和鸡准备的。还有猫——猫喝不了多少水。小可爱，这点水如果分给十六头骡子的话就不剩什么了，但它却能让你肚子里的小东西活很长时间。” “好吧，先生。那头胖母猪怎么办？” “哦，那头该死的母猪！嗯……今天晚上停下来以后我会给它喂上半升水，亲自喂它。它脾气很坏，喜欢把水踢翻，再把你的手指咬掉。我也会亲自给你喂水，我要把水量出来，然后看着你喝下去。” 经过一个长长的白天和一个不平静的夜晚，然后又是一个无尽的白天，他们终于走进了离他们最近的第一片树林。他们马上就感到凉快了，史密斯觉得他都能闻到水的气味了——一定在什么地方。但是他却看不到。“巴克！哦，巴克！围成圈！” 领头的骡子没有回答；它一整天都没有说话了。但它还是领着前面的骡子掉转头，让两辆骡车形成一个夹角，再把领头的两头骡子赶进V字形中央，等着卸骡具。 史密斯叫来那两只狗，告诉它们去找水，然后开始卸骡具。妻子默默地和他一起干了起来，她卸右边骡子的鞍具，他卸左边的。他很感激她的沉默。他想，在情感上，多拉和他真是息息相通。 如果我是这里的水，我会在哪里？施个魔法让它现形？或者先在地面上找一找？他觉得不会有小溪从这片树林里流过，但在查看完所有的下坡面以前，他无法肯定。骑着比乌拉去看看？不，比乌拉的状况比他还糟糕。他开始从第二辆骡车上卸下卷在一起的尖篱笆桩。已经三天没看到一只罗普了，这也意味着他们离遇到下一个由这种野兽带来的麻烦又近了三天。“多拉，如果你觉得身体还行的话，帮我弄一下这个。” 丈夫以前从来没有让她帮着竖篱笆，但她什么也没说；她只是在担心，他看起来那么憔悴、疲惫。她在盘算她偷着藏起来的四分之一升水——怎么才能说服他喝下去呢？ 就在他们快要完成的时候，弗里兹在远处发出了一声兴奋的嗥叫。 密涅娃，那是一个水塘——水是从石缝里渗出来的，沿着岩石表面流了几米后形成了一个没有出口的小水池。准确地说，应该是这个季节没有出口，因为我能看到水塘里的水在洪水季节溢出来的痕迹。我还看到了很多动物的足迹——罗普的、草原山羊的，还有很多我也辨认不出来的动物足迹。我能感到有眼睛在盯着我，我恨不得在背上也长出眼睛来。快到春天了，这里的光线比较暗；树木和地表的植物长得很茂密，太阳又正在落山。 我现在处于两难的境地。我不知道那些没有拉车的骡子为什么没有和这些狗一样快、或者比它们更快地找到这个水塘；骡子嗔得到水。不过，它们肯定很快也会找到这儿来的，但我不希望它们喝得太快。骡子虽然聪明，但如果很渴的话，它会喝得太快、喝得太多。这些骡子非常渴了；我想盯着每头骡子喝水，我不想让任何一头出事。 而且，我不想让它们走进那片水塘；水很干净，至少看起来很干净。 狗已经喝完了。我看着弗里兹，真希望它能像骡子一样说话。我带没带什么可以写字的东西？该死，什么也没有！如果我告诉它去把多拉叫来，弗里兹会尽量去做——但是她会来吗？我曾坚决地告诉她待在营地里等我回来。密涅娃，我的脑子木了；天气太热，又没有水，让我变得有些迟钝。我应该告诉多拉在紧急情况下该怎么做……如果我在外面待的时间太长、天黑下来的话，无论怎样，她都会出来找我的。 该死的，我甚至没有拿一只水桶。 不过我的意识还没糊涂到忘了喝水，我用手捧起水喝了几口，这是基甸的方式。我的脑袋似乎清醒了一些。 我解开工装裤的带子，脱下衬衫，把它浸在水里，然后递给弗里兹，“去找多拉！把多拉带来！快！”我想它一定以为我疯了，可它还是跑了，叼着那件湿衬衫。 然后，第一头骡子出现了——安拉保佑，是老巴克！之后，我毁了一顶帽子。 那顶帽子是扎科给我带来的礼物，号称全天候帽子。它使用的材料有很多孔，非常透气；但它又是防水的，在倾盆大雨中你的头发也不会湿。前一个性能一般；而后一个我还没有机会测试。 巴克喷着鼻息，急急忙忙地要跑进没膝深的水塘；我阻止了它，用帽子盛了一些水给它喝。然后又盛了第二次，第三次。 “这会儿就喝这么多，巴克。列队。叫大家来喝水。” 润了嗓子以后，巴克可以叫喊了。