Los de abajo. English

by Mariano Azuela

  "All right. What do you want to tell me?"

  Camilla's tongue clove to her mouth, heavy and damp as a rag; she couldnot utter a word. A blush suffused her cheeks, turning them red asapples; she shrugged her shoulders and bowed her head, pressing herchin against her naked breast. Then without moving, with the fixity ofan idiot, she glanced at the wound, and said in a whisper:

  "Look, how nicely it's healing now: it's like a red Castille rose."

  Luis Cervantes frowned and with obvious disgust continued to care forhis foot, completely ignoring her as he worked. When he had finished,Camilla had vanished.

  For three days she was nowhere to be found. It was always her mother,Agapita, who answered Cervantes' call, and boiled the water for him andgave him rags. He was careful to avoid questioning her. Three dayslater, Camilla reappeared, more coy and eager than ever.

  The more distrait and indifferent Luis Cervantes grew, the bolderCamilla. At last, she said: "Listen to me, you nice young fellow, Iwant to tell you something pleasant. Please go over the words of therevolutionary song 'Adelita' with me, will you? You can guess why, eh?I want to sing it and sing it, over again often and often, see? Thenwhen you're off and away and when you've forgotten all about Camilla,it'll remind me of you."

  To Luis Cervantes her words were like the noise of a sharp steel knifedrawn over the side of a glass bottle. Blissfully unaware of the effectthey had produced, she proceeded, candid as ever:

  "Well, I want to tell you something. You don't know that your chief isa wicked man, do you? Shall I tell you what he did to me? You knowDemetrio won't let a soul but Mamma cook for him and me take him hisfood. Well, the other day I take some food over to him and what do youthink he did to me, the old fool. He grabs hold of my wrist and hepresses it tight, tight as can be, and then he starts pinching my legs.

  "'Come on, let me go,' I said. 'Keep still, lay off, you shamelesscreature. You've got no manners, that's the trouble with you.' So Iwrestled with him, and shook myself free, like this, and ran off asfast as I could. What do you think of that?"

  Camilla had never seen Luis Cervantes laugh so heartily.

  "But it is really true, all this you've told me?"

  Utterly at a loss, Camilla could not answer. Then he burst intolaughter again and repeated the question. A sense of confusion cameupon her. Disturbed, troubled, she said brokenly:

  "Yes, it's the truth. And I wanted to tell you about it. But you don'tseem to feel at all angry."

  Once more Camilla glanced adoringly at Luis Cervantes' radiant, cleanface; at his glaucous, soft eyes, his cheeks pink and polished as aporcelain doll's; at his tender white skin that showed below the lineof his collar and on his shoulders, protruding from under a roughwoolen poncho; at his hair, ever so slightly curled.

  "What the devil are you waiting for, fool? If the chief likes you, whatmore do you want?"

  Camilla felt something rise within her breast, an empty ache thatbecame a knot when it reached her throat; she closed her eyes fast tohold back the tears that welled up in them. Then, with the back of herhand, she wiped her wet cheeks, and just as she had done three daysago, fled with all the swiftness of a young deer.

  XII

  Demetrio's wound had already healed. They began to discuss variousprojects to go northward where, according to rumor, the rebels hadbeaten the Federal troops all along the line.

  A certain incident came to precipitate their action. Seated on a cragof the sierra in the cool of the afternoon breeze, Luis Cervantes gazedaway in the distance, dreaming and killing time. Below the narrow rockPancracio and Manteca, lying like lizards between the jarales along oneof the river margins, were playing cards. Anastasio Montanez, lookingon indifferently, turned his black hairy face toward Luis Cervantesand, leveling his kindly gaze upon him, asked:

  "Why so sad, you from the city? What are you daydreaming about? Come onover here and let's have a chat!"

  Luis Cervantes did not move; Anastasio went over to him and sat downbeside him like a friend.

