War Calls Gay-Neck战争召唤彩虹鸽

达恩·葛帕·默克奇

By the First Week of August just after the children were born Hira and Gay-Neck had gone from Calcutta to Bombay， setting sail with Ghond to serve in the World War. I sent that bachelor bird Hira with Gay-Neck because the army had need of both.

I was very glad that Gay-Neck had some knowledge of his little ones before he sailed for the battlefield of Flanders and France. The chief reason for this happiness was that I knew that a pigeon whose wife and new-born children are waiting at home rarely fails to return. That bond of love between Gay-Neck and his family assured me that he would do his work of carrying messages very well. No sound of gun-fire， nor bullets， as long as he lived， could keep him from returning home at the end.

But here one may raise the question that home was in Calcutta and the war was thousands of miles away. That is true. But all the same， because he had left his wife and children at home， he would do his utmost to fly back to his temporary nest with Ghond.

It is said Gay-Neck carried several important messages between the front and General Headquarters where the Commander-in-Chief and Ghond waited for him. Of course， Gay-Neck was attached to Ghond first. But in the course of the following months he became very fond of the Chief.

Ghond and not I went to the front with the two pigeons， for I was under age and ineligible for any kind of service， so the old fellow had to take them. During the voyage out from India to Marseilles， Hira and Gay-Neck and the old hunter became fast friends. I have yet to see any strange animal resist Ghond’s friendship long， and since my pigeons had known it was easy for them to respond to him.

During the stay of the Indian Army in Flanders from September 1914 till the following spring， Ghond remained near General Headquarters with his cage， while Hira or Gay-Neck was taken by different units to the front.

There from time to time messages were written on thin paper weighing no more than an ounce， and were tied to his feet; then he was released. Gay-Neck invariably flew to Ghond at the General Headquarters of the army. There the message was deciphered and answered by the Commander-in-Chief himself. It is rumoured that the latter personage loved Gay-Neck， and valued his services highly.

But it is better to listen to Gay-Neck’s own story. As the experiences of a dream cannot be told except by the dreamer， so some of the adventures of Gay-Neck he should recount in person.

“After we crossed the black water—the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean—we travelled by rail through a very strange country. Though it was September， yet that country—France—was as cold as southern India in the winter. I expected to see snow-capped mountains and giant trees， for I thought I was nearing the Himalayas. But no hills higher than our tallest bamboo trees could I perceive on the horizon. I do not see why a land has to be cold when it is not high.

“At last we reached the battle-front. It turned out to be the rear end of it， but even there you could hear the boom， boom， boom of the fire-spitters. And， as a normal pigeon， I have all fire-spitters no matter of what size and shape. Those metal dogs barking and belching out death were not to my liking. After I had been there a couple of days， our trial night began. There were only four pigeons of our own city besides Hira and myself. You know how rash Hira could be. No sooner had we flown up above the houses of a large village than Hira flew towards the direction of the boom， boom， boom. He wanted to investigate. Well， in an hour’s time we were there. Oh， what a noise！ Big balls of fire， spat out like thunderbolts by the metal dogs hidden under trees， hissed and exploded below us. I was frightened， so I rose higher and higher. But no peace there in the highest heavens could I find. From nowhere came vast eagles roaring and growling like trumpeting elephants. At such a terrific sight， we flew towards where Ghond was waiting for us. But the eagles， two of them， followed！ We went faster and faster. Fortunately， they could not overtake us. Just as we had expected， those eagles came down where we lived. I felt death was at hand. Those eagles were going to devour us in our cages like weasels. But no！ They stopped trumpeting soon and lay down on the field—dead. Two men each jumped out of the stomachs of those two birds and walked away. I wondered how eagles could devour human beings. And how could the fellows come out alive？

“Soon enough the men returned from their errand， climbed inside the eagles， and then with a groan and trumpeting racket， they came alive and flew up in the air again. That left no doubt in my mind that they were men’s chariots， and when I knew that I felt relieved.

“Though everything looked strange at first， it ceased to be so after we got used to it; yet the problem of sleeping soundly under the continual booming and barking noises remained unsolved. All those months in the army I never slept well. No wonder Hira and I were nervous and fidgety， like newly hatched snakes.

