按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
Here's how you load a wagon train 'for survival：
First； list everything that you expect to need and everything that you would like to take：
Wag？ns； spare wheels； spare axles
Mules； harness； spare hardware and harness leather； saddles
Water
Food
Clothing
Blankets
Weapons； ammunition； repair kit
Medicines； drugs； surgical instruments； bandages
Books
Plows
Harrow
Field rake
Shovels； hand rakes； hoes； seeders； three… five… & seventine forks
Harvester
Blacksmith's tools
Carpentry tools
Iron cookstove
Water closet； self…flushing type
Oil lamps …
Windmill & pump
Sawmill run by windpower
Leatherworking & harness…repair tools
Bed； table； chairs； dishes； pots； pans； eating & cooking gear
Binoculars； microscope； water…testing kit ； … Grindstone
Wheelbarrow…
Churn
…Buckets； sieves； assorted small hardware
Milch cow & bull … '
Chickens
Salt for stock & for people … …
Packaged yeast； yeast starter
Seed grain； several sorts
Grinder for whole…grain flour； meat grinder
Don't stop there； think big。 Never mind the fact that you've already overloaded a much longer wagon train。 Search your
imagination； check the manifests of the Andy I。； search the ship itself； look over the stock in Rick's General Store； talk with John Magee and look over his house and farm and outbuildings…if you forget it now； it's impossible to go back for it。
Musical instruments； writing materials； diaries； calendars
Baby clothes； layettes
Spinning wheel； loom； sewing materials…sheep！
第40节
Tannin & leather…curing materials and tools
Clocks； watches …
Root ；vegetables； rooted fruit…tree seedlings； other seed
Etc。 etc。 etc。
Now start trimming…start swapping…start figuring weights。
Cut out the bull； the cow； the sheep； substitute goats with hair long enough to be worth cutting。 Hey； you missed shears！
The blacksmith's shop stays but gets trimmed down to an anvil and minimum tools…a bellows you must make。 In general anything of wood is scratched； but a small supply of wrought…iron stock； heavy as it is； must be hauled； you'll be making things you didn't know you could。 …
The harvester bees a scythe with handle and cradle； three spare blades； the field rake is scratched。 …
The windmill stays； and so does the sawmill （surprise！）… but only as minimum hardware； you won't tackle either one
soon。…
Books… Which of those books can you live without； Dora？
Halve the amount of clothing； double up on shoes and add more boots and don't forget children's shoes。 Yes； I know how to make moccasins； mukiuks； and such； add waxed thread。 Yes； we do have to have block…and…tackle and the best glass…and…plastic lines we can buy； or we won't get through the pass。 Money is nothing； weight and cubage are all that count…our total wealth is what mules can take through that notch。
Minerva； it was lucky for me； lucky for Dora； that I was on my sixth pioneering venture and that I had planned how to load spaceships many years before I ever loaded a covered wagon…for the principles are the same； spaceships are the covered wagons of the Galaxy。 Get it down to the weight the mules can haul； then chop off 10 percent no matter how it
hurts； a broken axle…when you can't replace it…might as well be a broken neck。
Then add more water to bring it up to 95 percent； the load of water drops off every day。
Knitting needles！ Can Dora knit？ If not； …teach her。 I've spent many a lonely hour in space knitting sweaters and socks。 Yarn？ It will be a … long time before Dora can tease goat shearings into good yarn…and she can knit for the baby while we travel； keep her happy。 Yarn doesn't weigh much。 Wooden needles can be made； even curved metal needles can be shaped from… scraps。 But pick up both sorts fxorn Rick's Store。 …
Oh； my God； I almost missed taking an ax！…
Ax heads and one handle； brush hook； pick…mattock…Minerva； I added and trimmed and discarded； and weighed every item at New Pittsburgh…and we weren't three kilometers out of there headed for Separation 'before I knew I had us overloaded。 That night we stopped at a； homesteader's cabin； and I traded a new thirty…kilo anvil for his fifteen…kilo one； traded even； with the pound of flesh nearest my heart tossed in for good measure。 I swapped other heavy items that we would miss later for a smoked ham and a side of bacon and more corn for the mules…the last being emergency rations。
We lightened the …loads ；again at Separation； and I took another water barrel in trade and ifiled it because I 'now had room for another and knew that too heavy a load of water was self…correcting。
I think that extra barrel saved our lives。
The patch of green that Lazarus…Woodrow had pointed out up near the notch … ~f Hopeless Pass proved to be farther away' in travel time than he had hoped。 00 the last day that they struggled toward it neither man nor mule had had anything to drink since dawn the day before。 Smith felt lightheaded； the mules were hardly fit to work； they plodded slowly； heads down。
Dora wanted to stop drinking when her husband did。 He said to her： 〃Listen to me； you stupid little tart； you're pregnant。 Understand me？ Or will it take a fat； lip to convince you？ I held out four liters when we served the mules； you saw me。〃 …
〃I don't need four liters； Woodrow。〃
… 〃Shut up。 That's for you； and the nanny goat； and the chickens。 And the cats…cats don't take mucji。 Dorable； that
…much water means nothing split among sixteen mules； but it will go a long way among you small fry。〃 …
〃Yes； sir。 How about Mrs。 Porky？〃
〃Oh； that damned sow！ Uh 。 。 I'll give her a half a liter when we stop tonight and I'll serve her myself。 She's likely to kick it over and take your thumb off； the mood she's in。 And I'll serve you myself； measure it out； and watch you drink it。〃
But after a long day and a restless night and then an endless day； they were at last among the first of the trees。 It seemed almest cool； and Smith felt that he could smell water
…somewhere。 He could not see any。 〃Buck！ Oh； Buck！
Circle！〃
The boss mule did not answer； he had not talked all day。 But he brought the column around； cornered the wagons； and nudged the lead peir into the V to be unharnessed。
Smith called the dogs and told them to hunt for water； then started unharnessing。 Silently his wife joined him； serving the off mule of each pair while ……Smith cleared the nigh
…mule。 He appreciated her silence。 Dora was； he thought； telepathic to emotions。
Now if I were water somewhere around here； wher？would I be？ Witch for it？