Colomba

by Prosper Mérimée

  CHAPTER XX

  One afternoon, a few months after the double shot which, as thenewspapers said, "plunged the village of Pietranera into a state ofconsternation," a young man with his left arm in a sling, rode out ofBastia, toward the village of Cardo, celebrated for its spring, whichin summer supplies the more fastidious inhabitants of the town withdelicious water. He was accompanied by a young lady, tall and remarkablyhandsome, mounted on a small black horse, the strength and shape ofwhich would have attracted the admiration of a connoisseur, although, bysome strange accident, one of its ears had been lacerated. On reachingthe village, the girl sprang nimbly to the ground, and, having helpedher comrade to dismount, she unfastened the somewhat heavy walletsstrapped to his saddle-bow. The horses were left in charge of a peasant.The girl, laden with the wallets, which she had concealed under her_mezzaro_, and the young man, carrying a double-barrelled gun, tooktheir way toward the mountain, along a very steep path that did notappear to lead to any dwelling. When they had climbed to one of thelower ridges of the Monte Querico, they halted, and sat down on thegrass. They were evidently expecting somebody, for they kept perpetuallylooking toward the mountain, and the young lady often consulted apretty gold watch--as much, it may be, for the pleasure of admiring whatappeared a somewhat newly acquired trinket, as in order to know whetherthe hour appointed for some meeting or other had come. They had not longto wait. A dog ran out of the _maquis_, and when the girl called out"Brusco!" it approached at once, and fawned upon them. Presently twobearded men appeared, with guns under their arms, cartridge-belts roundtheir waists, and pistols hanging at their sides. Their torn and patchedgarments contrasted oddly with their weapons, which were brilliantlypolished, and came from a famous Continental factory. In spite of theapparent inequality of their positions, the four actors in this scenegreeted one another in terms of old and familiar friendship.

  "Well, Ors' Anton'," said the elder bandit to the young man, "so yourbusiness is settled--the indictment against you has fallen through? Icongratulate you. I'm sorry the lawyer has left the island. I'd like tosee his rage. And how's your arm?"

  "They tell me I shall get rid of my sling in a fortnight," said theyoung man. "Brando, my good friend, I'm going to Italy to-morrow--Iwanted to say good-bye to you and to the cure. That's why I asked you tocome here."

  "You're in a fine hurry," said Brandolaccio. "Only acquitted yesterday,and you're off to-morrow."

  "Business must be attended to," said the young lady merrily. "Gentlemen,I've brought some supper. Fall to, if you please, and don't you forgetmy friend Brusco."

  "You spoil Brusco, Mademoiselle Colomba. But he's a grateful dog. Youshall see. Here, Brusco," and he held out his gun horizontally, "jumpfor the Barricini!"

  The dog stood motionless, licking his chops, and staring at his master.

  "Jump for the della Rebbia!" And he leaped two feet higher than he needhave done.

  "Look here, my friends," said Orso, "you're plying a bad trade; and evenif you don't end your career on that square below us,[*] the best youcan look for is to die in the _maquis_ by some gendarme's bullet."

  [*] The square at Bastia on which executions take place.

  "Well, well," said Castriconi, "that's no more than death, anyhow; andit's better than being killed in your bed by a fever, with yourheirs snivelling more or less honestly all round you. To men who areaccustomed to the open air like us, there's nothing so good as to die'in your shoes,' as the village folk say."

  "I should like to see you get out of this country," said Orso, "and leada quieter life. For instance, why shouldn't you settle in Sardinia, asseveral of your comrades have done? I could make the matter easy foryou."

  "In Sardinia!" cried Brandolaccio. "_Istos Sardos!_ Devil take them andtheir lingo! We couldn't live in such bad company."

  "Sardinia's a country without resources," added the theologian. "Formy part, I despise the Sardinians. They keep mounted men to hunt theirbandits. That's a stigma on both the bandits and the country.[*] Outupon Sardinia, say I! The thing that astounds me, Signor della Rebbia,is that you, who are a man of taste and understanding, should not havetaken to our life in the _maquis_, after having once tried it, as youdid."

