按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃Is it important？〃 Robert Jordan said。 〃I was only trying to be truthful about it。〃
〃It is regretful；〃 Karkov had said。 〃But it is one of the things that makes people be treated as reliable who would ordinarily have to spend much more time before attaining that category。〃
〃Am I supposed to be reliable？〃
〃In your work you are supposed to be very reliable。 I must talk to you sometime to see how you are in your mind。 It is regrettable that we never speak seriously。〃
〃My mind is in suspension until we win the war；〃 Robert Jordan had said。
〃Then perhaps you will not need it for a long time。 But you should be careful to exercise it a little。〃
〃I read _Mundo Obrero_；〃 Robert Jordan had told him and Karkov had said； 〃All right。 Good。 I can take a joke too。 But there are very intelligent things in _Mundo Obrero_。 The only intelligent things written on this war。〃
〃Yes；〃 Robert Jordan had said。 〃I agree with you。 But to get a full picture of what is happening you cannot read only the party organ。〃
〃No；〃 Karkov had said。 〃But you will not find any such picture if you read twenty papers and then； if you had it； I do not know what you would do with it。 I have such a picture almost constantly and what I do is try to forget it。〃
〃You think it is that bad？〃
〃It is better now than it was。 We are getting rid of some of the worst。 But it is very rotten。 We are building a huge army now and some of the elements； those of Modesto； of El Campesino； of Lister and of Dur醤； are reliable。 They are more than reliable。 They are magnificent。 You will see that。 Also we still have the Brigades although their role is changing。 But an army that is made up of good and bad elements cannot win a war。 All must be brought to a certain level of political development； all must know why they are fighting； and its importance。 All must believe in the fight they are to make and all must accept discipline。 We are making a huge conscript army without the time to implant the discipline that a conscript army must have； to behave properly under fire。 We call it a people's army but it will not have the assets of a true people's army and it will not have the iron discipline that a conscript army needs。 You will see。 It is a very dangerous procedure。〃
〃You are not very cheerful today。〃
〃No；〃 Karkov had said。 〃I have just come back from Valencia where I have seen many people。 No one comes back very cheerful from Valencia。 In Madrid you feel good and clean and with no possibility of anything but winning。 Valencia is something else。 The cowards who fled from Madrid still govern there。 They have settled happily into the sloth and bureaucracy of governing。 They have only contempt for those of Madrid。 Their obsession now is the weakening of the commissariat for war。 And Barcelona。 You should see Barcelona。〃
〃How is it？〃
〃It is all still comic opera。 First it was the paradise of the crackpots and the romantic revolutionists。 Now it is the paradise of the fake soldier。 The soldiers who like to wear uniforms； who like to strut and swagger and wear red…and…black scarves。 Who like everything about war except to fight。 Valencia makes you sick and Barcelona makes you laugh。〃
〃What about the P。O。U。M。 putsch？〃
〃The P。O。U。M。 was never serious。 It was a heresy of crackpots and wild men and it was really just an infantilism。 There were some honest misguided people。 There was one fairly good brain and there was a little fascist money。 Not much。 The poor P。O。U。M。 They were very silly people。〃
〃But were many killed in the putsch？〃
〃Not so many as were shot afterwards or will be shot。 The P。O。U。M。 It is like the name。 Not serious。 They should have called it the M。U。M。P。S。 or the M。E。A。S。L。E。S。 But no。 The Measles is much more dangerous。 It can affect both sight and hearing。 But they made one plot you know to kill me； to kill Walter； to kill Modesto and to kill Prieto。 You see how badly mixed up they were？ We are not at all alike。 Poor P。O。U。M。 They never did kill anybody。 Not at the front nor anywhere else。 A few in Barcelona； yes。〃
〃Were you there？〃
〃Yes。 I have sent a cable describing the wickedness of that infamous organization of Trotskyite murderers and their fascist machinations all beneath contempt but； between us； it is not very serious； the P。O。U。M。 Nin was their only man。 We had him but he escaped from our hands。〃
〃Where is he now？〃
〃In Paris。 We say he is in Paris。 He was a very pleasant fellow but with bad political aberrations。〃
〃But they were in communication with the fascists； weren't they？〃
〃Who is not？〃
〃We are not。〃
〃Who knows？ I hope we are not。 You go often behind their lines；〃 he grinned。 〃But the brother of one of the secretaries of the Republican Embassy at Paris made a trip to St。 Jean de Luz last week to meet people from Burgos。〃
〃I like it better at the front；〃 Robert Jordan had said。 〃The closer to the front the better the people。〃
〃How do you like it behind the fascist lines？〃
〃Very much。 We have fine people there。〃
〃Well； you see they must have their fine people behind our lines the same way。 We find them and shoot them and they find ours and shoot them。 When you are in their country you must always think of how many people they must send over to us。〃
〃I have thought about them。〃
〃Well；〃 Karkov had said。 〃You have probably enough to think about for today； so drink that beer that is left in the pitcher and run along now because I have to go upstairs to see people。 Upstairs people。 Come again to see me soon。〃
Yes； Robert Jordan thought。 You learned a lot at Gaylord's。 Karkov had read the one and only book he had published。 The book had not been a success。 It was only two hundred pages long and he doubted if two thousand people had ever read it。 He had put in it what he had discovered about Spain in ten years of travelling in it； on foot； in third…class carriages； by bus； on horse… and mule…back and in trucks。 He knew the Basque country； Navarre； Aragon； Galicia； the two Castiles and Estremadura well。 There had been such good books written by Borrow and Ford and the rest that he had been able to add very little。 But Karkov said it was a good book。
〃It is why I bother with you；〃 he said。 〃I think you write absolutely truly and that is very rare。 So I would like you to know some things。〃
All right。 He would write a book when he got through with this。 But only about the things he knew； truly； and about what he knew。 But I will have to be a much better writer than I am now to handle them； he thought。 The things he had come to know in this war were not so simple。
19
〃What do you do sitting there？〃 Maria asked him。 She was standing close beside him and he turned his head and smiled at her。
〃Nothing；〃 he said。 〃I have been thinking。〃
〃What of？ The bridge？〃
〃No。 The bridge is terminated。 Of thee and of a hotel in Madrid where I know some Russians； and of a book I will write some time。〃
〃Are there many Russians in Madrid？〃
〃No。 Very few。〃
〃But in the fascist periodicals it says there are hundreds of thousands。〃
〃Those are lies。 There are very few。〃
〃Do you like the Russians？ The one who was here was a Russian。〃
〃Did you like him？〃
〃Yes。 I was sick then but I thought he was very beaut