gs.earthabides-第32部分

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　　He　remembered；　hopefully；　that　the　ants　had　vanished　almost　overnight；　and　he　kept　expecting　that　something　like　that　also　might　happen　to　the　rats。　But　there　was　no　indication　of　it。　
　　〃Are　the　rats　going　to　take　over　the　world？〃　Em　asked。　〃Now　that　men　are　gone；　are　the　rats　going　to　be　next？〃　
　　〃Of　course　I　don't　know　for　sure；〃　said　Ish；　〃but　I　hardly　think　so。　They've　got　a　head…start　because　they　know　how　to　use　the　food…supplies　in　the　city　and　because　they　breed　fast。　But　once　they　get　away　from　the　city　they'll　have　to　forage　on　their　own；　and　the　foxes　and　snakes　and　owls　are　going　to　build　up　too　because　man　is　gone　and　because　they'll　have　lots　of　rats　to　feed　on。〃　
　　〃I　never　thought　of　that！〃　she　said。　〃You　mean　rats　are　kind　of　domestic　animals　because　people　supply　them　food　and　kill　off　their　enemies。〃　
　　〃More　like　parasites　on　man；　I　suppose　really。〃　And　then；　just；　to　be　saying　something　to　keep　her　interest；　he　ran　on：　〃And　speaking　of　parasites；　of　course　rats　have　them　too。　Just　like　the　ants！　When　anything　gets　too　numerous　it's　likely　to　get　hit　by　some　plague…I　mean…〃　（Something　had　suddenly　exploded　in　his　mind　at　the　word。）　He　coughed　to　cover　up　his　hesitation；　and　then　went　on；　without　making　a　point　of　it。　〃Yes；　some　plague　is　likely　to　hit　them。〃　
　　Em；　to　his　relief；　did　not　seem　to　have　noticed。　
　　〃All　we　can　do　then；〃　she　said；　〃I　guess；　is　to　sit　around　and　cheer　for　the　rat's　parasites。〃　
　　Ish　did　not　tell　her　what　had　disturbed　him。　It　was　the　realization　that　not　just　plague　in　the　general　sense；　but　bubonic　plague　was　a　mon　epidemic　among　rats。　It　was　spread；　he　knew；　by　fleas；　and　those　infected　fleas　readily　hopped　from　dead　rats　to　living　people。　The　thought　of　being　among　the　new　people　left　in　an　area　inhabited　by　millions　of　rats　being　killed　off　by　bubonic　plague　was　a　horrible　situation　to　contemplate。　
　　He　began　to　deluge　the　house　with　DDT　and　spray　it　upon　his　clothing　and　Em's。　Naturally　then　she　became　suspicious；　and　he　had　to　tell　her。　
　　She　was　not　disturbed。　Her　natural　courage　rose　superior　to　even　the　thought　of　plague；　and　perhaps　there　was　a　vein　of　fatalism　in　her　too。　The　simplest　and　safest　thing　would　have　been　to　hurry　out　of　the　city；　and　get　to　some　place…the　desert；　perhaps…where　few　rats　could　live。　
　　But　each　of　them　had　already　decided　independently　that　life　was　not　to　be　lived　on　the　basis　of　fear。　Her　courage　indeed　was　stronger　than　his；　and　the　horror　of　the　rats　pressed　in　more　closely　upon　him。　Occasionally　he　even　felt　panic　and　was　ready　to　force　her　into　the　car　for　flight。　But　always　in　such　times　her　courage　seemed　to　flow　out　from　her　and　sustain　him。　
　　As　the　days　passed；　he　watched　individual　rats　carefully　to　see　if　they　seemed　sickly。　On　the　contrary；　they　seemed　more　active　than　ever。　
　　Then　Em　called　to　him　one　morning　from　the　window。　
　　〃Look；　they're　fighting！〃　He　went　to　look；　quickly；　but　without　too　much　interest。　Probably；　he　thought；　it　was　merely　whatever　kind　of　sex…play　rats　indulged　in。　But　it　was　not。　
　　He　saw　a　large　rat　definitely　attacking　a　smaller　one。　The　small　one　fought　back；　and　dodged　desperately；　and　seemed　just　about　to　make　its　escape　through　a　hole　which　might　be　too　small　for　the　larger　one。　Then　suddenly　a　third　and　still　larger　rat　appeared；　and　sprang　also　upon　the　small　one。　The　little　pool　of　blood　spread　out　from　the　torn　throat；　and　then　the　largest　rat　dragged　the　body　away；　the　one　who　had　made　the　original　attack　scurrying　close　after。　
　　In　high　boots；　well　gloved；　carrying　a　stout　stick　in　his　hand；　Ish　made　an　expedition　to　the　nearest　business…center　and　foraged　for　some　more　food。　Curiously；　to　him；　he　found　very　few　rats　in　the　stores；　and　when　he　investigated；　he　found　that　everything　which　a　rat　could　get　and　eat　had　been　pletely　wiped　out。　The　stores　were　a　great　disgusting　litter　of　torn　papers；　and　chewed　cartons　and　rat…droppings。　They　had　even　chewed　the　labels　on　the　cans　and　bottles；　so　that　sometimes　it　was　difficult　even　to　tell　what　was　contained　in　them。　Certainly；　as　yet；　starvation　and　not　disease　was　c　losing　in　upon　the　hordes。　He　took　the　news　back　to　Em。　