它发出一声像喇叭一样的喊声，这是骡子的语言，不是英语，我也不想试着重复了。反正这喊声的意思是“列队喝水”。“集合戴骡具”是另外一种叫喊声。 下面我就要对付十多头渴得发疯的骡子了。但是我、巴克、巴克的助手比乌拉、还有已经习惯帮助巴克的麦克贝斯女士——再加上并不是那么防水的帽子——我们做到了。我一直没搞明白威望是怎么在骡子中间产生的，但骡子敬服威望，而巴克又早巳树立了自己的威望。列队喝水时，藤子排的次序总是一样的。对那些想挤在前面、不排队的年轻骡子而言，它受到的最轻的惩罚就，是被咬破耳朵。 最后一头骡子喝了一帽子的水以后，我的帽子已经不像样子了。但就在这时，多拉和弗里兹来了，她的右手拿着一把针枪，还有，太棒了！——她的左手拎着两只水桶。“列队喝水！”我命令我的高级军官，“再次列队，巴克！” 有了两只水桶，加上是我们两个人一起干，很快我们就给每头骡子都喂了满满一桶水。然后我从弗里兹那里拿回我的衬衫，略微擦了擦水桶，给桶里装满了水，这才让骡子开始喝第三轮水。我告诉巴克，这次它们可以从水塘里直接喝水了。 他照我说的做了，但还是维持着秩序。在多拉和我一手拿着水桶、一手拿着上了膛的枪离开的时候，巴克仍然在用它的威望要求每次只有一头骡子去饮水。 多拉、我和狗回到骡车那儿的时候，太阳几乎已经下山了。给山羊、母猪、猫和鸡饮完水后，天几乎完全黑了。那以后，我们才开始庆祝。密涅娃，我郑重地发誓：喝了半桶我们给自己留的水以后，多拉和我都酩酊大醉了。 当初我们决定在没过无望关之前不停下来，但我们还是在那里露营了三天。这三天非常有用。骡子悠闲地吃草，还长肉了。它们尽情地喝水情地吃草。我在水塘边打了一只草原山羊；多拉把我们吃不了的切成薄片，晾成肉干。我把骡车上的所有大桶都装满了水——这活不像听上去的那么好干，因为巴克和我不得不踩出一条通往水塘的路来，我还得砍掉一些树，再把骡车一辆一辆拉到那儿；这花了我一天半的时间。 我们煮了新鲜肉吃，还有其他食物——还洗了热水澡！用香皂、洗发香波洗的。我刮了胡子。我把多拉那个大铁壶拿到水塘边，她拿来了水桶，我点起火堆，然后我们轮流洗澡，去掉身上的异味。一个人洗澡，另一个人警戒。 第四天早晨，我们向无望关进发。我们的状态都很好。多拉和我闻着都香喷喷的，我们不停地对对方说你身上的味道很好闻。情绪高涨。 从那以后，我们再也没缺过水。高处的某些地方有雪；微风拂面的时候你可以感觉出来，有时还能瞥见远处山峰之间有皑皑白雪。我们所处的地势越高，就越能经常地看到小溪。这些小溪在旱季里无法流到下面的平原。这里的草长得又绿又茂盛。 我们在一座靠近无望关的小山峰上停了下来。我把多拉留在那里，和骡车、骡子在一起。我直截了当地告诉她如果我没有回来，她应该怎么做。“我应该在天黑之前回来。如果我没有回来，你可以在这里等一个星期。时间不能再长了。明白我的意思了吗？” "Understood." “好的。一个星期结束的时候，把第一辆骡车上你用不着的东西都扔掉，减轻骡车的载重，再把所有食物都放到第一辆骡车上。把第二辆骡车上所有的桶都清空，把它们也放到第一辆上去。把母猪和鸡都放了，然后往回走。到了我们今天早些时候经过的那条小河，把所有的水桶都灌满。这以后不要因为任何事情停车；每天都要从拂晓就开始赶路，直到天黑。这样你应该只用我们到这里一半的时间就可以回到塞普瑞什了。好吗？” "No, sir." 密涅娃，要是在几个世纪以前，我会当场大发脾气的。但是我成熟了。我几乎立刻就认识到，离开她以后，我没办法强迫她做任何事情。在胁迫下做出的承诺是不会被遵守的。“好吧，多拉，告诉我为什么不，还有你想怎么做。如果我不喜欢你的想法，也许我们应该一块儿动身回塞普瑞什去。” “伍德罗，虽然你没有这么说，但你让我做的是我成了寡妇以后应该做的事。如果我真的成了寡妇，我会那样做的！” 我点了点头，“是的，你说得对。亲爱的，如果我一个星期之内都回不来的话，你就是寡妇了。这毫无疑问。” “这我明白。