[53.4] ¿Qué tal? How goes it?

[53.5] caen muchos? are you catching many? lit. "are many falling?" Caer en el anzuelo is the full expression.

[53.6] Marea muerta, slack tide.

[53.7] coge poco. Rufo speaks of himself in the 3d person.

[53.8] Padre no gusta cangrejos = Al padre no le gustan los cangrejos.

[54.1] Todos, Elisa = Todos serán para Elisa.

[54.2] yo quiere mucho Elisa = yo quiero mucho a Elisa.

[54.3] Usté = Usted. Usté represents phonetically the common pronunciation of this pron.

[55.1] echo pique = echo a pique, sink.

[55.2] dando, striking.

[55.3] botas de montar, riding-boots.

[56.1] hasta la vista, au revoir.

[56.2] por muy arriba que, however far up. Cf. page 24, note 4.

[56.3] cabo de mar, harbor-master.

[56.4] la comandancia, the authorities. In every important Spanish port there is a military chief of marine called comandante, who settles local maritime affairs which in any way concern the State. His office is called comandancia.

[57. 1] mares gruesas, heavy seas, lit. "thick."

[57.2] la hora menos pensada, when least expected, lit. "the hour least thought of."

[57.3] diesen con ellos al través, drive them ashore [wrecked].

[57.4] dar la razón a los que, show that those were in the right who.

[57.5] levantiscos, turbulent.

[58.1] a poder de, by dint of.

[58.2] José, levanta... perdida lancha = José, levántate... tienes perdida tu lancha. Somewhat broken Spanish.

[58.3] trajín, rocking, driving to and fro.

[59.1] estrellas filantes, shooting stars.

[59.2] se halló con que, found out that.

[59.3] forano, from the sea, lit. "from outside."

[59.4] tanto montaba, amounted to the same thing.

[60.1] Por la orilla adelante, On along the shore.

[60.2] barada, stuck, grounded. Barar also written varar.

[60.3] cifrada, fixed, lit. "calculated."

[60.4] a pico, sheer.

[61.1] abiertos, torn, lit. "opened (pierced)."

[61.2] al arma, armed, in battle array.

[62.1] como si entonces tan sólo, as if then and then only.

[62.2] se diese cuenta, realized.

[63.1] "vaga de mar," la mar alta: "sea": the high waves produced by the bursting of a storm.

[63.2] a los dos días del suceso, two days after the event. Cf. page 36, note 2.

[63.3] bien a su pesar, much against his will, lit. "in his despite."

[63.4] allí había andado una mano alevosa, a treacherous hand had been at work in the matter.

[63.5] a su entender, in his opinion.

[64.1] haciendo lo posible, doing his best.

[64.2] ni mucho menos, far from it.

[64.3] mostró tomar parte muy principal, evinced very great sympathy, gave evidence of sharing very deeply.

[64.4] sin soltar, without uttering.

[64.5] a lo mejor, suddenly, all at once. Usually of something disagreeable.

[65.1] valía tanto como, was equivalent to.

[65.2] comenzó a correr... la especie, the rumor began to spread through the town without any one knowing who had started it. With saber supply the indefinite subject nadie, cf. page 3, note 5. Soltara, the so-called first impf. or conditional subjunctive is by derivation a plpf. indicative (Lat. -averam > -aram > -ara). This value still persists, but is confined to rather elevated style, and is usually, though not always, found in dependent clauses, not necessarily, however, in relative clauses alone. Soltar una especie, "to launch a suggestion," "throw out a feeler," "start a report."

[65.3] puso... el dedo en la llaga, solved the mystery, struck the nail on the head, lit. "laid her finger on the wound."

[65.4] Irritósele la bilis, her wrath was roused, lit. "bile."

[66.1] con los brazos en jarra, with arms akimbo, lit. "like (the handles of) a jug or jar."

[67.1] quedaban rotas, would be broken. Cf. page 12, note 4.

[67.2] Con esto... relaciones, At this José was sorrowful and alarmed, expecting that at any time a disturbance might arise which would destroy his already uncertain relations. Armar, lit. "to stir up," "set up."

[68.1] ¡Peldóneme! = ¡Perdóneme!

[68.2] malicia, cunning.

[68.3] no sacará nada en limpio, you will not get to the bottom of it, lit. "bring nothing out clearly."

[68.4] hasta la evidencia, beyond a doubt, lit. "up to (the point of) evidentness."

[69.1] por no habérselo... al idiota, at not having been able to find it out from the idiot, "get it out of him."

[69.2] Allá voy, I am coming.

[69.3] encontraría, vería. Cf. page 49, note 5.

[69.4] ¿Para verte... que te ha quedado? The better to see that old hag's face that you've got?

[69.5] acicate, sting, spur.

[70.1] el marica de D. Cándido, D. Cándido the old woman. Marica is applied to effeminate men and to such as interfere in woman's business. De denotes apposition. Cándido = simpleton.

[70.2] velar las injurias, veiling one's insults.

[70.3] descubrirse, laying oneself open (to prosecution).

[71.1] un tanto, somewhat.

[71.2] ¿Que me he comido... tragaderas! So I ate up your son's fishing-smack, did I? I didn't think I could swallow so large a mouthful! lit. "had so good a gullet."

[72.1] sentar plaza, enlist.

[72.2] doy parte, I shall inform.

[72.3] un soberbio mojicón de mano vuelta, a tremendous back-handed blow. For soberbio, cf. Fr. fier used in the same sense.

[72.4] por no soltar la tajada, not to let go the money, lit. "slice." Cf. tener una buena tajada = "to have a good thing of it."

[72.5] ya pareció aquello! it's out at last, lit. "that (i.e. the real reason) has appeared."

