## El gos lladre

## The thieving dog

Era un gos genial, tenia cops audaciosos, moments immensament afortunats, però era un lladre.

He was a brilliant dog, he had audacious streaks, immensely fortunate moments, but he was a thief.

El seu nas, un veritable telescopi d'ensumar, el mateix li servia per a descobrir un cap de caça caigut dintre d'un avenc o en mig d'una brolla impenetrable, com per a heure un tros de pa malendreçat a la casa del veí.

His nose, a veritable sniffing telescope, served him just as well for discovering a piece of fallen game inside a chasm or in the midst of an impenetrable thicket, as for snatching a misplaced piece of bread in the neighbor's house.

És natural que qui diu pa, diu vianda, i qui diu vianda, diu tot el que pogués arreplegar, fred o calent, amanit o sense amanir.

It goes without saying that whoever says bread, says meat, and whoever says meat, says everything he could scrape together, hot or cold, seasoned or unseasoned.

No heu pas vist en la vostra vida una bèstia més gosada.

You have never in your life seen a more daring beast.

Al veïnat, veïnat d'obrers (una placeta de cases a peu pla on regnava una confiança il·limitada i on les portes romanien esbatanades) havia arribat a sembrar-hi el terror.

In the neighborhood, a working-class neighborhood (a small square of ground-floor houses where unlimited trust reigned and where the doors remained wide open) he had come to sow terror.

Quan ell eixia arramblat a la paret, amb la cua moixa, l'aire sonso i sa cara de perdiguer estúpidament inexpressiva, algú es quedava sense dinar.

When he came out slinking against the wall, with his tail tucked, a dull air and his stupidly expressionless pointer face, someone would go without lunch.

La Pepa, per exemple, tenia l'escudella a taula i el pa llescat; el seu marit era a l'hort o a l'eixida del darrera, obrint una rega o endegant una gàbia, i, pareu atenció en el que vaig a dir-vos, el temps just de girar l'esquena i cridar l'entretingut, el meu gos, el savi Alí, d'una gorjada buidava la sopera, d'un mos se'n duia el pa, i si el marit trigava massa i la dona tenia de repetir la crida, el gos tornava a cercar el bullit i les llesques escadusseres; feia net.

Pepa, for example, had the soup on the table and the bread sliced; her husband was in the vegetable garden or the back yard, opening a ditch or fixing a cage, and—pay attention to what I am going to tell you—in just the time it took to turn her back and call the lingering man, my dog, the wise Alí, would empty the tureen in one gulp, take the bread in one bite, and if the husband took too long and the wife had to repeat her call, the dog would return for the boiled meat and the stray slices; he made a clean sweep.

Compendreu que era ben admirable la llestesa del meu gos que en mig minut es menjava el dinar d'una família.

You will understand that the cleverness of my dog was quite admirable, eating a family's lunch in half a minute.

Quan oïa xernegar una dona, al pas de la porta, em ficava la mà a la butxaca.

Whenever I heard a woman cursing by her doorstep, I would put my hand in my pocket.

L'Alí tenia una panxa inversemblantment elàstica.

Alí had an implausibly elastic belly.

A voltes de tan plena i tivant esdevenia transparent.

Sometimes, from being so full and taut, it became transparent.

Si el producte dels seus lladronicis m'hagués interessat, d'un sol cop d'ull us hauria dit el que s'hi encabia.

If the product of his thievery had interested me, with a single glance I could have told you what was contained inside it.

I Déu ens lliuri que fos bacallà sec, perquè el remullar-lo i el trasmudar-li l'aigua exigia llargues i repetides abeurades.

And Heaven forbid it was dried cod, because soaking it and changing its water demanded long and repeated drinking sessions.

Jo suportava totes aqueixes coses, ben greus tanmateix, en gràcia als bons serveis que els seus sentits i la seva enorme voluntat em feien a muntanya.

I endured all these things, very serious though they were, for the sake of the good services that his senses and his enormous willpower did for me in the mountains.

Per altre cantó jo sempre sóc estat considerat.

On the other hand, I have always been considerate.

Comprenia que l'exercici i els aires purs obren la gana.

I understood that exercise and fresh air whet the appetite.

