Unsolicited Writings

Out in the desertedorchards in no mans land the cherries were whitening on the
trees. Spaniards seem not to recognize such a thing as a light diet.
It seemed that the attack was beginning and they were likely to call forreserves at
any moment.
That kind of thing belonged in Barcelona or inplaces even remoter from the war.
After a few days I was able to get up and walk about with my arm in a sling.
I knew what a sweat it was, havinghelped to carry a wounded man down a day or two
earlier. The blood was dribbling out of the comer ofmy mouth. One was that the
Negrin-Prieto Government was planning to compromisethe war. The May fighting had
left ineradicable after-effects behind it. Finally we learned from a released
prisoner that Smillie had beenarrested for carrying arms. It was five days before I
got back to Barcelona.
Even to be known to have served in the P. They hadforgotten to tie us into the
stretchers.
The waiter asked me gently,had I liked Spain; would I come back to Spain?
To myhumiliation I found that I was still too weak to climb on to a lorry
withoutbeing helped.
The doctors were able men and there seemed to be no shortage of drugs andequipment.
It was at the corner of the parapet, at five oclock in the morning. I was in a
different mood, a more observing mood, than I had been in for monthspast. Finally,
eight or nine days after leaving the front, I had my wound examined.
Under the muslin you would see the red jelly of a half-healed wound.
>From time to time theFascists let fly at us with a rifle-grenade or some similar
weapon. There was an acute shortage ofolive oil, which Spaniards use for half a
dozen different purposes.
Kopp had just come back from the front, full of jubilation. In our position the
chieftrouble was the snipers. For some reason it hurt much more when it hung down.
Finally we learned from a released prisoner that Smillie had beenarrested for
carrying arms.
Out in the desertedorchards in no mans land the cherries were whitening on the trees.