The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com Read online

  such as they had never heard him use by day. Then, suddenly, he started, leant

  overtheboundpeasantasifoveraprecioushoard,andbegantomutterthrough

  histeethinathinlachrymosevoice:

  'Guardhim,guardhimwell!Youbastards,ifyoulethimgo,notasingleoneof

  youwillkeephisheadonhisshoulders.'

  Theguardscrowdedroundthepeasant.Twomorehurriedtojointhem,crossing

  theferryfromthefartherbank.ThemanfromPlevljeorderedthemtobindthe

  prisonermoresecurely.Sotheycarriedhimlikeacorpseslowlyandcarefullyto the bank. The man from Plevlje went with them, not looking where he was

  treadingandnevertakinghiseyesfromtheboundman.Itseemedtohimthathe

  was growing in stature with every step, that only from that moment was he

  beginningtolive.

  Onthebanknewtorcheswerelightedandbegantoflareup.Thecaptivepeasant

  was taken into one of the workmen's barracks where there was a fire, and was

  boundtightlytoapostwithropesandchainstakenfromthehearth.

  ItwasRadisavofUništehimself.

  ThemanfromPlevljecalmeddownalittle;henolongerscreamedorswore,but

  hewasunabletokeepstill.Hesentguardsalongthebankstolookfortheother

  peasantwhohadleaptintothewater,thoughitwasclearthatonsodarkanight,

  if he had not drowned, it would be impossible to find or catch him. He gave

  orderafterorder,wentout,cameinagainandthenonceagainwentback,drunk

  with excitement. He began to interrogate the bound peasant, but soon left off

  doingthatalso.Allthathedidwasonlytomasterandconcealhisnervousness,

  forinfacthehadonlyonethoughtinhishead;hewaswaitingforAbidaga.He

  hadnotlongtowait.

  As soon as he had slept out his first sleep Abidaga, as was his habit, waked

  shortly after midnight and, no longer able to sleep, stood by his window and

  lookedoutintothedarkness.BydayhecouldseefromhisbalconyatBikavac

  the whole river valley and all the construction works, with the barracks, mills,

  stables and all that devastated and littered space around them. Now in the

  darkness he sensed their presence and thought with bitterness how slowly the

  workwasproceedingandhow,soonerorlater,thismustreachtheVezir'sears.

  Someonewouldbesuretoseetothat.Ifnoone.else,thenthatsmooth,coldand

  craftyTosunEffendi.Thenitmightchancethathemightfallintodisgracewith

  theVezir.Thatwaswhatpreventedhimfromsleeping,andevenwhenhedidfall

  asleephetrembledinhisdreams.Hisfoodseemedpoisontohim,menseemed

  odiousandhislifedarkwhenheeventhoughtofit.Disgrace—thatmeantthat

  he would be exiled from the Vezir's presence, that his enemies would laugh at

  him (Ah! Anything but that!), that he would be nothing and nobody, no more

  thanarag,agoodfornothing,notonlyintheeyesofothersbutalsoinhisown.

  Itwouldmeangivinguphishardwonfortuneor,ifhemanagedtokeepit,toeke

  it out stealthily, far from Stambul, somewhere in the obscure provinces,

  forgotten,superfluous,ridiculous,wretched.No,anythingbutthat!Betternotto

  see the sun, not to breathe the air. It would be a hundred times better to be

  nobodyandtohavenothing.Thatwasthethoughtthatalwayscamebacktohim

  and several times a day forced the blood to beat painfully in his skull and his

  temples, but even at other times never completely left him but lay like a black

  cloud within him. That was what disgrace meant to him, and disgrace was

  possibleeveryday,everyhour,sinceeveryonewasworkingtobringitonhim.

  Only he alone worked against it and defended himself; it was one man against

  everyoneandeverything.Thathadnowlastedfifteenyears,fromthefirsttime

  thattheVezirhadentrustedhimwith

  a great and important task. Who could endure it? Who could sleep and be at

  peace?

