“Yes. It is ingenious.”
“Now,” he drew two large wheels with circles around them and a short line for a gun barrel. “These are anti-tanks. They have rubber tires. Mark for them. These are anti-aircraft,” two wheels with the gun barrel slanted up. “Mark for them also. Do you understand? Have you seen such guns?”
“Yes,” Anselmo said. “Of course. It is clear.”
“Take the gypsy with you that he will know from what point you will be watching so you may be relieved. Pick a place that is safe, not too close and from where you can see well and comfortably. Stay until you are relieved.”
“I understand.”
“Good. And that when you come back, I should know everything that moved upon the road. One paper is for movement up. One is for movement down the road.”
They walked over toward the cave.
“Send Rafael to me,” Robert Jordan said and waited by the tree. He watched Anselmo go into the cave, the blanket falling behind him. The gypsy sauntered out, wiping his mouth with his hand.
“Qué tal?” the gypsy said. “Did you divert yourself last night?”
“I slept.”
“Less bad,” the gypsy said and grinned. “Have you a cigarette?”
“Listen,” Robert Jordan said and felt in his pocket for the cigarettes. “I wish you to go with Anselmo to a place from which he will observe the road. There you will leave him, noting the place in order that you may guide me to it or guide whoever will relieve him later. You will then go to where you can observe the saw mill and note if there are any changes in the post there.”
“What changes?”
“How many men are there now?”
“Eight. The last I knew.”
“See how many are there now. See at what intervals the guard is relieved at that bridge.”
“Intervals?”
“How many hours the guard stays on and at what time a change is made.”
“I have no watch.”
“Take mine.” He unstrapped it.
“What a watch,” Rafael said admiringly. “Look at what complications. Such a watch should be able to read and write. Look at what complications of numbers. It’s a watch to end watches.”
“Don’t fool with it,” Robert Jordan said. “Can you tell time?”
“Why not? Twelve o’clock mid-day. Hunger. Twelve o’clock midnight. Sleep. Six o’clock in the morning, hunger. Six o’clock at night, drunk. With luck. Ten o’clock at night–”
“Shut up,” Robert Jordan said. “You don’t need to be a clown. I want you to check on the guard at the big bridge and the post on the road below in the same manner as the post and the guard at the saw mill and the small bridge.”
“It is much work,” the gypsy smiled. “You are sure there is no one you would rather send than me?”
“No, Rafael. It is very important. That you should do it very carefully and keeping out of sight with care.”
“I believe I will keep out of sight,” the gypsy said. “Why do you tell me to keep out of sight? You think I want to be shot?”
“Take things a little seriously,” Robert Jordan said. “This is serious.”
“Thou askest me to take things seriously? After what thou didst last night? When thou needest to kill a man and instead did what you did? You were supposed to kill one, not make one! When we have just seen the sky full of airplanes of a quantity to kill us back to our grandfathers and forward to all unborn grandsons including all cats, goats and bedbugs. Airplanes making a noise to curdle the milk in your mother’s breasts as they pass over darkening the sky and roaring like lions and you ask me to take things seriously. I take them too seriously already.”
“All right,” said Robert Jordan and laughed and put his hand on the gypsy’s shoulder. “Don’t take them too seriously then. Now finish your breakfast and go.”
“And thou?” the gypsy asked. “What do you do?”
“I go to see El Sordo.”
“After those airplanes it is very possible that thou wilt find nobody in the whole mountains,” the gypsy said. “There must have been many people sweating the big drop this morning when those passed.”