Roundabout
A COLD February shower of Spanish rain beat the dust in the exercise yard into a pasty grey coat of mud. The prisoners The yard surveillance officer of the day stood at his post at the main entrance to the prison. He was perhaps genuinely sorry for the lot of them. Antonio Sanchez-Miguel did not really want to be a prison officer. At twenty-four he was married, a father of two children. He had a comfortable apartment in a new block of flats. Antonio's father was a prosperous coal and timber merchant, an ardent member of the Falange. Antonio refused to enter the Church, his father's first hope for him. He refused to let his father buy him a commission in the army. Yet Antonio wanted security and his flat. Spending three days - week as a prison officer, at the Reformatorio Adultos de Alicante, was a compromise bet, _en him and his father.
Antonio looked very handsome in his green gaber- dine uniform. His father was pleased, it did make a good impression, the prison governor was secre- tary of the local Falange organisation, and Antonio had his security.
Captain Bear came to the main entrance to the.
yard. No one seemed to know his real name. He looked and walked like a bear and always to every- one he was Captain Bear. He had a bad reputation. It was said that before the Civil War, while serving in the army in Spanish Morocco, one night he strangled two Arab prisoners with his bare hands.
Captain Bear looked out into the yard. His eyes went to the prisoners huddling in the doorways, then to a large pool of water that always formed when it rained. He said a few words to Antonio, then disappeared into the main building.
Antonio raised his hand. From the doorway of the hospital Paco raced across the yard to him, right through the pool of water. This was Paco, the self-appointed lance-corporal, and bos'n's mate. Men whd have lived among men under one central authority will know him. The hopeless boot-licker, earning contempt in the fo'c'sle or barrack room where he has to live and ridicule on the bridge or among the officers, whom he hopes Will free or promote him.
After a few words of instruction from Antonio, Paco entered the main building. The prisoners watched him intently, it was anyway a break in the routine. In a moment Paco returned carrying six empty fire buckets. He took them to the doorway of the canteen and handed them to the first six 'volunteers' he picked, then he ran back to Antonio for approval. He stood closer to Antonio, smiled at him, he was assistant yard'surveillance officer now.
The six men with the fire buckets stepped out into the rain, and went to a water tap near the lavatory. In turn they filled their fire buckets, and started sprinkling the yard. Within minutes they were soaked through. When they had emptied their buckets they filled them again at the tap.
Captain Bear reappeared at the main entrance. Antonio and Paco stood aside obsequiously. The Bear watched the men sprinkling the yard.
'Oyga, Esolla,' he shouted at one of them. 'you have missed a bit in the middle of the pool.'
Esolla went back into the middle of the pool and began sprinkling it again.
'Fine, that's fine,' shouted the Bear, 'that will keep the dust out of your eyes.'
The rain would stop, the sun come out. The endless pacing would start again. When the yard was dry the dust would rise. Paco would be out with six brooms. Six 'volunteers' would sweep it until their faces would be caked with the dust and until they could hardly breathe.
The pattern was set. No need for beatings or torture. Man's dignity and pride would be blasted from under him, preparing hint for the priests, reformers and the Falange.
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