"Yes," he said to Fernando.
"We must teach them.
We must take away their planes, their automatic weapons, their tanks, their artillery and teach them dignity."
"Exactly," Fernando said.
"I am glad that you agree."
Anselmo left him standing there alone with his dignity and went on down to the cave.
29
Anselmo found Robert Jordan sitting at the plank table inside the cave with Pablo opposite him.
They had a bowl poured full of wine between them and each had a cup of wine on the table.
Robert Jordan had his notebook out and he was holding a pencil.
Pilar and Maria were in the back of the cave out of sight.
There was no way for Anselmo to know that the woman was keeping the girl back there to keep her from hearing the conversation and he thought that it was odd that Pilar was not at the table.
Robert Jordan looked up as Anselmo came in under the blanket that hung over the opening.
Pablo stared straight at the table.
His eyes were focused on the wine bowl but he was not seeing it.
"I come from above," Anselmo said to Robert Jordan.
"Pablo has told us," Robert Jordan said.
"There were six dead on the hill and they had taken the heads," Anselmo said.
"I was there in the dark."
Robert Jordan nodded.
Pablo sat there looking at the wine bowl and saying nothing.
There was no expression on his face and his small pig-eyes were looking at the wine bowl as though he had never seen one before.
"Sit down," Robert Jordan said to Anselmo.
The old man sat down at the table on one of the hide-covered stools and Robert Jordan reached under the table and brought up the pinch-bottle of whiskey that had been the gift of Sordo.
It was about half-full.
Robert Jordan reached down the table for a cup and poured a drink of whiskey into it and shoved it along the table to Anselmo.
"Drink that, old one," he said.
Pablo looked from the wine bowl to Anselmo's face as he drank and then he looked back at the wine bowl.
As Anselmo swallowed the whiskey he felt a burning in his nose, his eyes and his mouth, and then a happy, comforting warmth in his stomach.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Then he looked at Robert Jordan and said,
"Can I have another?"
"Why not?" Robert Jordan said and poured another drink from the bottle and handed it this time instead of pushing it.
This time there was not the burning when he swallowed but the warm comfort doubled.
It was as good a thing for his spirit as a saline injection is for a man who has suffered a great hemorrhage.
The old man looked toward the bottle again.
"The rest is for tomorrow," Robert Jordan said.
"What passed on the road, old one?"
"There was much movement," Anselmo said.
"I have it all noted down as you showed me.
I have one watching for me and noting now.
Later I will go for her report."
"Did you see anti-tank guns?
Those on rubber tires with the long barrels?"
"Yes," Anselmo said.
"There were four camions which passed on the road.
In each of them there was such a gun with pine branches spread across the barrels.
In the trucks rode six men with each gun."
"Four guns, you say?" Robert Jordan asked him.
"Four," Anselmo said.