百年孤独(英文版)-第46部分

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d　for　most　and　went　dragging　along　in　turbulent　confusion　behind　Melquíades？magical　irons。　“Things　have　a　life　of　their　own；？the　gypsy　proclaimed　with　a　harsh　accent。　“It’s　simply　a　matter　of　waking　up　their　souls。？Jos？Arcadio　Buendía；　whose　unbridled　imagination　always　went　beyond　the　genius　of　nature　and　even　beyond　miracles　and　magic；　thought　that　it　would　be　possible　to　make　use　of　that　useless　invention　to　extract　gold　from　the　bowels　of　the　earth。　Melquíades；　who　was　an　honest　man；　warned　him：　“It　won’t　work　for　that。？But　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　at　that　time　did　not　believe　in　the　honesty　of　gypsies；　so　he　traded　his　mule　and　a　pair　of　goats　for　the　two　magnetized　ingots。　？rsula　Iguarán；　his　wife；　who　relied　on　those　animals　to　increase　their　poor　domestic　holdings；　was　unable　to　dissuade　him。　“Very　soon　well　have　gold　enough　and　more　to　pave　the　floors　of　the　house；？her　husband　replied。　For　several　months　he　worked　hard　to　demonstrate　the　truth　of　his　idea。　He　explored　every　inch　of　the　region；　even　the　riverbed；　dragging　the　two　iron　ingots　along　and　reciting　Melquíades？incantation　aloud。　The　only　thing　he　succeeded　in　doing　was　to　unearth　a　suit　of　fifteenth…century　armor　which　had　all　of　its　pieces　soldered　together　with　rust　and　inside　of　which　there　was　the　hollow　resonance　of　an　enormous　stone…filled　gourd。　When　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　and　the　four　men　of　his　expedition　managed　to　take　the　armor　apart；　they　found　inside　a　calcified　skeleton　with　a　copper　locket　containing　a　woman’s　hair　around　its　neck。
　　　In　March　the　gypsies　returned。　This　time　they　brought　a　telescope　and　a　magnifying　glass　the　size　of　a　drum；　which　they　exhibited　as　the　latest　discovery　of　the　Jews　of　Amsterdam。　They　placed　a　gypsy　woman　at　one　end　of　the　village　and　set　up　the　telescope　at　the　entrance　to　the　tent。　For　the　price　of　five　reales；　people　could　look　into　the　telescope　and　see　the　gypsy　woman　an　arm’s　length　away。　“Science　has　eliminated　distance；？Melquíades　proclaimed。　“In　a　short　time；　man　will　be　able　to　see　what　is　happening　in　any　place　in　the　world　without　leaving　his　own　house。？A　burning　noonday　sun　brought　out　a　startling　demonstration　with　the　gigantic　magnifying　glass：　they　put　a　pile　of　dry　hay　in　the　middle　of　the　street　and　set　it　on　fire　by　concentrating　the　sun’s　rays。　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía；　who　had　still　not　been　consoled　for　the　failure　of　big　magnets；　conceived　the　idea　of　using　that　invention　as　a　weapon　of　war。　Again　Melquíades　tried　to　dissuade　him；　but　he　finally　accepted　the　two　magnetized　ingots　and　three　colonial　coins　in　exchange　for　the　magnifying　glass。　？rsula　wept　in　consternation。　That　money　was　from　a　chest　of　gold　coins　that　her　father　had　put　together　ova　an　entire　life　of　privation　and　that　she　had　buried　underneath　her　bed　in　hopes　of　a　proper　occasion　to　make　use　of　it。　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　made　no　at。　tempt　to　console　her；　pletely　absorbed　in　his　tactical　experiments　with　the　abnegation　of　a　scientist　and　even　at　the　risk　of　his　own　life。　In　an　attempt　to　show　the　effects　of　the　glass　on　enemy　troops；　he　exposed　himself　to　the　concentration　of　the　sun’s　rays　and　suffered　burns　which　turned　into　sores　that　took　a　long　time　to　heal。　Over　the　protests　of　his　wife；　who　was　alarmed　at　such　a　dangerous　invention；　at　one　point　he　was　ready　to　set　the　house　on　fire。　He　would　spend　hours　on　end　in　his　room；　calculating　the　strategic　possibilities　of　his　novel　weapon　until　he　succeeded　in　putting　together　a　manual　of　startling　instructional　clarity　and　an　irresistible　power　of　conviction。　