Атлант расправил плечи
The Exploiters and the Exploited
NoengineerontheTaggartstaffcouldbetrustedtosupervisethejob;allofthemwereskepticalaboutthenewmetal."Frankly,MissTaggart,"herchiefengineerhadsaid,"sinceitisanexperimentthatnobodyhaseverattemptedbefore,Idonotthinkit’sfairthatitshouldbemyresponsibility."
"It’smine,"shehadanswered.Hewasamaninhisforties,whostillpreservedthebreezymannerofthecollegefromwhichhehadgraduated.Once,TaggartTranscontinentalhadhadachiefengineer,asilent,gray-haired,selfeducatedman,whocouldnotbematchedonanyrailroad.Hehadresigned,fiveyearsago.
Sheglanceddownoverthebridge.Shewasstandingonaslenderbeamofsteelaboveagorgethathadcrackedthemountainstoadepthoffifteenhundredfeet.Faratthebottom,shecoulddistinguishthedimoutlinesofadryriverbed,ofpiledboulders,oftreescontortedbycenturies.Shewonderedwhetherboulders,treetrunksandmusclescouldeverbridgethatcanyon.Shewonderedwhyshefoundherselfthinkingsuddenlythatcave-dwellershadlivednakedonthebottomofthatcanyonforages.
ShelookedupattheWyattoilfields.Thetrackbrokeintosidingsamongthewells.Shesawthesmalldisksofswitchesdottedagainstthesnow.Theyweremetalswitches,ofthekindthatwerescatteredinthousands,unnoticed,throughoutthecountry—buttheseweresparklinginthesunandthesparksweregreenish-blue.