  "What you need is the excitement of the city. I wager you shine yourshoes every day and wear a necktie. Now, I may look dirty and myclothes may be torn to shreds, but I'm not really what I seem to be.I'm not here because I've got to be and don't you think so. Why, I owntwenty oxen. Certainly I do; ask my friend Demetrio. I cleared tenbushels last harvest time. You see, if there's one thing I love, that'sriling these Government fellows and making them furious. The lastscrape I had--it'll be eight months gone now, ever since I've joinedthese men--I stuck my knife into some captain. He was just a nobody, alittle Government squirt. I pinked him here, see, right under thenavel. And that's why I'm here: that and because I wanted to give mymate Demetrio a hand." "Christ! The bloody little darling of my life!"Manteca shouted, waxing enthusiastic over a winning hand. He placed atwenty-cent silver coin on the jack of spades.

  "If you want my opinion, I'm not much on gambling. Do you want to bet?Well, come on then, I'm game. How do you like the sound of this leathersnake jingling, eh?"

  Anastasio shook his belt; the silver coins rang as he shook themtogether.

  Meanwhile, Pancracio dealt the cards, the jack of spades turned up outof the deck and a quarrel ensued. Altercation, noise, then shouts, and,at last, insults. Pancracio brought his stony face close to Manteca,who looked at him with snake's eyes, convulsive, foaming at the mouth.Another moment and they would have been exchanging blows. Havingcompletely exhausted their stock of direct insults, they now resortedto the most flowery and ornate insulting of each other's ancestors,male and female, paternal or maternal. Yet nothing untoward occurred.

  After their supply of words was exhausted, they gave over gambling and,their arms about each other's shoulders, marched off in search of adrink of alcohol.

  "I don't like to fight with my tongue either, it's not decent. I'mright, too, eh? I tell you no man living has ever breathed a word to meagainst my mother. I want to be respected, see? That's why you've neverseen me fooling with anyone." There was a pause. Then, suddenly, "Lookthere, Tenderfoot," Anastasio said, changing his tone and standing upwith one hand spread over his eyes. "What's that dust over there behindthe hillock. By God, what if it's those damned Federals and we sittinghere doing nothing. Come on, let's go and warn the rest of the boys."

  The news met with cries of joy.

  "Ah, we're going to meet them!" cried Pancracio jubilantly, first amongthem to rejoice.

  "Of course, we're going to meet them! We'll strip them clean ofeverything they brought with them."

  A few moments later, amid cries of joy and a bustle of arms, they begansaddling their horses. But the enemy turned out to be a few burros andtwo Indians, driving them forward.

  "Stop them, anyhow. They must have come from somewhere and they'veprobably news for us," Demetrio said.

  Indeed, their news proved sensational. The Federal troops had fortifiedthe hills in Zacatecas; this was said to be Huerta's last stronghold,but everybody predicted the fall of the city. Many families had hastilyfled southward. Trains were overloaded with people; there was ascarcity of trucks and coaches; hundreds of people, panic-stricken,walked along the highroad with their belongings in a pack slung overtheir shoulders. General Panfilo Natera was assembling his men atFresnillo; the Federals already felt it was all up with them.

  "The fall of Zacatecas will be Huerta's requiescat in pace," LuisCervantes cried with unusual excitement. "We've got to be there beforethe fight starts so that we can join Natera's army."

  Then, suddenly, he noted the surprise with which Demetrio and his mengreeted his suggestion. Crestfallen, he realized they still consideredhim of no account.

  On the morrow, as the men set off in search of good mounts beforetaking to the road again, Demetrio called Luis Cervantes:

  "Do you really want to come with us? Of course you're cut from anothertimber, we all know that; God knows why you should like this sort oflife. Do you imagine we're in this game because we like it? Now, I likethe excitement all right, but that's not all.
Sit down here; that'sright. Do you want to know why I'm a rebel? Well, I'll tell you.

  "Before the revolution, I had my land all plowed, see, and just rightfor sowing and if it hadn't been for a little quarrel with Don Monico,the boss of my town, Moyahua, I'd be there in a jiffy getting the oxenready for the sowing, see?

  "Here, there, Pancracio, pull down two bottles of beer for me and thistenderfoot.... By the Holy Cross ... drinking won't hurt me, now, willit?"

