百年孤独(英文版)-第29部分

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lonel　Aureliano　Buendía　so　that　he　could　go　on　with　the　war。　But　？rsula　did　not　bother　to　dig　it　up　because　it　was　rumored　in　those　days　that　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　had　been　killed　in　a　landing　near　the　provincial　capital。　The　official　announcement—the　fourth　in　less　than　two　years—was　considered　true　for　almost　six　months　because　nothing　further　was　heard　of　him。　Suddenly；　when　？rsula　and　Amaranta　had　added　new　mourning　to　the　past　period；　unexpected　news　arrived。　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　was　alive；　but　apparently　he　had　stopped　harassing　the　government　of　his　country　and　had　joined　with　the　victorious　federalism　of　other　republics　of　the　Caribbean。　He　would　show　up　under　different　names　farther　and　farther　away　from　his　own　country。　Later　it　would　be　learned　that　the　idea　that　was　working　on　him　at　the　time　was　the　unification　of　the　federalist　forms　of　Central　America　in　order　to　wipe　out　conservative　regimes　from　Alaska　to　Patagonia。　The　first　direct　news　that　？rsula　received　from　him；　several　years　after　his　departure；　was　a　wrinkled　and　faded　letter　that　had　arrived；　passing　through　various　hands；　from　Santiago；　Cuba。
　　　“We’ve　lost　him　forever；？？rsula　exclaimed　on　reading　it。　“If　he　follows　this　path　he’ll　spend　Christmas　at　the　ends　of　the　earth。？
　　　The　person　to　whom　she　said　it；　who　was　the　first　to　whom　she　showed　the　letter；　was　the　Conservative　general　Jos？Raquel　Moncada；　mayor　of　Macondo　since　the　end　of　the　war。　“This　Aureliano；？General　Moncada　mented；　“what　a　pity　that　he’s　not　a　Conservative。？He　really　admired　him。　Like　many　Conservative　civilians；　Jos？Raquel　Moncada　had　waged　war　in　defense　of　his　party　and　had　earned　the　title　of　general　on　the　field　of　battle；　even　though　he　was　not　a　military　man　by　profession。　On　the　contrary；　like　so　many　of　his　fellow　party　members；　he　was　an　antimilitarist。　He　considered　military　men　unprincipled　loafers；　ambitious　plotters；　experts　in　facing　down　civilians　in　order　to　prosper　during　times　of　disorder。　Intelligent；　pleasant；　ruddy…faced；　a　man　who　liked　to　eat　and　watch　cockfights；　he　had　been　at　one　time　the　most　feared　adversary　of　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía。　He　succeeded　in　imposing　his　authority　over　the　career　officers　in　a　wide　sector　along　the　coast。　One　time　when　he　was　forced　by　strategic　circumstances　to　abandon　a　stronghold　to　the　forces　of　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía；　he　left　two　letters　for　him。　In　one　of　them　quite　long；　he　invited　him　to　join　in　a　campaign　to　make　war　more　humane。　The　other　letter　was　for　his　wife；　who　lived　in　Liberal　territory；　and　he　left　it　with　a　plea　to　see　that　it　reached　its　destination。　From　then　on；　even　in　the　bloodiest　periods　of　the　war；　the　two　manders　would　arrange　truces　to　exchange　prisoners。　They　were　pauses　with　a　certain　festive　atmosphere；　which　General　Moncada　took　advantage　of　to　teach　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　how　to　play　chess。　They　became　great　friends。　They　even　came　to　think　about　the　possibility　of　coordinating　the　popular　elements　of　both　parties；　doing　away　with　the　influence　of　the　military　men　and　professional　politicians；　and　setting　up　a　humanitarian　regime　that　would　take　the　best　from　each　doctrine。　When　the　war　was　over；　while　Colonel　Aureliano；　Buendía　was　sneaking　about　through　the　narrow　trails　of　permanent　sub。　