[72.6] echar las uñas a, get your claws on.

[73.1] Lámete... hocico untado, Lick yourself, poor thing, for your snout is greasy. There is a sub-sense of "undeceive yourself" in this expression; untar la cara, el casco = "to flatter."

[73.2] a mansalva = a mano salva, without risk.

[73.3] sin caérsele la sonrisa de los labios, without the smile leaving her lips.

[73.4] por lo visto, evidently.

[73.5] aquello. The allusion is to the disgrace brought upon Teresa by her lover, the father of José.

[73.6] ¡Será terca esta mujer! Isn't this woman obstinate! Cf. page 8, note 11.

[74.1] hacer alto, stop, halt.

[74.2] esgrimiendo, wielding.

[74.3] ¡Anda, anda... y revientes! Begone, begone; go home and take lime-tea and orange-flower, lest you get the palsy and burst. Tila y azahar is a popular remedy for hysteria and nervousness. No sea cosa que = no sea que.

[75.1] que demandase judicialmente, her bringing action against.

[75.2] no se le conocían más bienes de fortuna, he was not known to have other worldly goods.

[76.1] sacaba el maleficio al que no podía usar del matrimonio, she removed the spell from such as could not consummate marriage.

[77.1] José el de la viuda, José, the widow's (son).

[77.2] No será tanto, It can't be so bad (as you think).

[77.3] a eso de las nueve, about 9 o'clock. Cf. page 11, note 5.

[77.4] hasta la hubo de ciento treinta, there were even some with 130. For this distributive use of the pron. cf. page 40, note 1. A singular noun is sometimes used in the same way.

[77.5] al otro igual, the next the same.

[78.1] ¿No sabes una cosa? Haven't you heard the news?

[78.2] no les arriendo la ganancia, I would not be in the shoes of, I would not answer for the consequences to, lit. "I'll not rent their profit."

[78.3] no son para dichas, are not [fit] to be mentioned. The explanation of this construction, as of the use of the past part, after después de, etc., is that the verb ser is understood.

[78.4] Creo que daban miedo, I should think they were frightful.

[78.5] relamiéndose interiormente, with inward relish. Relamerse, lit. "to lick one's lips."

[79.1] cual si... carne de gallina, as if the monster were getting gooseflesh. Cf. Fr. chair de poule.

[79.2] raba, codfish-roe.

[80.1] puesto que = aunque.

[80.2] cae, comes up.

[80.3] envoltura, veil, wrapping.

[80.4] se indicó el contraste, there were signs of a sudden change of wind [to foul].

[81.1] A partir de esta hora, from now on.

[81.2] desaladas, eager, breathless. Cf. page 8, note 3.

[82.1] en vuelta de, toward, in the direction of. Also la vuelta de.

[82.2] borriquete de proa, foretopsail.

[83.1] salsa, spray.

[83.2] Phs, Pshaw! Also written ps! Expressive of scorn or indifference.

[83.3] concha, bay, harbor.

[83.4] a medio izar, cf. page 18, note 5.

[84.1] Nicolás de la Tejera, cf. page 77, note 1.

[86.1] ¡Vaya todo por Dios! God's will be done!

[86.2] con muchísimo ojo, with the greatest vigilance.

[86.3] que no nos llegaba la camisa al cuerpo, when we were beside ourselves with fear.

[86.4] dio vuelta, capsized.

[87.1] morral, lubber, booby.

[87.2] ¡La lástima fue ésa! A pity you didn't!

[87.3] arriasteis de plan, lower flat.

[87.4] estaba la mar... dulces con ella, the sea could be controlled at will, lit. "was (in a condition) for us to make sweetmeats out of it."

[87.5] rascándote la barriga, scratching your paunch, i.e. "idling."

[87.6] disteis fondo, cast anchor.

[88.1] hasta el tope, to the dregs, lit. "to the top," hence "fully," "completely."

[89.1] percance, accident, mishap.

[89.2] todo lo bien que, as well as.

[90.1] no había sacado... jergón, had not gotten even a wretched straw tick [out of it].

[90.2] serían, añadiese, importaría. This use of simple for compound tense is quite common when a negative is expressed or implied. The effect is to render the diction more graphic.

[91.1] que no existe... desgracia. Dante, Inferno, V, ll. 121, ff.:

...Nessun maggior dolore,
Che ricordarsi del tempo felice
Nella miseria;...

[91.2] más adelante, later on.

[91.3] andar suelta, circulate freely.

[92.1] no consentía... pareados, did not allow of their walking abreast.

[93.1] En esto, Meanwhile.

[94.1] me las vas a pagar todas, you are going to pay up for everything. Cf. page 1, note 4.

[94.2] los lances de la faena, the vicissitudes of the task.

[95.1] desde muy antiguo, from of old.

[95.2] acaso acaso, perhaps, who knows? Repetition to express emphasis or the superlative idea is a characteristic Romance construction, cf. Fr. beaucoup beaucoup.

[96.1] se daba traza para ir tirando, contrived to get along, lit. "found means to go pulling (along)."

[96.2] patinejo, little yard.

[96.3] prenda, article of dress.

[96.4] el derecho de pernada, seignorial right. This is the jus primae noctis, droit du seigneur, Herrenrecht, according to which the bride of a vassal belonged, for the wedding night, to the feudal lord. The existence of this right as a part of the feudal system is a moot question. Dr. Vicente de la Fuente, quoted by Karl Schmidt, Jus Primae Noctis, Freiburg, 1881, p. 56, says: "Entre nosotros no fue conocido ese derecho inmoral y abominable." Schmidt indeed, as the result of a thorough historical investigation, characterizes the custom as a legend and a "learned superstition."