  XIII

  I was born in Limon, close by Moyahua, right in the heart of theJuchipila canyon. I had my house and my cows and a patch of land, see:I had everything I wanted. Well, I suppose you know how we farmers makea habit of going over to town every week to hear Mass and the sermonand then to market to buy our onions and tomatoes and in generaleverything they want us to buy at the ranch. Then you pick up somefriends and go to Primitivo Lopez' saloon for a bit of a drink beforedinner; well, you sit there drinking and you've got to be sociable, soyou drink more than you should and the liquor goes to your head and youlaugh and you're damned happy and if you feel like it, you sing andshout and kick up a bit of a row. That's quite all right, anyhow, forwe're not doing anyone any harm. But soon they start bothering you andthe policeman walks up and down and stops occasionally, with his ear tothe door. To put it in a nutshell, the chief of police and his gang area lot of joykillers who decide they want to put a stop to your fun,see? But by God! You've got guts, you've got red blood in your veinsand you've got a soul, too, see? So you lose your temper, you stand upto them and tell them to go to the Devil.

  "Now if they understand you, everything's all right; they leave youalone and that's all there is to it; but sometimes they try to talk youdown and hit you and--well, you know how it is, a fellow'squick-tempered and he'll be damned if he'll stand for someone orderinghim around and telling him what's what. So before you know it, you'vegot your knife out or your gun leveled, and then off you go for a wildrun in the sierra, until they've forgotten the corpse, see?

  "All right: that's just about what happened to Monico. The fellow was agreater bluffer than the rest. He couldn't tell a rooster from a hen,not he. Well, I spit on his beard because he wouldn't mind his ownbusiness. That's all, there's nothing else to tell.

  "Then, just because I did that, he had the whole God-damned FederalGovernment against me. You must have heard something about that storyin Mexico City--about the killing of Madero and some other fellow,Felix or Felipe Diaz, or something--I don't know. Well, this man Monicogoes in person to Zacatecas to get an army to capture me. They saidthat I was a Maderista and that I was going to rebel. But a man like mealways has friends. Somebody came and warned me of what was coming tome, so when the soldiers reached Limon I was miles and miles away.Trust me! Then my compadre Anastasio who killed somebody came andjoined me, and Pancracio and Quail and a lot of friends andacquaintances came after him. Since then we've been sort of collecting,see? You know for yourself, we get along as best we can...."

  For a while, both men sat meditating in silence. Then:

  "Look here, Chief," said Luis Cervantes. "You know that some ofNatera's men are at Juchipila, quite near here. I think we should jointhem before they capture Zacatecas. All we need do is speak to theGeneral."

  "I'm no good at that sort of thing. And I don't like the idea ofaccepting orders from anybody very much."

  "But you've only a handful of men down here; you'll only be anunimportant chieftain. There's no argument about it, the revolution isbound to win. After it's all over they'll talk to you just as Maderotalked to all those who had helped him: 'Thank you very much, myfriends, you can go home now....'"

  "Well that's all I want, to be let alone so I can go home."

  "Wait a moment, I haven't finished. Madero said: 'You men have made mePresident of the Republic. You have run the risk of losing your livesand leaving your wives and children destitute; now I have what Iwanted, you can go back to your picks and shovels, you can resume yourhand-to-mouth existence, you can go half-naked and hungry just as youdid before, while we, your superiors, will go about trying to pile up afew million pesos....'"

  Demetrio nodded and, smiling, scratched his head.

  "You said a mouthful, Louie," Venancio the barber put inenthusiastically. "A mouthful as big as a church!"

  "As I was saying," Luis Cervantes resumed, "when the revolution isover, everything is over. Too bad that so many men have been killed,too bad there are so many widows and orphans, too bad there was so muchbloodshed.

  "Of course, you are not selfish; you say to yourself: 'All I want to dois go back home.' But I ask you, is it fair to deprive your wife andkids of a fortune which God himself places within reach of your hand?Is it fair to abandon your motherland in this solemn moment when shemost needs the self-sacrifice of her sons, when she most needs herhumble sons to save her from falling again in the clutches of hereternal oppressors, executioners, and caciques? You must not forgetthat the thing a man holds most sacred on earth is his motherland."