version；　General　Moncada　was　named　magistrate　of　Macondo。　He　wore　civilian　clothes；　replaced　the　soldiers　with　unarmed　policemen；　enforced　the　amnesty　laws；　and　helped　a　few　families　of　Liberals　who　had　been　killed　in　the　war。　He　succeeded　in　having　Macondo　raised　to　the　status　of　a　municipality　and　he　was　therefore　its　first　mayor；　and　he　created　an　atmosphere　of　confidence　that　made　people　think　of　the　war　as　an　absurd　nightmare　of　the　past。　Father　Nicanor；　consumed　by　hepatic　fever；　was　replaced　by　Father　Coronel；　whom　they　called　“The　Pup；？a　veteran　of　the　first　federalist　war。　Bruno　Crespi；　who　was　married　to　Amparo　Mos。　cote；　and　whose　shop　of　toys　and　musical　instruments　continued　to　prosper；　built　a　theater　which　Spanish　panies　included　in　their　Itineraries。　It　was　a　vast　open…air　hall　with　wooden　benches；　a　velvet　curtain　with　Greek　masks；　and　three　box　offices　in　the　shape　of　lions？heads；　through　whose　mouths　the　tickets　were　sold。　It　was　also　about　that　time　that　the　school　was　rebuilt。　It　was　put　under　the　charge　of　Don　Melchor　Escalona；　an　old　teacher　brought　from　the　swamp；　who　made　his　lazy　students　walk　on　their　knees　in　the　lime…coated　courtyard　and　made　the　students　who　talked　in　class　eat　hot　chili　with　the　approval　of　their　parents。　Aureliano　Segundo　and　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo；　the　willful　twins　of　Santa　Sofía　de　la　Piedad；　were　the　first　to　sit　in　the　classroom；　with　their　slates；　their　chalk；　and　their　aluminum　jugs　with　their　names　on　them。　Remedios；　who　inherited　her　mother’s　pure　beauty；　began　to　be　known　as　Remedios　the　Beauty。　In　spite　of　time；　of　the　superimposed　Periods　of　mourning；　and　her　accumulated　afflictions；　？rsula　resisted　growing　old。　Aided　by　Santa　Sofía　de　la　Piedad；　she　gave　a　new　drive　to　her　pastry　business　and　in　a　few　years　not　only　recovered　the　fortune　that　her　son　had　spent　in　the　war；　but　she　once　more　stuffed　with　pure　gold　the　gourds　buried　in　the　bedroom。　“As　long　as　God　gives　me　life；？she　would　say；　“there　will　always　be　money　in　this　madhouse。？That　was　how　things　were　when　Aureliano　Jos？deserted　the　federal　troops　in　Nicaragua；　signed　on　as　a　crewman　on　a　German　ship；　and　appeared　in　the　kitchen　of　the　house；　sturdy　as　a　horse；　as　dark　and　long…haired　as　an　Indian；　and　with　a　secret　determination　to　marry　Amaranta。
　　　When　Amaranta；　saw　him　e　in；　even　though　he　said　nothing　she　knew　immediately　why　he　had　e　back。　At　the　table　they　did　not　dare　look　each　other　in　the　face。　But　two　weeks　after　his　return；　in　the　presence　of　？rsula；　he　set　his　eyes　on　hers　and　said　to　her；　“I　always　thought　a　lot　about　you。？Amaranta　avoided　him。　She　guarded　against　chance　meetings。　She　tried　not　to　bee　separated　from　Remedios　the　Beauty。　She　was　ashamed　of　the　blush　that　covered　her　cheeks　on　the　day　her　nephew　asked　her　how　long　she　intended　wearing　the　black　bandage　on　her　hand；　for　she　interpreted　it　as　an　allusion　to　her　virginity。　When　he　arrived；　she　barred　the　door　of　her　bedroom；　but　she　heard　his　peaceful　snoring　in　the　next　room　for　so　many　nights　that　she　forgot　about　the　precaution。　Early　one　morning；　almost　two　months　after　his　return；　she　heard　him　e　into　the　bedroom。　Then；　instead　of　fleeing；　instead　of　shouting　as　she　had　thought　she　would；　she　let　herself　be　saturated　with　a　soft　feeling　of　relaxation。　She　felt　him　slip　in　under　the　mosquito　netting　as　he　had　done　when　he　was　a　child；　as　he　had　always　done；　and　she　could　not　repress　her　cold　sweat　and　the　chattering　of　her　teeth　when　she　realized　that　he　was　pletely　naked。　