狼图腾(英文版)-第12部分

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imbed　aboard　the　carts　and　headed　back　to　camp。
　　Chen　Zhen　felt　the　sweat　on　his　body　chilling。　He　could　not　stop　shivering。　Everywhere—on　the　lake　and　off；　on　the　ridges　and　the　paths　through　the　snow—the　humans　had　left　their　imprint：　bonfire　ashes；　cigarette　butts；　and　liquor　bottles；　plus　tire　ruts　all　the　way　back　to　camp。　Chen　kneed　his　horse　to　ride　up　to　Bilgee。　“Papa；　this　time　the　wolves　lost。　Will　they　seek　revenge？　You’re　always　saying　they　have　long　memories。　They　remember　their　food　and　their　fights—how　about　their　enemies？”
　　“We　dug　out　a　lot　of　gazelles；　but　left　more　than　half　the　number　for　the　wolves。　Next　spring　the　wolves　will　feast　on　frozen　gazelle　and　won’t　stick　around　to　trouble　us。　Besides；　they　did　us　a　favor；　so　we　should　leave　them　something。　Don’t　worry；　the　wolf　leader　knows　what　to　do。”
　　A　blizzard　swept　the　area　that　night；　and　the　students’　yurt　sweltered。　Chen　Zhen　put　away　his　copy　of　The　Secret　History　of　the　Mongols　and　said　to　Yang　Ke；　“The　man　Bilgee　mentioned；　the　one　who　picked　over　the　food　left　by　the　wolves　was　Budoncher；　Genghis　Khan’s　great—　　great…　grandfather’s　great…　　great…　grandfather。　Genghis　Khan’s　family　was　part　of　the　Borjigin　tribe；　whose　historical　founder　was　Budoncher。　Subsequent　generations　would　witness　monumental　changes。”
　　“That　must　mean　that　if　there’d　been　no　wolves；　those　great　war　counselors　and　leaders；　there’d　have　been　no　Genghis　Khan；　no　golden　tribe；　and　of　course　no　wise　and　brave　Mongol　fighting　horsemen；”　Yang　said。　“Wolves　have　certainly　played　a　prominent　role　in　the　his—tory　of　the　Mongol　people。”
　　“Why　stop　there？　They’ve　played　a　prominent　role　in　the　lives　of　the　Chinese；　in　the　lives　of　all　the　world’s　people。　The　arrival　of　Genghis　Khan　and　his　Mongol　horsemen　on　the　scene　led　to　a　rewriting　of　the　history　of　China；　from　the　Jin　and　Southern　Song　on。　So　too　the　his—tories　of　Central　Asia；　Persia；　Russia；　and　India。　Gunpowder；　invented　in　China；　was　introduced　to　the　West　by　Mongol　hordes　as　they　cut　their　murderous　swath　through　Europe　and　Asia；　bringing　down　the　castle　of　feudalism　in　the　West　and　sweeping　away　all　obstacles　to　the　emerging　system　of　capitalism。　Gunpowder　then　made　its　way　back　to　the　East；　where　it　blew　open　the　door　to　China　and；　ultimately；　ended　the　reign　of　the　Mongol　horsemen　and　turned　the　whole　world　upside　down。　But　the　historical　impact　of　wolves　has　been　written　off　by　histo—rians。　If　Tengger　had　recorded　events；　wolves　on　the　Mongolian　grass—lands　would　have　had　their　place　in　the　annals　of　history。”
　　Gao　Jianzhong；　the　cowherd；　could　not　contain　his　excitement　over　the　arrival　of　the　largesse。　“What　are　you　two　doing；　dredging　up　the　ancient　past？　Our　first　priority　ought　to　be　to　dig　all　the　gazelles　out　of　the　snowbank　and　get　rich。”
　　书包　网　。　想看书来

狼图腾（英文版）　4（8）
Chen　Zhen　said；　“Heaven　keeps　its　eye　out　for　the　wolves；　and　we　should　be　grateful　for　this　cartload　of　gazelles。　The　blizzard　will　blow　for　three　days　at　least；　adding　a　couple　of　feet　or　more　to　the　snowbank　and　filling　in　the　depressions。　Looking　for　gazelles　in　that　would　be　like　searching　for　a　needle　in　a　haystack。”
　　Gao　walked　out　of　the　yurt　and　looked　up　at　the　sky。　“It’s　really　going　to　blow　for　three　days；”　he　said　when　he　was　back　inside。　“I　should　have　been　there　today。　Damned　if　I　wouldn’t　have　planted　poles　in　the　largest　depressions。”　He　sighed。　“I　guess　I’ll　have　to　wait　till　spring。　But　then　I’ll　go　out；　fi　ll　up　a　cart；　and　personally　take　it　to　the　purchasing　station　at　the　Bayan　Gobi　mune。　If　you　two　say　nothing；　no　one　else　need　know。”
