After the planes went away Robert Jordan and Primitivo heard the firing start and his heart seemed to start again with it. A cloud of smoke drifted over the last ridge1 that he could see in the high country and the planes were three steadily2 receding3 specks4 in the sky.
They've probably bombed hell out of their own cavalry5 and never touched Sordo and Company, Robert Jordan said to himself. The damned planes scare you to death but they don't kill you.
"The combat goes on," Primitivo said, listening to the heavy firing. He had winced6 at each bomb thud and now he licked his dry lips.
"Why not?" Robert Jordan said. "Those things never kill anybody."
Then the firing stopped absolutely and he did not hear another shot. Lieutenant7 Berrendo's pistol shot did not carry that far.
When the firing first stopped it did not affect him. Then as the quiet kept on a hollow feeling came in his chest. Then he heard the grenades burst and for a moment his heart rose. Then everything was quiet again and the quiet kept on and he knew that it was over.
Maria came up from the camp with a tin bucket of stewed9 hare with mushrooms sunken in the rich gravy10 and a sack with bread, a leather wine bottle, four tin plates, two cups and four spoons. She stopped at the gun and ladled out two plates for Agust璯 and Eladio, who had replaced Anselmo at the gun, and gave them bread and unscrewed the horn tip of the wine bottle and poured two cups of wine.
Robert Jordan watched her climbing lithely11 up to his lookout12 post, the sack over her shoulder, the bucket in one hand, her cropped head bright in the sun. He climbed down and took the bucket and helped her up the last boulder13.
"What did the aviation do?" she asked, her eyes frightened.
"Bombed Sordo."
He had the bucket open and was ladling out stew8 onto a plate.
"Are they still fighting?"
"No. It is over."
"Oh," she said and bit her lip and looked out across the country.
"I have no appetite," Primitivo said.
"Eat anyway," Robert Jordan told him.
"I could not swallow food."
"Take a drink of this, man," Robert Jordan said and handed him the wine bottle. "Then eat."
"This of Sordo has taken away desire," Primitivo said. "Eat, thou. I have no desire."
Maria went over to him and put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Eat, old one," she said. "Each one should take care of his strength."
Primitivo turned away from her. He took the wine bottle and tipping his head back swallowed steadily while he squirted a jet of wine into the back of his mouth. Then he filled his plate from the bucket and commenced to eat.
Robert Jordan looked at Maria and shook his head. She sat down by him and put her arm around his shoulder. Each knew how the other felt and they sat there and Robert Jordan ate the stew, taking time to appreciate the mushrooms completely, and he drank the wine and they said nothing.
"You may stay here, guapa, if you want," he said after a while when the food was all eaten.
"Nay," she said. "I must go to Pilar."
"It is all right to stay here. I do not think that anything will happen now."
"Nay. I must go to Pilar. She is giving me instruction."
"What does she give thee?"
"Instruction." She smiled at him and then kissed him. "Did you never hear of religious instruction?" She blushed. "It is something like that." She blushed again. "But different."
"Go to thy instruction," he said and patted her on the head. She smiled at him again, then said to Primitivo, "Do you want anything from below?"
"No, daughter," he said. They both saw that he was still not yet recovered.
"_Salud_, old one," she said to him.
"Listen," Primitivo said. "I have no fear to die but to leave them alone thus--" his voice broke.
"There was no choice," Robert Jordan told him.
"I know. But all the same."
"There was no choice," Robert Jordan repeated. "And now it is better not to speak of it."
"Yes. But there alone with no aid from us--"
"Much better not to speak of it," Robert Jordan said. "And thou, _guapa_, get thee to thy instruction."
He watched her climb down through the rocks. Then he sat there for a long time thinking and watching the high country.
Primitivo spoke14 to him but he did not answer. It was hot in the sun but he did not notice the heat while he sat watching the hill slopes and the long patches of pine trees that stretched up the highest slope. An hour passed and the sun was far to his left now when he saw them coming over the crest15 of the slope and he picked up his glasses.
