Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [79]
Carmelina said: “Who said it was gas?”
Zingone said: “A stranger. He repeated the story of the German counterattack.”
Carmelina said: “You’d better not run so fast, Fatta, you will explode.”
Fatta was in truth turning purple, and he gladly slowed down a little more.
Carmelina said: “I do not believe there was any gas.” But at this time several things happened to make her begin to believe it. For one thing, they came on a knot of people around a man who was lying in the street and vomiting. This man was a certain Buttafuoco, who was sick from having drunk a bottle of wine before going to work. But when he was able to say a word between retches, he groaned: “Gas, the gas.”
The knot of people evaporated, and they all started running. The sight of the first gas casualty had everyone terrified.
One of the workers was a young fellow named Lo Paso who until a few weeks before had been an acolyte in the Church of the Orphanage, and the first thing he could think of was ringing the bell of the Church. When he did that, and people through the town heard a bell ringing alone and at the wrong time, alarm spread. Those who knew about the gas became more frightened, and those who did not, ran through the streets asking what the matter was. Soon hundreds of people were running up and down the streets asking each other what the trouble was. Seeing these people helped to persuade Carmelina.
Then Mercurio Salvatore, the crier, heard about the gas, and he felt it his duty to spread the word. He ran into the Palazzo and up the stairs to the third floor and through the little trap door up the ladder leading to the clock tower and finally out onto the platform where the ancient bell had hung. He stood there and at the top of his crying voice he roared: “Cast Poison Cast Hold your noses, people of Adanol Gas! Poison Gas!”
The crier’s voice was audible through two thirds of the town, and when Carmelina heard him, she was convinced. She began to scream, as many other women were already doing: “Gas! Poison Gas!”
Fatta gasped: “Slower, slower.”
Carmelina thought he was beginning to fail from the gas. Actually the only gas he was failing from was on his stomach, but Carmelina began to scream: “Helpl My husband is dying from the gasl Medical aidl Helpl”
Carmelina, Fatta and Zingone trotted into the Piazza, where a huge crowd was already milling in fear. Fatta staggered and fell, Zingone fanned him with a handkerchief and Carmelina wept over her poor gassed husband. There were other scenes like this all through the square.
At this moment Major Joppolo came out on the balcony of the Palazzo, held up his hand and tried to shout for silence. But there was such audible nervousness in the square that he could not make himself heard.
He sent Zito to get the crier, who was still roaring from the clock tower. It had been the crier’s voice which brought the Major out to see what was going on. Zito hurried up into the tower and got Mercurio Salvatore.
When the crier reached the balcony, the Major shouted: “Tell them to be quiet.”
The crier roared: “Silence. Be still. The Mister Major has an announcement to make about the gas.” Gradually the hubbub subsided.
“There is no such thing as this poison gas,” the Major shouted. “It is a ridiculous rumor.”
Old Bellanca the Mayor came up beside the Major and said: “Are you certain, Mister Major? It would be a disaster to put them at rest, and then find that there really had been a gas attack.” This showed the infectious power of fear, for old Bellanca was one of the steadiest men in town.
The crowd meanwhile shouted such things as: “How do you know? ... Fatta here is dying.... I smelled it...”
Major Joppolo said to Mercurio Salvatore: “Tell them to be quiet for a minute. I want to telephone.”
The crier silenced the crowd again, and Major Joppolo went to his phone and called Lieutenant Livingston.
“Hello, Captain,” the Major said. “How are you?” “Fine, fine,” the Lieutenant said cordially.