“My first adventure consisted of taking a message from the Rasseldar at the front where all kinds of dogs barked and spat fire day and night. I must tell you a word about the Rasseldar. He was in charge of a lot of Indian warriors from Calcutta. He took me in a cage completely covered with black canvas， and with his forty men set out for the front trench. After going for hours and nights—for that is what it felt like in my darkened cage—we reached our destination. There the canvas was removed. Now I could see nothing but walls around me where turbaned men from India crawled like little insects. Overhead flew the mechanical eagles trumpeting with terror. Here for the first time I began to grasp sounds. Instead of one confused boom， boom， boom， there were as many grades of explosion as the ear could distinguish. The hardest one to make out was the talk of the men about me. Under the deafening sounds their talk sounded like the whisper of a lazy breeze in the grass. Now and then they unmuzzled a metal dog that barked—spitting out fire for a long stretch of time. Then came the laughter of a hyena. Hundreds of men goaded those little pups to an awful coughing—puck puff， puck puff， puck puff. That sound was drowned in the deep-toned cry of the eagles above who flew in flocks and barked as well as screeched like mad， slaying each other like so many sparrows. The Rasseldar who was in charge of me pointed the face of his pup at the sky， then let off—puck puff—some fire， and lo！ it brought down one of those eagles as if it were a rabbit. Now the deepest tone was heard. The boom bazoom buzz bum！ The tiger-roar of the large ones’ mammoth majesty rose and spread like a canopy of divine chords， drowning under its engulfing immensity all other petty sounds. Oh， the excruciating enchantment of that organ tone！ Can I ever forget？ Roar upon roar， titanic tonality on tonality， like cataclysmic boulders of sounds crashed and clamoured！

“Why does beauty lie so close to death？ Hardly had the ineffable glory of that supernal music overhead seized my soul when balls of fire fell about us like a torrential rain. Men fell and succumbed like rats in flooded holes. The Rasseldar， who was bleeding and red， wrote hastily on a piece of paper， tied it to my feet， and uncaged me. I knew by the look in his eyes that he was in dire distress and wanted Ghond to bring him succour.

“Of course you know， my master， I flew up; but what I beheld almost froze my wings. The air above the trenches was one sheet of flying fire. How to rise above it was my problem. I used my tail-rudder and steered my flight in every direction. But no matter which way I rose， above me ran a million shuttles of flame， weaving the garment of red destruction on the loom of life. But I had to rise， I， Gay-Neck， the son of my father. And soon I struck a pocket of air that was full of a current that sucked and whirled me up as if my wing were broken and I were as light as a leaf. It turned me up and down and up again till I had torn my way through the fabric of fire that kept on weaving itself with ever-increasing rapidity. But I had no eye for anything now. ‘To Ghond， to Ghond，’ I kept saying to myself. Every time I said that， it dug like a fresh goad into my spirit and made me put forth my greatest effort. Now that I had risen very high， I made my observations and flew westwards. Just then a shot pierced and broke my rudder. Half of my tail was burned and torn away from me. And you know that made me furious！ My tail is my point of honour. I can’t bear it to be touched， let alone shot at. Well， I flew safely home， but just about the moment I was getting ready to do down， two eagles started a fight above me. I had not heard their trumpeting or seen their faces. Had they killed each other I would not have minded， but they let loose a hurricane of flames after me. The more they fought， the more fire fell from their beaks. I dived and ducked as well as I could. If only they had had some trees there. Of course， there had been trees， but most of them had been shot and mutilated so that they stuck out like stumps， with no shade-giving gracious foliage or any prodigious boughs. So I had to zigzag my way round and about those dilapidated spikes like a man fleeing from elephants in the jungle. At last I reached home and perched on Ghond’s wrist. He cut the thread and took the message with me to the Commander-in-Chief， who looked like a ripe cherry and exuded a pleasant odour of soap. Probably， unlike most soldiers， he bathed and soaped himself clean three or four times a day. After he had read what was scribbled on that paper by the Rasseldar， he patted me on the head and grunted like a happy ox.”