The horses showed small and minute as the first two riders came into sight on the long green slope of the high hill. Then there were four more horsemen coming down, spread out across the wide hill and then through his glasses he saw the double column of men and horses ride into the sharp clarity of his vision. As he watched them he felt sweat come from his armpits and run down his flanks. One man rode at the head of the column. Then came more horsemen. Then came the riderless horses with their burdens tied across the saddles. Then there were two riders. Then came the wounded with men walking by them as they rode. Then came more cavalry to close the column.
Robert Jordan watched them ride down the slope and out of sight into the timber. He could not see at that distance the load one saddle bore of a long rolled poncho16 tied at each end and at intervals17 so that it bulged18 between each lashing19 as a pod bulges20 with peas. This was tied across the saddle and at each end it was lashed21 to the stirrup leathers. Alongside this on the top of the saddle the automatic rifle Sordo had served was lashed arrogantly22.
Lieutenant Berrendo, who was riding at the head of the column, his flankers out, his point pushed well forward, felt no arrogance23. He felt only the hollowness that comes after action. He was thinking: taking the heads is barbarous. But proof and identification is necessary. I will have trouble enough about this as it is and who knows? This of the heads may appeal to them. There are those of them who like such things. It is possible they will send them all to Burgos. It is a barbarous business. The planes were _muchos_. Much. Much. But we could have done it all, and almost without losses, with a Stokes mortar24. Two mules25 to carry the shells and a mule26 with a mortar on each side of the pack saddle. What an army we would be then! With the fire power of all these automatic weapons. And another mule. No, two mules to carry ammunition27. Leave it alone, he told himself. It is no longer cavalry. Leave it alone. You're building yourself an army. Next you will want a mountain gun.
Then he thought of Juli嫕, dead on the hill, dead now, tied across a horse there in the first troop, and as he rode down into the dark pine forest, leaving the sunlight behind him on the hill, riding now in the quiet dark of the forest, he started to say a prayer for him again.
"Hail, holy queen mother of mercy," he started. "Our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we send up our sighs, mournings and weepings in this valley of tears--"
He went on with the prayer the horses' hooves soft on the fallen pine needles, the light coming through the tree trunks in patches as it comes through the columns of a cathedral, and as he prayed he looked ahead to see his flankers riding through the trees.
He rode out of the forest onto the yellow road that led into La Granja and the horses' hooves raised a dust that hung over them as they rode. It powdered the dead who were tied face down across the saddles and the wounded, and those who walked beside them, were in thick dust.
It was here that Anselmo saw them ride past in their dust.
He counted the dead and the wounded and he recognized Sordo's automatic rifle. He did not know what the poncho-wrapped bundle was which flapped against the led horse's flanks as the stirrup leathers swung but when, on his way home, he came in the dark onto the hill where Sordo had fought, he knew at once what the long poncho roll contained. In the dark he could not tell who had been up on the hill. But he counted those that lay there and then made off across the hills for Pablo's camp.
Walking alone in the dark, with a fear like a freezing of his heart from the feeling the holes of the bomb craters28 had given him, from them and from what he had found on the hill, he put all thought of the next day out of his mind. He simply walked as fast as he could to bring the news. And as he walked he prayed for the souls of Sordo and of all his band. It was the first time he had prayed since the start of the movement.
"Most kind, most sweet, most clement29 Virgin," he prayed.
But he could not keep from thinking of the next day finally. So he thought: I will do exactly as the _Ingl廥_ says and as he says to do it. But let me be close to him, O Lord, and may his instructions be exact for I do not think that I could control myself under the bombardment of the planes. Help me, O Lord, tomorrow to comport30 myself as a man should in his last hours. Help me, O Lord, to understand clearly the needs of the day. Help me, O Lord, to dominate the movement of my legs that I should not run when the bad moment comes. Help me, O Lord, to comport myself as a man tomorrow in the day of battle. Since I have asked this aid of thee, please grant it, knowing I would not ask it if it were not serious, and I will ask nothing more of thee again.
Walking in the dark alone he felt much better from having prayed and he was sure, now, that he would comport himself well. Walking now down from the high country, he went back to praying for the people of Sordo and in a short time he had reached the upper post where Fernando challenged him.
"It is I," he answered, "Anselmo."
"Good," Fernando said.
