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Chapter 22 resumes the action of the previous chapter without a
moment\'s lapse or even a slight change of location. Jordan, Primitivo,
and Augustin are installing the machine gun.
Into the midst of this situation comes a grinning Rafael, the gypsy,
who has just killed two rabbits. He\'s proud of his accomplishment.
That\'s not all bad: the band does need food, assuming they can
escape from this situation. The upsetting part is that the enemy
cavalryman came through the post Rafael was supposed to be watching.
And the enemy might have heard the gypsy\'s gun shot.
The incident has symbolic significance. Before Rafael followed and
killed them, the two rabbits were mating- \"making love,\" if that
term can be applied to rabbits. A few moments afterwards, they are
dead. The foreshadowing is obvious if you remember that Jordan\'s
nickname for Maria is \"rabbit.\"
Robert Jordan knows the pure mechanics of killing and instructs
his comrades. Shoot an officer first. Aim at the knees of a dismounted
man if he is below you. Aim at the belly of a man if he is on a horse.
Primitivo is ready for some real action. He wants a massacre of
the enemy. Jordan can\'t afford to condone Primitivo\'s bloodthirsty
urges at this point, for fear of jeopardizing the bridge operation. So
he appeases Primitivo with a simple message: Have patience... we\'ll
have a massacre tomorrow at the sawmill and the roadmender\'s hut.
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