El escapulario 4

- III -

El escapulario ~ The Scapulary escrito por Fernán Caballero

- V -

Ortografía original ~ Publicado en Nueva York, 1901 ~ [1]

Capítulo Cuarto. ‎— Un día, después del rancho — continuó el soldado — estábamos unos cuantos de charla; yo había bebido un trago y estaba chispo; la verdad se ha de decir, tanto más en estas ocasiones en las que no es el hombre el que obra, sino el compañero que lleva consigo. Había yo emprendido la conversación con un lebrijano, que no estaba chispo como yo, sino borracho, y no paraba de poner por las nubes la torre de la iglesia de su pueblo. ‎— "Ya se ve" — le dije yo — "como que están ustedes los lebrijanos tan ufanos con la torre de la iglesia de su pueblo, que cuando se acabó de labrar, y llegó el invierno, no sabiendo como resguardarla de la inclemencia del tiempo, se juntaron los vecinos del pueblo, mataron cuantas ovejas tenían, y con sus pieles hicieron una funda á la torre; por lo cual se les conoce á ustedes hasta el día de hoy por los de la funda." ‎— El lebrijano se amoscó, y me preguntó si por acaso quería yo manifestar con lo que iba diciendo, que fuesen las gentes de su pueblo unos bárbaros. ‎— "Qué habían de ser?" — le respondí yo — "son muy discretos y advertidos, y si no dígalo la petición que hicieron, en ocasión de subir una arriada grande la vega, hasta llegar al pie del cerro en que está el pueblo, pidiendo que se declarase á Lebrija puerto de mar." ‎— ¡Qué guasón! — dijeron riéndose las mujeres. ‎— ¿No sabes, hijo — observó la tía Manuela — que los lebrijanos se enfadan con esas chanzas; que las chanzas acaban mal, y que las burlas, dice el refrán, "dejarlas cuando más agradan?" ‎— Tía Manuela — dijo el soldado — "después del asno muerto la cebada al rabo." A mi costa lo supe, y también que "no hay peor burla que la verdad," porque el lebrijano se amostazó, y me dijo claro y con todas sus letras, que los de Dos Hermanas éramos los bárbaros y los tontos. Yo levanté la mano y le dí la mayor guantada que he dado en mi vida. ‎— ¡Ave María! hombre, hiciste mal — dijo la tía Manuela. ‎— Señora ¿quién no se siente de una mala razón? Me injurió, y "hombre honrado, antes muerto que injuriado." Salimos al campo desafiados. El lebrijano estaba tan ciego por la ira y por el vino, que me acometía furioso, pero sin tino; yo, que ni quería matarle ni que él me matase á mí, le paré con un golpe de plano sobre la cabeza, que le atolondró y le tumbó de espaldas, y, dejándole allí tendido para que durmiese la mona, me volví al campamento. ‎— Pero llegó la hora de la lista de la tarde, y faltó. Se tomaron informes, y hubo quien dijo que nos habían visto salir del campamento para pelear, y señaló el rumbo que habíamos tomado. Se mandó á un cabo con unos soldados á reconocer el sitio, y hallaron al lebrijano bárbaramente degollado. ‎— ¡Gran Dios! — exclamaron las mujeres. — Roque ¿mataste á ese hombre sin querer? ‎— Si le hubiera matado, queriendo ó sin querer ¿estaría yo aquí ahora refiriendo el caso?

