Zaragoza. English

by Benito Pérez Galdós

  CHAPTER XIV

  Augustine Montoria and I stood guard with our battalion in the Molinountil after nightfall, the hour when we were relieved by the Huescavolunteers; then we permitted ourselves to be all night outside thelines. But it must not be believed that during these hours we strolledabout hand in hand; for when our military services were over, therewere others no less onerous in the interior of the city, where thewounded had already been carried to La Seo and to the Pilar,--burninghouses to carry things out of, or materials to carry to the friars, thecanons, and the civil officials, who were making cartridges in San Juande los Panetes.

  Montoria and I went there by way of the Calle de Pabostre. I walkedalong munching a crust of bread with good appetite. My companion,taciturn and gloomy, amused himself by throwing his to the dogs that wemet as we walked along. Although I exerted my imagination in effortsto cheer his sad spirit, he remained dull and insensible to it all,replying but sadly to my merry chatter. As we entered the Coso, he saidto me,--

  "It is ten by the clock of the Torre Nueva. Do you know--I wish to gothere to-night."

  "To-night you will not be able to go. Try to stifle the flame of lovein its ashes, while we are threatened by those other burning hearts,the flaming bombs which are coming to break in the houses and among thepeople."

  It was even so. The bombarding, which had not ceased during all theday, was continued during the night, though with a little less vigor;and from time to time projectiles fell, augmenting the already largenumber of victims within the city.

  "I must go there this night," he said. "Did not Mariquilla see me amongall those who crowded in front of the door of her house? Will she notthink me one of those who abused her father?"

  "I don't believe so. That young woman would know how to distinguishbetween individuals. She has already made inquiries, and now is no timefor stolen sweets. Do you see? From that house coming this way are somepoor women in need of help. Look, one of them is not able to creepfurther, and falls to the ground. Is it not possible that the Se?oritaDo?a Mariquilla Candiola has also gone to care for the wounded at SanPablo or the Pilar?"

  "I do not believe so."

  "Or perhaps where they are making cartridges?"

  "I believe that still less. She would be in her house, and there iswhere I wish to go, Gabriel. You may go and see to the carrying ofthe wounded, or to the powder, or whatever you please, but I am goingthere!"

  As he said this, Pirli presented himself to us in his friar's habit,already torn and hanging in a thousand fragments, and on his head theFrench engineer's helmet, badly battered, but plated and plumed, andmaking our hero look less like a soldier than a carnival figure.

  "Are you coming to help carry the wounded?" he asked. "They have justkilled two more for us that we are carrying to San Pablo. They need menthere to open the ditch where they are burying our dead of yesterday,but I have worked enough. I am going to the house of Manuela Sancho tosee if I can get a snatch of sleep. But, first, we are going to dance alittle. Don't you want to come along?"

  "No, we are going to San Pablo," I replied, "to bury the dead. There isenough to do."

  "They say that so many dead make the air bad, and that is why thereare so many ill of the fever. That is finishing them faster than theirwounds, over by the other barricade. I would rather have some 'hotcakes' than the epidemic. A 'se?ora' wouldn't scare me, but a chill anda fever would. So then you are going to bury the dead?"

  "Yes," said Augustine, "let us bury the dead."

  "In San Pablo there are no less than forty wounded," answered Pirli;"and, at the rate we're going there, we'll soon be more dead thanliving. Don't you want a little diversion? If you are not going towork on the ditch, why not come along to the cartridge factory? Allthe girls will be there, and from time to time they will give us somesinging, or cheer our souls with a little dancing."

  "We have no fault to find with all that. Will Manuela Sancho be theretoo?"

  "No, the girls there are the young ladies of Saragossa, the se?oritaswho have been called into service by the committee of safety. There area great many of them in the hospitals too. They invite themselves forthat service. And it would be a queer one who would use her eyes solittle as not to make a match for herself, if not for this year, thenfor next!"

  We heard the rushing sound of many footsteps behind us, and, turning,we saw a great number of people, among whose voices we recognized thatof Don Jos? de Montoria. He was very angry at seeing us there, andexclaimed,--

  "What are you doing here, idiots? Three strong hearty men standing herewith their hands folded, when there is such a lack of men for the workto be done! Go along with you! Clear out of here! March, you littletin soldiers! Do you see those two posts there on the Trenque knollwith beams crossed on top from which six ropes are hanging? Do you seethat gallows set up in that place for traitors? Well, it's for loafers,too. Get along to work, or I'll show your carcasses how to move with myfists."

  We followed him until we came quite near the gallows, where the sixropes were swaying commandingly in the wind, ready to strangle traitorsor cowards. Montoria seized his son by the arm, and pointed to thehorrible apparatus with an energetic gesture, saying,--

  "Here you can see what we have been getting ready this evening. Look!There's where those who do not do their duty will be entertained. Onwith you! I who am old never get tired, but you young healthy men actas if you were made of putty. The invincible men of the first siegehave almost all worked themselves to death; and we old men, sirs, areobliged to set an example to these dandies who if they miss dining fora week begin to complain and beg for broth. I would give you broth ofpowder, and soup of cannon balls, you cowards! Go, and see that youhelp to bury the dead and carry ammunition to the walls."