八月的第一个星期，孩子们出生后不久，希拉和彩虹鸽从加尔各答前往孟买，跟刚德一道起航，为世界大战服务。因为军队需要两只鸽子，所以我就派送了那只单身鸟希拉和彩虹鸽。

我很高兴，在彩虹鸽起航前往佛兰德斯和法国战场之前，他对自己的小宝宝们有了一些了解。我高兴的主要原因就是，我知道，一只既有太太又有刚出生的宝宝们在家里等待的鸽子很少不能返回。彩虹鸽和他的家庭之间那种爱的纽带使我确信，他一定会非常出色地完成送信的使命。只要他活着，任何枪声和子弹都阻挡不了他最后回到家里。

但在这里，有人可能会提出问题，就是彩虹鸽的家在加尔各答，而战争在几千英里之外。没错。尽管如此，但因为他把自己的太太和宝宝们撇在了家里，所以他会尽最大努力跟刚德一起飞回到暂时的窝巢。

据说，彩虹鸽在前线和司令部之间传递了好几份重要情报，总司令和刚德在司令部等着他。当然，彩虹鸽起先喜欢刚德，但在接下来的几个月里，他变得非常喜欢总司令。

之所以是刚德而不是我带着两只鸽子去前线，是因为我还没有成年，任何种类的服役我都没有资格，不得不由这位老人带着他们。在从印度到马赛的航程中，希拉、彩虹鸽和这位老猎人成了忠实的朋友。我还从来没有见过任何奇异的动物能长久抗拒刚德的友谊，自从我的鸽子熟悉了，他们很容易就会响应他。

1914年9月到第二年春天待在佛兰德斯印度军队期间，希拉或彩虹鸽被不同的部队带往前线，刚德则带着笼子留在司令部附近。

在那里，不时会有情报写在重量只有一盎司的薄纸上，绑在彩虹鸽的脚上，之后他被放飞。彩虹鸽总是飞到军队司令部附近的刚德那里。到了那里，情报被破译，并得到总司令亲自回复。据说，总司令本人非常喜欢彩虹鸽，对他的工作评价很高。

不过，最好还是听听彩虹鸽自己讲的故事。正如梦的经过只有做梦之人才能讲述一样，彩虹鸽的一些冒险经历也应该由他亲自叙述。

“渡過黑水——印度洋和地中海——之后，我们又坐火车穿过了一个非常奇怪的国家。尽管是9月，但那个国家——法国——像印度南方的冬天一样寒冷。我以为会看到积雪盖顶的山脉和参天大树，因为我想我离喜马拉雅山越来越近了。可是，我从地平线看到的山没有一座比我们最高的竹林高。我不知道为什么一个国家地势不高却很冷。

“最后，我们到达了前线。结果是战场的后方，但即使在那里，你也能听到喷火器的隆隆声。而且，作为一只普通的鸽子，不管什么形状和大小的喷火器，我统统都见过。我不喜欢那些狂叫、喷出致命火焰的铁狗。我在那里待了几天之后，我们的考验之夜就开始了。除了我自己和希拉之外，本城的鸽子只有四只。你知道希拉有多鲁莽。我们刚飞到一个大村房屋的上空，希拉就飞向轰隆隆响的地方，想去侦察。好吧，不到一个小时，我们就到了那里。噢，多么吓人的声音！躲藏在树下的铁狗喷出霹雳般的大火球，在我们下方咝咝作响，发出了爆炸声。我吓得要死，就越飞越高。可是，我在最高的天空也找不到任何太平。不知从哪里飞来了大批老鹰，像大象吼叫一般怒吼咆哮。看到如此可怕的景象，我们向刚德等待我们的地方飞去。然而，两只老鹰尾随在后！我们越飞越快。幸运的是，它们没有追上我们。正如我们所料，那些老鹰向我们住的地方飞下来。我感觉死亡就在眼前，我觉得那些老鹰会像黄鼠狼一样等我们进了笼子就吃掉我们。然而不是这样！它们很快停止了轰鸣，降落到地上——死了。两个人分别从那两只鸟的肚子里跳出来，走了。我不知道老鹰怎么能吃掉人类。这些人又怎么能活着走出来呢？

“很快，那些人办完事就回来了，又爬进了老鹰的肚子里。接着，随着一阵嘎吱声和喧嚣声，这些老鹰又活了过来，再次飞到空中。我的心里不再疑惑，它们原来是人类的火战车。我知道这一点之后，就松了口气。

“尽管起初看上去一切都很陌生，但我们渐渐习惯之后就不再陌生了。不过，在不断的轰鸣和喧嚣下想好好睡觉始终是个问题。在军队的那几个月里，我从来没有睡过好觉。难怪我和希拉总是紧张不安，就像刚孵出的小蛇一样。

