arrested.
The rebellion at the zinc mine had widespread repercussions.
Ten workers were condemned to death for murder and mutiny. Five of them were garrotted six months later, the other five being reprieved and given life sentences of hard labour. All the rest received prison sentences of between five and twenty-five years.
The head of the civil guard-post was promoted and all his subordinates were decorated.
Colonel Ruiz was made a general.
Within the course of three weeks, all officers in the civil guard headquarters and at the local branch in Santa Margarita were changed and replaced with well-qualified personnel from other parts of the country.
The arms, of Spanish and Czech manufacture, could not be traced despite intensive interrogations. The strike leaders who might have known anything had, with ignorant industry, been executed immediately after the rebellion.
No official information about the event was publicized until long afterwards and then only in very vague terms.
In the surrounding communities during the morning hours of the day the rebellion was crushed, the state of emergency and increased military activity caused a certain unrest.
7
They drove down to the puerto at about four and although it was siesta time, they passed three road-blocks. The first two were manned by civil guards, who contented themselves with smiling in recognition and waving them on. The third consisted of a patrol of Policia Armada. Both policemen were sitting in a grey jeep parked in the shadow of a tree on the roadside. When they saw the camioneta had a Spanish number plate, they walked out on to the road and made a sign that they should stop. Then they walked round the truck and looked at it from every angle. Their faces were very serious. When they had convinced themselves that the passengers were foreigners they let them go on.
‘I think everyone’s mad today,’ said Dan Pedersen. ‘If I see one more cop I’ll scream.’
The puerto seemed almost completely deserted, only two trawlers at the quay and all the shutters firmly closed. Everything had been done to keep the heat out.
They sat down under the awning outside one of the bars and Dan Pedersen clapped his hands. The proprietor came out and they ordered vermouth and soda-syphons. There was one other guest in the bar, a middle-aged foreigner in grey trousers, a shirt which hung outside them, sun-glasses and a white cap. He was sitting a few tables away, drinking brandy. A camera in an elegant leather case lay beside his glass.
Siglinde and Dan bickered between themselves over all kinds of things. Now and again they said something in German to Willi Mohr, so that he should not feel left out of things.
After a while the man in the white cap rose and came towards them, stopped two strides away from them and said: ‘I happened to overhear that you were Scandinavians. I hope you won’t think I’m intruding if I ask whether I might join you. It’s a little lonely among all these …’
He made a gesture, but could not find any Spaniards to point at.
‘No, do, by all means,’ said Dan Pedersen.
The man fetched his camera and glass of brandy. Then he shook hands with all three of them and each time repeated his name: ‘Berg.’
‘Swedish, from Malmö,’ he added, and sat down.
Siglinde and Dan had forgotten to say their names and Willi Mohr had not understood anything. After another pause, the man said:
‘Excuse me … but I did not really catch …’
They all gave their names and there was another silence. The man cleared his throat and said: ‘Perhaps I can get you a drink or something?’
He looked vaguely round for someone to serve him.
Dan Pedersen clapped his hands. The proprietor came out at once.
‘You couldn’t exactly do that at home, could you?’ said the man. ‘I mean, clap for the waiter.’
‘Why not?’ said Siglinde.
She had a feeling she was not going to like this man very much.
The proprietor came out with a bottle and
The rebellion at the zinc mine had widespread repercussions.
Ten workers were condemned to death for murder and mutiny. Five of them were garrotted six months later, the other five being reprieved and given life sentences of hard labour. All the rest received prison sentences of between five and twenty-five years.
The head of the civil guard-post was promoted and all his subordinates were decorated.
Colonel Ruiz was made a general.
Within the course of three weeks, all officers in the civil guard headquarters and at the local branch in Santa Margarita were changed and replaced with well-qualified personnel from other parts of the country.
The arms, of Spanish and Czech manufacture, could not be traced despite intensive interrogations. The strike leaders who might have known anything had, with ignorant industry, been executed immediately after the rebellion.
No official information about the event was publicized until long afterwards and then only in very vague terms.
In the surrounding communities during the morning hours of the day the rebellion was crushed, the state of emergency and increased military activity caused a certain unrest.
7
They drove down to the puerto at about four and although it was siesta time, they passed three road-blocks. The first two were manned by civil guards, who contented themselves with smiling in recognition and waving them on. The third consisted of a patrol of Policia Armada. Both policemen were sitting in a grey jeep parked in the shadow of a tree on the roadside. When they saw the camioneta had a Spanish number plate, they walked out on to the road and made a sign that they should stop. Then they walked round the truck and looked at it from every angle. Their faces were very serious. When they had convinced themselves that the passengers were foreigners they let them go on.
‘I think everyone’s mad today,’ said Dan Pedersen. ‘If I see one more cop I’ll scream.’
The puerto seemed almost completely deserted, only two trawlers at the quay and all the shutters firmly closed. Everything had been done to keep the heat out.
They sat down under the awning outside one of the bars and Dan Pedersen clapped his hands. The proprietor came out and they ordered vermouth and soda-syphons. There was one other guest in the bar, a middle-aged foreigner in grey trousers, a shirt which hung outside them, sun-glasses and a white cap. He was sitting a few tables away, drinking brandy. A camera in an elegant leather case lay beside his glass.
Siglinde and Dan bickered between themselves over all kinds of things. Now and again they said something in German to Willi Mohr, so that he should not feel left out of things.
After a while the man in the white cap rose and came towards them, stopped two strides away from them and said: ‘I happened to overhear that you were Scandinavians. I hope you won’t think I’m intruding if I ask whether I might join you. It’s a little lonely among all these …’
He made a gesture, but could not find any Spaniards to point at.
‘No, do, by all means,’ said Dan Pedersen.
The man fetched his camera and glass of brandy. Then he shook hands with all three of them and each time repeated his name: ‘Berg.’
‘Swedish, from Malmö,’ he added, and sat down.
Siglinde and Dan had forgotten to say their names and Willi Mohr had not understood anything. After another pause, the man said:
‘Excuse me … but I did not really catch …’
They all gave their names and there was another silence. The man cleared his throat and said: ‘Perhaps I can get you a drink or something?’
He looked vaguely round for someone to serve him.
Dan Pedersen clapped his hands. The proprietor came out at once.
‘You couldn’t exactly do that at home, could you?’ said the man. ‘I mean, clap for the waiter.’
‘Why not?’ said Siglinde.
She had a feeling she was not going to like this man very much.
The proprietor came out with a bottle and
Similar Books
