Fall; or, Dodge in Hell - Neal Stephenson Page 0,297

not been known for wisdom and forethought, being more apt to find surprises in the events of each new day. But all came to pass as he had said. He and Eve went down to the riverfront and bent their strong backs to digging out souls trapped in structures that had fallen over, and passing buckets of water to ones that were burning. Many were grateful but others looked on them darkly and spoke to one another in confidence.

Boats began to come across the river from the ruins of Eltown. Some carried refugees. Others brought assistance in the form of Autochthons come to bend their backs. All, during the passage over the river, gazed upstream toward the place where the hill had once stood. The column of boulders now towered over the joining of the rivers and began to look vaguely two-legged, with an especially large boulder at the top.

The same townspeople who glared suspiciously at Adam and Eve, even when receiving their help, adored the Autochthons for rendering just the same sort of assistance. Matters gradually advanced to the point where some of the townspeople were saying that now that the Autochthons were on the scene, Adam and Eve’s assistance was neither needed nor wanted. Others were gathered in a ragged ring around the Captain of the Autochthons giving vent to any feelings that crossed their minds, provided that they were feelings of a fearful or vengeful nature. Eve met Adam’s eye and they wordlessly agreed it was time to go back to Camp.

They reached it only a few minutes ahead of a crowd of souls who had noted their departure and come up the hill with axes and iron bars. Nothing prevented them from entering Camp and moving freely among the old dwellings half-buried among the trees. They did so now and it became possible to hear cracking and splintering noises as they attacked the cabins, tearing them apart for their logs and their bricks. But around the clearing at the top of the hill, the people of Camp, some months ago, had made a barrier of branches, living and dead, woven together to prevent the twelve little ones from straying. It would not stop the townspeople for long if they came for it with iron and fire, but it did bring them up short, and caused the flood of invaders to divert around it.

The gate was nothing more than a panel of woven sticks. The defenders did not even bother closing it. But Cairn stood nearby, and Walksfar and Adam as well, in a vigilant posture that sufficed to deter the curious.

Thus matters remained at a stand. Captain came up the hill at the head of a score of Autochthons. He rode in through the gate and pulled up in the clearing, for Walksfar had stepped forth to block his path. Adam stood to one side and Cairn to the other. More Autochthons came in and filled the space behind their Captain, and townspeople came in as well, milling around among the riders’ mounts.

“We see how it is,” said Walksfar, “and we prepare to abandon this place where some of us have dwelled in peace since the end of the First Age.”

Captain shrugged. “Ages come and go. Yours has gone.”

“It is a lesson you would do well to study,” Walksfar remarked. “In the meantime, since the souls of Eltown seem to respect your authority, perhaps you could ask them to withdraw from Camp and leave us in peace while we gather our things and depart in good order. There will be time enough to sack the place after we have gone.”

“Depart for where?” asked Captain. “You departed once before, from First Town, and came to this place, and now look what has happened. Now it seems you are of a mind to repeat the same mistakes in some new setting.”

“Have you some other recommendation?” asked Walksfar irritably.

“Stay,” said Captain, “and submit to the wisdom of El, and shape your lives in accordance with the new way of doing things. I will see to it that Camp is not molested and that the damage done to it is made good.”

Hearing those words Adam felt his resolve falter as he thought of how their life would be, were they to submit as Captain was proposing. He and Eve and their children would live peaceably in Camp among their friends, making marks on the wall of their cabin with each fall of the leaves. It would not be so very