"You know of this of Sordo, old one?" Anselmo asked Fernando, the two of them standing31 at the entrance of the big rocks in the dark.
"Why not?" Fernando said. "Pablo has told us."
"He was up there?"
"Why not?" Fernando said stolidly32. "He visited the hill as soon as the cavalry left."
"He told you--"
"He told us all," Fernando said. "What barbarians33 these fascists34 are! We must do away with all such barbarians in Spain." He stopped, then said bitterly, "In them is lacking all conception of dignity."
Anselmo grinned in the dark. An hour ago he could not have imagined that he would ever smile again. What a marvel35, that Fernando, he thought.
"Yes," he said to Fernando. "We must teach them. We must take away their planes, their automatic weapons, their tanks, their artillery36 and teach them dignity."
"Exactly," Fernando said. "I am glad that you agree."
Anselmo left him standing there alone with his dignity and went on down to the cave.
飞机离去以后，罗伯特。乔丹和普里米蒂伏听到枪声开始响了，他的心似乎又随着枪响而猛跳。一片烟雾飘过他能望到的高地上最远的山脊，飞机在空中变成了三点稳定地越来越小的斑点。
“说不定他们狂轰滥炸了自己的骑兵,根本没炸到‘聋子’一伙，”罗伯特 乔丹自言自语。“那些该死的飞机吓得你要死，却不一定把你炸死。”
“还在打哪，”普里米蒂伏听着猛烈的枪声，说。炸弹每次砰的爆炸都使他战栗,他这时舔着干燥的嘴唇。
〃干吗不打”罗伯特 乔丹说，“那些玩意儿根本杀害不了谁。”
接着枪声完全停息了，他再也听不到射击声。贝仑多中尉开手枪的声音没传得那么远。
枪声初停时，他倒不觉得什么。然而持续的癍静却使他心里感到空洞洞的。他接着听到手榴弹的爆炸声，心里顿时振奋起来。接着又是鸦雀无声，就此一片寂静，他知道，战斗结束了。
玛丽亚从营地带来了一铅皮桶汤汁很浓的蘑菇炖兔肉，袋面包，一瓶酒，四只铅皮盘子，两只杯子和四把汤匙 她走到枪边停下了步，给奥古斯丁和埃拉迪奥容了两盘兔肉，拿出面包，旋开角质的酒瓶塞,斟了两杯酒。埃拉迪奥代替安塞尔莫在看守着枪。
①两者都是天主教徒常用的涛文。
罗伯特 乔丹望着她轻捷地朝他的观察哨爬上来，肩上挎着面包袋,手里提着桶，一头短发在阳光中闪亮。他爬下几步接过铅皮桶，扶她爬上最后的一块山石。“飞机来干什么了？‘她眼神惊恐地问 “轰炸'聋子’。”
他揭开桶盖，往一只盘子里舀莱 “他们还在打吗？”“不。结束了。”
“啊。”她说,咬晈嘴膊，望着对面的田野。“我没有胃口，“。”普里米蒂伏说。“总得吃一些”罗伯特‘乔丹对他说，“我咽不下，“
“喝点这个吧，伙计，”罗伯特 乔丹说，把酒瓶递给他豸“然后吃饭。”
“‘聋子’的事叫我不想吃了，”普里米蒂伏说。“你吃。我不想吃。”
玛丽亚走到他身边,两臂搂住他的脖子，吻他，“吃吧，老朋友，”她说。“人人都得保重自己的身体啊。”普里米蒂伏转身避开了她。他举起酒瓶,仰起了头,让喷出的酒直灌进矂子眼里，咕咚咕咚地咽了下去。他接着从桶里舀了菜，盛满盘子,开始吃起来。
罗伯特，乔丹望望玛丽亚，摇摇头。她在他身旁坐下,一条胳膊搂着他的肩膀。两人心照不宣地坐在那儿，罗伯特 乔丹从容不迫地细细品着蘑菇炖兔肉的滋味。他暍着酒，大家都不说话。
“你愿意的话，漂亮的姑娘，可以待在这儿，”过了一会儿,他吃完了东西说。
“不。”她说。“我得到比拉尔那儿去。”“待在这儿很好嘛。我看现在不会发生什么事了。’“不。我得到比拉尔那儿去。她正在给我上课。”“她给你上什么课?”
