百年孤独(英文版)-第2部分

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ould　put　on　some　practical　demonstrations　of　his　invention　for　the　military　authorities　and　could　train　them　himself　in　the　plicated　art　of　solar　war。　For　several　years　he　waited　for　an　answer。　Finally；　tired　of　waiting；　he　bemoaned　to　Melquíades　the　failure　of　his　project　and　the　gypsy　then　gave　him　a　convincing　proof　of　his　honesty：　he　gave　him　back　the　doubloons　in　exchange　for　the　magnifying　glass；　and　he　left　him　in　addition　some　Portuguese　maps　and　several　instruments　of　navigation。　In　his　own　handwriting　he　set　down　a　concise　synthesis　of　the　studies　by　Monk　Hermann。　which　he　left　Jos？Arcadio　so　that　he　would　be　able　to　make　use　of　the　astrolabe；　the　pass；　and　the　sextant。　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　spent　the　long　months　of　the　rainy　season　shut　up　in　a　small　room　that　he　had　built　in　the　rear　of　the　house　so　that　no　one　would　disturb　his　experiments。　Having　pletely　abandoned　his　domestic　obligations；　he　spent　entire　nights　in　the　courtyard　watching　the　course　of　the　stars　and　he　almost　contracted　sunstroke　from　trying　to　establish　an　exact　method　to　ascertain　noon。　When　he　became　an　expert　in　the　use　and　manipulation　of　his　instruments；　he　conceived　a　notion　of　space　that　allowed　him　to　navigate　across　unknown　seas；　to　visit　uninhabited　territories；　and　to　establish　relations　with　splendid　beings　without　having　to　leave　his　study。　That　was　the　period　in　which　he　acquired　the　habit　of　talking　to　himself；　of　walking　through　the　house　without　paying　attention　to　anyone；　as　？rsula　and　the　children　broke　their　backs　in　the　garden；　growing　banana　and　caladium；　cassava　and　yams；　ahuyama　roots　and　eggplants。　Suddenly；　without　warning；　his　feverish　activity　was　interrupted　and　was　replaced　by　a　kind　of　fascination。　He　spent　several　days　as　if　he　were　bewitched；　softly　repeating　to　himself　a　string　of　fearful　conjectures　without　giving　credit　to　his　own　understanding。　Finally；　one　Tuesday　in　December；　at　lunchtime；　all　at　once　he　released　the　whole　weight　of　his　torment。　The　children　would　remember　for　the　rest　of　their　lives　the　august　solemnity　with　which　their　father；　devastated　by　his　prolonged　vigil　and　by　the　wrath　of　his　imagination；　revealed　his　discovery　to　them：
　　　“The　earth　is　round；　like　an　orange。？
　　　？rsula　lost　her　patience。　“If　you　have　to　go　crazy；　please　go　crazy　all　by　yourself！？she　shouted。　“But　don’t　try　to　put　your　gypsy　ideas　into　the　heads　of　the　children。？Jos？Arcadio　Buendía；　impassive；　did　not　let　himself　be　frightened　by　the　desperation　of　his　wife；　who；　in　a　seizure　of　rage；　mashed　the　astrolabe　against　the　floor。　He　built　another　one；　he　gathered　the　men　of　the　village　in　his　little　room；　and　he　demonstrated　to　them；　with　theories　that　none　of　them　could　understand；　the　possibility　of　returning　to　where　one　had　set　out　by　consistently　sailing　east。　The　whole　village　was　convinced　that　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　had　lost　his　reason；　when　Melquíades　returned　to　set　things　straight。　He　gave　public　praise　to　the　intelligence　of　a　man　who　from　pure　astronomical　speculation　had　evolved　a　theory　that　had　already　been　proved　in　practice；　although　unknown　in　Macondo　until　then；　and　as　a　proof　of　his　admiration　he　made　him　a　gift　that　was　to　have　a　profound　influence　on　the　future　of　the　village：　the　laboratory　of　an　alchemist。
　　　By　then　Melquíades　had　aged　with　surprising　rapidity。　On　his　first　trips　he　seemed　to　be　the　same　age　as　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía。　But　while　the　latter　had　preserved　his　extraordinary　strength；　which　permitted　him　to　pull　down　a　horse　by　grabbing　its　ears；　the　gypsy　seemed　to　have　been　worn　dowse　by　some　tenacious　illness。　It　was；　in　reality；　the　result　of　multiple　and　rare　diseases　contracted　on　his　innumerable　trips　around　the　world。　According　to　what　he　himself　said　as　he　spoke　to　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　while　helping　him　set　up　the　laboratory；　death　followed　him　everywhere；　sniffing　at　the　cuffs　of　his　pants；　but　never　deciding　to　give　him　the　final　clutch　of　its　claws。　He　was　a　fugitive　from　all　the　plagues　and　catastrophes　that　had　ever　lashed　mankind。　