  [*] I owe this criticism of Sardinia to an ex-bandit of my acquaintance, and he alone must bear the responsibility of it. He means that bandits who let themselves be caught by horse soldiers are idiots, and that soldiers who try to catch bandits on horseback have very little chance of getting at them.

  "Well," said Orso, with a smile, "when I was lucky enough to be yourguest, I wasn't in very good case for enjoying the charms of yourposition, and my ribs still ache when I think of the ride I took onelovely night, thrown like a bundle across an unsaddled horse that mygood friend Brandolaccio guided."

  "And the delight of escaping from your pursuers," rejoined Castriconi;"is that nothing to you? How can you fail to realize the charm ofabsolute freedom in such a beautiful climate as ours? With this toinsure respect," and he held up his gun, "we are kings of everythingwithin its range. We can give orders, we can redress wrongs. That's ahighly moral entertainment, monsieur, and a very pleasant one, which wedon't deny ourselves. What can be more beautiful than a knight-errant'slife, when he has good weapons, and more common sense than Don Quixotehad? Listen! The other day I was told that little Lilla Luigi'suncle--old miser that he is--wouldn't give her a dowry. So I wrote tohim. I didn't use threats--that's not my way. Well, well, in one momentthe man was convinced. He married his niece, and I made two peoplehappy. Believe me, Orso, there's no life like the bandit's life! Pshaw!You'd have joined us, perhaps, if it hadn't been for a certain youngEnglishwoman whom I have scarcely seen myself, but about whose beautyevery one in Bastia is talking."

  "My future sister-in-law doesn't like the _maquis_," laughed Colomba."She got too great a fright in one of them."

  "Well," said Orso, "you are resolved to stay here? So be it! But tell mewhether there is anything I can do for you?"

  "Nothing," said Brandolaccio. "You've heaped kindnesses upon us. Here'slittle Chilina with her dowry ready, so that there'll be no necessityfor my friend the cure to write one of his persuasive letters to insureher marrying well. We know the man on your farm will give us bread andpowder whenever we need them. So fare you well! I hope we shall see youback in Corsica one of these days."

  "In case of pressing need," said Orso, "a few gold coins are veryuseful. Now we are such old friends, you won't refuse this little_cartouche_.[*] It will help you to provide cartridges of another kind."

  [*] _Cartouche_ means a collection of gold pieces as well as a cartridge.

  "No money between you and me, sir," said Brandolaccio resolutely.

  "In the world money is everything," remarked Castriconi, "but in the_maquis_, all a man need care for is a brave heart, and a gun thatcarries true."

  "I don't want to leave you without giving you something to remember meby," persisted Orso. "Come, Brandolaccio, what can I leave with you?"

  The bandit scratched his head and cast a sidelong glance at Orso's gun.

  "By my faith, if I dared--but no! you're too fond of it."

  "What would you like?"

  "Nothing! 'Tisn't anything at all. It's knowing how to use it as well. Ikeep thinking of that devil of a double-shot of yours--and with only onehand, too! Oh! that never could happen twice over!"

  "Is it the gun you fancy? I bought it for you. But see you don't use itmore than you are obliged."

  "Oh, I won't promise to make as good use of it as you. But make yourmind easy. When any other man has it, you may be certain it's all overwith Brando Savelli."

  "And you, Castriconi--what am I to give you?"

  "Since you really insist on giving me some tangible keepsake, I'llsimply ask you to send me the smallest Horace you can get. It will amuseme, and prevent me from forgetting all my Latin. There's a little womanwho sells cigars on the jetty at Bastia. If you give it to her, she'llsee I get it."

&nbs
p; "You shall have an Elzevir, my erudite friend. There just happens tobe one among some books I was going to take away with me. Well, goodfriends, we must part! Give me your hands. If you should ever think ofSardinia write to me. Signor N., the notary, will give you my address onthe mainland."

  "To-morrow, lieutenant," said Brando, "when you get out in the harbour,look up to this spot on the mountain-side. We shall be here, and we'llwave our handkerchiefs to you."

  And so they parted. Orso and his sister took their way back to Cardo,and the bandits departed up the mountain.