“Go　away；？she　whispered；　suffocating　with　curiosity。　“Go　away　or　I’ll　scream。？But　Aureliano　Jos？knew　then　what　he　had　to　do；　because　he　was　no　longer　a　child　but　a　barracks　animal。　Starting　with　that　night　the　dull；　inconsequential　battles　began　again　and　would　go　on　until　dawn。　“I’m　your　aunt；？Amaranta　murmured；　spent。　“It’s　almost　as　if　I　were　your　mother；　not　just　because　of　my　age　but　because　the　only　thing　I　didn’t　do　for　you　was　nurse　you。？Aureliano　would　escape　at　dawn　and　e　back　early　in　the　morning　on　the　next　day；　each　time　more　excited　by　the　proof　that　she　had　not　barred　the　door。　He　had　nit　stopped　desiring　her　for　a　single　instant。　He　found　her　in　the　dark　bedrooms　of　captured　towns；　especially　in　the　most　abject　ones；　and　he　would　make　her　materialize　in　the　smell　of　dry　blood　on　the　bandages　of　the　wounded；　in　the　instantaneous　terror　of　the　danger　of　death；　at　all　times　and　in　all　places。　He　had　fled　from　her　in　an　attempt　to　wipe　out　her　memory；　not　only　through　distance　but　by　means　of　a　muddled　fury　that　his　panions　at　arms　took　to　be　boldness；　but　the　more　her　image　wallowed　in　the　dunghill　of　the　war；　the　more　the　war　resembled　Amaranta。　That　was　how　he　suffered　in　exile；　looking　for　a　way　of　killing　her　with；　his　own　death；　until　he　heard　some　old　man　tell　the　tale　of　the　man　who　had　married　his　aunt；　who　was　also　his　cousin；　and　whose　son　ended　up　being　his　own　grandfather。
　　　“Can　a　person　marry　his　own　aunt？？he　asked；　startled。
　　　“He　not　only　can　do　that；　a　soldier　answered　him。　“but　we’re　fighting　this　war　against　the　priests　so　that　a　person　can　marry　his　own　mother。？
　　　Two　weeks　later　he　deserted。　He　found　Amaranta　more　withered　than　in　his　memory；　more　melancholy　and　shy；　and　now　really　turning　the　last　corner　of　maturity；　but　more　feverish　than　ever　in　the　darkness　of　her　bedroom　and　more　challenging　than　ever　in　the　aggressiveness　of　her　resistance。　“You’re　a　brute；？Amaranta　would　tell　him　as　she　was　harried　by　his　hounds。　“You　can’t　do　that　to　a　poor　aunt　unless　you　have　a　special　dispensation　from　the　Pope。？Aureliano；　Jos？promised　to　go　to　Rome；　he　promised　to　go　across　Europe　on　his　knees　to　kiss　the　sandals　of　the　Pontiff　just　so　that　she　would　lower　her　drawbridge。
　　　“It’s　not　just　that；？Amaranta　retorted。　“Any　children　will　be　born　with　the　tail　of　a　pig。？
　　　Aureliano　Jos？was　deaf　to　all　arguments。
　　　“I　don’t　care　if　they’re　born　as　armadillos；？he　begged。
　　　Early　one　morning；　vanquished　by　the　unbearable　pain　of　repressed　virility；　he　went　to　Catarino’s。　He　found　a　woman　with　flaccid　breasts；　affectionate　and　cheap；　who　calmed　his　stomach　for　some　time。　He　tried　to　apply　the　treatment　of　disdain　to　Amaranta。　He　would　see　her　on　the　porch　working　at　the　sewing　machine；　which　she　had　learned　to　operate　with　admirable　skill；　and　he　would　not　even　speak　to　her。　Amaranta　felt　freed　of　a　reef；　and　she　herself　did　not　understand　why　she　started　thinking　again　at　that　time　about　Colonel　Gerineldo　Márquez；　why　she　remembered　with　such　nostalgia　the　afternoons　of　Chinese　checkers；　and　why　she　even　desired　him　as　the　man　in　her　bedroom。　Aureliano；　Jos？did　not　realize　how　much　ground　he　had　lost　on；　the　night　he　could　no　longer　bear　the　farce　of　indifference　and　went　back　to　Amaranta’s　room。　She　rejected　him　with　an　inflexible　and　unmistakable　determination；　and　she　barred　the　door　of　her　bedroom　forever。
　　　A　few　months　after　the　return　of　Aurelia