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chief and would have nothing to do with dope traffic or prostitution。 In this Don Tommasino was at odds with the new breed of Mafia leaders springing up in big cities like Palermo； new men who； influenced by American gangsters deported to Italy； had no such scruples。
The Mafia chief was an extremely portly man； a 〃man with a belly；〃 literally as well as is the figurative sense that meant a man able to inspire fear in his fellow men。 Under his protection； Michael had nothing to fear； yet it was considered necessary to keep the fugitive's identity a secret。 And so Michael was restricted to the walled estate of Dr。 Taza； the Don's uncle。
Dr。 Taza was tall for a Sicilian； almost six feet； and had ruddy cheeks and snow…white hair。 Though in his seventies； he went every week to Palermo to pay his respects to the younger prostitutes of that city； the younger the better。 Dr。 Taza's other vice was reading。 He read everything and talked about what he read to his fellow townsmen； patients who were illiterate （scanned and fully proofed by iliter8） peasants； the estate shepherds； and this gave him a local reputation for foolishness。 What did books have to do with them？
In the evenings Dr。 Taza； Don Tommasino and Michael sat in the huge garden populated with these marble statues that on this island seemed to grow out of the garden as magically as the black heady grapes。 Dr。 Taza loved to tell stories about the Mafia and its exploits over the centuries and in Michael Corleone he had a fascinated listener。 There were times when even Don Tommasino would be carried away by the balmy air； the fruity； intoxicating wine； the elegant and quiet fort of the garden； and tell a story from his own practical experience。 The doctor was the legend； the Don the reality。
In this antique garden； Michael Corleone learned about the roots from which his father grew。 That the word 〃Mafia〃 had originally meant place of refuge。 Then it became the name for the secret organization that sprang up to fight against the rulers who had crushed the country and its people for centuries。 Sicily was a land that had been more cruelly raped than any other in history。 The Inquisition had tortured rich and poor alike。 The landowning barons and the princes of the Catholic Church exercised absolute power over the shepherds and farmers。 The police were the instruments of their power and so identified with them that to be called a policeman is the foulest insult one Sicilian can hurl at another。
Faced with the savagery of this absolute power； the suffering people learned never to betray their anger and their hatred for fear of being crushed。 They learned never to make themselves vulnerable by uttering any sort of threat since giving such a warning insured a quick reprisal。 They learned that society was their enemy and so when they sought redress for their wrongs they went to the rebel underground； the Mafia。 And the Mafia cemented its power by originating the law of silence； the omerta。 In the countryside of Sicily a stranger asking directions to the nearest town will not even receive the courtesy of an answer。 And the greatest crime any member of the Mafia could mit would be to tell the police the name of the man who had just shot him or done him any kind of injury。 Omerta became the religion of the people。 A woman whose husband has been murdered would not tell the police the name of her husband's murderer； not even of her child's murderer；； her daughter's raper。
Justice had never been forthing from the authorities and so the people had always gone to the Robin Hood Mafia。 And to some extent the Mafia still fulfilled this role。 People turned to their local capo…mafioso for help in every emergency。 He was their social worker； their district captain ready with a basket of food and a job； their protector。
But what Dr。 Taza did not add； what Michael learned on his own in the months that followed； was that the Mafia in Sicily had bee the illegal arm of the rich and even the auxiliary police of the legal and political structure。 It had bee a degenerate capitalist structure； anti…munist； anti…liberal； placing its own taxes on every form of business endeavor no matter how small。
Michael Corleone understood for the first time why men like his father chose to bee thieves and murderers rather than members of the legal society。 The poverty and fear and degradation were too awful to be acceptable to any man of spirit。 And in America some emigrating Sicilians had assumed there would be an equally cruel authority。
Dr。 Taza offered to take Michael into Palermo with him on his weekly visit to the bordello but Michael refused。 His flight to Sicily had prevented him from getting proper medical treatment for his smashed jaw and he now carried a memento from Captain McCluskey on the left side of his face。 The bones had knitted badly； throwing his profile askew； giving him the appearance of depravity when viewed from that side。 He had always been vain about his looks and this upset him more than he thought possible。 The pain that came and went he didn't mind at all； Dr。 Taza gave him some pills that deadened it。 Taza offered to treat his face but Michael refused。 He had been there long enough to learn that Dr。 Taza was perhaps the worst physician in Sicily。 Dr。 Taza read everything but his medical literature； which he admitted he could not understand。 He had passed his medical exams through the good offices of the most important Mafia chief in Sicily who had made a special trip to Palermo to confer with Taza's professors about what grades they should give him。 And this too showed how the Mafia in Sicily was cancerous to the society it inhabited。 Merit meant nothing。 Talent meant nothing。 Work meant nothing。 The Mafia Godfather gave you your profession as a gift。
Michael had plenty of time to think things out。 During the day he took walks in the countryside； always acpanied by two of the shepherds attached to Don Tommasino's estate。 The shepherds of the island were often recruited to act as the Mafia's hired killers and did their job simply to earn money to live。 Michael thought about his father's organization。 If it continued to prosper it would grow into what had happened here on this island； so cancerous that it would destroy the whole country。 Sicily was already a land of ghosts； its men emigrating to every other country on earth to be able to earn their bread； or simply to escape being murdered for exercising their political and economic freedoms。
On his long walks the most striking thing in Michael's eyes was the magnificent beauty of the country； he walked through the orange orchards that formed shady deep caverns through the countryside with their ancient conduits splashing water out of the fanged mouths of great snake stones carved before Christ。 Houses built like ancient Roman villas； with huge marble portals and great vaulted rooms； falling into ruins or inhabited by stray sheep。 On the horizon the bony hills shone like picked bleached bones piled high。 Gardens and fields； sparkly green； decorated the desert landscape like bright emerald necklaces。 And sometimes he walked as far as the town of Corleone； its eighteen thousa