Un hom sabia, per experiència, que en tornant de cacera el ventrell és exigent; i a la guerra com a la guerra.

One knew, by experience, that upon returning from hunting the belly is demanding; and all's fair in love and war.

Procurava, de totes maneres, evitar-li ocasions de fer estropicis.

I tried, in any case, to avoid giving him occasions to cause havoc.

No m'avergonyia d'assabentar a les mestresses dels hostals i cases de pagès, de quin mal patia el meu Alí.

I was not ashamed to inform the landladies of the inns and farmhouses of what affliction my Alí suffered from.

Ells que procuressin vigilar-lo, que jo també el vigilaria.

They should make sure to watch him, and I would watch him too.

El que és que jo no tenia el nas del gos, i allí on no hi veia res mal endreçat afluixava els meus rigors.

The thing was that I did not have the dog's nose, and wherever I saw nothing misplaced, I relaxed my rigor.

Els altres per la seva banda, no capien la terrible agilitat de l'Alí, ni els seus recursos.

The others, for their part, did not comprehend Alí's terrible agility, nor his resources.

Les portes, les lleixes i els armaris els tranquil·litzaven massa fàcilment.

Doors, shelves, and cupboards reassured them all too easily.

El carnisser del nostre barri sabia, però, tota la veritat.

The butcher of our neighborhood, however, knew the whole truth.

Tant la sabia que, en quant el perdiguer s'atansava a casa seva, el mateix si l'obirava ell que si l'obirava la seva muller, els seus fills, o els mossos de l'escorxador o les criades de la botiga, no restaven pesos a les balances, ni tallants al tallador, ni ganivets a la taula, ni carbó de pedra a la caldera, car tot era llençat a manera de projectils a les costelles del golafre.

He knew it so well that, as soon as the pointer approached his house, whether he spotted him or his wife, his children, the slaughterhouse lads, or the shopmaids did, no weights remained on the scales, no cleavers on the chopping block, no knives on the table, nor coal in the boiler, for everything was thrown like projectiles at the glutton's ribs.

Poden ben creure que aquesta diligència i agressivitat espantoses no aconseguien salvar els trossos de vedella sospesos al garfi, dins del rebost tancat del soterrani.

You can well believe that this fearsome diligence and aggressiveness failed to save the pieces of veal hanging from the hook inside the locked basement pantry.

El camí que seguia el gos era d'allò més envitricollat i perdedor.

The path the dog followed was most convoluted and confusing.

Demés, la casa era plena de gent, i de males intencions; ja ho heu vist.

Furthermore, the house was full of people, and of ill intentions; you have already seen that.

I encara, a la portella del susdit rebost hi havia una baldeta de fusta situada a l'altura de l'espatlla d'un home.

And furthermore, on the small door of the aforementioned pantry there was a wooden latch located at the height of a man's shoulder.

El mecanisme era molt groller i primitiu; però també els mitjans d'una bèstia són bastant limitats en relació amb els que solen esmerçar els lladres d'ofici.

The mechanism was very crude and primitive; but then, a beast's means are also rather limited compared to those usually employed by professional thieves.

Sant Tomàs ens valgui!

May Saint Thomas help us!

Per creure-ho vaig tenir d'inspeccionar el lloc de l'estropici amb els meus propis ulls.

To believe it, I had to inspect the scene of the havoc with my own eyes.

En el marc de la portella s'hi coneixien els rastres dels unglots del meu volgut Alí.

On the frame of the small door, the marks of my beloved Alí's claws could be seen.

No feia més que redreçar-se i, d'un cop de pota vertical, tombava la baldeta, després rautava de biaix fins introduir les ungles en el junt del bastiment i la portella; i cor què vols, boca què desitges.

He did nothing more than rear up and, with a vertical strike of his paw, knock down the latch, then scrape sideways until he inserted his claws into the joint between the frame and the door; and then, his heart's content.

El carnisser en valuar la carn malmesa sempre tirava llarg i jo pagava esbalaït d'admiració, més i més convençut del talent de la bèstia.

The butcher, when assessing the damaged meat, always overcharged, and I paid, dumbfounded with admiration, more and more convinced of the beast's talent.

I no era pas que no li hagués fet reflexions a dojo i enlletgit aquells actes, amb arguments severs; en venia de mena.