　　Next　morning　they　let　Princess　out　for　her　daily　run。　（They　had　been　allowing　her　out　only　once　a　day　as　a　matter　of　precaution。）　After　a　few　minutes　they　heard　her　wild　howling；　and　she　came　tearing　back　to　the　door　with　rats　skirmishing　all　around　her；　and　two　or　three　actually　clinging　to　her　back。　Opening　the　door　they　let　her　in；　and　necessarily　admitted　three　or　four　rats　along　with　her。　Princess　refired　under　the　davenport　in　a　flurry　of　howling。　Deserted　by　the　cause　of　the　disaster；　Ish　and　Em　spent　a　lively　quarter　hour　routing　out　the　rats　and　killing　them。　They　hunted　the　house　most　carefully；　aided　by　a　now　partially　recovered　Princess；　to　find　whether　any　rat　was　still　lurking　in　a　closet　or　behind　the　books　of　the　bookcase。　But　they　decided　that　they　had　killed　them　all。　They　kept　Princess　shut　up；　after　that；　out　of　necessary　precaution；　and　they　also　muzzled　her　for　fear　of　hydrophobia。　
　　By　now　they　were　quite　sure　that　the　rats　were　preying　one　upon　another。　Sometimes　they　saw　a　large　rat　pursuing　a　smaller　rat；　and　sometimes　it　seemed　as　if　several　banded　together　in　a　pack　to　attack　a　single　one。　They　seemed　less　numerous　now；　but　that　might　be　because　they　were　keeping　out　of　sight　under　the　new　conditions。　
　　To　Ish　the　whole　affair；　in　spite　of　a　certain　horror　that　he　still　held　of　it；　came　to　be　a　most　interesting　study　in　ecology；　almost　a　laboratory　problem。　The　rats　had　first　lived　upon　the　stores　of　food　which　men　had　laid　up　for　them；　and　these　had　gradually　been　transformed　into　a　great　reservoir　of　rat…flesh。　Then；　when　the　cereals　and　dried　fruit　and　packaged　beans　were　depleted；　there　was　left…for　certain　individual　rats　at　least…this　other　supply　of　food。　Under　such　circumstances；　it　seemed　a　question　whether　any　single　rat　would　die　of　starvation；　even　though　the　rats　as　a　species　might　be　dying　of　starvation。　
　　〃The　old　and　sickly　and　weak　and　immature　will　go　first；〃　he　said；　〃and　then　those　that　are　not　quite　so　old　or　sickly　or　weak　or　immature…and　so　on。〃　
　　〃And　eventually；〃　said　Em；　who　sometimes　showed　disconcerting　logic；　〃there'll　just　be　two　great　strong　rats　left　to　fight　it　out…like　（what　was　it？）　the　Kilkenny　cats？〃　
　　Ish　explained　that　before　such　a　fate　ensued　the　rats　would　have　bee　so　scarce　that　they　would　again　have　begun　to　forage　upon　other　sources　of　food。　
　　When　he　thought　more　deeply；　he　saw　that　the　rats　were　not　actually　destroying　the　species　for　their　own　individual　preservation；　they　were　really　saving　the　species。　If　the　rats　had　been　sentimental　and　had　decided　that　they　would　all　starve　together　without　indulging　in　cannibalism；　then　indeed　there　might　have　been　some　danger。　But　rats　were　realists；　and　so　their　racial　future　seemed　secure　from　this　emergency。　
　　Day　by　day；　the　numbers　of　rats　became　fewer；　and　then　one　morning　they　seemed　to　be　gone　entirely。　Ish　knew　that　there　still　must　be　many　rats　in　the　city；　but　what　had　happened　was　merely　what　would　happen　in　the　decline　of　any　species。　Under　natural　circumstances；　the　rats　kept　out　of　sight；　like　narrow　passageways　and　holes　and　brash…filled　gullies。　Only　when　their　numbers　became　so　great　that　they　could　not　all　find　such　refuges　did　they　spill　over　and　inhabit　the　open　places　where　they　could　be　seen。　
　　Doubtless；　at　the　end；　disease　may　have　helped；　but　he　was　never　sure　of　this。　One　great　advantage　of　the　disappearance　through　cannibalism　was　that　there　were　no　bodies　of　rats　left　around。　They　had　gone　on　to　preserve。the　species　into　the　next　generation。　Also；　he　knew；　although　he　did　not　investigate；　that　the　rats　must　have　done　a　great　deal　toward　removing　the　bodies　of　the　human　beings　who　had　died　in　the　original　disaster。　
　　As　he　collected　his　thoughts　upon　the　subject；　he　was　surprised　that　there　had　been　no　plague　of　mice。　The　ants　had　e　first；　and　then　had　e　the　rats。　Between　the　two　there　should　have　been　a　rapid　increase　of　mice；　because　the　mice　should　have　had　almost　as　good　an　opportunity　as