Read Online The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco - Free Book Online
Authors: Umberto Eco
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calling his son in a loud voice; he swept away another four people as he described a circle, jabbing his sword at all the cardinal points. Emerging from the straw, Roberto saw him at a distance and, before recognizing his father, he recognized Pagnufli, his father's mount and his own playmate for years. He stuck two fingers into his mouth and let out a whistle the animal knew well, and in fact Pagnufli reared, pricked up his ears, and began carrying the father towards the breach. Pozzo saw Roberto and shouted, "What are you doing in a place like that? Mount, you lunatic!" And as Roberto sprang onto the horse's back and clung to his father's waist, Pozzo said, "God's truth, you're never where you should be." Then, spurring Pagnufli again, he galloped off towards the river.
Now some of the looters realized that this man in this place was out of place, and they pointed at him, shouting. An officer wearing a dented cuirass and with three soldiers following him tried to block Pozzo's path. The old man saw him, started to swerve, then pulled on the reins and cried, "Talk about fate!" Roberto looked ahead and realized that this was the Spaniard who had let them pass three days before. The officer, too, had recognized his prey, and he advanced, eyes gleaming, sword upraised.
Old Pozzo rapidly shifted his sword to his left hand, drew his pistol from his belt, and held out his arm, all so quickly that the Spaniard was surprised; in his impetuosity he was now almost facing Pozzo, who however did not fire at once. He allowed himself the time to say, "Sorry about the pistol. But you're wearing a breastplate, so I have every rightâ" He pressed the trigger and felled the man with a bullet in his mouth. The soldiers, seeing their leader fall, took flight, and Pozzo replaced the pistol, saying, "We'd better go on before they lose their temper.... Move, Pagnufli!"
In a great cloud of dust they crossed the ground and, amid violent spray, the river, while in the distance some men were still emptying their weapons after them.
They reached the right bank, to applause. Toiras said: "Très bien fait, mon cher ami," then added, to Roberto, "La Grive, today all of them ran off, and only you remained. What's bred in the bone ... You're wasted in that company of cowards. You will join my staff."
Roberto thanked him and then, climbing down from the saddle, held out a hand to his father, to thank him. Pozzo clasped it absently, saying, "I'm sorry for that Spaniard, such a fine gentleman. Well, war's an ugly animal, that's sure. Anyway, my son, never forget: always be good, but if somebody comes at you and means to kill you, then he's in the wrong. Am I right?"
They re-entered the city, and Roberto heard his father still muttering to himself, "I didn't go looking for him...."
CHAPTER 5
The Labyrinth of the World
R OBERTO RECALLS THAT episode, caught up in a moment of filial devotion, daydreaming of a happy time when a protective figure could save him from the confusion of a siege, but he cannot help recalling what happened afterwards. And this does not seem to me a simple accident of memory. I have said before that Roberto apparently connects those distant events with his experiences on the
Daphne,
as if to find motives, reasons, signs of destiny. Now I would say that harking back, on the ship, to the Casale days helps him retrace the stages through which, as a youth, he slowly learned that the world was composed of alien architectures.
As if, on the one hand, finding himself now suspended between sky and sea could be only the most consequent development of his three lustra of peregrinations in a territory made up of forked paths; and, on the other hand, I believe that in reconstructing the history of his misfortunes he was seeking consolation for his present state, as if the shipwreck had restored him to that earthly paradise he had known at La Griva and had left behind on entering the walls of the besieged city.
***
Now Roberto no longer
Now some of the looters realized that this man in this place was out of place, and they pointed at him, shouting. An officer wearing a dented cuirass and with three soldiers following him tried to block Pozzo's path. The old man saw him, started to swerve, then pulled on the reins and cried, "Talk about fate!" Roberto looked ahead and realized that this was the Spaniard who had let them pass three days before. The officer, too, had recognized his prey, and he advanced, eyes gleaming, sword upraised.
Old Pozzo rapidly shifted his sword to his left hand, drew his pistol from his belt, and held out his arm, all so quickly that the Spaniard was surprised; in his impetuosity he was now almost facing Pozzo, who however did not fire at once. He allowed himself the time to say, "Sorry about the pistol. But you're wearing a breastplate, so I have every rightâ" He pressed the trigger and felled the man with a bullet in his mouth. The soldiers, seeing their leader fall, took flight, and Pozzo replaced the pistol, saying, "We'd better go on before they lose their temper.... Move, Pagnufli!"
In a great cloud of dust they crossed the ground and, amid violent spray, the river, while in the distance some men were still emptying their weapons after them.
They reached the right bank, to applause. Toiras said: "Très bien fait, mon cher ami," then added, to Roberto, "La Grive, today all of them ran off, and only you remained. What's bred in the bone ... You're wasted in that company of cowards. You will join my staff."
Roberto thanked him and then, climbing down from the saddle, held out a hand to his father, to thank him. Pozzo clasped it absently, saying, "I'm sorry for that Spaniard, such a fine gentleman. Well, war's an ugly animal, that's sure. Anyway, my son, never forget: always be good, but if somebody comes at you and means to kill you, then he's in the wrong. Am I right?"
They re-entered the city, and Roberto heard his father still muttering to himself, "I didn't go looking for him...."
CHAPTER 5
The Labyrinth of the World
R OBERTO RECALLS THAT episode, caught up in a moment of filial devotion, daydreaming of a happy time when a protective figure could save him from the confusion of a siege, but he cannot help recalling what happened afterwards. And this does not seem to me a simple accident of memory. I have said before that Roberto apparently connects those distant events with his experiences on the
Daphne,
as if to find motives, reasons, signs of destiny. Now I would say that harking back, on the ship, to the Casale days helps him retrace the stages through which, as a youth, he slowly learned that the world was composed of alien architectures.
As if, on the one hand, finding himself now suspended between sky and sea could be only the most consequent development of his three lustra of peregrinations in a territory made up of forked paths; and, on the other hand, I believe that in reconstructing the history of his misfortunes he was seeking consolation for his present state, as if the shipwreck had restored him to that earthly paradise he had known at La Griva and had left behind on entering the walls of the besieged city.
***
Now Roberto no longer
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