"Cut me pine branches," Robert Jordan said to Primitivo, "and bring them quickly."
 "I do not like the gun there," he said to Agust璯.
 "Why?"
 "Place it over there," Robert Jordan pointed, "and later I will tell thee."
 "Here, thus. Let me help thee. Here," he said, then squatted down.
 He looked out across the narrow oblong, noting the height of the rocks on either side.
 "It must be farther," he said, "farther out. Good. Here. That will do until it can be done properly. There. Put the stones there. Here is one. Put another there at the side. Leave room for the muzzle to swing. The stone must be farther to this side. Anselmo. Get thee down to the cave and bring me an ax. Quickly."
 "Have you never had a proper emplacement for the gun?" he said to Agust璯.
 "We always placed it here."
 "Kashkin never said to put it there?"
 "No. The gun was brought after he left."
 "Did no one bring it who knew how to use it?"
 "No. It was brought by porters."
 "What a way to do things," Robert Jordan said. "It was just given to you without instruction?"
 "Yes, as a gift might be given. One for us and one for El Sordo. Four men brought them. Anselmo guided them."
 "It was a wonder they did not lose them with four men to cross the lines."
 "I thought so, too," Agust璯 said. "I thought those who sent them meant for them to be lost. But Anselmo brought them well."
 "You know how to handle it?"
 "Yes. I have experimented. I know. Pablo knows. Primitivo knows. So does Fernando. We have made a study of taking it apart and putting it together on the table in the cave. Once we had it apart and could not get it together for two days. Since then we have not had it apart."
 "Does it shoot now?"
 "Yes. But we do not let the gypsy nor others frig with it."
 "You see? From there it was useless," he said. "Look. Those rocks which should protect your flanks give cover to those who will attack you. With such a gun you must seek a flatness over which to fire. Also you must take them sideways. See? Look now. All that is dominated."
 "I see," said Agust璯. "But we have never fought in defense except when our town was taken. At the train there were soldiers with the _m嫭uina_."
 "Then we will all learn together," Robert Jordan said. "There are a few things to observe. Where is the gypsy who should be here?"
 "I do not know."
 "Where is it possible for him to be?"
 "I do not know."
 Pablo had ridden out through the pass and turned once and ridden in a circle across the level space at the top that was the field of fire for the automatic rifle. Now Robert Jordan watched him riding down the slope alongside the tracks the horse had left when he was ridden in. He disappeared in the trees turning to the left.
 I hope he doesn't run right into cavalry, Robert Jordan thought. I'm afraid we'd have him right here in our laps.
 Primitivo brought the pine branches and Robert Jordan stuck them through the snow into the unfrozen earth, arching them over the gun from either side.
 "Bring more," he said. "There must be cover for the two men who serve it. This is not good but it will serve until the ax comes. Listen," he said, "if you hear a plane lie flat wherever thou art in the shadows of the rocks. I am here with the gun."
 Now with the sun up and the warm wind blowing it was pleasant on the side of the rocks where the sun shone. Four horses, Robert Jordan thought. The two women and me, Anselmo, Primitivo, Fernando, Agust璯, what the hell is the name of the other brother? That's eight. Not counting the gypsy. Makes nine. Plus Pablo gone with one horse makes ten. Andr廥 is his name. The other brother. Plus the other, Eladio. Makes ten. That's not one-half a horse apiece. Three men can hold this and four can get away. Five with Pablo. That's two left over. Three with Eladio. Where the hell is he?
 God knows what will happen to Sordo today if they picked up the trail of those horses in the snow. That was tough; the snow stopping that way. But it melting today will even things up. But not for Sordo. I'm afraid it's too late to even it up for Sordo.
 If we can last through today and not have to fight we can swing the whole show tomorrow with what we have. I know we can. Not well, maybe. Not as it should be, to be foolproof, not as we would have done; but using everybody we can swing it. _If we don't have to fight today_. God help us if we have to fight today.
 I don't know any place better to lay up in the meantime than this. If we move now we only leave tracks. This is as good a place as any and if the worst gets to be the worst there are three ways out of this place. There is the dark then to come and from wherever we are in these hills, I can reach and do the bridge at daylight. I don't know why I worried about it before. It seems easy enough now. I hope they get the planes up on time for once. I certainly hope that. Tomorrow is going to be a day with dust on the road.
 Well, today will be very interesting or very dull. Thank God we've got that cavalry mount out and away from here. I don't think even if they ride right up here they will go in the way those tracks are now. They'll think he stopped and circled and they'll pick up Pablo's tracks. I wonder where the old swine will go. He'll probably leave tracks like an old bull elk spooking out of the country and work way up and then when the snow melts circle back below. That horse certainly did things for him. Of course he may have just mucked off with him too. Well, he should be able to take care of himself. He's been doing this a long time. I wouldn't trust him farther than you can throw Mount Everest, though.
 I suppose it's smarter to use these rocks and build a good blind for this gun than to make a proper emplacement for it. You'd be digging and get caught with your pants down if they come or if the planes come. She will hold this, the way she is, as long as it is any use to hold it, and anyway I can't stay to fight. I have to get out of here with that stuff and I'm going to take Anselmo with me. Who would stay to cover us while we got away if we have to fight here?
 Just then, while he was watching all of the country that was visible, he saw the gypsy coming through the rocks to the left. He was walking with a loose, high-hipped, sloppy swing, his carbine was slung on his back, his brown face was grinning and he carried two big hares, one in each hand. He carried them by the legs, heads swinging.
 "_Hola_, Roberto," he called cheerfully.
 Robert Jordan put his hand to his mouth, and the gypsy looked startled. He slid over behind the rocks to where Robert Jordan was crouched beside the brush-shielded automatic rifle. He crouched down and laid the hares in the snow. Robert Jordan looked up at him.
 "You _hijo de la gran puta!_" he said softly. "Where the obscenity have you been?"
 "I tracked them," the gypsy said. "I got them both. They had made love in the snow."
 "And thy post?"
 "It was not for long," the gypsy whispered. "What passes? Is there an alarm?"
 "There is cavalry out."
 "_Redi鏀!_" the gypsy said. "Hast thou seen them?"
 "There is one at the camp now," Robert Jordan said. "He came for breakfast."
 "I thought I heard a shot or something like one," the gypsy said. "I obscenity in the milk! Did he come through here?"
 "Here. Thy post."
 "_Ay, mi madre!_" the gypsy said. "I am a poor, unlucky man."
 "If thou wert not a gypsy, I would shoot thee."
 "No, Roberto. Don't say that. I am sorry. It was the hares. Before daylight I heard the male thumping in the snow. You cannot imagine what a debauch they were engaged in. I went toward the noise but they were gone. I followed the tracks in the snow and high up I found them together and slew them both. Feel the fatness of the two for this time of year. Think what the Pilar will do with those two. I am sorry, Roberto, as sorry as thee. Was the cavalryman killed?"
 "Yes."
 "By thee?"
 "Yes."
 "_Qu?tio!_" the gypsy said in open flattery. "Thou art a veritabl............