　　The　livestock　made　it　through　the　latter　half　of　winter　without　inci—dent。　The　Olon　wolf　pack　followed　the　gazelles　far　away；　where　it　dispersed。　The　great　blizzard　did　not　e。　Over　the　lonely　winter；　when　Chen　Zhen　was　neither　tending　the　sheep　nor　on　night　watch；　he　made　his　rounds　of　the　grassland；　search—ing　out　tales　of　wolves；　spending　most　of　his　time　on　the　legend　of　the　“flying　wolves。”　Known　throughout　the　Olonbulag；　it　had　recent　ori—gins　and；　as　it　turned　out；　was　set　in　the　area　of　Chen’s　production　bri—gade。　He　was　determined　to　get　to　the　bottom　of　the　legend　and　satisfy　his　curiosity　as　to　how　wolves　were　able　to　“fly”　on　the　Olonbulag。
　　Soon　after　their　arrival；　the　students　had　been　told　by　herdsmen　that　Tengger　had　sent　the　wolves　down　to　Earth；　which　meant　they　could　fly。　Over　the　centuries；　when　a　herdsman　died；　his　body　was　taken　into　the　wilds　and　laid　out　in　open　view　for　the　wolves　to　dispose　of。　The　“sky　burial”　was　pleted　once　the　wolves　had　eaten　every　morsel　of　human　remains。　It　was　called　a　sky　burial　owing　to　the　belief　that　the　wolves　could　fly　to　Tengger；　taking　the　human　soul　back　with　them；　just　like　the　magic　eagles　of　Tibet。　But　when　the　students　labeled　this　as　superstition；　one　of　the　“four　olds”　attacked　during　the　Cultural　Revolution；　the　herdsmen　insisted　that　wolves　could　fly。　As　recently　as　the　third　year　of　the　Cultural　Revolution；　they　said；　a　pack　of　wolves　flew　into　Second　Brigade　Cherendorji’s　stone　enclosure；　where　they　ate　a　dozen　sheep　and　killed　more　than　two　hundred。　After　satisfying　their　appetite；　they　flew　away。　The　stone　wall　was　six　or　seven　feet　high；　too　high　for　a　person　to　climb　over；　so　how　did　the　wolves　get　in　there　if　they　didn’t　fl　y？
　　Director　Uljii　had　taken　all　the　leaders　over　to　see；　including　even　the　head　of　the　police　station；　Harbar。　After　taking　　pictures　and　measure—ments；　they　agreed　that　the　wall　was　too　high　for　the　wolves　to　jump　over；　and　noted　that　there　were　no　breaches　through　which　they　could　have　gotten　in。　Several　days　of　investigation　turned　up　no　explanation　for　how　the　wolves　had　gotten　in　and　out。　But　the　herdsmen　knew。
　　

狼图腾（英文版）　4（9）
The　tale　had　stuck　in　Chen’s　mind　for　a　long　time；　now；　as　his　fas—cination　with　wolves　grew；　it　resurfaced。　So　he　saddled　up　and　rode　out　to　see　the　wall　with　his　own　eyes。　After　examining　it　carefully；　he　was　no　closer　to　an　explanation　than　anyone　else；　so　he　went　to　talk　to　the　old…　timer　Cherendorji。
　　“I　still　don’t　know　which　of　my　idiot　sons　offended　Tengger；”　the　old　man　said；　“but　my　family　is　cursed　even　today。”
　　The　old　man’s　son；　who　had　attended　middle　school；　said；　“The　affair　can　be　blamed　on　stupid　pasture　regulations。　There　were　no　such　walls　on　the　Olonbulag　before；　but　headquarters　decided　to　build　stone　enclosures　in　the　birthing　meadow；　both　to　protect　the　sheep　and　to　cut　back　on　expenses　by　reducing　the　work　points　given　out　for　night　watches。　The　wolves　can’t　climb　the　walls；　they　said；　so　there’ll　be　no　need　for　night　watchmen；　and　everyone　can　sleep　easy　at　night。　So　we　closed　the　gate　and　stayed　inside　our　yurt。　That　night　I　heard　the　dogs　bark　and　I　knew　something　was　wrong；　as　if　a　pack　of　wolves　was　in　the　vicinity。　But　since　headquarters　had　said　there　was　no　need　to　go　on　watch；　we　didn’t　even　go　out　to　check。　Unfortunately；　when　we　opened　the　gate　in　the　morning；　we　were　struck　dumb　by　the　sight　of　all　those　dead　and　dying　sheep。　There　was　blood　all　over　the　ground；　as　thick　as　two　fingers　in　places；　and　more　on　the　stone　wall。　The　marks　of　four　fangs　stood　out　on　the　necks　of　the　dead　animals；　whose　blood　had　even　flowed　outside　the　wall。　There　were　also　several　piles　of　wolf　dung　。　。　。　Later　on；　headquarters　changed　the　regulations；　requir—ing　people　who　lived　near　one　of　the　enclosures　to　remence　night　watches；　for　which　work　points　would　be　given。　More　and　more　stone　and　　rammed…earth　enclosures　have　been　built　on　the　birthing　meadows　in　recent　years　and；　since　there　are　night　watchmen　again；　there　have　been　no　more　stories　of　wolves　flying　into　an　enclosure　and　eating　our　sheep。”
