百年孤独(英文版)-第79部分

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d　upon　her　as　a　big；。　brokendown　doll　that　they　carried　back　and　forth　from　one　corner　to　another　wrapped　in　colored　cloth　and　with　her　face　painted　with　soot　and　annatto；　and　once　they　were　on　the　point　of　plucking　out　her　eyes　with　the　pruning　shears　as　they　had　done　with　the　frogs。　Nothing　gave　them　as　much　excitement　as　the　wanderings　of　her　mind。　Something；　indeed；　must　have　happened　to　her　mind　during　the　third　year　of　the　rain；　for　she　was　gradually　losing　her　sense　of　reality　and　confusing　present　time　with　remote　periods　of　her　life　to　the　point　where；　on　one　occasion；　she　spent　three　days　weeping　deeply　over　the　death　of　Petronila　Iguarán；　her　greatgrandmother；　buried　for　over　a　century。　She　sank　into　such　an　insane　state　of　confusion　that　she　thought　little　Aureliano　was　her　son　the　colonel　during　the　time　he　was　taken　to　see　ice；　and　that　the　Jos？Arcadio　who　was　at　that　time　in　the　seminary　was　her　firstborn　who　had　gone　off　with　the　gypsies。　She　spoke　so　much　about　the　family　that　the　children　learned　to　make　up　imaginary　visits　with　beings　who　had　not　only　been　dead　for　a　long　time；　but　who　had　existed　at　different　times。　Sitting　on　the　bed；　her　hair　covered　with　ashes　and　her　face　wrapped　in　a　red　kerchief；　？rsula　was　happy　in　the　midst　of　the　unreal　relatives　whom　the　children　described　in　all　detail；　as　if　they　had　really　known　them。　？rsula　would　converse　with　her　forebears　about　events　that　took　place　before　her　own　existence；　enjoying　the　news　they　gave　her；　and　she　would　weep　with　them　over　deaths　that　were　much　more　recent　than　the　guests　themselves。　The　children　did　not　take　long　to　notice　that　in　the　course　of　those　ghostly　visits　？rsula　would　always　ask　a　question　destined　to　establish　the　one　who　had　brought　a　lifesize　plaster　Saint　Joseph　to　the　house　to　be　kept　until　the　rains　stopped。　It　was　in　that　way　that　Aureliano　Segundo　remembered　the　fortune　buried　in　some　place　that　only　？rsula　knew；　but　the　questions　and　astute　maneuvering　that　occurred　to　him　were　of　no　use　because　in　the　labyrinth　of　her　madness　she　seemed　to　preserve　enough　of　a　margin　of　lucidity　to　keep　the　secret　which　she　would　reveal　only　to　the　one　who　could　prove　that　he　was　the　real　owner　of　the　buried　gold。　She　was　so　skillful　and　strict　that　when　Aureliano　Segundo　instructed　one　of　his　carousing　panions　to　pass　himself　off　as　the　owner　of　the　fortune；　she　got　him　all　caught　up　in　a　minute　interrogation　sown　with　subtle　traps。
　　　Convinced　that　？rsula　would　carry　the　secret　to　her　grave；　Aureliano　Segundo　hired　a　crew　of　diggers　under　the　pretext　that　they　were　making　some　drainage　canals　in　the　courtyard　and　the　backyard；　and　he　himself　took　soundings　in　the　earth　with　iron　bars　and　all　manner　of　metaldetectors　without　finding　anything　that　resembled　gold　in　three　months　of　exhaustive　exploration。　Later　on　he　went　to　Pilar　Ternera　with　the　hope　that　the　cards　would　we　more　than　the　diggers；　but　she　began　by　explaining　that　any　attempt　would　be　useless　unless　？rsula　cut　the　cards。　On　the　other　hand；　she　confirmed　the　existence　of　the　treasure　with　the　precision　of　its　consisting　of　seven　thousand　two　hundred　fourteen　coins　buried　in　three　canvas　sacks　reinforced　with　copper　wire　within　a　circle　with　a　radius　of　three　hundred　eightyeight　feet　with　？rsula’s　bed　as　the　center；　but　she　warned　that　it　would　not　be　found　until　it　stopped　raining　and　the　suns　of　three　consecutive　Junes　had　changed　the　piles　of　mud　into　dust。　The　profusion　and　meticulous　vagueness　of　the　information　seemed　to　Aureliano　Segundo　so　similar　to　the　tales　of　spiritualists　that　he　kept　on　with　his　enterprise　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　they　were　in　August　and　they　would　have　to　wait　at　least　three　years　in　order　to　satisfy　the　conditions　of　the　prediction。　The　first　thing　that　startled　him；　even　though　it　increased　his　confusion　at　the　same　time；　was　the　fact　that　it　was　precisely　three　hundred　eightyeight　feet　from　？rsula’s　bed　to　the　backyard　wall。　Fernanda　feared　that　he　was　as　crazy　as　his　twin　brother　when　she　saw　him　taking　the　measurements；　and　even　more　when　he　told　the　digging　crew　to　make　the　ditches　three　feet　deeper。　