Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - IV. Córdoba
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64 DAYS IN THE SUN
after him disappearing through the exit. It has not
occurred to us till now that the cloak has gone with
him. Of course his act was mechanical, due to his
haste; he will return with the cloak as soon as he no-
tices his mistake—the Spaniards are such honest peo-
ple! We catch another glimpse of him at the station,
making for the forward cars at the other end of the
platform.
There is no time to mourn our loss, for a crowd of
village youngsters suddenly fills the platform, sur-
rounding two gendarmes and a tall, smooth-shaven
man carrying a tripod. I conjecture that a criminal is
being taken to prison; but when he and his escort ap-
proach our compartment and my fellow travelers catch
sight of him, they start from their seats as if they had
suddenly caught fire. “El verdugo—the hangman!
Carramba, not in here! Not in here!” they yell, as
they hold shut the compartment door. But the gen-
darmes enter by force, while the passengers grab their
things and make off, mumbling, over the partition, to
the other end of the car. Each gendarme takes a
corner, while the hangman sets down his tripod and
seats himself upon it. He has paid no attention to
any one, but now sits, well bent over, rolling his ciga-
rette, his elbows resting on his knees.
This tall, awkward person with his enigmatical ex-
pression and glance that seems to sound the infinite—
where have I seen him before? Oh, yes—I have seen
him in Seville, where he often walked through the
streets, carrying his tripod, a sort of mania with him,
I thought.
Suddenly I recall that in Andalusia the hangman is
more despised than the lowest scoundrel. No one will
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