  Although it was a cold damp autumn night, Abidaga opened the casement and

  looked into the darkness, for the closed room seemed stifling to him. Then he

  noticed that there were lights and movements on the scaffolding and along the

  banks. When he saw that there were more and more of them, he thought that

  somethingunusualmusthavehappened,dressedandwokehisservant.Thushe

  arrived at the lighted stable just at the moment when the man from Plevlje no

  longerknewwhatfurtherinsultstouse,whomtoorderandwhattodotoshorten

  thetime.

  TheunexpectedarrivalofAbidagacompletelybewilderedhim.Somuchhadhe

  longedforthismoment,yetnowthatithadcomehedidnotknowhowtoprofit

  from it as he had hoped. He stuttered in excitement and forgot all about the

  boundpeasant.Abidagaonlygazedthroughhimdisdainfullyandwentstraight

  uptotheprisoner.

  Inthestabletheyhadbuiltupabigfiretowhichtheguardskeptaddingfresh

  faggotssothateventhemostdistantcornerwaslitup.

  Abidaga stood looking down at the bound peasant for he was much the taller

  man.Hewascalmandthoughtful.Everyonewaitedforhimtospeak,whilehe

  thoughttohimself;sothisistheonewithwhomIhavehadtostruggleandfight,

  this is what my position and my fate depended upon, this wretched half-witted

  renegadefromPlevljeandtheincomprehensibleandobdurateoppositionofthis

  louse from the rayah. Then he shook himself and began to give orders and to questionthepeasant.

  The stable filled with guards, and outside could be heard the voices of the

  awakened overseers and workmen. Abidaga put his questions through the man

  fromPlevlje.

  Radisav first said that he and another man had decided to run away and that therefore they had prepared a small raft and set off downstream. When they

  pointedouttohimthesenselessnessofthisstorysinceitwasimpossibleinthe

  darknesstogodowntheturbulentriverfullofwhirlpools,rocksandshoals,and

  thatthosewhowanttorunawaydonotclimbonthescaffoldinganddamagethe

  works,hefellsilentandonlymutteredsullenly:

  'Well,Iaminyourhands.Dowhatyoulike.'

  'Youwillsoonfindoutwhatwelike,'Abidagaretortedbriskly.

  Theguardstookawaythechainsandstrippedthepeasanttothebuff.Theythrew

  thechainsintotheheartofthefireandwaited.Asthechainswerecoveredwith

  soot,theirhandswereblackenedandgreatpatcheswereleftonthemselvesand

  on the half-naked peasant. When the chains were almost red hot, Merdjan the

  Gipsycameupandtookoneendoftheminalongpairoftongs,whileoneofthe

  guardstooktheotherend.

  ThemanfromPlevljetranslatedAbidaga'swords.

  'Perhapsnowyouwilltellthewholetruth.'

  'WhathaveIgottotellyou?Youknoweverythingandcandowhatyoulike.'

  Thetwomenbroughtthechainsandwrappedthemroundtheth
epeasant'sbroad

  hairychest.Thescorchedhairbegantosizzle.Hismouthcontracted,theveinsin

  his neck swelled, his ribs seemed to stand out and his stomach muscles to

  contractandrelaxaswhenamanvomits.Hegroanedfromthepain,strainedat

  theropeswhichboundhimandwrithedandtwistedinvaintolessenthecontact

  ofhisbodywiththeredhotiron.Hiseyesclosedandthetearsfloweddownhis

  cheeks.Theytookthechainaway.

  'Thatwasonlyabeginning.Isn'titbettertotalkwithoutthat?'

  Thepeasantonlybreathedheavilythroughhisnose,andremainedsilent.

  'Whowaswithyou?'

  'HisnamewasJovan,butIdonotknoweitherhishouseorhisvillage.'

  Theybroughtthechainsagainandtheburninghairandskinsizzled.Coughing

  fromthesmokeandwrithingfromthepain,thepeasantbegantospeakjerkily.

  Th6se two alone had come to an agreement to destroy the work on the bridge.