And it was not for lack of lecturing him plenty and decrying those acts with stern arguments; it was in his nature.

Robava per esport.

He stole for sport.

Les dificultats l'enardien.

Difficulties emboldened him.

Així en ocasions es feia l'orni quan trobava massa senzill apropiar-se d'una deixia, o del pa dels infants o d'altra persona desvalguda.

Thus, on occasion, he would play dumb when he found it too simple to help himself to a scrap, or to the bread of children or some other helpless person.

Però en quan es presentava un pillatge de mèrit, llavors feia de les seves.

But as soon as a worthwhile plundering presented itself, then he would work his mischief.

El mateix que certs facinerosos dels temps vells, atacava amb preferència els forts i els acabalats.

Just like certain scoundrels of the old days, he preferred to attack the strong and the wealthy.

La gana no era pas el motiu determinant de les seves malifetes.

Hunger was by no means the determining motive for his misdeeds.

No diré que en tornant de cacera no esdevingués més perillós, però cal dir també que ben sovint anava a soterrar les coses afanades.

I won't say that he didn't become more dangerous when returning from a hunt, but it must also be said that very often he went to bury the stolen goods.

Ho feia en previsió de caresties imaginàries?

Did he do it in anticipation of imaginary shortages?

Era un precursor de l'actual egoisme social, dels acaparadors malvats?

Was he a precursor to today's social selfishness, to evil hoarders?

De cap manera: ell podia comptar amb la sopa domèstica dia per dia, puntualment.

By no means: he could count on his household soup day by day, punctually.

Demés en temps de l'Alí, el pa, i la carn tenien un preu baix i no existia ni el més petit indici de guerra europea.

Moreover, in Ali's time, bread and meat had a low price and there was not even the slightest hint of a European war.

Va envellir sense perdre energies.

He grew old without losing his energy.

Però haig de constatar que amb l'experiència, el meu gos, executà els robatoris amb un refinament insuperable.

But I must note that with experience, my dog carried out his thefts with an insuperable refinement.

A voltes aquests prenien un caient pintoresc i fantàstic.

At times these took on a picturesque and fantastic aspect.

En el camiral de França, a sis o set quilòmetres més enllà de Girona, es troba la Costa-roja.

On the high road to France, six or seven kilometers beyond Girona, lies Costa-roja.

A dalt a la carena de Sant Julià de Ramis, existeix un hostalot, on els carreters, guanyada la fatigosa pujada, mentre els animals reposen, entren a paladejar un didalet de rosolis i a atracar-se d'aigua.

Up on the ridge of Sant Julià de Ramis, there is a large, rundown inn, where the carters, having overcome the grueling climb, step inside to savor a thimbleful of rosolis and gorge themselves on water while their animals rest.

En aquest hostalot, un matí calorós de setembre, morts de cansament --les perdius de Sant Julià són dures i esquerpes-- un company i jo férem una curta estada.

In this old inn, on a hot September morning, dead tired—the partridges of Sant Julià are tough and elusive—a companion and I made a short stay.

La mestressa ens havia posat dues "gassioses" en fresc i havia eixit a estendre la roba.

The landlady had set out two "fizzy drinks" in the cool air and had gone out to hang the clothes.

Érem sols dintre l'hostalot; sols amb les mosques i amb l'ensopiment.

We were alone inside the small inn; alone with the flies and the drowsiness.

La carretera solitària reflectia la llum solar d'una faisó cruel i ens embolcallava de xafogor i mandra.

The solitary road reflected the sunlight in a cruel manner and enveloped us in stifling heat and lethargy.

Estàvem asseguts al peu de l'entrada, d'esquena a la paret lateral, de cara a un tempanell on hi havia una porteta falsa.

We were seated at the foot of the entrance, our backs to the side wall, facing a partition where there was a small false door.

La tal porta badava uns travessos de dit, i heu's aquí que, de sobte, vaig ataleiar-me que de l'obertura, anguilejant pel sòl, n'eixia una cosa, llarga i prima, amb totes les apariències d'una mànega d'incendis.

That door was ajar by a few fingers' breadth, and lo and behold, suddenly, I noticed that from the opening, slithering along the ground, emerged a thing, long and thin, with every appearance of a fire hose.