　　But　that　wasn’t　enough　for　Chen　Zhen；　who　went　around　asking　other　herders。　All　of　them—　men　and　women；　young　and　old—told　him　that　wolves　could　fly。　They　also　said　that　when　a　wolf　dies；　its　soul　flies　up　to　Tengger。
　　Eventually；　Police　Chief　Harbar　was　released　from　confinement　in　the　banner　interrogation　unit　and　sent　back　to　assume　his　position　again。　Taking　a　pack　of　Beijing　cigarettes　with　him；　Chen　went　to　call　on　the　chief　to　get　an　explanation　as　to　how　the　wolves　had　“fl　own”　in　and　out　of　the　enclosure。
　　Chief　Harbar；　a　graduate　of　the　Inner　Mongolian　Police　Academy　and　fluent　in　Chinese；　said；　“The　case　is　closed。　Unfortunately；　the　sci—entific　explanation　has　no　standing　on　the　grassland；　and　most　of　the　herders　don’t　believe　it。　All　but　a　few　educated　and　experienced　hunters；　who　accepted　the　results　of　the　investigation；　were　convinced　that　the　wolves　could　fly。　If　we　respect　the　beliefs　and　customs　of　the　local　popu—lation”　he　laughed—“then　the　wolves　flew　into　the　enclosure。　There’s　a　bit　of　truth　to　that；　since　wolves　do　sail　through　the　air　a　long　ways。
　　

狼图腾（英文版）　4（10）
“The　herders　were　in　a　state　of　anxiety　that　day；”　he　went　on；　“believ—ing　that　Tengger　was　angry　enough　to　send　down　a　scourge。　They　left　their　herds　up　on　the　mountain　and　rushed　back　to　see　what　was　hap—pening。　Women　and　old　men　went　down　on　their　knees　to　Tengger。　Children　were　so　frightened　they　didn’t　cry　even　when　grown…ups　slapped　them。　Worried　that　the　motion　would　adversely　affect　pro—duction；　Director　Uljii　gave　me　two　days　to　solve　the　case。　I　called　the　cadres　together　to　safeguard　the　site；　but　it　had　already　been　corrupted。　All　the　clues　on　the　ground　outside　the　enclosure　had　been　trampled　on　by　people　and　sheep；　and　I　had　to　examine　every　inch　of　the　stone　wall　with　a　magnifying　glass。　Finally；　on　the　outside　of　the　northeast　corner　of　the　wall；　I　found　two　faint；　bloody　　wolf…paw　prints。　That　solved　the　case。　Can　you　guess　how　the　wolves　got　in？”
　　Chen　shook　his　head。
　　“I　determined；”　Chief　Harbar　said；　“that　one　large　wolf　had　leaned　its　front　paws　against　the　wall；　rear　legs　on　the　ground；　and　made　its　body　available　as　a　springboard。　The　other　wolves　ran　full　speed；　jumped　on　its　back　and　shoulders；　and　sailed　into　the　enclosure。　From　inside；　wouldn’t　it　look　like　they　flew　in？”
　　Amazed　by　what　he　was　hearing；　Chen　said；　“Those　Olonbulag　wolves　are　incredibly　smart。　Almost　as　soon　as　the　stone　enclosures　went　up　on　the　grassland；　they　fi　gured　out　how　to　deal　with　them。　It’s　like　they’re　bewitched　。　。　。　The　herders　aren’t　that　far　off　when　they　say　that　the　wolves　can　fly。　And　when　they　fell　out　of　the　sky　in　the　midst　of　the　sheep；　the　flock　must　have　been　scared　half　to　death。　The　rest　was　easy。　After　a　killing　frenzy；　they　ate　their　fill；　all　but　the　poor　wolf　springboard　on　the　other　side　of　the　wall。　It　got　nothing。　It　must　have　been　a　special　animal；　devoted　to　the　pack；　obviously　an　alpha　male。”
　　Chief　Harbar　laughed　heartily。　“Wrong；”　he　said。　“The　way　I　see　it；　that　wolf　flew　in　and　ate　just　as　much　as　the　others。　You　should　know　that　these　wolves　have　a　strong　collective　spirit；　they　stick　together。　It’s　not　in　their　nature　to　abandon　one　of　their　own。　A　wolf　on　the　inside　acted　as　a　springboard　for　another　one；　which　had　eaten　its　fill；　to　leap　back　across　the　wall。　Then　it　acted　as　a　springboard　for　the　hungry　wolf　to　fly　into　the　enc