  Theythoughtthatithadtobedoneandtheyhaddoneit.Nooneelsehadknown anythingaboutitorhadtakenpartinit.Atfirsttheyhadsetoutfromthebanks

  invariousplacesandbeenquitesuccessful,butwhentheysawthattherewere

  guardsonthescaffoldingandalongthebanks,theyhadthoughtofbindingthree

  plankstogethertomakearaftandthus,unnoticed,approachtheworkfromthe

  river. That had been three days ago. On the first night they had nearly been

  caught.Theyonlyjustgotaway.Sothenextnighttheyhadnotgoneoutatall.

  When they tried again that same night with the raft, there had happened what

  hadhappened.

  'Thatisall.Soitwas,andsoweworked.Nowdowhatyouwill.'

  'No,no,thatisnotwhatwewant.Telluswhomadeyoudothis!Whatyouhave

  suffereduptillnowisnothingtowhatyouwillgetlateron!'

  'Well,dowhatyoulike.'

  Merdjanthencamenearerwithapairofpincers.Hekneltinfrontofthebound

  manandbegantotearthenailsoffhisnakedfeet.

  Thepeasantremainedsilentandclenchedhisteethbutastrangetremblingshook

  hiswholebodyuptothewaisteventhoughhewasboundwhichshowedthatthe

  pain must have been exceptionally great. After a few moments the peasant

  forcedafewmutteredwordsthroughhisteeth.ThemanfromPlevlje,whohad

  beenhangingonhiseverywordandwaitingeagerlyforsomesortofadmission,

  madeasignwithhishandtothegipsytostopandatonceasked:

  'Whatwasthat?Whatdidyousay?'

  'Nothing.Ionlysaid:whyinthenameofGoddoyouwasteyourtimetorturing

  me?'

  'Telluswhomadeyoudoit?'

  'Whomademedoit?Why,thedevil.'

  Thedevil?'

  'The devil. Certainly that same devil who made you come here and build the

  bridge!'

  Thepeasantspokesoftly,butclearlyanddecisively.

  Thedevil!Astrangeword,saidsobitterlyinsounusualasituation.Thedevil!

  ThedeviliscertainlysomewhereinthisthoughtthemanfromPlevlje,standing

  with bowed head as if the bound man were questioning him and not he the boundman.Thewordstouchedhimonasensitivespotandawokeinhimallofa

  suddenallhisanxietiesandfears,inalltheirstrengthandterror,asiftheyhad

  neverbeensweptawaybythecaptureoftheculprit.Perhapsindeedallthis,with

  Abidaga and the building of the bridge and this mad peasant, was the devil's

  work. The devil! Perhaps he was the only one to fear. The man from Plevlje

  shivered and shook himself. At that moment the loud and angry voice of

  Abidagabroughthimtohimself.

  'What's the matter with you? Are you asleep, good-for-nothing?' shouted

  Abidaga,strikinghisrightbootwithhisshortleatherwhip.

  The gipsy was still kneeling with the pincers in his hand and looking upwards

  with black shining eyes, frightened and humble, at the tall figure of Abidaga.

  Theguardspiledupthefirewhichwasalreadyroaring.Thewholeplaceshone;

  it was like a furnace but somehow solemn. What that evening had seemed a

  gloomyandundistinguishedbuildingallatoncewastransformed,becamelarger,

  widenedout.Inthestableandarounditreignedasortofsolemnemotionanda

  specialsilenceasthereisinplaceswhereoneextractsthetruth,alivingmanis

  tortured or where fateful things occur. Abidaga, the man from Plevlje and the

  boundmanmovedandspokelikeactorsandalltheotherswentontiptoewith

  lowered eyes, not speaking save when forced to and then only in a whisper.

  Everyonewished to be somewhere else, only not to be in this place nor at this

  work,butsincethatwasnotpossible,theyallloweredtheirvoicesandmovedas

  littleastheycould,asiftogetasfarawayaspossiblefromthisaffair.

  Seeing that the interrogation was going slowly and did not give any hope of

  results, Abidaga with impatient movements and loud oaths went out of the

  stable.AfterhimreeledthemanfromPlevlje,followedbytheguards.

