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remorse under the shadow of Petra Cotes； where he revived his noisy revelry and unlimited gourmandizing。 Foreign to the restlessness of the town； deaf to ？rsula’s quiet predictions。 Fernanda gave the last tam to the screw of her preconceived plan。 She wrote a long letter to her son Jos？Arcadio； who was then about to take his first orders； and in it she told him that his sister Renata had expired in the peace of the Lord and as a consequence of the black vomit。 Then she put Amaranta ？rsula under the care of Santa Sofía de la Piedad and dedicated herself to anizing her correspondence with the invisible doctors； which had been upset by Meme’s trouble。 The first thing that she did was to set a definite date for the postponed telepathic operation。 But the invisible doctors answered her that it was not wise so long as the state of social agitation continued in Macondo。 She was so urgent and so poorly Informed that she explained to them In another letter that there was no such state of agitation and that everything was the result of the lunacy of a brotherinlaw of hers who was fiddling around at that time in that labor union nonsense just as he had been involved with cockfighting and riverboats before。 They were still not in agreement on the hot Wednesday when an aged nun knocked at the door bearing a small basket on her arm。 When she opened the door Santa Sofía de la Piedad thought that it was a gift and tried to take the small basket that was covered with a lovely lace wrap。 But the nun stopped her because she had instructions to give it personally and with the strictest secrecy to Do？a Fernanda del Carpio de Buendía。 It was Meme’s son。 Fernanda’s former spiritual director explained to her in a letter that he had been born two months before and that they had taken the privilege of baptizing him Aureliano； for his grandfather； because his mother would not open her lips to tell them her wishes。 Fernanda rose up inside against that trick of fate； but she had sufficient strength to hide it in front of the nun。
“We’ll tell them that we found him floating in the basket；？she said smiling。
“No one will believe it；？the nun said。
“If they believe it in the Bible；？Fernanda replied； “I don’t see why they shouldn’t believe it from me。？
The nun lunched at the house while she waited for the train back； and in accordance with the discretion they asked of her； she did not mention the child again； but Fernanda viewed her as an undesirable witness of her shame and lamented the fact that they had abandoned the medieval custom of hanging a messenger who bore bad news。 It was then that she decided to drown the child in the cistern as soon as the nun left； but her heart was not strong enough and she preferred to wait patiently until the infinite goodness of God would free her from the annoyance。
The new Aureliano was a year old when the tension of the people broke with no forewarning。 Jos？Arcadio Segundo and other union leaders who had remained underground until then suddenly appeared one weekend and anized demonstrations in towns throughout the banana region。 The police merely maintained public order。 But on Monday night the leaders were taken from their homes and sent to jail in the capital of the province with twopound irons on their legs。 Taken among them were Jos？Arcadio Segundo and Lorenzo Gavilán； a colonel in the Mexican revolution； exiled in Macondo； who said that he had been witness to the heroism of his rade Artemio Cruz。 They were set free； however； within three months because of the fact that the government and the banana pany could not reach an agreement as to who should feed them in jail。 The protests of the workers this time were based on the lack of sanitary facilities in their living quarters； the nonexistence of medical services； and terrible working conditions。 They stated； furthermore； that they were not being paid in real money but in scrip； which was good only to buy Virginia ham in the pany missaries。 Jos？Arcadio Segundo was put in jail because he revealed that the scrip system was a way for the pany to finance its fruit ships； which without the missary merchandise would have to return empty from New Orleans to the banana ports。 The other plaints were mon knowledge。 The pany physicians did not examine the sick but had them line up behind one another in the dispensaries and a nurse would put a pill the color of copper sulfate on their tongues； whether they had malaria； gonorrhea； or constipation。 It was a cure that was so mon that children would stand in line several times and instead of swallowing the pills would take them home to use as bingo markers。 The pany workers were crowded together in miserable barracks。 The engineers； instead of putting in toilets； had a portable latrine for every fifty people brought to the camps at Christmas time and they held public demonstrations of how to use them so that they would last longer。 The decrepit lawyers dressed in black who during other times had besieged Colonel Aureliano Buendía and who now were controlled by the banana pany dismissed those demands with decisions that seemed like acts of magic。 When the workers drew up a list of unanimous petitions； a long time passed before they were able to notify the banana pany officially。 As soon as he found out about the agreement Mr。 Brown hitched his luxurious glassedin coach to the train and disappeared from Macondo along with the more prominent representatives of his pany。 Nonetheless some workers found one of them the following Saturday in a brothel and they made him sign a copy of the sheet with the demands while he was naked with the women who had helped to entrap him。 The mournful lawyers showed in court that that man had nothing to do with the pany and in order that no one doubt their arguments they had him jailed as an impostor。 Later on； Mr。 Brown was surprised traveling incognito； in a thirdclass coach and they made him sign another copy of the demands。 On the following day he appeared before the judges with his hair dyed black and speaking flawless Spanish。 The lawyers showed that the man was not Mr。 Jack Brown； the superintendent of the banana pany； born in Prattville Alabama； but a harmless vendor of medicinal plants； born in Macondo and baptized there with the name of Dagoberto Fonseca。 A while later； faced with a new attempt by the workers the lawyers publicly exhibited Mr。 Brown’s death certificate； attested to by consuls and foreign ministers which bore witness that on June ninth last he had been run over by a fire engine in Chicago。 Tired of that hermeneutical delirium； the workers turned away from the authorities in Macondo and brought their plaints up to the higher courts。 It was there that the sleightofhand lawyers proved that the demands lacked all validity for the simple reason that the banana pany did not have； never had had； and never would have any workers in its service because they were all hired on a temporary and occasional basis。 So that the fable of the Virginia ham was nonsense； the same as that of the miraculous pills and the Yuletide toilets； and by a decision of the court it was established and set down in solemn decrees that the workers did not exist。
The great strike broke out。 Cultivation stopped halfway； the fruit rotted on the trees and the hundredtwentycar trains remained on the sidings。 The idle workers overflowed the towns。 The Street of the Turks echoed with a Saturday that lasted for several days and in the poolroom at the Hotel Jacob they had to arrange twentyfourhour shifts。 That was where Jos？Arcadio Segundo was on the day it was announced that the army had been assigned to reestablish public order。 Although he was not a man given to omens； the news was like an announcement of death that he had been waiting for ever since that distant morning when Colonel Gerineldo Márquez had let him see an execution。 The bad omen did not change his solemnity； however。 He took the shot he had planned and it was good。 A short time later the drumbeats； the shrill of the bugle； the shouting and running of the people told him that not only had the game of pool e to an end； but also the silent and solitary game that he had been playing with himself ever since that dawn execution。 Th