He　had　survived　pellagra　in　Persia；　scurvy　in　the　Malayan　archipelago；　leprosy　in　Alexandria；　beriberi　in　Japan；　bubonic　plague　in　Madagascar；　an　earthquake　in　Sicily；　and　a　disastrous　shipwreck　in　the　Strait　of　Magellan。　That　prodigious　creature；　said　to　possess　the　keys　of　Nostradamus；　was　a　gloomy　man；　enveloped　in　a　sad　aura；　with　an　Asiatic　look　that　seemed　to　know　what　there　was　on　the　other　side　of　things。　He　wore　a　large　black　hat　that　looked　like　a　raven　with　widespread　wings；　and　a　velvet　vest　across　which　the　patina　of　the　centuries　had　skated。　But　in　spite　of　his　immense　wisdom　and　his　mysterious　breadth；　he　had　a　human　burden；　an　earthly　condition　that　kept　him　involved　in　the　small　problems　of　daily　life。　He　would　plain　of　the　ailments　of　old　age；　he　suffered　from　the　most　insignificant　economic　difficulties；　and　he　had　stopped　laughing　a　long　time　back　because　scurvy　had　made　his　teeth　drop　out。　On　that　suffocating　noontime　when　the　gypsy　revealed　his　secrets；　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　had　the　certainty　that　it　was　the　beginning　of　a　great　friendship。　The　children　were　startled　by　his　fantastic　stories。　Aureliano；　who　could　not　have　been　more　than　five　at　the　time；　would　remember　him　for　the　rest　of　his　life　as　he　saw　him　that　afternoon；　sitting　against　the　metallic　and　quivering　light　from　the　window；　lighting　up　with　his　deep　organ　voice　the　darkest　reaches　of　the　imagination；　while　down　over　his　temples　there　flowed　the　grease　that　was　being　melted　by　the　heat。　Jos？Arcadio；　his　older　brother；　would　pass　on　that　wonderful　image　as　a　hereditary　memory　to　all　of　his　descendants。　？rsula　on　the　other　hand；　held　a　bad　memory　of　that　visit；　for　she　had　entered　the　room　just　as　Melquíades　had　carelessly　broken　a　flask　of　bichloride　of　mercury。
　　　“It’s　the　smell　of　the　devil；？she　said。
　　　“Not　at　all；？Melquíades　corrected　her。　“It　has　been　proven　that　the　devil　has　sulphuric　properties　and　this　is　just　a　little　corrosive　sublimate。？
　　　Always　didactic；　he　went　into　a　learned　exposition　of　the　diabolical　properties　of　cinnabar；　but　？rsula　paid　no　attention　to　him；　although　she　took　the　children　off　to　pray。　That　biting　odor　would　stay　forever　in　her　mind　linked　to　the　memory　of　Melquíades。
　　　The　rudimentary　laboratory—in　addition　to　a　profusion　of　pots；　funnels；　retorts；　filters；　and　sieves—was　made　up　of　a　primitive　water　pipe；　a　glass　beaker　with　a　long；　thin　neck；　a　reproduction　of　the　philosopher’s　egg；　and　a　still　the　gypsies　themselves　had　built　in　accordance　with　modern　descriptions　of　the　three…armed　alembic　of　Mary　the　Jew。　Along　with　those　items；　Melquíades　left　samples　of　the　seven　metals　that　corresponded　to　the　seven　planets；　the　formulas　of　Moses　and　Zosimus　for　doubling　the　quantity　of　gold；　and　a　set　of　notes　and　sketches　concerning　the　processes　of　the　Great　Teaching　that　would　permit　those　who　could　interpret　them　to　undertake　the　manufacture　of　the　philosopher’s　stone。　Seduced　by　the　simplicity　of　the　formulas　to　double　the　quantity　of　gold；　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　paid　court　to　？rsula　for　several　weeks　so　that　she　would　let　him　dig　up　her　colonial　coins　and　increase　them　by　as　many　times　as　it　was　possible　to　subdivide　mercury。　？rsula　gave　in；　as　always；　to　her　husband’s　unyielding　obstinacy。　Then　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　threw　three　doubloons　into　a　pan　and　fused　them　with　copper　filings；　orpiment；　brimstone；　and　lead。　He　put　it　all　to　boil　in　a　pot　of　castor　oil　until　he　got　a　thick　and　pestilential　syrup　which　was　more　like　mon　caramel　than　valuable　gold。　In　risky　and　desperate　processes　of　distillation；　melted　with　the　seven　planetary　metals；　mixed　with　hermetic　mercury　and　vitriol　of　Cyprus；　and　put　back　to　cook　in　hog　fat　for　lack　of　any　radish　oil；　？rsula’s　precious　inheritance　was　reduced　to　a　large　piece　of　burnt　hog　cracklings　that　was　firmly　stuck　to　the　bottom　of　the　pot。
　　　When　the　gypsies　came　back；　？rsula　had　turned　the　whole　population　of　the　village　against　them。　But　curiosity　was　greater　than　fear；　for　that　time　the　gypsies　went　about　the　town　making　a　deafening　noise　with　all　manner　of　musical　instruments　while　a　hawker　announced　the　exhibition　of　the　most　fabulous　discovery　of　the　Nacian