Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [71]
When the theft had been disposed of, Gargano stood up and said: “And now the important case.”
The case which Gargano considered serious was the case of Errante and his mule cart.
Errante was sworn in. The Major asked for the accusation. Gargano pushed Errante to one side and stood before the Major.
“Honorable Mister Major,” he began, “this is a case of interference with the American military. I consider it one of the most serious we have yet had to handle.”
The Major said: “That is for me to judge, Gargano. What is the accusation?”
Then Gargano told, or rather acted out, the story of how Errante Gaetano’s cart had blocked traffic on Via Umberto the First. Gargano the Two-Hands leaped and swore and shook his two fists at Errante, and he made Zito act as the mule, and he attacked Zito fiercely, and then he reeled back from sham blow after sham blow. He did not ask anyone to act out the part of Errante, but let his own dodging and staggering give the idea.
He painted a terrible picture of the unknown but possible consequences of Errante’s holding up the procession of amphibious trucks. He himself seemed to die several times as he imagined the deaths of American boys which resulted from the bone-headedness of this cartman.
Gargano went on to show how Errante had defied authority and had tried to make it ridiculous in the eyes of the people. He stepped to one side and acted out the part of the people, giggling at authority because of the rudeness of this cartman.
He wished to impress on the Major that this cartman’s crime was doubly serious because it all took place in the full view of fifty-odd children. What kind of idea of law and authority would these children grow up with? As he put this point across Gargano himself ran up and down shouting for caramels.
He wound up by attacking Zito again, staggering some more, giggling on behalf of the people, and pointing to the ceiling as he swore by the Heavenly God that he had never been so humiliated in his life.
It was clear to Major Joppolo from this exposition that the seriousness of this crime was closely bound up in Gargano’s mind with the embarrassment of Gargano. He asked for the cartman’s story, and he let Errante tell just as long a story as Gargano had, even though his own mind was already made up on the case. Errante’s slow, painful story was a beautiful thing to hear, and yet it was tragic. It was the story of any Italian peasant who had lived so many years in the realm of fear.
“I am poor, Mister Major,” he began. “I have a cart. A cart is all I have.”
He looked around the room and thought.
“My wife died of the malaria,” he said. “My wife was a serious woman. She did not laugh for eighteen years. However, she cooked rabbit well. She died of the malaria.”
Errante paused again. His mind had to reach out for each memory.
“I do not like the place where I live. I have to brush the goat droppings aside each night before I lie down. It is crowded living with four goats in my room. It is not as crowded as it was before the invasion. Five other goats were killed by the bombardment. I was sorry that they were killed, but I look at it this way: there are less droppings to brush away at night.”
The cartman paused for a long time. Gargano muttered: “Come to the point, stupid one.”
Major Joppolo said: “Tell it as you wish, cartman.” Errante said: “I still do not understand why they shot my mule. I was asleep on the cart. Perhaps it was because I had had too much to drink. But that is a fault common among cartmen, and I have not heard of any other mules being shot. To say nothing of the necessity of repairing the right wheel of my cart. I do not understand it, Mister Major.”
Major Joppolo realized for the first time that this man was the victim of General Marvin’s rage. There was nothing he could