  Macias smiled, his eyes shining.

  "Will it be all right if we go with Natera?"

  "Not only all right," Venancio said insinuatingly, "but I think itabsolutely necessary."

  "Now Chief," Cervantes pursued, "I took a fancy to you the first time Ilaid eyes on you and I like you more and more every day because Irealize what you are worth. Please let me be utterly frank. You do notyet realize your lofty noble function. You are a modest man withoutambitions, you do not wish to realize the exceedingly important roleyou are destined to play in the revolution. It is not true that youtook up arms simply because of Senor Monico. You are under arms toprotest against the evils of all the caciques who are overrunning thewhole nation. We are the elements of a social movement which will notrest until it has enlarged the destinies of our motherland. We are thetools Destiny makes use of to reclaim the sacred rights of the people.We are not fighting to dethrone a miserable murderer, we are fightingagainst tyranny itself. What moves us is what men call ideals; ouraction is what men call fighting for a principle. A principle! That'swhy Villa and Natera and Carranza are fighting; that's why we, everyman of us, are fighting."

  "Yes ... yes ... exactly what I've been thinking myself," said Venancioin a climax of enthusiasm.

  "Hey, there, Pancracio," Macias called, "pull down two more beers."

  XIV

  "You ought to see how clear that fellow can make things, Compadre,"Demetrio said. All morning long he had been pondering as much of LuisCervantes' speech as he had understood.

  "I heard him too," Anastasio answered. "People who can read and writeget things clear, all right; nothing was ever truer. But what I can'tmake out is how you're going to go and meet Natera with as few men aswe have."

  "That's nothing. We're going to do things different now. They tell methat as soon as Crispin Robles enters a town he gets hold of all thehorses and guns in the place; then he goes to the jail and lets all thejailbirds out, and, before you know it, he's got plenty of men, allright. You'll see. You know I'm beginning to feel that we haven't donethings right so far. It don't seem right somehow that this city guyshould be able to tell us what to do."

  "Ain't it wonderful to be able to read and write!"

  They both sighed, sadly. Luis Cervantes came in with several others tofind out the day of their departure.

  "We're leaving no later than tomorrow," said Demetrio withouthesitation.

  Quail suggested that musicians be summoned from the neighboring hamletand that a farewell dance be given. His idea met with enthusiasm on allsides.

  "We'll go, then," Pancracio shouted, "but I'm certainly going in goodcompany this time. My sweetheart's coming along with me!"

  Demetrio replied that he too would willingly take along a girl he hadset his eye on, but that he hoped none of his men would leave bittermemories behind them as the Federals did.

  "You won't have long to wait. Everything will be arranged when youreturn," Luis Cervantes whispered to him.

  "What do you mean?" Dem
etrio asked. "I thought that you and Camilla..."

  "There's not a word of truth in it, Chief. She likes you but she'safraid of you, that's all."

  "Really? Is that really true?"

  "Yes. But I think you're quite right in not wanting to leave anybitter feelings behind you as you go. When you come back as aconqueror, everything will be different. They'll all thank you for iteven."

  "By God, you're certainly a shrewd one," Demetrio replied, patting himon the back.

  At sundown, Camilla went to the river to fetch water as usual. LuisCervantes, walking down the same trail, met her. Camilla felt herheart leap to her mouth. But, without taking the slightest notice ofher, Luis Cervantes hastily took one of the turns and disappeared amongthe rocks.

  At this hour, as usual, the calcinated rocks, the sun-burnt branches,and the dry weeds faded into the semi-obscurity of the shadows. Thewind blew softly, the green lances of the young corn leaves rustling inthe twilight. Nothing was changed; all nature was as she had found itbefore, evening upon evening; but in the stones and the dry weeds, amidthe fragrance of the air and the light whir of falling leaves, Camillasensed a new strangeness, a vast desolation in everything about her.

  Rounding a huge eroded rock, suddenly Camilla found herself face toface with Luis, who was seated on a stone, hatless, his legs dangling.

  "Listen, you might come down here to say good-bye."

  Luis Cervantes was obliging enough; he jumped down and joined her.