Curiós, pensava entre mi, i no queia pas en què podia ésser.

Curious, I thought to myself, and I could not figure out what it could be.

Però allò, d'una lluentor especial, no sols, com ja he dit, anguilejava arran de la paret, encorbant-se bruscament, sinó que es movia rastrer i feixuc, com si algú l'anés estirant des del defora.

But that thing, with a special gleam, not only slithered along the wall, bending sharply, as I have already said, but it also moved creeping and heavy, as if someone were pulling it from the outside.

El cansament i mandra, foren vençuts per una curiositat vivíssima.

Weariness and laziness were overcome by an intense curiosity.

Vaig aixecar-me, vaig seguir la sinuosa mànega i, al capdavall, al peu de la paret, en l'herbam polsós que hi creixia, al meu Alí engorjava sense mastegar, subjectant-lo entre les potes davanteres, aquell tub elàstic i sucós.

I got up, followed the sinuous hose, and at the far end, at the foot of the wall, in the dusty weeds growing there, my Alí was swallowing that elastic and juicy tube without chewing, holding it down between his front paws.

Era una budellada, una tirallonga de botifarra de parracs, encara sense lligams, que procedia de la fogaina, situada darrera del tempanell.

It was a string of guts, a long length of blood sausage, not yet tied up, which came from the hearth situated behind the partition wall.

Com pogué treure-la de la perola bullent; com ajustà després la porta; com executà aquesta maniobra, inadvertidament i silenciosament?

How could he have taken it out of the boiling pot; how did he then adjust the door; how did he execute this maneuver, inadvertently and silently?

Això és el que encara segueixo meditant en aquestes hores.

This is what I am still contemplating during these hours.

Per no veure'ns compromesos en aventures, similars, calia una atenció contínua, abassegadora, impossible.

To avoid finding ourselves entangled in similar adventures, a continuous, overwhelming, impossible alertness was required.

Mentre pagava el dret de portes d'un cap de caça, ell ja havia recorregut la "casilla" del burot, i, regirant el patifell, sustret el que li convenia; mentre donava foc a un bosquerol, ja se li havia menjat la coca del cabàs; el temps de demanar una tirada d'aigua en una casa de pagès, ell ja s'havia begut el brou de l'olla; i encara no havia ficat el peu en un hostal, que ja mancava alguna ració a les taules o ja escoltàveu imprecacions basardoses a la cuina.

While I was paying the toll for a piece of game, he had already traversed the "casilla" of the toll collector, and, rummaging through the basket, taken whatever suited him; while he was lighting a pipe for a woodsman, he had already eaten the cake out of his basket; in the time it took to ask for a drop of water at a farmhouse, he had already drunk the broth from the pot; and he hadn't even set foot in an inn before some portion was already missing from the tables or you could already hear fearful curses in the kitchen.

I en cas d'haver-hi altres gossos mai ningú no sospitava d'ell.

And if there were other dogs around, no one ever suspected him.

Semblava tan humil, tan resignat, tan quiet; obrava d'una faisó tan diplomàtica, tan per sotamà i tan gosada, ràpida i encongida, que talment hauríeu dit que tenia el do de tornar-se invisible i duia a sobre totes les eines d'espenyar més refinades i segures.

He seemed so humble, so resigned, so quiet; he acted in such a diplomatic, underhanded, yet daring, swift, and cowering manner, that you would have truly said he possessed the gift of turning invisible and carried on him all the most refined and reliable tools for breaking and entering.

Morí d'una fartanera nadalenca; la més lícita, però també la més fatal de la seva vida.

He died of a Christmas binge; the most legitimate, but also the most fatal of his life.

Per no deixar la memòria del brau Alí en interdicte, haig d'avinentar als meus volguts llegidors que ell només era lladre d'aliments.

Lest the memory of the brave Alí be left under suspicion, I must inform my dear readers that he was only a thief of food.

Dels diners, joies i valors públics, no en feia cabal, i a la seva vora, per desendreçats que estiguessin, els teníeu tan segurs com dipositats al Banc d'Espanya.

Money, jewelry, and public securities were of no account to him, and in his keeping, no matter how untidily they were scattered about, you had them as safe as if they were deposited in the Bank of Spain.