我也知道你为什么把骡车留在这儿；你不能肯定你是不是能带着骡车到高处之后还能转身。” “是的。以前的拓荒者出过这样的事——到了一个地方，无法再前进，却没法转身……然后尝试这样那样的办法，最后还是死去了。” “是的。但是，我的丈夫，你对我说只离开一天——半天出去、半天回来。伍德罗，我不会假设你死了。我不能！”她定定地看着我，眼眶里充满了泪水，但是她没有哭，“我必须要看到你的尸体，我必须要确认。如果我能确认，我会尽快、尽可能安全地回到塞普瑞什。然后按照你说的去找麦吉。我会生下你的孩子，把他抚养长大，让他成为一个和他父亲一样的人。但是我必须先确认你已经死了。” “多拉，多拉！过了一个星期你就应该知道了，没有必要去找我的尸体。” “可以让我把话说完吗，先生·如果你今天晚上回不来，那么就剩我一个人了。明天拂晓我会骑着贝蒂，带上一头背着鞍子的骡子出发去找你。我会中午回来。 “如果我找不到你，也许我会发现一个更高的地方，可以让我拉一辆骡车上去，还能转身。如果找到这样的地方，我会把那里作为基地，再到更远的地方看看。我可能会错过你留下的足迹。也许我会跟着骡子的足迹——可你也许没骑在骡子上。无论怎样吧，我会一遍一遍地找你。直到没有希望为止！然后……我会尽快回到塞普瑞什。 “但是，我亲爱的，只要你还活着——也许腿摔断了，但是还活着——只要你手里有一把刀，或者哪怕你是赤手空拳，我也不相信罗普或是其他什么动物能够伤害你。只要你还活着，我就会找到你。我会的！” 听到这话，我放弃了原来的想法。我和她对了对表，约定了回来的时间。然后我骑上比乌拉，和巴克出发去侦察前面的情况。 密涅娃，至少有四队人马曾经尝试通过无望关；没有一队回来过。我确信他们失败的原因都是太急切、不够耐心，在风险很大的时候也不愿意回头。 我学会了要耐心。几个世纪的经验可以给一个人以智慧，也会让他变得越来越有耐心，否则他不会活这么长时间。第一天早晨我们找到的地方太小了。哦，已经有人炸过那个地方，他可能也绕过了那个弯。但那里太窄了，不安全，所以我又炸了一些岩石。没有哪个正常人带着骡车进山的时候不带炸药、或者其他类似的东西。如果你用牙签或是镐头一点一点地凿坚硬的岩石，你可能直到大雪封山的时候还困那里。 我没有用炸药。哦，任何懂一点点化学知识的人都会制造炸药和黑火药，这两个我都打算做一些，不过要等以后再说。我带的是一种更高效、更灵活的爆破凝胶，它在受到震动的时候不易爆炸，在骡车上和鞍袋里很安全。 我把第一块凝胶放到一条岩石缝隙里，心想在这里爆破效果最好，然后我放上了导火索，但是并没有点燃它。我先带着两头骡子走到下面，然后极尽我的戏剧表演才能，向巴克和比乌拉解释一会儿会传来一声巨响，砰！——但这不会伤害它们，所以不用担心。那以后，我回到原来的地方，点燃了导火索，接着赶快跑回它们身边，两只手各放在一头骡子的脖颈上——我看着表。“来了！”我说。话音刚落，大山就发出了轰隆隆的巨响！ 比乌拉的身体在颤抖，不过还是站得很稳。巴克问道：“砰？”我说是。它点点头，继续吃它的树叶。 我们三个又走上去，看了看情况。现在路宽多了，但还不是很平，于是我用三次小小的爆破解决了这个问题。“你觉得怎么样，巴克？” 它上上下下仔细打量这条小路，“朗（两）车？” “一辆。” "Row." 我们又向前走了一段路，计划了明天的工作。到了约定的时间，我开始返回，提前回到了营地。 我花了一个星期的时间，开拓了通往另一座小山峰的安全通道，长度约有几公里，是一条足够一辆骡车通过的小路。然后我又花了一整天的时间，把我们的骡车挪到下一个根据地，一次一辆。有人曾经到过这个地方；我发现了一只坏掉的车轮——并卸下了它的铁轮和轮轴。就这样，一天又一天，我们慢慢地、艰苦地行进着，最终通过了那个关口，开始朝下山的方向前进。 但是下山的情况更糟了，而不是变得更好。以前看照相地图时我判定该有的那条小河出现了，在离我很远的山下。我们还需要继续往下、往下、往下，再沿着小河走很远的路，才能穿过峡谷，到达一片适于居住的山谷。