He　sent　it　to　the　government；　acpanied　by　numerous　descriptions　of　his　experiments　and　several　pages　of　explanatory　sketches；　by　a　messenger　who　crossed　the　mountains；　got　lost　in　measureless　swamps；　forded　stormy　rivers；　and　was　on　the　point　of　perishing　under　the　lash　of　despair；　plague；　and　wild　beasts　until　he　found　a　route　that　joined　the　one　used　by　the　mules　that　carried　the　mail。　In　spite　of　the　fact　that　a　trip　to　the　capital　was　little　less　than　impossible　at　that　time；　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　promised　to　undertake　it　as　soon　as　the　government　ordered　him　to　so　that　he　could　put　on　some　practical　demonstrations　of　his　invention　for　the　military　authorities　and　could　train　them　himself　in　the　plicated　art　of　solar　war。　For　several　years　he　waited　for　an　answer。　Finally；　tired　of　waiting；　he　bemoaned　to　Melquíades　the　failure　of　his　project　and　the　gypsy　then　gave　him　a　convincing　proof　of　his　honesty：　he　gave　him　back　the　doubloons　in　exchange　for　the　magnifying　glass；　and　he　left　him　in　addition　some　Portuguese　maps　and　several　instruments　of　navigation。　In　his　own　handwriting　he　set　down　a　concise　synthesis　of　the　studies　by　Monk　Hermann。　which　he　left　Jos？Arcadio　so　that　he　would　be　able　to　make　use　of　the　astrolabe；　the　pass；　and　the　sextant。　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　spent　the　long　months　of　the　rainy　season　shut　up　in　a　small　room　that　he　had　built　in　the　rear　of　the　house　so　that　no　one　would　disturb　his　experiments。　Having　pletely　abandoned　his　domestic　obligations；　he　spent　entire　nights　in　the　courtyard　watching　the　course　of　the　stars　and　he　almost　contracted　sunstroke　from　trying　to　establish　an　exact　method　to　ascertain　noon。　When　he　became　an　expert　in　the　use　and　manipulation　of　his　instruments；　he　conceived　a　notion　of　space　that　allowed　him　to　navigate　across　unknown　seas；　to　visit　uninhabited　territories；　and　to　establish　relations　with　splendid　beings　without　having　to　leave　his　study。　That　was　the　period　in　which　he　acquired　the　habit　of　talking　to　himself；　of　walking　through　the　house　without　paying　attention　to　anyone；　as　？rsula　and　the　children　broke　their　backs　in　the　garden；　growing　banana　and　caladium；　cassava　and　yams；　ahuyama　roots　and　eggplants。　Suddenly；　without　warning；　his　feverish　activity　was　interrupted　and　was　replaced　by　a　kind　of　fascination。　He　spent　several　days　as　if　he　were　bewitched；　softly　repeating　to　himself　a　string　of　fearful　conjectures　without　giving　credit　to　his　own　understanding。　Finally；　one　Tuesday　in　December；　at　lunchtime；　all　at　once　he　released　the　whole　weight　of　his　torment。　The　children　would　remember　for　the　rest　of　their　lives　the　august　solemnity　with　which　their　father；　devastated　by　his　prolonged　vigil　and　by　the　wrath　of　his　imagination；　revealed　his　discovery　to　them：
　　　“The　earth　is　round；　like　an　orange。？
　　　？rsula　lost　her　patience。　“If　you　have　to　go　crazy；　please　go　crazy　all　by　yourself！？she　shouted。　“But　don’t　try　to　put　your　gypsy　ideas　into　the　heads　of　the　children。？Jos？Arcadio　Buendía；　impassive；　did　not　let　himself　be　frightened　by　the　desperation　of　his　wife；　who；　in　a　seizure　of　rage；　mashed　the　astrolabe　against　the　floor。　He　built　another　one；　he　gathered　the　men　of　the　village　in　his　little　room；　and　he　demonstrated　to　them；　with　theories　that　none　of　them　could　understand；　the　possibility　of　returning　to　where　one　had　set　out　by　consistently　sailing　east。　The　whole　village　was　convinced　that　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　had　lost　his　reason；　when　Melquíades　returned　to　set　things　straight。　He　gave　public　praise　to　the　intelligence　of　a　man　who　from　pure　astronomical　speculation　had　evolved　a　theory　that　had　already　been　proved　in　practice；　although　unknown　in　Macondo　until　then；　and　as　a　proof　of　his　admiration　he　made　him　a　gift　that　was　to　have　a　profound　influence　on　the　future　of　the　village：　the　laboratory　of　an　alchemist。