Overe　by　an　exploratory　delirium　parable　only　to　that　of　his　greatgrandfather　when　he　was　searching　for　the　route　of　inventions；　Aureliano　Segundo　lost　the　last　layers　of　fat　that　he　had　left　and　the　old　resemblance　to　his　twin　brother　was　being　accentuated　again；　not　only　because　of　his　slim　figure；　but　also　because　of　the　distant　air　and　the　withdrawn　attitude。　He　no　longer　bothered　with　the　children。　He　ate　at　odd　hours；　muddled　from　head　to　toe；　and　he　did　so　in　a　corner　in　the　kitchen；　barely　answering　the　occasional　questions　asked　by　Santa　Sofía　de　la　Piedad。　Seeing　him　work　that　way；　as　she　had　never　dreamed　him　capable　of　doing；　Fernanda　thought　that　his　stubbornness　was　diligence；　his　greed　abnegation；　and　his　thickheadedness　perseverance；　and　her　insides　tightened　with　remorse　over　the　virulence　with　which　she　had　attacked　his　idleness。　But　Aureliano　Segundo　was　in　no　mood　for　merciful　reconciliations　at　that　time。　Sunk　up　to　his　neck　in　a　morass　of　dead　brandies　and　rotting　flowers；　he　flung　the　dirt　of　the　garden　all　about　after　having　finished　with　the　courtyard　and　the　backyard；　and　he　excavated　so　deeply　under　the　foundations　of　the　east　wing　of　the　house　that　one　night　they　woke　up　in　terror　at　what　seemed　to　be　an　earthquake；　as　much　because　of　the　trembling　as　the　fearful　underground　creaking。　Three　of　the　rooms　were　collapsing　and　a　frightening　crack　had　opened　up　from　the　porch　to　Fernanda’s　room。　Aureliano　Segundo　did　not　give　up　the　search　because　of　that。　Even　when　his　last　hopes　had　been　extinguished　and　the　only　thing　that　seemed　to　make　any　sense　was　what　the　cards　had　predicted；　he　reinforced　the　jagged　foundation；　repaired　the　crack　with　mortar；　and　continued　on　the　side　to　the　west。　He　was　still　there　on　the　second　week　of　the　following　June　when　the　rain　began　to　abate　and　the　clouds　began　to　lift　and　it　was　obvious　from　one　moment　to　the　next　that　it　was　going　to　clear。　That　was　what　happened。　On　Friday　at　two　in　the　afternoon　the　world　lighted　up　with　a　crazy　crimson　sun　as　harsh　as　brick　dust　and　almost　as　cool　as　water；　and　it　did　not　rain　again　for　ten　years。
　　　Macondo　was　in　ruins。　In　the　swampy　streets　there　were　the　remains　of　furniture；　animal　skeletons　covered　with　red　lilies；　the　last　memories　of　the　hordes　of　newers　who　had　fled　Macondo　as　wildly　as　they　had　arrived。　The　houses　that　had　been　built　with　such　haste　during　the　banana　fever　had　been　abandoned。　The　banana　pany　tore　down　its　installations。　All　that　remained　of　the　former　wiredin　city　were　the　ruins。　The　wooden　houses；　the　cool　terraces　for　breezy　cardplaying　afternoons；　seemed　to　have　been　blown　away　in　an　anticipation　of　the　prophetic　wind　that　years　later　would　wipe　Macondo　off　the　face　of　the　earth。　The　only　human　trace　left　by　that　voracious　blast　was　a　glove　belonging　to　Patricia　Brown　in　an　automobile　smothered　in　wild　pansies。　The　enchanted　region　explored　by　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　in　the　days　of　the　founding；　where　later　on　the　banana　plantations　flourished；　was　a　bog　of　rotting　roots；　on　the　horizon　of　which　one　could　manage　to　see　the　silent　foam　of　the　sea。　Aureliano　Segundo　went　through　a　crisis　of　affliction　on　the　first　Sunday　that　he　put　on　dry　clothes　and　went　out　to　renew　his　acquaintance　with　the　town。　The　survivors　of　the　catastrophe；　the　same　ones　who　had　been　living　in　Macondo　before　it　had　been　struck　by　the　banana　pany　hurricane；　were　sitting　in　the　middle　of　the　street　enjoying　their　first　sunshine。　They　still　had　the　green　of　the　algae　on　their　skin　and　the　musty　smell　of　a　corner　that　had　been　stamped　on　them　by　the　rain；　but　in　their　hearts　they　seemed　happy　to　have　recovered　the　town　in　which　they　had　been　born。　The　Street　of　the　Turks　was　again　what　it　had　been　earlier；　in　the　days　when　the　Arabs　with　slippers　and　rings　in　their　ears　were　going　about　the　world　swapping　knickknacks　for　macaws　and　had　found　in　Macondo　a　good　bend　in　the　road　where　they　could　find　respite　from　their　ageold　lot　as　wanderers。　Having　crossed　through　to　the　other　side　of　the　rain。　the　merchandise　in　the　booths　was　falling　apart；　t