  Outsideitwasgrowinglight.Thesunhadnotyetrisen,butthewholehorizon

  was clear. Deep among the hills the clouds lay in long dull purple bands and

  between them could be seen the clear sky almost green in colour. Scattered

  patchesofmistlayoverthemoistearthoutofwhichpeekedthetopsofthefruit

  trees with sparse yellowish leaves. Still striking at his boot with his whip,

  Abidagagaveorders.Thecriminalshouldcontinuetobeinterrogated,especially

  about those who had helped him, but he should not be tortured beyond

  endurancelesthedie.Everythingmustbemadereadysothatatnoonthatsame

  dayheshouldbeimpaledaliveontheoutermostpartoftheconstructionworkat

  itshighestpoint,sothatthewholetownandalltheworkersshouldbeabletosee

  him from the banks of the river; Merdjan was to get everything ready and the town-criertoannouncetheexecutionthroughallthequartersofthetown,sothat

  at midday all the people might see what happened to those who hindered the

  building of the bridge, and that the whole male population, both Turks

  and rayah, fromchildrentooldmen,mustgatherononeorotherofthebanksto

  witnessit.

  ThedaywhichwasdawningwasaSunday.OnSundayworkwentonasonany

  otherday,butthisdayeventheoverseersweredistrait.Assoonasitwasbroad

  daylight, the news spread about the capture of the criminal, his torture and his

  executionwhichwastotakeplaceatmidday.Thehushedandsolemnmoodof

  the stable spread over the whole area about the building works. The men on

  forced labour worked silently, each one avoided looking his neighbour in the

  eyes, and each man looked only to the work before him as if that were the

  beginningandtheendofhisworld.

  An hour before noon the people of the town, for the most part Turks, had

  collected on a level space near the bridge. Children were hoisted on to high

  blocksofbuildingstonewhichwerelyinga
bout.Theworkmenswarmedaround

  the narrow benches where the meagre rations which kept them alive were

  usuallydistributed.Chewingatthem,theyweresilentandlookeduneasilyabout

  them. A little later Abidaga appeared, accompanied by Tosun Effendi, Mastro

  AntonioandoneortwoofthemoreprominentTurks.Allstoodonasmalldry

  hummock between the bridge and the stable where the condemned man was.

  Abidaga went once more to the stable, where he was told that everything was

  ready; lying there was an oak stake about eight feet long, pointed as was

  necessary and tipped with iron, quite thin and sharp, and all well greased with

  lard. On the scaffolding were the blocks between which the stake would be

  embeddedandnailed,awoodenmalletfortheimpalement,ropesandeverything

  elsethatwasneeded.

  The man from Plevlje was distraught, his face earthen in colour and his eyes

  bloodshot.EvennowhewasnotabletoendureAbidaga'sflamingglances.

  'Listen,you!Ifeverythingisnotasitshouldbeandifyoudisgracemeinpublic,

  neitheryounoryourbastardofagipsywilleverappearbeforemeagain,forI

  willdrownyoubothintheDrinalikeapairofblindpuppies.'

  Then,turningtotheshiveringgipsy,hesaidmorekindly:

  'Youwillgetsixgroshforthejob,andanothersixifhestaysalivetillnightfall.

  Seetoit!'

  The hodja calledoutfromthemainmosqueinthemarketplaceinaclearsharp

  voice.Uneasinessspreadamongtheassembledpeopleandafewmomentslater

  thedoorofthestableopened.Tenguardsweredrawnupintworanks,fiveon

  either side. Between them was Radislav, barefooted and bareheaded, alert and

  stooping as ever, but he no longer 'sowed' as he walked but marched strangely

  withshortsteps,almostskippingonhismutilatedfeetwithbleedingholeswhere

  the nails had been; on his shoulders he carried a long white sharpened stake.

  BehindhimwasMerdjanwithtwoothergipsieswhoweretobehishelpersin

  theexecutionofthesentence.Suddenlyfromsomewhereorotherthemanfrom

  Plevlje appeared on his bay and took his place at the head of the procession,

  whichonlyhadtogoaboutahundredpacestoreachthefirstscaffolding.