　　　By　then　Melquíades　had　aged　with　surprising　rapidity。　On　his　first　trips　he　seemed　to　be　the　same　age　as　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía。　But　while　the　latter　had　preserved　his　extraordinary　strength；　which　permitted　him　to　pull　down　a　horse　by　grabbing　its　ears；　the　gypsy　seemed　to　have　been　worn　dowse　by　some　tenacious　illness。　It　was；　in　reality；　the　result　of　multiple　and　rare　diseases　contracted　on　his　innumerable　trips　around　the　world。　According　to　what　he　himself　said　as　he　spoke　to　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　while　helping　him　set　up　the　laboratory；　death　followed　him　everywhere；　sniffing　at　the　cuffs　of　his　pants；　but　never　deciding　to　give　him　the　final　clutch　of　its　claws。　He　was　a　fugitive　from　all　the　plagues　and　catastrophes　that　had　ever　lashed　mankind。　He　had　survived　pellagra　in　Persia；　scurvy　in　the　Malayan　archipelago；　leprosy　in　Alexandria；　beriberi　in　Japan；　bubonic　plague　in　Madagascar；　an　earthquake　in　Sicily；　and　a　disastrous　shipwreck　in　the　Strait　of　Magellan。　That　prodigious　creature；　said　to　possess　the　keys　of　Nostradamus；　was　a　gloomy　man；　enveloped　in　a　sad　aura；　with　an　Asiatic　look　that　seemed　to　know　what　there　was　on　the　other　side　of　things。　He　wore　a　large　black　hat　that　looked　like　a　raven　with　widespread　wings；　and　a　velvet　vest　across　which　the　patina　of　the　centuries　had　skated。　But　in　spite　of　his　immense　wisdom　and　his　mysterious　breadth；　he　had　a　human　burden；　an　earthly　condition　that　kept　him　involved　in　the　small　problems　of　daily　life。　He　would　plain　of　the　ailments　of　old　age；　he　suffered　from　the　most　insignificant　economic　difficulties；　and　he　had　stopped　laughing　a　long　time　back　because　scurvy　had　made　his　teeth　drop　out。　On　that　suffocating　noontime　when　the　gypsy　revealed　his　secrets；　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　had　the　certainty　that　it　was　the　beginning　of　a　great　friendship。　The　children　were　startled　by　his　fantastic　stories。　Aureliano；　who　could　not　have　been　more　than　five　at　the　time；　would　remember　him　for　the　rest　of　his　life　as　he　saw　him　that　afternoon；　sitting　against　the　metallic　and　quivering　light　from　the　window；　lighting　up　with　his　deep　organ　voice　the　darkest　reaches　of　the　imagination；　while　down　over　his　temples　there　flowed　the　grease　that　was　being　melted　by　the　heat。　Jos？Arcadio；　his　older　brother；　would　pass　on　that　wonderful　image　as　a　hereditary　memory　to　all　of　his　descendants。　？rsula　on　the　other　hand；　held　a　bad　memory　of　that　visit；　for　she　had　entered　the　room　just　as　Melquíades　had　carelessly　broken　a　flask　of　bichloride　of　mercury。
　　　“It’s　the　smell　of　the　devil；？she　said。
　　　“Not　at　all；？Melquíades　corrected　her。　“It　has　been　proven　that　the　devil　has　sulphuric　properties　and　this　is　just　a　little　corrosive　sublimate。？
　　　Always　didactic；　he　went　into　a　learned　exposition　of　the　diabolical　properties　of　cinnabar；　but　？rsula　paid　no　attention　to　him；　although　she　took　the　children　off　to　pray。　That　biting　odor　would　stay　forever　in　her　mind　linked　to　the　memory　of　Melquíades。
　　　The　rudimentary　laboratory—in　addition　to　a　profusion　of　pots；　funnels；　retorts；　filters；　and　sieves—was　made　up　of　a　primitive　water　pipe；　a　glass　beaker　with　a　long；　thin　neck；　a　reproduction　of　the　philosopher’s　egg；　and　a　still　the　gypsies　themselves　had　built　in　accordance　with　modern　descriptions　of　the　three…armed　alembic　of　Mary　the　Jew。　Along　with　those　items；　Melquíades　left　samples　of　the　seven　metals　that　corresponded　to　the　seven　planets；　the　formulas　of　Moses　and　Zosimus　for　doubling　the　quantity　of　gold；　and　a　set　of　notes　and　sketches　concerning　the　processes　of　the　Great　Teaching　that　would　permit　those　who　could　interpret　them　to　undertake　the　manufacture　of　the　philosopher’s　stone。　Seduced　by　the　simplicity　of　the　formulas　to　double　the　quantity　of　gold；　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　paid　court　to　？rsula　for　several　weeks　so　that　she　would　let　hi