hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第54章
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¨Look at that；〃 he said。 The chauffeur； seeing him looking； started to stop the car。 But he told him to go on。 ¨Keep going to the Embassy；〃 he said。
He had looked at the old couple that lived in the board and palm frond lean…to they had built against the wall that separated the railway track from a tract of ground where the electric company stored coal they unloaded from the harbor。 The wall was black with coal dust from the coal that was hauled overhead on the unloader and it was less than four feet from the roadbed of the railway。 The lean…to was built at a steep slant and there was barely room for two people to lie down in it。 The couple who lived in it were sitting in the entrance cooking coffee in a tin can。 They were Negroes； filthy； scaly with age and dirt； wearing clothing made from old sugar sacks； and they were very old。 He could not see the dog。
¨？Y el perro？〃 he asked the chauffeur。 ¨Since a long time I havenˇt seen him。〃 They had passed these people now for several years。 At one time the girl； whose letters he had read last night； had exclaimed about the shame of it each time they passed the lean…to。
¨Why donˇt you do something about it； then？〃 he had asked her。 ¨Why do you always say things are so terrible and write so well about how terrible they are and never do anything about it？〃
This made the girl angry and she had stopped the car； gotten out； gone over to the lean…to and given the old woman twenty dollars and told her this was to help her find a better place to live and to buy something to eat。
¨Si； se？orita；〃 the old woman said。 ¨You are very amiable。〃
The next time they came by the couple were living in the same place and they waved happily。 They had bought a dog。 It was a white dog too； small and curly； probably not bred originally； Thomas Hudson thought； for the coal dust trade。
¨What do you think has become of the dog？〃 Thomas Hudson asked the chauffeur。
¨It probably died。 They have nothing to eat。〃
¨We must get them another dog；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
Past the lean…to； which was now well behind them； they passed on the left the mud colored plastered walls of the headquarters of the general staff of the Cuban army。 A Cuban soldier with some white blood stood indolently but proudly in his khakis faded from his wifeˇs washings； his campaign hat much neater than General Stillwellˇs； his Springfield at the most comfortable angle across the ill…covered bones of his shoulder。 He looked at the car absently。 Thomas Hudson could see he was cold in the norther。 I suppose he could warm up by walking his post； Thomas Hudson thought。 But if he stays in that exact position and does not waste any energy the sun should be on him soon and that will warm him。 He must not have been in the army very long to be so thin； he thought。 By spring； if we still come by here in the spring； I probably will not recognize him。 That Springfield must be awfully heavy for him。 It is a shame he cannot stand guard with a light plastic gun the way bullfighters now use a wooden sword in their work with the muleta so their wrists will not tire。
¨What about the division that General Benitez was going to lead into battle in Europe？〃 he asked the chauffeur。 ¨Has that division left yet？〃
¨Todav？a no；〃 the chauffeur said。 ¨Not yet。 But the general is practicing learning to ride a motorcycle。 He practices early in the morning along the Malecon。〃
¨It must be a motorized division then；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨What are those packages that the soldiers and officers are carrying as they come out of the Estado Mayor？〃
¨Rice；〃 the chauffeur said。 ¨There was a cargo of rice came in。〃
¨Is it difficult to get now？〃
¨Impossible。 Itˇs in the clouds。〃
¨Do you eat badly now？〃
¨Very badly。〃
¨Why？ You eat at the house。 I pay for everything； no matter how far the price goes up。〃
¨I mean when I eat at home。〃
¨When do you eat at home？〃
¨Sundays。〃
¨Iˇll have to buy you a dog；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨We have a dog；〃 the chauffeur said。 ¨A really beautiful and intelligent dog。 He loves me more than anything in the world。 I cannot move a foot that he does not want to come with me。 But； Mr。 Hudson； you cannot realize nor appreciate； you who have everything； what this war means in suffering to the people of Cuba。〃
¨There must be much hunger。〃
¨You cannot realize it。〃
No； I canˇt； Thomas Hudson thought。 I canˇt realize it at all。 I canˇt realize why there should ever be any hunger in this country ever。 And you； you son of a bitch for the way you look after the motors of cars； you ought to be shot； not fed。 I would shoot you with the greatest of pleasure。 But he said； ¨I will see what I can do about getting you some rice for your house。〃
¨Thank you very much。 You cannot conceive of how hard life is now for us Cubans。〃
¨It must be really bad；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨It is a shame I cannot take you to sea for a rest and a vacation。〃
¨It must be very difficult at sea； too。〃
¨I believe it is；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Sometimes； even on a day such as today； I believe it is。〃
¨We all have our crosses to bear。〃
¨I would like to take my cross and stick it up the culo of a lot of people I know。〃
¨It is necessary to take things with calm and patience； Mr。 Hudson。〃
¨Muchas gracias；〃 said Thomas Hudson。
They had turned into San Isidro street below the main railway station and opposite the entrance to the old P。 and O。 docks where the ships from Miami and Key West used to dock and where the Pan American airways had its terminal when they were still flying the old clippers。 It was abandoned now that the P。 and O。 boats had been taken over by the Navy and Pan American was flying DC…2ˇs and DC…3ˇs to the Rancho Boyeros airport and the Coast Guard and the Cuban navy had their sub chasers tied up where the cuppers used to land。
Thomas Hudson remembered this part of Havana best from the old days。 The part that he loved now had then been just the road to Matanzas； an ugly stretch of town； the castle of Atares； a suburb whose name he did not know； and then a brick road with towns strung along it。 You sped through them so that you did not remember one from another。 Then he had known every bar and dive around this part of town and San Isidro had been the great whorehouse street of the waterfront。 It was dead now； with not a house functioning on it； and had been dead ever since they closed it and shipped all the whores back to Europe。 That great shipment had been the reverse of how Villefranche used to be when the American ships on the Mediterranean station would leave and all the girls would be waving。 When the French ship left Havana with the girls aboard； all the waterfront was crowded and it was not only men that were saying goodbye； waving from the shore； the docks； and the sea wall of the harbor。 There were girls in the chartered launches and the bum…boats that circled the ship and ran alongside her as she went out the channel。 It was very sad； he remembered； although many people thought it was very funny。 Why whores should be funny he had never understood。 The shipment was supposed to be very comic； though。 But many people were sad after the ship had gone and San Isidro street had never recovered。 The name still moved him； he thought； although it was a dull enough street now and you hardly ever saw a white man or woman on it except for truck drivers and delivery cart pushers。 There were gay streets in Havana where only Negroes lived and there were some very tough streets and tough quarters； such as Jes？s y Mar？a； which was just a short distance away。 But this part of town was just as sad as it had been ever since the whores had gone。
Now the car had come out onto the waterfront itself where the ferry that ran across to Regla docked and where the coastwise sailing ships tied up。 The harbor was brown and rough； but the sea that was running did not make whitecaps。 The water was too brown。 But it was fresh and clear brown…looking after the black foulness of the inner parts of the bay。 Looking across it； he saw the calm of the bay that lay in the lee of the hills above Casablanca where the fishing smacks