“我的第一次冒险经历是为前线的罗塞尔达送情报，那里各种铁狗日夜狂叫和喷火。我必须给你们说一下罗塞尔达。他负责指挥来自加尔各答的许多印度战士。他把我放在笼子里，用黑帆布完全盖住，跟他的四十名战士一起出发赶往前线的战壕。经过好多个黑夜——因为我在暗黑下来的笼子里就是这种感觉——我们到了目的地。到了那里，帆布被掀开了。这时，我只能看到四周的壕沟，戴着头巾的印度士兵像小虫子一样匍匐前进。头顶飞着机械铁鹰，它们发出恐怖的轰鸣声。在这里，我头一回开始听清各种声音，耳朵能听到的不再是一阵阵混乱的轰隆声，而是多种等级的爆炸声。最难分辨的就是周围人们的交谈声。在震耳欲聋的响声里，他们的谈话听起来像是懒洋洋的微风在草丛里的低语。他们不时取下一只吼叫的铁狗——喷吐了好一阵子的火焰。随后，传来了一条鬣狗的笑声。几百人一起扣动那些小铁狗，发出了一阵可怕的咳嗽声——啪噗——啪噗——啪噗！那种声音又被淹没在头顶上方铁鹰低沉的鸣叫声中。铁鹰成群成群地飞过，疯狂尖叫，相互厮杀，就像许多麻雀那样。负责照看我的罗塞尔达把他的铁狗瞄准天空，然后射击——啪噗——喷出了一些火焰，看哪！它打下了空中的一只铁鹰，就像射中一只兔子似的。这时，传来了最低沉的声音。轰隆隆，叭隆叭！庞然大物发出了威严的虎啸，仿佛神圣和弦构成的华盖一样蔓延开来，吞没了所有其他琐碎的声音。噢，那种风琴的音调既痛苦又迷人！我怎么能忘记呢？轰鸣一阵接着一阵，巨响一阵接着一阵，就像洪流般的巨砾相互撞击发出的喧嚣！

“为什么美好的东西总是离死亡那么近？头顶那种妙不可言、值得赞颂的神圣音乐刚攫住我的灵魂，突然一团团火球像倾盆大雨一样落在了我们周围。人们纷纷倒下，像洞里灌满水的老鼠一样死去。罗塞尔达血淋淋的，在一张纸上奋笔疾书，把纸条绑在我的腿上，打开笼子，把我放飞。通过他的眼神，我知道他处在可怕的危难之中，想要刚德来救助他。

“我的主人，你肯定知道我飞了起来。然而，我看到的情景几乎使我的翅膀无法动弹。战壕上方的天空是一片飞火。如何飞到火焰上方成了我的难题。我用尾羽调整向各个方向飞行。可是，无论我向哪儿飞，上方都飞蹿着上百万条火舌，在生命的织布机上编织着毁灭的红衣。但我必须飞起来，我彩虹鸽可是父亲的骄傲。很快，我撞上了一个充满气流的气囊，这股气流吸住我，带我旋转而上，我的一只翅膀好像折断了，我像树叶一样轻飘飘的。气流使我时上时下，直到我奋力穿过不断编织、速度越来越快的火网。但现在，我不再去看任何东西了。‘飞到刚德身边，飞到刚德身边。’我一直对自己说。每这样说一次，就像有新鲜的力量注入我的心灵，使我付出最大的努力。我已经飞得很高，观察之后，向西飞去。就在这时，一颗子弹嗖的一声掠过，打断了我的尾羽。我的半个尾巴烧着了，从身上掉落。你知道这使我非常愤怒！尾巴是我的荣耀。我受不了有人碰它，更不要说向它射击了。好了，我安全飞到了家，但就在我准备降落的时候，两只铁鹰在我的上方开始搏击。我没有听到它们的轰鸣，也没有看到它们的面目。要是它们相互厮杀，我不会在意，但它们在我身后射出了飓风般的火焰。它们越战斗，嘴里喷出的火就越多。我尽力俯冲闪避。要是那里有些树木就好了。当然，那里有过树木，但大多数都被打得残缺不全，仿佛树桩那样突立着，没有遮阴的舒适树叶或巨大树枝。所以，我只能曲线飞行，绕过那些破烂不堪的树桩，就像一个人逃离丛林中的大象一样。终于，我回到了家，落在了刚德的手腕上。刚德割断细线，把我带来的情报送给了总司令。总司令看上去就像一颗熟樱桃，身上散发出一种香喷喷的肥皂味。很可能，和大多数士兵不一样，他一天要洗三四次澡，用肥皂把自己洗干净。看完罗塞尔达草草写在那张纸上的话后，他拍了拍我的脑袋，像一头快乐的公牛一样哼哼起来。”