Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [96]
He saw the smooth blue water. He saw the reflection of the Mister Major riding the porpoise. He saw the little ripples at the forefoot. He saw the net, dripping above the water and bent by refraction under it. He saw a large number of fish, bewildered that their school had become so tangled and confined, trying to twist away. And then, cradled at the extremity of the net, he saw a round metal thing with spikes on it.
“Stop!” he shouted. “Stop hauling!”
But it was too late. The slow forward motion of the boat and the slow reactions of the heaving fishermen drove the bow onto the mine.
The explosion could be heard easily in the town. The wives of farmers and land laborers thought it was just some blasting by engineers. But the wives of fishermen ran down to the harbor and looked out over the water.
There they saw unusual activity among the fishing boats. They were all clustered together, and there were one, two - only five!
At the moment of the explosion, Tomasino turned toward the point where Agnello’s boat had been. Fortunately Tomasino had his net in and could move fairly quickly.
When they reached the place they found only splinters of wood, many dead fish floating, dead Agnello floating, dead Merendino, and some pieces of Sconzo.
Tomasino and his men hauled the two whole bodies aboard as the other fishing boats came up.
Tomasino shouted to the others: “Continue to fish. Move farther offshore. I will take Agnello and Merendino in.”
Someone from another boat shouted: “And Sconzo?” “Sconzo,” said Tomasino, not looking at the small pieces of Sconzo floating in the water, “is missing.” Tomasino was careful to take bearings on the headlands with his compass before he started in.
One of his men said, “It is too bad about Sconzo. He wanted very much to go to the party tomorrow night. He has talked of nothing else for three days.”
Another of Tomasino’s helpers said: “Sconzo liked parties. Except for his nose he was handsome.” Agnello and Merendino were just as dead as Sconzo, but their deaths seemed less terrible since they were not missing, as Tomasino put it. That is why the men talked about Sconzo as they went in, and not about the other two.
As soon as they tied up, Tomasino jumped ashore and walked quickly uptown to the Palazzo. He was the first to bring the news to the Major.
“Good afternoon, Tomasino,” the Major said cheerfully. “I’m looking forward to the party tomorrow night. I hear you are one of the hosts.”
Tomasino’s face was black with misery, but the Major had not thought that unusual.
“I cannot go,” Tomasino said.
“Why not, Tomasino? It wouldn’t be the same with- out you.”
Tomasino said grimly: “I came to talk about the explosion. Did you hear the explosion?”
Major Joppolo said: “I did hear an explosion. About half an hour ago, was it?”
Tomasino said: “About half an hour ago.” “What was it?”
“One of my ships. A mine, I suppose, just as you warned.”
The Major stood up. His face had gone white as soon as Tomasino started talking about the explosion. He went around his desk to Tomasino and put a hand on his arm.
“It is my fault, Tomasino, not yours,” he said.
“It was Agnello’s fault,” Tomasino said. “He was too far in. I took bearings, and I know that he was outside the fishing zone.”
“I am sorry,” the Major said.
Tomasino said: “Why are you sorry? I thought you would be angry.”
“I feel as if I had killed your men, Tomasino.” “Accidents happened here before you came, Mister Major. Men have died here before.”
And so it happened that before he left, Tomasino was consoling the Major instead of being berated by him for allowing carelessness m the fishing fleet.
As Tomasino started to go, the Major said: “You will continue to fish?”
Tomasino said: “Of course. Four of the boats are still out.”
The Major said: “Good, Tomasino.” Then he said: I’m sorry about tomorrow night.”
Tomasino said: “I am sorry too. But it would not be decent. I am supposed to be the head of the fishermen.”
Major Joppolo hesitated. Then he said, trying to sound delicate about it: “Do you feel that your family should