He put out a big brown hand toPilar. "_Hola_, woman," he said. "_Hola_," he said to Robert Jordan and shook his hand and looked him keenly in the face.
Robert Jordan saw his eyes were yellow as a cat's and flat as reptile's eyes are. "_Guapa_," he said to Maria and patted her shoulder.
"Eaten?" he asked Pilar.
She shook her head.
"Eat," he said and looked at Robert Jordan.
"Drink?" he asked, making a motion with his hand decanting his thumb downward.
"Yes, thanks."
"Good," El Sordo said.
"Whiskey?"
"You have whiskey?"
El Sordo nodded. "_Ingles?_" he asked.
"Not _Ruso?_"
"_Americano_."
"Few Americans here," he said.
"Now more."
"Less bad.
North or South?"
"North."
"Same as _Ingles_.
When blow bridge?"
"You know about the bridge?"
El Sordo nodded.
"Day after tomorrow morning."
"Good," said El Sordo.
"Pablo?" he asked Pilar.
She shook her head.
El Sordo grinned.
"Go away," he said to Maria and grinned again.
"Come back," he looked at a large watch he pulled out on a leather thong from inside his coat. "Half an hour."
He motioned to them to sit down on a flattened log that served as a bench and looking at Joaquin, jerked his thumb down the trail in the direction they had come from.
"I'll walk down with Joaquin and come back," Maria said.
El Sordo went into the cave and came out with a pinch bottle of Scotch whiskey and three glasses.
The bottle was under one arm, and three glasses were in the hand of that arm, a finger in each glass, and his other hand was around the neck of an earthenware jar of water.
He put the glasses and the bottle down on the log and set the jug on the ground.
"No ice," he said to Robert Jordan and handed him the bottle.
"I don't want any," Pilar said and covered her glass with her hand.
"Ice last night on ground," El Sordo said and grinned.
"All melt.
Ice up there," El Sordo said and pointed to the snow that showed on the bare crest of the mountains.
"Too far."
Robert Jordan started to pour into El Sordo's glass but the deaf man shook his head and made a motion for the other to pour for himself.
Robert Jordan poured a big drink of Scotch into the glass and El Sordo watched him eagerly and when he had finished, handed him the water jug and Robert Jordan filled the glass with the cold water that ran in a stream from the earthenware spout as he tipped up the jug.
El Sordo poured himself half a glassful of whiskey and filled the glass with water.
"Wine?" he asked Pilar.
"No.
Water."
"Take it," he said.
"No good," he said to Robert Jordan and grinned.
"Knew many English.
Always much whiskey."