Chapter Fourth. ‎"One day, after mess," continued the soldier, "a few of us were chatting; I had taken a drink and was tipsy; the truth must be told, so much the more on these occasions when the man is not the one who acts, but the companion which he carries with him. I had accosted a Lebrigan, who was not tipsy as I was, but drunk, and who would not stop raising to the skies the church steeple of his village." ‎'Of course,' "I said to him," 'as you Lebrigans are so proud of the church steeple of your village, that when tilling was over, and winter arrived, not knowing how to protect it against the inclemency of the weather, the inhabitants of the village came together, killed all the sheep they had, and with the skins made a cover for the steeple; therefore to this day you are known as those of the cover.' ‎"The Lebrigan became angry, and asked me if, perhaps, I wished to imply, by what I had been saying, that the people of his village were barbarians." ‎'How could they be,' "I replied," 'they are very witty and clever, and if not let the petition speak which they made on the occasion of a great flood, which covered the valley up to the foot of the hill, in which the town stands, asking that Lebrija be declared a seaport.' ‎"What a droll fellow," said the women, laughing. ‎"Do you not know, my boy," said Aunt Manuela, "that the Lebrigans become angry at such jokes; that jokes end badly, and that the proverb says 'stop jokes, just when they become most pleasant'?" ‎"Aunt Manuela;" said the soldier, 'lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen.' I knew that at my own cost, and also that there is no worse joke than the truth, because the Lebrigan became vexed, and told me openly and plainly, that we, people of Dos Hermanas, were barbarians and fools. I raised my hand and gave him the heaviest slap that I have ever given in my life." ‎"Holy Mary! man, you did wrong." said Aunt Manuela. ‎"Madam, who does not feel hurt at an offensive argument? He insulted me, and 'to a man of honor death is preferable to an insult' We challenged, and went out to the fields. The Lebrigan was so blind with rage and wine, that he attacked me with fury, but without judgment; I, who did not wish to kill him, or that he should kill me, stopped him by a flat stroke on the head, which stunned and threw him on his back, and, leaving him stretched out there, that he might sleep off the wine, I returned to camp. ‎"But the hour arrived for the roll call in the evening, and he was missing. Investigation followed, and there was one who said he had seen us leave the camp to fight, and pointed out the direction we had taken. A corporal with some soldiers were sent to examine the place, and found the Lebrigan barbarously beheaded." ‎"Great God!" exclaimed the women. "Roque, did you kill this man without wishing to?" ‎"If I had killed him, willingly or unwillingly, would I be here now telling the story?"

Notas ~ Notes

Rancho, mess.

Estábamos unos cuantos de charla, a few of us were chatting. Estar de, expresses a disposition of the body or mind, Cortina's, Spanish in 20 Lessons, page 127, No. 6.

Chispo,' tipsy.

Lebrijano, from Lebrija, a town of the province of Seville, Spain.

Borracho, intoxicated.

Y no paraba de poner por las nubes, and did not stop exalting to the skies.

Ya se ve, of course.

Tan ufanos,' so proudly.

Se juntaron los vecinos del pueblo, the inhabitants of the village came together.

Mataron cuantas ovejas tenían, they killed as many sheep as they had.

Y con sus pieles hicieron una funda, and with their skins they made a case.

Se amoscó, became angry.

¿Qué habían de ser?, How could they be?

Advertidos, clever.

Una arriada grande, a big flood.

La vega, hasta llegar al pie del cerro, the valley reaching up to the foot of the hill.

¡Qué guasón! How comical!

Chanzas, jokes.

Dice el refrán que "dejarlas cuando más agradan," the proverb says to leave them alone when most pleasing.

"Después del asno muerto la cebada al rabo," after the donkey is dead, plenty of barley before him ("after the horse has gone, lock the stable").

Á mi costa lo supe, I knew it at my own cost.

"No hay peor burla que la verdad," there is no worse joke than the truth.

Se amostazó, became irritated.

Tontos, fools.

Le dí la mayor guantada, I gave him the (greatest) best slap.

¿Quién no se siente de una mala razón?, Who does not feel hurt at a bad argument?

Tan ciego por la ira, so blind with anger.

Sin tino, without judgment.

Golpe de plano, flat stroke.

Le atolondró y le tumbó de espaldas, stunned him and threw him on his back.

Para que durmiese la mona, so that he would sleep off the wine.

Pero llegó la hora de la lista de la tarde y faltó, but the hour for calling the roll arrived and he was missing.

Y señaló el rumbo que habíamos tomado, and should point out the direction we had taken.

Cabo, corporal.

Degollado, beheaded.

Sin querer, without wishing to.