还要炸很多地方，砍掉很多灌木，有时候我还需要炸树。但最麻烦的是让骡车慢慢滑下陡峭的山坡。我并不在意沿着陡峭的山坡上山（我们有时仍能遇到上坡）；十二头骡子可以把一辆车拉上任何斜坡，只要它们能把蹄子踩稳。但是下山—— 当然，这些骡车是带闸的。但如果坡度太陡的话，车轮会打滑——它们会掉下山崖，连带着骡子和车上的东西。 我绝不能让这样的事情发生。甚至不能冒可能的风险。我们可以丢掉一辆车和六头骡子，然后继续前进。但就是不能出事。多拉没坐在车上。不过，如果车松了，我能安全跳出骡车的机会也不大。 只要坡度太陡，使我对用车闸能否控制骡车产生哪怕一点点怀疑，我们就会采用更艰苦的方法：用那根从外面带来的、价格昂贵的绳子拉着它蹭下斜坡。拉出足够长的绳子，把一端在一棵粗大的、经得住骡车重量的大树上绕三圈，另一端牢牢地系在车后轴上，然后四头走路最稳的骡子，肯、迪西、比尤和百里会跟着巴克慢慢地拉车下山（车上没有驾车的人），我则拉紧绳子，慢慢地把手中的绳子一点一点地往外放。 如果地势允许，多拉会骑着贝蒂，站在半山腰，把我的命令传递给巴克。但我不允许她待在那条路上；如果绳子断了，它会打到旁边的人。所以大约一半的时间里，巴克和我都是单独行动。我们的行动非常非常慢，时时需要依靠它的判断。 如果找不到一棵合适的、用于绑绳子的树——这种情况经常发生——我们就要一直等下去，直到我能想出办法来。办法多种多样：在两棵树上分别绑上绳索，再在第三棵树上钻出一个导缆孔；把登山用的钢锥打到岩石里。我不喜欢用钢锥，用了钢锥以后，我总是要花很长的时间才能把钢锥取下来——岩石越坚硬，它能起到的固定效果就越好，但钢锥也就越难取出。但我还是要把它们取出来；以后还要用它们呢。 有时候既没有树也没有岩石。有一次，我让十二头骡子用力向上拉着绳子，多拉在上面安抚它们，我自己掌着后轴，让巴克控制整个进程。 在平原上，我们每天通常行进三十公里。通过无望关、开始向峡谷下方行进时，我们时常好几天停着不动窝，因为我要准备下面要走的路。如果没有很陡峭的山坡，不需要用绳子拉着车向下走，最多的时候我们一天能走十公里。我遵循着一条不可动摇的原则：骡车从一个根据地向另一个根据地进发之前，两地之间的道路必须完全准备好。 密涅娃，我们走得太慢了，我的“日历”已经赶上了我；那头母猪下崽了——这时我们还没有走出大山。 在我的记忆里，我还没有做出过比这更艰难的决定。多拉的状况很好，但她的孕期已经过了一半。转头回去（我这样向我自己保证过，但我没有告诉她）——还是继续前进，并期望在她分娩之前我们能到达一个较为平坦的开阔地？对她来说，哪个选择会更容易一些？ 我必须征求她的意见，但决定必须由我作出。责任是不能分担的。向她提出这个问题之前我就知道她会怎么说：继续前进。 她的回答只是源于她那无畏的勇气；她没有我那种在荒野跋涉、同时帮助孕妇分娩的丰富经验。 我又研究了一遍那些照相地图，没发现什么新鲜的。穿过峡谷，在前面的某个地方就会出现一个宽阔的有河流的山谷——但是还要走多远？我不知道，因为我不知道我们现在在哪里。出发的时候，我们在第一辆骡车的右后轮上装了里程表；在无望关的时候，我把它设成了零。但它只工作了一两天；一块岩石或是其他什么东西漏进去了。我甚至不知道过了无望关后我们在海拔上下降了多少米，还要下降多少米才能降到地面。 牲畜和其他设施的状况还比较好。我们失去了两头骡子。“漂亮姑娘”在一天晚上失足掉下山崖，摔断了腿；我能为它做的只是让它脱离痛苦。我没有宰杀它，因为我们还有鲜肉，而且它摔落的地方也使我没办法这么做。约翰·巴里科恩在某天晚上离开了队伍，然后死了——可能是被一只罗普害了；当我们找到它时，他身体的一部分已经被吃掉了。 三只母鸡死了，还有两只小猪没有活下来，好在那头母猪看上去很愿意给其他小猪崽喂奶。 我只剩下两只备用车轮了，所以只能再坏两个轮子，一旦出现第三只坏轮子，我们就不得不丢掉一辆车。 是轮子帮助我卞了决心。