Chapter 38

Crowds thronged as close as they could to the giant silver craft, which wasn’t very. The immediate perimeter was fenced off and patrolled by the tiny flying service robots. Staked out around that was the army, who had been completely unable to breach that inner perimeter, but were damned if anybody was going to breach them. They in turn were surrounded by a cordon of police, though whether they were there to protect the public from the army or the army from the public, or to guarantee the giant ship’s diplomatic immunity and prevent it getting parking tickets was entirely unclear and the subject of much debate.

The inner perimeter fence was now being dismantled. The army stirred uncomfortably, uncertain of how to react to the fact that the reason for their being there seemed as if it was simply going to get up and go.

The giant robot had lurched back aboard the ship at lunchtime, and now it was five o’clock in the afternoon and no further sign had been seen of it. Much had been heard more grindings and rumblings from deep within the craft, the music of a million hideous malfunctions; but the sense of tense expectation among the crowd was born of the fact that they tensely expected to be disappointed. This wonderful extraordinary thing had come into their lives, an now it was simply going to go without them.

Two people were particularly aware of this sensation. Arthur and Fenchurch scanned the crowd anxiously, unable to find Ford Prefect in it anywhere, or any sign that he had the slightest intention of being there.

How reliable is he? asked Fenchurch in a sinking voice.

How reliable? said Arthur. He gave a hollow laugh. How shallow is the ocean? he said. How cold is the sun?

The last parts of the robot’s gantry transport were being carried on board, and the few remaining sections of the perimeter fence were now stacked at the bottom of the ramp waiting to follow them. The soldiers on guard round the ramp bristled meaningfully, orders were barked back and forth, hurried conferences were held, but nothing, of course, could be done about any of it.

Hopelessly, and with no clear plan now, Arthur and Fenchurch pushed forward through the crowd, but since the whole crowd was also trying to push forward through the crowd, this got them nowhere.

And within a few minutes more nothing remained outside the ship, every last link of the fence was aboard. A couple of flying fret saws and a spirit level seemed to do one last check around the site, and then screamed in through the giant hatchway themselves.

A few seconds passed.

The sounds of mechanical disarray from within changed in intensity, and slowly, heavily, the huge steel ramp began to lift itself back out of the Harrods Food Halls. The sound that accompanied it was the sound of thousands of tense, excited people being completely ignored.

Hold it!

第38章

人群聚集在离那巨大的银色飞船尽可能近的地方，其实那也不算近。临时的边界周围有那些小型的飞行机器仆人在巡回警戒。外面一圈是军队的警戒区，他们完全没有能力冲进里面区域的能力，而且如果有人要冲进去的话，他们就会受到谴责。再外面一层是警察的警戒线，虽然还搞不清楚而且还在争论他们到底是来保护公众免受军队伤害，还是来保护军队免受公众冲击，还是来保证巨型飞船的外交豁免权并且避免它领到停车罚单的。

里面的警戒线正在被解除。军队不安地骚动起来，看起来他们到这里的目的好像就是站起来走掉，对这个情况他们不知道该作何反应。

午饭时间那个巨大的机器人已经蹒跚地走进了飞船，现在已经五点了，再也没有它的任何迹象。但是有很多声音——更多的摩擦声和隆隆声从飞船的深处传来，一百万可怕的机械故障汇合成的音乐；但是人群产生了紧张的期待感，这种感觉来自一个事实，那就是他们紧张地期待着机器人给他们带来的失望。这个奇妙而特别的东西进入了他们的生活，现在要丢下他们就那么走了。

有两个人特别清楚这种感觉。阿瑟和芬切琪的目光焦急地在人群中寻找，在哪儿都看不到福特·长官，也看不到任何他有一点点要来的迹象。

“他可靠吗？”芬切琪用低落的声音问。

“他可靠吗？”阿瑟说，他发出一声空洞的笑声，“海水浅吗？”他说，“太阳冷吗？”

机器人的交通工具的最后一部分正在被搬进飞船，警戒线剩下的最后一点已经堆在坡道下面等着要搬进去。坡道周围警戒着的士兵没有来由地万分紧张，命令被呼来喝去地传达，紧急会议被召集，但是当然了，没有任何事情可以对之产生影响。

阿瑟和芬切琪放弃了希望，而且也没有明确的计划，开始向前挤着穿过人群，但是由于整个人群也在努力向前挤着穿过人群，他们的努力毫无用处。

又过了几分钟，飞船外面什么都没剩下了，警戒线的每节链子都搬进船了。几个飞行的电锯和一个水平仪在对这里做最后的检查，然后自己也尖叫着钻进了巨大的舱门。

几秒钟过去了。

飞船里传来的杂乱的机械声变得尖锐，慢慢地、沉重地、那个巨大的钢铁坡道开始从哈罗德食品馆中抬起来。伴随着这个声音的是完全被无视的几千人紧张而兴奋的声音。

“等一下！”