“上课。”她朝他微笑,接着吻了他一下。“你从没听说过宗教课吗？”她脸红了 “就是那一类东西。”她又脸红了。“可是不一
“去听你的课吧，”他说，拍拍她的头，她又对他撖笑，接着对普里米蒂伏说，“你需要什么东西从下面给你捎来?”
“不要，好姑娘，”他说。罗伯特 乔丹和玛丽亚都看出他心里仍旧不痛快，
“好，老朋友，”她对他说。
〃听着，”普里米蒂伏说。“我不怕死，可象这样不颊他们死活一”他说不下去了。
“没别的办法。”罗伯特 乔丹对他说，“我知道。不过还是叫人受不了啊。”“没别的办法。”罗伯特‘乔丹又说了一遍。“现在还是别再提它的好，“
是啊。可是在那儿孤军作战，我们一点也不支援一一”“最好还是别再提它了，”罗伯特 乔丹说。“你，漂亮的姑娘，去听你的课吧，“
他看她在岩石中间爬下去。然后，他望着那片髙地,坐在郑
儿想了很久。
普里米蒂伏对他说活，但他不回答。太阳底下很热，但他感觉不到，只顾坐着眺望山坡和延伸到山坡顶端的那长长的一片松林。一小时过去了，太阳落到左边远处，他这时看到有队人马翻过坡来，就拿起望远镜。
头两个骑马的人出现在髙山的长长的绿坡上的时候，马显得又小又清楚。接着又有四个散开的骑兵越过宽。”的山坡下山来，接着在望远镜里清清楚楚地看到两行人马来到他的视野里。他望着他们，觉得胳肢窝里的汗水淌到腰上。有一个人带领着这伙人马。接着来了更多的骑兵。接着是没骑人的马匹，鞍上横捆着东西。接着是两个骑马的。接着是骑马的伤兵，旁边有步行的人伴随着。最后又是一些骑兵。
罗伯特 乔丹望着他们骑下山坡，消失在树抹里。距离这么远，他看不见有个马鞍上搁着个两头扎紧、中间捆了几道的用披风卷成的包裹，这包裹被绳子勒得象个内含饱鼓鼓的莧子的豆荚,横捆在马鞍上，两头结在马镫的皮带上。“聋予”用的自动步枪和这包裹并排放在马鞍上,显得威风瘭凜。
贝仑多中尉骑在那伙人马前面，两翼各派出了护卫,前有尖兵，在老远的前方,伹他并不觉得威风。他只感到战斗之后的空虚。他在想。”砍头是残酷的。伹是验明正身是必要的手续。事情到这个地步已经够麻烦了，谁管得了这么多？这次把首级带-回去，可能会使他们高兴。他们中有些人是喜欢这种玩意儿的。说不定他们会把这些首级都送到布尔戈斯去。这是件残醱的事。用飞机太过分了。太过分了。但是用一门斯多克斯迫击炮①，几乎一点伤亡也不会有，我们就能解决这一仗，两头骡子驮炮弹，―头骡子驮两门迫击炮，一边一门，那就成一支象样的军队啦
加上这些自动武器的火力。再来一头骡子。不,两头骡子来驮弹药，他对自己说,别想下去啦。这祥可不象支骑兵队啦。别想下去啦。你在为自已编制军队啦。你下一步就要一尊过山炮啦。
他接着想到死在山上的胡利安，如今在第一队人马中横捆在马背上。于是他撇下身后阳光普照的山坡，骑马穿进幽暗睁寂的松林，又为胡利安念起祷文来。
万福，慈悲的圣母，”他开始祷告，“我们的生命，我们的欢乐，我们的希望。在这眼泪之谷，我们向您叹息、哀悼、哭泣一”
他不停地祷告，马蹄踩在柔软的铺着松针的地上，阳光从树身和树身的间隙处投下斑斑光影，就象从大教堂的庭柱之间射下那样。他一边祷告，一边望着前面，看两翼的部下在树林中骑行。
他穿出树林，，来到通往拉格兰哈的黄土公路上，马蹄在他们周围掀起阵阵尘土。尘土落到横捆在马铵上、脸面朝下的死者身上，那些伤兵和在旁边步行的人们都被裹在弥渙的尘埃
安塞尔莫就是在这里看到他们风尘仆仆地骑马经过的。他数着死者和伤员的人数，认出了“聋子”的自动步枪。那只用披风包成的包裹随着马镫皮带的晃动，碰撞着带头的马的侧腹，他不知道这里面是什么玩意儿，可是等他在回营的路上換黑走上了“聋子”战斗过的山头，他立刻明白这一长卷东西里面藏的是什么了。他在黑暗中分辨不出山上躺着的人是谁。但是他把这些？“体数了一下,就越过山岭回巴勃罗的营地去了。
①斯多克斯迫击炮最早由英国制迪，口径三英寸，炮弹仅十磅重，为轻型迫违炮，.使用方使，
那些掸坑使他震惊，那些弹坑以及小山上的情景，使他心里凉了半截，他这时独自在黑暗中走着，心里一点也不在考虑第二天的事情了。他只顾加快脚步回去报告。他一边走，一边给“聋子”一伙祷告。自从革命开始以来，这是他第一次祷告。“最善良、最亲爱、最仁慈的圣母啊，”他祷告。他最后还是不禁想到了第二天的事情。他想:我要听英国人的，完全照他说的去做。可得让我跟他在一起，主明，愿他的指示讲得明确，因为在飞机的轰炸下，我觉得自己是难以控制住自己的。保佑我，主啊，明天让我象个男子汉在他生命最后的时刻那样干吧。保佑我，主啊，让我弄清楚那一夭该怎么干。保佑我，主啊，让我两条腿听我使唤，免得在危急的时候逃靼。保佑我，主哬，明天打仗的时候让我象个男子汉那样行动。既然我祈求您帮助，就请您答应吧，因为您知道，不是万不得已我是不会求您的，我也不再有别的请求了。
他独自在黑暗中行走，觉得祷告之后舒坦多了，他这时深信自己会表现得满好的。当他从高地下来的时侯，又给“聋予”一伙做了一次祷告。不一会儿,他就走到了营地上面的哨岗，费尔南多要他回答口令。
“是我，”他回答,“安塞尔莫“好。”费尔南多说。
“你知道‘聋子’的情况吗，老弟？”安塞尔莫问费尔南多，他们在黑暗中站在山路口。
“怎么不知道。”费尔南多说。“巴勃罗告诉我们了。”、“他到过山上？”
“怎么没到过？”费尔南多声色不动地说。”骑兵一走，他就上山去看了。’ ，
“他告诉了你们一‘
“他全告诉了我们，”费尔南多说。"这帮法西斯分子真是野兽！我们一定要在西班牙把这种野兽全消灭干净。”他停了一下,沉痛地说，“他们心里啊,哪里懂得什么人的尊严。”
安塞尔莫在黑暗中咧嘴笑了。一小时以前，他没法设掇自已竟能再笑。他想。”这个费尔南多真叫人敬佩。
“对，”他对费尔南多说。“我们一定要教训他们。我们一定要夺走他们的飞机、自动武器、坦克、大炮，教训他们该怎样尊重人，“”
”一点不错。”费尔南多说。“我髙兴你有同样的想法。”安塞尔莫一直下坡朝山洞走去，撇下他独自站在那儿感到义愤填膺。
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ridge
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steadily
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receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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specks
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| n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 ) | |
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cavalry
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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stewed
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| adj.焦虑不安的，烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 )；煨；思考；担忧 | |
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gravy
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| n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快 | |
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lithely
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| adv.柔软地，易变地 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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poncho
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| n.斗篷，雨衣 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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bulged
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| 凸出( bulge的过去式和过去分词 )； 充满； 塞满（某物） | |
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lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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bulges
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| 膨胀( bulge的名词复数 )； 鼓起； （身体的）肥胖部位； 暂时的激增 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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arrogantly
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| adv.傲慢地 | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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clement
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| adj.仁慈的；温和的 | |
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comport
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| vi.相称，适合 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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fascists
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| n.法西斯主义的支持者( fascist的名词复数 ) | |
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marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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