  "And assist at the hell which this damned epidemic is spreading," saidone of those who had accompanied Montoria.

  "I don't know what to think of this thing which the doctors call theepidemic," answered Don Jos?. "I call it fear, sirs, pure fear. Theytake a chill; then they have spasms and a fever; then they turn green,and they die. What is all that but the effect of fear? Our strong menall seem to be gone, yes, se?ors. Ah, what men those were in the firstsiege! Now when the soldiers have been firing and been fired at fora trifle of ten hours, they begin to fall down with fatigue, and saythey can do no more. There's one man who had lost only a leg and ahalf who began screaming and calling upon all the holy martyrs, beggingthat they put him to bed. Nothing but cowardice, pure cowardice! To-dayseveral soldiers left Palafox's battery who had a good sound arm apieceleft to fight with. And they began to beg for broth! They had betterdrink their own blood, which is the best broth in the world. I say therace of men of courage is finished and done with, porra! a thousandporras!"

  "To-morrow the French will attack Las Tenerias," said the other. "If,as a result, there are many wounded, I don't see where we are going toput them."

  "Wounded!" exclaimed Montoria. "We don't wish to see any woundedhere. The dead do not hinder us. We can pile them up in a heap; butthe wounded--ugh! Our soldiers are no longer fearless, and I'll wagerthat those who are defending the best positions will not risk seeingthemselves decimated; they will abandon them as soon as they see acouple of dozen French heads above each rampart. What feebleness! Afterall, 'twill be as God wills, and as for the wounded and sick, we willtake care of them. Why not? Have you taken many fowls to-day?"

  "Several dozens, of which more than half were given, and for the restwe paid six reales and a half. A few were not willing to give."

  "All right. To think that a man like me should occupy himself withfowls in days like these! What's that you say? Some were not willingto give? The Captain-General authorized me to impose fines upon thosewho do not contribute to the defence. We will just gently get the lawon those milksops and traitors. Hark, se?ors! A bomb fell then in theneighborhood of the Torre Nueva. Did you see it? Did you hear it? Whata horrible explosion! I'll wager that it is Divine Providence morethan the French batteries that have sent
it against the house of thatpetrified, soulless Jew who looks on with indifference and contempt athis neighbors' distress. People are running that way. It seems that thehouse is on fire, or falling down. No, don't you run, you miserablefellows. Let it burn, let it fall to the earth in a thousand pieces. Itis the house of the miser Candiola, who would not give one peseta tosave the whole human race from a new deluge. Eh, where are you going?You are going to run there too? No, come along. Follow me! We can be ofmore use elsewhere."

  We were going in a crowd to the Orphanage. Augustine, impelled no doubtby the beating of his heart, suddenly started as if to direct his stepstowards the Plazuela San Felipe, following the great crowd hasteningtowards that place. But detained forcibly by his father he continued,though with bad grace, in our company. Something was certainly burningnear the Torre Nueva, and on the tower the precious arabesques andbricks shone redly, because of the nearness of the fire. That gracefulleaning column could be distinguished, crimson in the black night, andat the same time from its huge belfry a great lamentation fell upon theair.

  We reached San Pablo.

  "Go on, boys, loungers! Help those who are opening the ditch. It mustbe wide and deep. It is a garment wherein they will enrobe fortybodies."

  We began upon the work, digging earth from the ditch which was beingopened in the court of the church. Augustine was digging with me, butat every instant he turned his eyes in the direction of the Torre Nueva.

  "It is a terrible fire. It seems as if it is going down a little,Gabriel. I long to throw myself into this grave which we are opening."

  "Don't be in a hurry," I answered him. "Perhaps to-morrow will throw usinto it without our asking. This is no time for foolishness; it is timeto work."

  "Do you not see? I believe that the fire is extinguished."

  "Yes, the whole house has probably burned down. Candiola was sure to beshut up in his cellar with his money, and the fire couldn't reach him.Don't worry."

  "Gabriel, I must go there, if only for a moment. I wish to see if thefire was really in his house. If my father returns, tell him that Iwill be back in a second."

  The sudden appearance of Don Jos? de Montoria prevented Augustinemaking the flight which he had just planned, and we two continueddigging in the great sepulchre. They began to bring out bodies; andthe sick and wounded, who were constantly being brought from without,saw, as they were taken into the church, the wide bed which we werepreparing for them. At last the ditch was sufficiently deep, and wewere ordered to cease digging. The work went on, and corpses werebrought, one by one, and cast into the great sepulchre, while clergymenand pious women upon their knees repeated the mournful words of theservice. There was room enough for all, and nothing remained to bedone for them but to cover them with earth. Don Jos? Montoria, withhead uncovered, reciting in a low voice a paternoster, threw the firsthandful. Then our shovels and spades began with all speed to coverthem. Our work ended, we all knelt down, and prayed in hushed tones.Augustine Montoria said to me when this was done,--

  "We will go now. My father will march himself off. Go and tell himthat we are going to relieve two friends on duty who have a sick onein their family and wish us to see him. Tell him, for God's sake! Ihaven't the courage, then in an instant we can be there."