Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [31]
“No protection, no tribute, no special tax. You are making fun of me, American.”
“Why should I make fun of you, fisherman? It is my job to run this town. I consider it my job to keep the people of this town alive. They haven’t enough to eat. I want fish for them. I want you to go fishing. Why in the name of God should I make fun of you?”
Tomasino stood up. “American,” he said, “I begin to think you are different from the others.”
The Major ignored this concession and said: “Tomasino, I want you to be the head of the fishermen of Adano. There will no longer be a criminal like -what was his name?”
“Enea. “
“There will no longer be an Enea over the fishermen. I want a fisherman to be in charge of the fishermen.” Tomasino’s sad face almost broke into a smile. “There would be justice in that, and we fishermen aren’t very well acquainted with justice.” Then the morose man thought a moment. “No,” he said, “I can’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“I would be a man of authority. I would be the thing I have hated all my life. The other fishermen would laugh at me for becoming the thing I had always hated most.”
“But Tomasino, you’ve just admitted that I was different from other men of authority. You could be different too. It is possible to make your authority seem to spring from the very people over whom you have authority. And after a while, Tomasino, it actually does spring from them, and you are only the instrument of their will. That is the thing that the Americans want to teach you who have lived under men who imagined that they themselves were authority.”
Tomasino thought a long time and then said: “It is too good. There is a trick.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact there is a trick, fisherman. The trick is that some men are not good enough for this thing, and that makes it fall down. Right here in this invasion we have a general who is not good enough, General Marvin. He imagines that he is something that ought to be worshipped. Also we have one who may not be good enough, I’m not sure yet, much closer to us than the General. I mean the Captain of the Navy who runs this port. He is a young man and very fond of authority. And Tomasino, we have to get permission from him before you and the others can go out fishing.”
“Who is this young man of authority?” Tomasino said with a sullen face. “I will bash his head in with my gaffing hook.” And the fisherman’s face looked as if he meant it.
“Let’s go and talk with him.”
And so the Major and Tomasino went to see Lieutenant Livingston in the Port Captain’s office. The Lieutenant was feeling very grumpy after the brush-off Major Joppolo had given him because he was in a hurry. Lieutenant Livingston was in no mood to grant requests to an Army man and a meatball.
Major Joppolo, being single-minded, not to say absentminded, was not in the least conscious of Lieutenant Livingston’s mood.
“Hi, Captain,” he said blithely when he and Tomasino walked in. “Back again.”
“So I see,” said Lieutenant Livingston without pleasure.
“This is Tomasino, the head of the fishermen here.” Tomasino, hearing his name, gave the Lieutenant a Fascist salute.
Lieutenant Livingston said: “Would the old fisherman mind taking a seat out there in the hall? I have a rule that no Italians are to come in this office.”
Major Joppolo said: “Tomasino wouldn’t mind, but I would. What the hell kind of way is that to run an office in an Italian town?” Tomasino, hearing his name, gave the Lieutenant another Fascist salute.
Quite coolly Lieutenant Livingston said: “I don’t know how you run your offices in the Army, Captain, but in the Navy we have something we call security. We can’t afford to be careless.”
Major Joppolo was indignant. “The hell with security. I’ll vouch for Tomasino.” Tomasino saluted. He hated authority, but he knew it when he saw it.
Lieutenant Livingston said testily: “Major, after all, this is my office. “
The Major said: “Well, goddamit, it’s Tomasino’s town.” Tomasino saluted.
The Lieutenant said: “What do you want, Major?” Major Joppolo said: “I want the