Robert Jordan looked up at Primitivo’s post and saw him signal, “Nothing,” crossing his two hands, palms down.
Anselmo’s head showed above a rock and Robert Jordan motioned him up. The old man slipped from rock to rock until he crept up and lay down flat beside the gun.
“Many,” he said. “Many!”
“I do not need the trees,” Robert Jordan said to him. “There is no need for further forestal improvement.”
Both Anselmo and Agustín grinned.
“This has stood scrutiny well and it would be dangerous to plant trees now because those people will return and perhaps they are not stupid.”
He felt the need to talk that, with him, was the sign that there had just been much danger. He could always tell how bad it had been by the strength of the desire to talk that came after.
“It was a good blind, eh?” he said.
“Good,” said Agustín. “To obscenity with all fascism good. We could have killed the four of them. Didst thou see?” he said to Anselmo.
“I saw.”
“Thou,” Robert Jordan said to Anselmo. “Thou must go to the post of yesterday or another good post of thy selection to watch the road and report on all movement as of yesterday. Already we are late in that. Stay until dark. Then come in and we will send another.”
“But the tracks that I will make?”
“Go from below as soon as the snow is gone. The road will be muddied by the snow. Note if there has been much traffic of trucks or if there are tank tracks in the softness on the road. That is all we can tell until you are there to observe.”
“With your permission?” the old man asked.
“Surely.”
“With your permission, would it not be better for me to go into La Granja and inquire there what passed last night and arrange for one to observe today thus in the manner you have taught me? Such a one could report tonight or, better, I could go again to La Granja for the report.”
“Have you no fear of encountering cavalry?”
“Not when the snow is gone.”
“Is there some one in La Granja capable of this?”
“Yes. Of this, yes. It would be a woman. There are various women of trust in La Granja.”
“I believe it,” Agustín said. “More, I know it, and several who serve for other purposes. You do not wish me to go?”
“Let the old man go. You understand this gun and the day is not over.”
“I will go when the snow melts,” Anselmo said. “And the snow is melting fast.”
“What think you of their chance of catching Pablo?” Robert Jordan asked Agustín.
“Pablo is smart,” Agustín said. “Do men catch a wise stag without hounds?”
“Sometimes,” Robert Jordan said.
“Not Pablo,” Agustín said. “Clearly, he is only a garbage of what he once was. But it is not for nothing that he is alive and comfortable in these hills and able to drink himself to death while there are so many others that have died against a wall.”
“Is he as smart as they say?”
“He is much smarter.”
“He has not seemed of great ability here.”
“Cómo qüe no? If he were not of great ability he would have died last night. It seems to me you do not understand politics, Inglés, nor guerilla warfare. In politics and this other the first thing is to continue to exist. Look how he continued to exist last night. And the quantity of dung he ate both from me and from thee.”
Now that Pablo was back in the movements of the unit, Robert Jordan did not wish to talk against him and as soon as he had uttered it he regretted saying the thing about his ability. He knew himself how smart Pablo was. It was Pablo who had seen instantly all that was wrong with the orders for the destruction of the bridge. He had made the remark only from dislike and he knew as he made it that it was wrong. It was part of the talking too much after a strain. So now he dropped the matter and said to Anselmo, “And to go into La Granja in daylight?”