was so
nerve-wracking that it could turn a normal and previously law-abiding citizen
into an anarchist. Th ere had been a number of
such cases. If a competitor suspected (sometimes with good reason, but almost
always jumping to conclusions) that he no longer had a chance (having passed too
many hidden checkpoints too early or too late), he would quite often give up
trying to maintain the pace, and instead of simply going home, would tear away
at full speed, come up beside another car in the competition, and challenge the
driver by revving loudly, honking and making obscene gestures, trying to make
him chuck in the rules by appealing to his machismo and the primal urge to get
ahead and leave all the others coughing dust. If this operation failed, all the
rogue driver had to do was race ahead a bit (and how he relished the freedom to
do that, while the others were still slaves to the speedometer) and try it on
the following car, or rather the car ahead. If regularity rallies were a kind of
education that built the driver’s character, these brutish outbursts were the
midterm exams.
Th e first part of the
rally, and by no means the easiest, was a complicated circuit through the
streets of Colón, before setting off on the journey. Some were expected to drop
out even at this stage. Before settling down to a long, sleepless night of
attending to telegraphic reports from the main checkpoints, the Treasurer had
wanted to go out and see some of the competitors who had already set off, while
they were still in the city. Th is too, Cigarro
added incidentally, was something of a provocation, especially if his route
crossed that of the rally at certain intersections, or all of them, given that
the drivers couldn’t slow down. But since the Minister had a comprehensive
schedule, he wasn’t really running a risk, accustomed as he was to performing
the most complex mental calculations . . .
At this point, Doctor Garruto asked why the Treasurer was
taking an interest in this rally. It didn’t seem to be directly related to his
portfolio, although everything came under the umbrella of the national economy
in one way or another. Cigarro glanced at Dídimo, the secretary, who after
heaving a melancholy sigh explained that the Treasurer was also acting, that
night, as Minister of the Interior; he had assumed this additional
responsibility and been sworn in a few hours earlier, just minutes after the
previous Minister’s sudden resignation.
Garruto and Varamo raised their eyebrows in surprise. Th e Minister of the Interior had been a
dominant figure and exercised a veritable hegemony over the nation’s political
life. His resignation, which had not been publicly announced, came as a shock.
Cigarro, speaking like someone who knows a great deal more than he is prepared
to say, remarked that the worsening of the situation had left no alternative,
then took up the tale where he had left off: the Treasurer, sitting in the back
seat, had told him which streets to take, where to stop, when to go on, and in
this way they had been able to watch a large number of competitors driving past
in front of them at a pleasantly constant pace. He hadn’t made any mistakes
along the way, or at this corner, Cigarro could swear, so the collision had been
deliberate, and premeditated, to judge from the way the culprit had fled. But it
would be easy to catch him. Well, perhaps not easy. It was a matter of doing the
sums; given the premises on which the rally was run, they could use the relevant
information (as he said this he took the lists and maps from his pocket and
spread them out) to calculate where the fugitive would be at any particular
moment. No crime writer had ever invented a surer, more geometrical method of
identifying and apprehending a criminal. All it required was a little mental
effort. He invited them to move to the dining table, where they would be able to
work more comfortably. Once they were there, he started handing out the papers;
but
nerve-wracking that it could turn a normal and previously law-abiding citizen
into an anarchist. Th ere had been a number of
such cases. If a competitor suspected (sometimes with good reason, but almost
always jumping to conclusions) that he no longer had a chance (having passed too
many hidden checkpoints too early or too late), he would quite often give up
trying to maintain the pace, and instead of simply going home, would tear away
at full speed, come up beside another car in the competition, and challenge the
driver by revving loudly, honking and making obscene gestures, trying to make
him chuck in the rules by appealing to his machismo and the primal urge to get
ahead and leave all the others coughing dust. If this operation failed, all the
rogue driver had to do was race ahead a bit (and how he relished the freedom to
do that, while the others were still slaves to the speedometer) and try it on
the following car, or rather the car ahead. If regularity rallies were a kind of
education that built the driver’s character, these brutish outbursts were the
midterm exams.
Th e first part of the
rally, and by no means the easiest, was a complicated circuit through the
streets of Colón, before setting off on the journey. Some were expected to drop
out even at this stage. Before settling down to a long, sleepless night of
attending to telegraphic reports from the main checkpoints, the Treasurer had
wanted to go out and see some of the competitors who had already set off, while
they were still in the city. Th is too, Cigarro
added incidentally, was something of a provocation, especially if his route
crossed that of the rally at certain intersections, or all of them, given that
the drivers couldn’t slow down. But since the Minister had a comprehensive
schedule, he wasn’t really running a risk, accustomed as he was to performing
the most complex mental calculations . . .
At this point, Doctor Garruto asked why the Treasurer was
taking an interest in this rally. It didn’t seem to be directly related to his
portfolio, although everything came under the umbrella of the national economy
in one way or another. Cigarro glanced at Dídimo, the secretary, who after
heaving a melancholy sigh explained that the Treasurer was also acting, that
night, as Minister of the Interior; he had assumed this additional
responsibility and been sworn in a few hours earlier, just minutes after the
previous Minister’s sudden resignation.
Garruto and Varamo raised their eyebrows in surprise. Th e Minister of the Interior had been a
dominant figure and exercised a veritable hegemony over the nation’s political
life. His resignation, which had not been publicly announced, came as a shock.
Cigarro, speaking like someone who knows a great deal more than he is prepared
to say, remarked that the worsening of the situation had left no alternative,
then took up the tale where he had left off: the Treasurer, sitting in the back
seat, had told him which streets to take, where to stop, when to go on, and in
this way they had been able to watch a large number of competitors driving past
in front of them at a pleasantly constant pace. He hadn’t made any mistakes
along the way, or at this corner, Cigarro could swear, so the collision had been
deliberate, and premeditated, to judge from the way the culprit had fled. But it
would be easy to catch him. Well, perhaps not easy. It was a matter of doing the
sums; given the premises on which the rally was run, they could use the relevant
information (as he said this he took the lists and maps from his pocket and
spread them out) to calculate where the fugitive would be at any particular
moment. No crime writer had ever invented a surer, more geometrical method of
identifying and apprehending a criminal. All it required was a little mental
effort. He invited them to move to the dining table, where they would be able to
work more comfortably. Once they were there, he started handing out the papers;
but
Similar Books
