Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [67]
Two-Hands roared again with pain and anger. But he did not try to argue now. He grabbed the mule’s reins near the bit and tried to pull him to one side. The mule, however, had decided not to move until this hullabaloo was over. Two-Hands could not budge it, so he kicked the flank of the mule.
Errante decided to retaliate in kind. He kicked the flank of Two-Hands.
Gargano roared again, and beat the mule in the head.
Errante beat Gargano the Two-Hands in the head.
Gargano was roaring continuously now. He grabbed the mule by the ears and tried to pull him that way.
Errante grabbed Two-Hands by the ears, even though Two-Hands’ ears were not as handy to grab as the mule’s, and he pulled.
Gargano the Two-Hands would have lost this battle, for he was fighting against two beasts, but at this moment some American soldiers from the amphibious trucks came running up.
One of the soldiers pulled Gargano the Two-Hands aside. Three of the soldiers went to work on the mule, and succeeded in making it get off to one side of the street. It took four soldiers to put Errante off the street.
When these things were accomplished, the American soldiers went back to their amphibious trucks. All they wanted was to pass.
Since a large crowd had gathered, it remained for Gargano the Two-Hands to assert his authority. He whispered to someone in the crowd to run up to the Palazzo and get a force of about six carabinieri. Then he engaged Errante in argument until the reinforcements should arrive.
“Saboteurl” he shouted, pounding one fist on the other, “Murderer!” shouted Errante. “All authorities are murderers.”
“You are the murderer,” Gargano said, drawing a fin. ger across his throat. “How do you know how many innocent American boys you may have killed by holding up this military traffic?”
“Murderer,” shouted Errante Gaetano of the one-track mind. “Killer of mules.”
“Whose mule was killed?” Gargano asked, spreading his hands, palm upwards, in the attitude of a question. “Do you see a dead mule around here?”
Errante could see that his mule was alive. He went over to it, and inspected it from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail. He was determined that if he found a single wound, he would inflict an exactly similar wound on Two-Hands.
Gargano followed Errante in his inspection, just to make sure that he did not try to run away. “Does a dead mule breathe? Does a dead mule stand up in its shafts? Show me a dead mule that snuffles its nostrils that way.” In time the six carabinieri came. Gargano said: “Stupid cartman, you are under arrest,” and he clapped his right hand around his own left wrist.
The six carabinieri surrounded Errante. To Gargano’s surprise he did not resist at all. He just asked to be allowed to speak to his mule. He went over and patted the side of the mule’s jaw, and said to it: “Be patient, Mister Major. The man for whom you are named is just, they tell me. You will see your master again before long.”
Chapter 22
IN the middle of the avalanche of mail which old Caco. pardo poured at Major Joppolo, another letter came which interested the Major. It said:
At one or two kilometers from the beach o f the sea in sector o f Adano, in shallow water, with the tops o f masts out o f sealevel, is king the motor ship Anzio.
Real proprietor Galeazzo Ciano, son in law of Mussolini, who made the alliance with Hitler, a ridicoulos minister for Foreignes A Affaires. f aires.
The ship had taken the cargo of nafta f to and lubricating oils for Trieste, at Adano, & then completed TEN THOUSAND tons of crude sulphur at Vicinamare. Retourning in the waters of Adano, in the way to Trieste, neared, to this harbour, & whilest awaiting communications from the semaphore, was hit at the stern by a torpedo o f a submarine, which evidently has watched his loadings at Adano and Vicinamare.
A cloud o f white smoke (sulphuric anidride ) developped at once & the master, very capable seaman, tried at full speed, steering at zigzag, to reach