《The English Patient》第62章

during　an　allied　raid　the　previous　september；　hundreds　of　citizens　had　walked　away　and　begun　living　in　the　caves　outside　the　city。　the　germans　in　their　retreat　bombed　the　entrance　to　the　caves；　forcing　the　citizens　to　stay　underground。　a　typhus　epidemic　broke　out。　in　the　harbour　scuttled　ships　were　freshly　mined　underwater。　
the　thirty　sappers　walked　into　a　city　of　booby　traps。　there　were　delayed…action　bombs　sealed　into　the　walls　of　public　buildings。　nearly　every　vehicle　was　rigged。　the　sappers　became　permanently　suspicious　of　any　object　placed　casually　in　a　room。　they　distrusted　everything　they　saw　on　a　table　unless　it　was　placed　facing　“four　o’clock。”　years　after　the　war　a　sapper　putting　a　pen　on　a　table　would　position　it　with　the　thicker　end　facing　four　o’clock。　
naples　continued　as　a　war　zone　for　six　weeks　and　kip　was　there　with　the　unit　for　the　whole　period。　after　two　weeks　they　discovered　the　citizens　in　the　caves。　their　skin　dark　with　shit　and　typhus。　the　procession　of　them　back　into　the　city　hospitals　was　one　of　ghosts。　
four　days　later　the　central　post　office　blew　up；　and　seventy…two　were　killed　or　wounded。　the　richest　collection　of　mediaeval　records　in　europe　had　already　burned　in　the　city　archives。　
on　the　twentieth　of　october；　three　days　before　electricity　was　to　be　restored；　a　german　turned　himself　in。　he　told　authorities　that　there　were　thousands　of　bombs　hidden　in　the　harbour　section　of　the　city　that　were　wired　to　the　dormant　electrical　system。　
when　power　was　turned　on；　the　city　would　dissolve　in　flames。　he　was　interrogated　more　than　seven　times；　in　differing　stages　of　tact　and　violence—at　the　end　of　which　the　authorities　were　still　uncertain　about　his　confession。　this　time　an　entire　area　of　the　city　was　evacuated。　children　and　the　old；　those　almost　dead；　those　pregnant；　those　who　had　been　brought　out　of　the　caves；　animals；　valuable　jeeps；　wounded　soldiers　out　of　the　hospitals；　mental　patients；　priests　and　monks　and　nuns　out　of　the　abbeys。　
by　dusk　on　the　evening　of　october　；　；　only　twelve　sappers　remained　behind。　
the　electricity　was　to　be　turned　on　at　three　p。m。　the　next　day。　none　of　the　sappers　had　ever　been　in　an　empty　city　before；　and　these　were　to　be　the　strangest　and　most　disturbing　hours　of　their　lives。　
during　the　evenings　thunderstorms　roll　over　tuscany。　lightning　drops　towards　any　metal　or　spire　that　rises　up　out　of　the　landscape。　kip　always　returns　to　the　villa　along　the　yellow　path　between　the　cypresses　around　seven　in　the　evening；　which　is　when　the　thunder；　if　there　is　going　to　be　thunder；　begins。　the　mediaeval　experience。　
he　seems　to　like　such　temporal　habits。　she　or　caravaggio　will　see　his　figure　in　the　distance；　pausing　in　his　walk　home　to　look　back　towards　the　valley　to　see　how　far　away　the　rain　is　from　him。　hana　and　caravaggio　return　to　the　house。　kip　continues　his　half…mile　uphill　walk　on　the　path　that　curls　slowly　to　the　right　and　then　slowly　to　the　left。　there　is　the　noise　of　his　boots　on　the　gravel。　the　wind　reaches　him　in　bursts；　hitting　the　cypresses　broadside　so　they　tilt；　entering　the　sleeves　of　his　shirt。　
for　the　next　ten　minutes　he　walks；　never　sure　if　the　rain　will　overtake　him。　he　will　hear　the　rain　before　he　feels　it；　a　clicking　on　the　dry　grass；　on　the　olive　leaves。　but　for　now　he　is　in　the　great　refreshing　wind　of　the　hill；　in　the　foreground　of　the　storm。　
if　the　rain　reaches　him　before　he　gets　to　the　villa；　he　continues　walking　at　the　same　pace；　snaps　the　rubber　cape　over　his　haversack　and　walks　on　within　it。　
in　his　tent　he　hears　the　pure　thunder。　sharp　cracks　of　it　overhead；　a　coach…wheel　sound　as　it　disappears　into　the　mountains。　a　sudden　sunlight　of　lightning　through　the　tent　wall；　always；　it　seems　to　him；　brighter　than　sunlight；　a　flash　of　contained　phosphorus；　something　machinelike；　to　do　with　the　new　word　he　has　heard　in　the　theory　rooms　and　through　his　crystal　set；　which　is　“nuclear。”　in　the　tent　he　unwinds　the　wet　turban；　dries　his　hair　and　weaves　another　around　his　head。　
the　storm　rolls　out　of　piedmont　to　the　south　and　to　the　east。　lightning　falls　upon　the　steeples　of　the　small　alpine　chapels　whose　tableaux　reenact　the　stations　of　the　cross　or　the　mysteries　of　the　rosary。　in　the　small　towns　of　varese　and　varallo；　larger…than…life　terra…cotta　figures　carved　in　the　ioos　are　revealed　briefly；　depicting　biblical　scenes。　the　bound　arms　of　the　scourged　christ　pulled　back；　the　whip　ing　down；　the　baying　dog；　three　soldiers　in　the　next　chapel　tableau　raising　the　crucifix　higher　towards　the　painted　clouds。　
the　villa　san　girolamo；　located　where　it　is；　also　receives　such　moments　of　light—the　dark　halls；　the　room　the　englishman　lies　in；　the　kitchen　where　hana　is　laying　a　fire；　the　shelled　chapel—all　lit　suddenly；　without　shadow。　kip　will　walk　with　no　qualms　under　the　trees　in　his　patch　of　garden　during　such　storms；　the　dangers　of　being　killed　by　lightning　pathetically　minimal　pared　with　the　danger　of　his　daily　life。　the　naive　catholic　images　from　those　hillside　shrines　that　he　has　seen　are　with　him　in　the　half…darkness；　as　he　counts　the　seconds　between　lightning　and　thunder。　perhaps　this　villa　is　a　similar　tableau；　the　four　of　them　in　private　movement；　momentarily　lit　up；　flung　ironically　against　this　war。　
the　twelve　sappers　who　remained　behind　in　naples　fanned　out　into　the　city。　all　through　the　night　they　have　broken　into　sealed　tunnels；　descended　into　sewers；　looking　for　fuze　lines　that　might　be　linked　with　the　central　generators。　they　are　to　drive　away　at　two　p。m。；　an　hour　before　the　electricity　is　to　be　turned　on。　
a　city　of　twelve。　each　in　separate　parts　of　the　town。　one　at　the　generator；　one　at　the　reservoir；　still　diving—the　authorities　most　certain　destruction　will　be　caused　by　flooding。　how　to　mine　a　city。　it　is　unnerving　mostly　because　of　the　silence。　all　they　hear　of　the　human　world　are　barking　dogs　and　bird　songs　that　e　from　apartment　windows　above　the　streets。　when　the　time　es；　he　will　go　into　one　of　the　rooms　with　a　bird。　some　human　thing　in　this　vacuum。　he　passes　the　museo　archeologico　nazionale；　where　the　remnants　of　pompeii　and　herculaneum　are　housed。　he　has　seen　the　ancient　dog　frozen　in　white　ash