For Whom The Bell Tolls

He looked out across the narrow oblong, noting the height of the rocks on either side.

"It must be farther," he said, "farther out. Good. Here. That will do until it can be done properly. There. Put the stones there. Here is one. Put another there at the side. Leave room for the muzzle to swing. The stone must be farther to this side. Anselmo. Get thee down to the cave and bring me an ax. Quickly."

"Have you never had a proper emplacement for the gun?" he said to Agustin.

"We always placed it here."

"Kashkin never said to put it there?"

"No. The gun was brought after he left."

"Did no one bring it who knew how to use it?"

"No. It was brought by porters."

"What a way to do things," Robert Jordan said. "It was just given to you without instruction?"

"Yes, as a gift might be given. One for us and one for El Sordo. Four men brought them. Anselmo guided them."

"It was a wonder they did not lose them with four men to cross the lines."

"I thought so, too," Agustin said. "I thought those who sent them meant for them to be lost. But Anselmo brought them well."

"You know how to handle it?"

"Yes. I have experimented. I know. Pablo knows. Primitivo knows. So does Fernando. We have made a study of taking it apart and putting it together on the table in the cave. Once we had it apart and could not get it together for two days. Since then we have not had it apart."

"Does it shoot now?"

"Yes. But we do not let the gypsy nor others frig with it."

"You see? From there it was useless," he said. "Look. Those rocks which should protect your flanks give cover to those who will attack you. With such a gun you must seek a flatness over which to fire. Also you must take them sideways. See? Look now. All that is dominated."

"I see," said Agustin. "But we have never fought in defense except when our town was taken. At the train there were soldiers with the maquina."

"Then we will all learn together," Robert Jordan said. "There are a few things to observe. Where is the gypsy who should be here?"

"I do not know."

"Where is it possible for him to be?"

"I do not know."

Pablo had ridden out through the pass and turned once and ridden in a circle across the level space at the top that was the field of fire for the automatic rifle. Now Robert Jordan watched him riding down the slope alongside the tracks the horse had left when he was ridden in. He disappeared in the trees turning to the left.

I hope he doesn't run right into cavalry, Robert Jordan thought. I'm afraid we'd have him right here in our laps.

Primitivo brought the pine branches and Robert Jordan stuck them through the snow into the unfrozen earth, arching them over the gun from either side.

"Bring more," he said. "There must be cover for the two men who serve it. This is not good but it will serve until the ax comes. Listen," he said, "if you hear a plane lie flat wherever thou art in the shadows of the rocks. I am here with the gun."

Now with the sun up and the warm wind blowing it was pleasant on the side of the rocks where the sun shone. Four horses, Robert Jordan thought. The two women and me, Anselmo, Primitivo, Fernando, Agustin, what the hell is the name of the other brother? That's eight. Not counting the gypsy. Makes nine. Plus Pablo gone with one horse makes ten. Andres is his name. The other brother. Plus the other, Eladio. Makes ten. That's not one-half a horse apiece. Three men can hold this and four can get away. Five with Pablo. That's two left over. Three with Eladio. Where the hell is he?

God knows what will happen to Sordo today if they picked up the trail of those horses in the snow. That was tough; the snow stopping that way. But it melting today will even things up. But not for Sordo. I'm afraid it's too late to even it up for Sordo.

If we can last through today and not have to fight we can swing the whole show tomorrow with what we have. I know we can. Not well, maybe. Not as it should be, to be foolproof, not as we would have done; but using everybody we can swing it. If we don't have to fight today. God help us if we have to fight today.

I don't know any place better to lay up in the meantime than this. If we move now we only leave tracks. This is as good a place as any and if the worst gets to be the worst there are three ways out of this place. There is the dark then to come and from wherever we are in these hills, I can reach and do the bridge at daylight. I don't know why I worried about it before. It seems easy enough now. I hope they get the planes up on time for once. I certainly hope that. Tomorrow is going to be a day with dust on the road.